Elim Chan will be the San Francisco Symphony’s first woman music director. She becomes music director-designate next month and takes the post fully in September 2027.

The Museum of Illusions plans a 14,300‑sq‑ft Market Street outpost near Union Square, bringing selfie-ready optical rooms to downtown San Francisco’s retail core.

The Marin Irish Festival is set to return, inviting those around the Bay to join in on some good craic — or fun — this coming weekend (May 16-17).

Rome’s "Treasures of the Pharaohs" will premiere in San Francisco at the de Young in August 2027, then tour to the Kimbell in Fort Worth the following spring. The show brings 130+ Egyptian masterpieces, including recent finds.

The Venice Biennale opened May 9 amid protests after its international jury resigned over Israeli and Russian participation. Organizers shifted prize decisions to ticket‑holding visitors and postponed awards to Nov. 22.

Doris Fisher, Gap co‑founder and longtime S.F. arts patron, has died at 94. Her business and philanthropic legacies — from Gap to the Fisher Collection at SFMOMA — shaped the city.

Two big Cinco de Mayo celebrations hit San José on May 3: an east‑side lowrider parade and a parade‑free downtown festival. Expect road closures and detours.

Carnaval San Francisco returns to the Mission District May 23–24 with a Grand Parade, headliner and a soccer-themed community focus. Here’s what to know about route, closures and transit.

Michael Tilson Thomas, the conductor who remade the San Francisco Symphony, died at 81 after a years‑long battle with glioblastoma. Colleagues remember his daring programming and devotion to teaching.

The Balboa Theatre celebrated its centennial with a new tile mural, free screenings and a tribute to Oscar‑nominated costume designer Aggie Rodgers. The weeklong series capped with a gala unveiling the mural by Sandow Birk and Elyse Pignolet.

Security guards picketed the de Young's gala, saying proposed schedule changes and budget cuts would leave night shifts dangerously thin.

Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown plays the Orpheum for a one‑week run April 21–26 with access performances and multiple showtimes. Tickets are available through ATG.

After reporting that prompted a nationwide reckoning, San Francisco artists and institutions are covering and repainting Cesar Chavez murals while the city decides what comes next.