Sacramento is lining up a speaker season with enough national names to make the city’s civic calendar look unusually crowded. Monica Lewinsky, Liz Cheney, James Mattis, Amy Webb, Emmanuel Acho and Father Greg Boyle will headline the 2026-27 Sacramento Speakers Series, which begins this fall at the downtown SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center.
The Sacramento Metro Chamber announced the lineup Tuesday, with season tickets becoming available to the public on August 4, subject to availability. The six-event series is presented by Sutter Health in partnership with KCRA 3, My58 and KFBK News Radio, according to Sacramento Press.
The season opens Wednesday, September 30, with Lewinsky, the activist, writer, producer and public speaker known for her advocacy around public shaming, cyberbullying and resilience. Cheney follows on October 28, while futurist Amy Webb takes the stage on January 27, 2027, bringing a lineup that moves from political debate to technology, culture and long-term strategy.
Former Defense Secretary and retired Marine Gen. James Mattis is scheduled for February 17, 2027, followed by former Fox Sports analyst Emmanuel Acho on March 24 and Los Angeles priest and community activist Father Greg Boyle on April 28. The Sacramento Metro Chamber describes the series as a forum for civic dialogue and lifelong learning, with speakers drawn from politics, public policy, science, media, culture, sports and global affairs.
Six Big Names, One Downtown Sacramento Stage
The variety is part of the point: Lewinsky brings a conversation about shame and accountability, Cheney offers a former lawmaker’s perspective on public leadership, Webb focuses on strategic foresight, and Mattis arrives with decades of military and national-security experience. Acho and Boyle round out the schedule with conversations rooted in sports, identity, faith, community work and social change.
The series has been a Sacramento fixture since it was founded in 2004, and its current home is a 2,188-seat venue that the City of Sacramento says reopened after a major renovation in 2021. That combination of recognizable names and limited seating helps explain why organizers are warning that capacity for the new season is limited.
Season Tickets Are Open Before The First Big Conversation
Returning patrons can renew their seats, while public season-ticket sales are now open through the series’ official program information. A limited number of single-event tickets may be released about two weeks before each appearance if seats remain after season-ticket sales, according to the Chamber’s current series page.
The Chamber also plans to continue Share the Vision, an educational program that gives local high school students complimentary admission and access to private pre-event receptions with selected speakers. The program is supported by the California State Library Foundation and is designed to turn a night at the theater into something more lasting than a few inspirational quotes on the way out.
The Metro Chamber took over the Sacramento Speakers Series in 2025, describing the acquisition as a move intended to preserve the program’s legacy while expanding its reach across the Capital Region. With the new season, the organization is betting that Sacramento audiences still want the rare civic experience of hearing nationally prominent figures in person—and asking their own questions afterward.
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