San Francisco - Arts & Culture
San Francisco Chinatown Union Square
The city leaps into the Year of the Rabbit with the annual Chinese New Year Parade
Rain didn’t dampen the new year spirit over the weekend as participants and onlookers alike converged on downtown to celebrate the 2023 Alaska Airlines Chinese New Year Parade on Saturday night.
San Francisco Castro
SF Historical Preservation Commission recommends Castro Theatre landmark expansion
On Wednesday, the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) voted unanimously in support of recommending the expansion of the Castro Theatre's landmark designation to the Board of Supervisors.
San Francisco
Community group holds Castro Theatre town hall ahead of Historic Preservation Commission meeting [Updated]
Last Thursday, a coalition of community groups held a Castro Theatre town hall ahead of two consequential public meetings about the theatre's landmark status and preservation of its seats.
San Francisco North Beach
Artist Natalie Gabriel brings Carol Doda back to North Beach in stunning new mural
Thanks to muralist Natalie Gabriel, Carol Doda, the iconic stripper who shimmied her way to international fame as a topless dancer in the 60s and 70s has returned to North Beach in a new mural at wine bar Bodega.
San Francisco Ocean Beach Outer Richmond
Storms and high winds blow walls off Camera Obscura at Land's End
The 77-year-old quirky attraction Camera Obscura had walls and parts of its exteriors blown off in the recent storms, and while repairs are necessary, the camera contraption itself is still in good working shape.
San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf
Video: Musée Mécanique acquires glorious new, 110-year-old musical contraption
Meet the Mills Bow-Front Violano Virtuoso, a 350-pound, 110-year-old antique musical apparatus that self-plays a piano and violin at the same time, now performing regularly at the always-quirky Musée Mécanique.
San Francisco North Beach
The Condor Club becomes SF’s first topless club to get Legacy Business status
On the heels of a dressing-down from the SF Historic Preservation Commission, North Beach’s Condor Club was still awarded entry into SF’s Legacy Business Registry, 58 years after becoming the first topless dance club in the U.S.
San Francisco Inner Richmond Outer Richmond
Richmond District’s 4 Star Theater set to reopen, will be a movie house again
The 4 Star Theater has been closed for nearly three whole years, but the scrappy little theater at Clement Street and 23rd Avenue will rise again this week, with movies plus pizza and bagels provided by nearby neighbor The Laundromat.
San Francisco North Beach
Keys Jazz Bistro celebrates grand opening in North Beach
Long before the stretch of Broadway between Columbus and Montgomery was peppered with strip joints, it was home to some of the city’s most popular jazz clubs. With the opening of Keys Jazz Bistro last week, North Beach is once again poised to become a prime destination for jazz aficionados.
San Francisco Fillmore
New Black-owned business marketplace In The Black coming to Fillmore Street — on Black Friday
More than 20 Black-owned retail businesses are getting a new home in the Fillmore District, as the new marketplace In The Black is moving in beneath the Fillmore theater at the end of this month.
San Francisco North Beach
Condor Club wants Legacy Business status, but gets dressed down by Historic Preservation Committee
North Beach strip club the Condor Club’s application for Legacy Business Status advanced Wednesday, but the SF Historic Preservation Commission told the club to do more legwork with regard to gender equity issues.
San Francisco Presidio
Exhibit on dyslexia at Arion Press in the Presidio highlights the learning condition's ‘superpower’
About 20% of the population suffers from dyslexia, though many people go throughout their entire lives without a formal diagnosis. "Dyslexic Dictionary" — a new exhibit in the Presidio that features contributions from notable dyslexics like governor Gavin Newsom and author Sally Gardner — makes it clear that the learning disorder can also be a “hyper-ability.”
San Francisco North Beach
Remembering Finocchio's, the North Beach club that arguably gave birth to American drag
Once upon a time, there was a cabaret-style nightclub in San Francisco's North Beach that featured a cast of female impersonators. The place gained nationwide notoriety, and became a go-to destination for tourists, sailors, and celebrities alike.
San Francisco Castro Duboce Triangle
Another Planet Entertainment dealt another setback after neighborhood group votes against proposed Castro Theatre plans
Last week at the monthly virtual Castro Merchants membership meeting the group announced that it has declined to sign a letter in support of Another Planet Entertainment's proposed changes to the 100-year-old Castro Theatre.
San Francisco Golden Gate Park Outer Richmond Outer Sunset
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival comes “Back to the Park” after two years
Not even a chilly fog could dampen spirits as the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Music Festival made its return to Golden Gate Park over the weekend after a pandemic-driven hiatus.
San Francisco Chinatown
Clarion fundraiser will serve up delicious food and dazzling fashions in Chinatown
Clara Hsu, owner and executive director of the Clarion Performing Arts Center in Chinatown, wears many hats, and on October 8, she'll be helping to host a fundraiser for the arts center that will double as a fashion show for local designers.
San Francisco Dogpatch
San Francisco’s newest music festival debuts with great electronic music sets — and crowd safety concerns
The first-ever Portola Music Festival — the two-day concert series that was held this past weekend on Pier 80 — included outstanding performances from famous acts like Charli XCX and Flume, but the festival's high points were kicked down a notch due to long lines and dangerous crowd conditions.