San Franciscans are an adventurous and diverse lot where entertainment is concerned. The city is rich with artistic types and well-informed critics who nurture a vibrant cultural scene that includes both traditional artistic expressions such as opera, symphony, and ballet, and also more avant-garde forms. With its open-minded atmosphere and taste for pushing boundaries, the Bay Area has particularly built a reputation for itself as a breeding ground for experimental and often outrageous work.
MUSIC
Classical and opera
San Francisco has long cherished classical music. In the city’s early days, this passion was so great that fire brigades escorted favorite divas through the crowds to performances. San Francisco soon became a regular stop for European troupes, and the tradition still continues: today there are no fewer than seven opera companies in the Bay Area. There are also more classical concerts per capita here than in any other city in the country, a phenomenon described by one critic as an “unreasonable profusion.” Chamber music is well served too, with peaceful churches often hosting the small, talented groups.
Buskers on the pier
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Jazz
The Lower Fillmore neighborhood was undoubtedly once the city’s hopping hotbed of jazz music. During the 1940s it became known as the “Harlem of the West,” attracting legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, and Charlie Parker. Today the Fillmore is home to the San Francisco outpost of Yoshi’s – a very well-respected Oakland jazz club – but jazz clubs are also found in other parts of the city, particularly downtown.
Stern Grove Festival
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Contemporary
The city is no stranger to staying on top of current music trends. Light shows held at the Fillmore and Avalon Ballroom became the standard for rock gigs all around the world. In the 1960s locally based artists including Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin regularly appeared at these venues, and performed in high-profile concerts in Golden Gate Park. Now, the Bay Area’s eclectic music scene includes everything from electronica to indie pop, and hip-hop. Large venues include the Warfield Theater, the Fillmore, Great American Music Hall, and Slims; more intimate venues are also popular.
THEATER
San Francisco’s early theater tradition started with a proliferation of melodeons (theater-bar-music halls) but more “serious” theater picked up at the turn of the 20th century. In 1967, director Bill Ball led the American Conservatory Theater to its San Francisco premiere, and it soon became a theater with a national reputation. Today, the theater district is centered just west of Union Square on Geary Street. Major commercial theaters stage Broadway hits, while non-profits such as the Magic Theater push new pieces and playwrights, and also premieres early works by major playwrights such as Sam Shepard. Come fall, the San Francisco Fringe Festival serves up untraditional and uncensored fare.
BARS AND CLUBS
San Francisco nightlife options are across the board, from Union Square hotel bars to punk-rock dives, cozy wine bars, intimate comedy venues, and large dance clubs. Live bands and local DJs spin at smaller venues, while more massive clubs draw international DJs. Many of these nightspots are hybrid affairs, blurring the lines between bars, lounges, and clubs. The liveliest neighborhoods after nightfall are the Mission District, the Marina, South of Market, and North Beach.
Festivals
January: Dine About Town; Noir City Film Festival, San Francisco Sketchfest
February: Noise Pop; Lunar New Year Parade; Independent Film Festival; Spike and Mike’s Festival of Animation
March: Anarchist Book Fair; St Patrick’s Day Parade
April: Perpetual Indulgence in the Park; Cherry Blossom Festival
May: Cinco de Mayo; San Francisco International Film Festival; Bay to Breakers; Carnaval; Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival
June: Silent Film Festival; San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival; North Beach Festival; Haight Street Fair; San Francisco Celebration and Pride Parade; Stern Grove Festival
July: AIDS Walk; San Francisco Shakespeare Festival; San Francisco Jewish Film Festival; Fillmore Jazz Festival
August: Outside Lands
September: Fringe Festival; Free Opera in the Park; Folsom Street Fair; Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival
October: Litquake; Castro Street Fair; Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
November: Día de los Muertos
December: Dance Along Nutcracker