San Francisco residents can enjoy a smorgasbord of fun, entertaining activities this week while soaking up the mid-January sunshine.
Here are some of the top events to check out this week in The City.
Free admission at the Museum of the African Disapora (Monday)
The Mission Street institution observes Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with free admission to the museum galleries, as well as games and art activities. Live entertainment is being provided by the Prescott Circus Theater, the Glide Memorial Ensemble choir and choreographer Mahealani Uchiyama.
Programs take place at at 685 Mission St. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Music Festival (Monday)
The NorCalMLK Foundation takes over Yerba Buena Gardens with a day of music, art and culture. The sixteenth edition’s lineup includes performances by the Glide Ensemble, as well as local artists such as Ariel Marin, CJ Flash and Darnel Alexander.
The admission-free event runs from 1 to 3 p.m. along Mission Street between 3rd and 4th streets.
‘Blade Runner Live’ at Curran Theatre (Tuesday)
Director Ridley Scott’s 1982 science-fiction flick starring Harrison Ford is being shown on the Geary Street performance venue’s big screen, with the film’s score performed live by the Avex Ensemble symphony. The Academy Award-nominated movie is being shown in its 2007 final-cut edition.
Free art workshop (Wednesday)
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is letting participants make dioramas inspired by San Francisco neighborhoods, with all materials provided. YBCA’s workshop is inspired by “Bay Area Then,” an exhibition featuring 21 artists who worked in the region during the 1990s.
YBCA’s latest workshop is inspired by “Bay Area Then,” an exhibition featuring 21 artists who worked in the region throughout the 1990s.
Courtesy Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Internet Archive film screening and party (Wednesday)
The Richmond-district institution observes works from 1930 and sound recordings from 1925 entering the public domain this year due to copyright expirations. Filmmakers are taking characters such as Betty Boop, Pluto and Nancy Drew and creating cinematic creations of their own, all of which will be shown throughout the night.
North Beach Noir presents Renegade Cinema (Wednesday)
The Grant Avenue art gallery Live Works celebrates The City’s film-making history by screening movies relevant to the North Beach neighborhood, as well as flicks made by local artists. This month’s edition shows “Sudden Fear,” David Miller’s 1952 thriller starring Joan Crawford and Jack Palance.
The admission-free showing starts at 7 p.m. Live Worms is located at 1345 Grant Ave.
Fog Design and Art Fair (Thursday-Sunday)
The 12th edition of the region’s premier art fair brings more than 60 art galleries and design dealers to the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture. Scheduled events include conversations with leaders in the art, design and technology fields.
Tickets can be purchased online. Single-day options cost $35 and four-day tickets are available for $95. Shows run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
SFMOMA presents ‘Visions of Unearthly Splendor’ (Thursday)
Artist Stephen Kaltenbach and Jordan Stein are joining forces to celebrate the latter’s new publication, “Stephen Kaltenbach: Portrait of My Father.” The book is an illustrated oral history of Kaltenback’s 20th-century piece “Portrait of My Father,” which is permanently on view at Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum.
“Portrait of My Father” is permanently on view at Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum
Courtesy SFMOMA
Guests can RSVP online, and donations are encouraged. The show starts at 6 p.m. and will be held at the museum’s ground-floor Phyllis Wattis Theater.
San Francisco Symphony presents ‘Beethoven 5 and Seong-Jin Cho’ (Thursday-Saturday)
The City’s symphony members are joined by conductor John Storgards, pianist Seong-Jin Cho and trumpeter Mark Inouye. Performers will play the works of Ludwig Van Beethoven, Outi Tarkiainen and Dmitri Shostakovich.
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Panels, history presentations and plenty of live performances are on tap this week in The City
Tickets can be purchased online at prices ranging from $50 to $269. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. each day and are accompanied by a conversation with Sonoma State University music professor Alicia Mastromonaco.
Sip-and-swap pop-up (Friday)
Xchange Fashion, a digital platform where users can exchange clothes, is partnering with the Castro Closet pop-up for a clothing swap at Paname SF, a North Beach nightclub and music venue. Guests can also enjoy DJs, dancing, hair styling, bang trims and pottery, among other offerings.
Tickets are available online, and prices range from $12.51 to $44.52 including fees. The event runs from 7 to 10 p.m. and will be held at 523 Broadway.
San Francisco Ballet presents ‘Eugene Onegin’ (Friday)
The San Francisco dance company showcases the world premiere of choreographer Yuri Possokhov’s latest work, which follows an aristocrat living in Imperial Russia. “Eugene Onegin,” which was co-produced with Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet, features an original score by composer Ilya Demutsky.
Wona Park and San Francisco Ballet performers rehearse Yuri Possokhov’s “Eugene Onegin,” which debuts this week in The City.
Courtesy Lindsey Rallo
Hearts in San Francisco opening day display (Saturday)
More than 20 artists’ sculptures of heart symbols will be displayed at The City’s Ferry Building as part of San Francisco General Hospital Foundation’s annual fundraiser supporting medical-program advancements. The sculptures, ranging in size from 5 to 20 pounds, are shown through the second week of February before being auctioned off at an annual gala.
The Ferry Building is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Bay Area e-waste drop-off day (Saturday)
Residents can stop by Embarcadero Plaza’s Park Padel and drop off their old cables, chargers, monitors and other electronics. Those who drop off their devices will be entered into a raffle for five Xbox Series S consoles. There will also be music, treats, coffee and matcha.
Walt Disney Family Museum animation lesson (Saturday)
The Presidio institution celebrates the 65th anniversary of the 1961 film “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” by teaching a lesson on xerography, a time-saving process that allows drawings to be printed directly onto transparent sheets. Participants will bring hand-drawn animations to life with three-dimensional stylistic choices and visual elements such as backgrounds and lighting.
Tickets can be purchased online, costing $13 for members and $18 for non-members. Guests must be ages 18 and up to attend the event, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
‘Once Upon A Mattress’ (Saturday-Sunday)
The Children Theatre Association of San Francisco, one of the Presidio Theatre’s inaugural resident companies, presents a musical comedy retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea.” Audience members can enjoy singing, dancing and interacting with cast members.
Tickets can be purchased online, with the general-admission option costing $22 including service charges. Youth ages 18 and under get in for $16.50. Shows start at 2 p.m. and will be held at 99 Moraga Ave.
Free San Francisco Civic Music Association concert (Saturday)
One of the organization’s three all-volunteer orchestras presents an afternoon of chamber music at Noe Valley Ministry. The day’s lineup includes pieces by composers Thomas Lupo, Will Ayton, Nickos Harizanos, Miriam Hyde, Astor Piazzolla and Felix Mendelssohn.
Guests can RSVP for the admission-free event, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. The show runs from 3 to 5 p.m. and takes place at 1021 Sanchez St.
‘Enlighten Me’ (Saturday)
Violinist Simone Porter collaborates with the New Century Chamber Orchestra and students from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to perform works from the 12th to 21st century. Featured composers include Andrew Norman, Hildegard of Bingen, Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Aamadeus Mozart.
Violinist Simone Porter is collaborating with students from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and members of the New Century Chamber Orchestra.
Courtesy Elisha Knight
Tickets can be purchased online and range in price from $35 to $80. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and takes place at the Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall at 50 Oak St.
‘Spotlight on David Lynch’ (Sunday)
Clement Street’s 4 Star Theater hosts a double feature in honor of the prolific director. “Inland Empire,” the last film Lynch made before his death in January 2025, will be shown alongside the 2001 mystery flick “Mulholland Drive.”
General-admission tickets cost $15. Adults ages 60 and over get in for $12.50, as do children ages 11 and under. Films will be screened at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. respectively.