We have plenty of recommendations for the best things to do in San Francisco this weekend. If you’re organizing a night out on the town, you’ll want to check out the city’s best bars. After a crazy night, nurse a hangover at one of San Francisco’s top brunch spots. Just make sure to have some fun before it’s Monday morning (again).
THURSDAY
A Musical Journey Into Animation
Music and the movies collide at this special one-night-only event, as famed Disney producer Don Hahn (The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast) shares clips and behind the scenes stories of your favorite animated classics. Live performance of the unforgettable film scores accompanies each beloved scene, courtesy the SF Symphony and conductor Randall Craig Fleischer.
Best of 2017 Tasting Party
Giving the over-21 set a valid excuse to revisit their youthful follies at City Nights, SF Weekly presents its annual Best of 2017 - Readers' Choice Celebration. For three hours, enjoy an open bar pouring sips from more than 20 makers of beer, wine and booze. With tickets starting at just $15, this is a total steal. Enjoy live entertainment and light appetizers, all to benefit Downtown Streets.
FRIDAY
SFAI Graduate Exhibition
Art lovers, get a glimpse at the wave of the future as San Francisco Art Institute fêtes its most recent crop of grads. The opening reception for the annual MFA/MA Exhibition will see the historic San Francisco Mint transform into a cutting-edge gallery space, replete with contemporary installations, painting, sound, video, sculpture, photography, printmaking, performance, and more.
Dave Attell
Attell is a comic’s comic because he works; he’s traveled the world, done innumerable clubs, appeared on all the late-night shows and hosted cult comedy TV hits Insomniac and Dave's Old Porn. Attell is not just a great joke writer, he also has a big, highly inappropriate imagination and way too much time to exercise it. Catch any of his three nights at Cobb’s this week, and you won’t regret it.
SATURDAY
SFPorchFest
The tradition born in Ithaca, NY, finally made its way to the west coast a few years back, giving the Mission District a Porchfest all its own. Celebrate local musicians and see your neighbors in a new light as porches, stoops and backyards throughout the district are turned into temporary stages for performances of all types. Find a complete schedule of events complete with addresses on SFPorchFest web site.
Live Local Music at Hotel Utah
It’s local’s night at the historic Hotel Utah Saloon as three longtime San Francisco rock bands take to the stage. Pirate Radio is marking the release of its fourth album, Plainview, which sees their signature country-tinged rock sound applied to new dad-centric themes. Neighborhood buds District 8 share their love of 70s and 90s album rock from their new release, Interruptions. And Recliner rounds out the show with some new tunes.
Dustbowl Revival
Born from a Craigslist ad placed by founder Zach Lupetin, this Venice, CA-based collective's tunes bring to mind Bob Wills, Bob Dylan, and even the more contemporary Old Crow Medicine Show. Their energetic and engaging live sets are like a ride through the history of American folk music. It's hard not to be in a good mood while taking in the "new-wave jug-band" and its delightful cacophony of fiddles, ukeleles, washboards and kazoos.
Kraak & Smaak Live
The fab Dutch producers Kraak & Smaak are bringing a full band along for a night of idiosyncratic funk, house and disco—much like that found on their recent LP, Stumble / So Clear. A load of DJs will join the fun, including Anthony Mansfield, Motion Potion, Proof and the gang from Pink Mammoth. Bring your dancing shoes and lace up for a long night.
SUNDAY
Bay to Breakers
Cheekily dubbed the city’s ‘Straight Pride Parade,’ Bay to Breakers takes over this weekend as serious runners and committed partiers rise with the sun to tackle its cross-city route. The 12k kicks off at a number of starting corrals to accommodate 50,000+ participants near The Embarcadero at 8 a.m. and winds all the way to Ocean Beach, collecting upwards of 100,000 costumed revelers along the way.
Poolside Party with Shiba San
Parisian DJ-producer Shiba San is the man behind one of last year's biggest tunes, the glitchy, funky dance-floor-destroyer "Got Drunk." He’ll be spinning his low frequency iteration of deep house poolside at hipster haven Phoenix Hotel with special guests including S.F. stalwart DJ Dials and more.