Here are my picks if you need some ideas for how to spend the next few glorious days. There are some classical stage productions, some outdoor activities, some exciting lighting events, dance, and more.
Thursday, March 19
Lead Me Home, a 2021 Netflix documentary filmed in San Francisco and nominated for Best Documentary Short, following the lives of those experiencing homelessness on the West Coast over a three-year period, will be screened tonight. Directed by Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Director John Shenk, there will be a postscreening discussion with Beth Stokes, executive director of Episcopal Community Services in San Francisco and an audience Q.&A., followed by a catered informal reception of tasty bites from Conquering Homelessness through Employment in the Food Services workforce development training program. 6 p.m. at Manny’s. Tickets: $18 and change.
Alexandre Cagnat as Gamache (left) and Mathilde Froustey as Kitri (right) in the San Francisco Ballet’s 2019 production of Don Quixote. | Erik Tomasson/San Francisco Ballet
Based on Cervantes’s literary masterpiece, Helgi Tomasson’s and Yuri Possokhov’s San Francisco Ballet production brings together artistry, characters, and an enchanting tale of comedy and romance with athletic virtuosity that has consistency captivated worldwide audiences. 7:30 p.m. at the War Memorial Opera House through March 29. Tickets from $288.
Light Play
Take the family to Light Play Studio which opens today, and discover the magic of light, color, and perception. Don’t miss Gallery 3, where you can immerse yourself in a new mural that plays with optical illusion. Tickets from $30.
Friday, March 20
Bay Lights| Courtesy Illuminate.org
After three years of darkness, The Bay Lights will return tonight. Join Illuminate’s Ben Davis and Bay Lights artist Leo Villareal for the lighting celebration in the Ferry Building and after-party and benefit at SHACK15. 7–11 p.m. Tickets $200, or free viewing along the Embarcadero.
After the Magic Theatre’s premiere of Richard II in 2024, Macbeth is up next, set in 1970s New York and featuring an all-star cast in a performance delivering a “fast, bloody, gritty, and fun story of murderous ambition.” 8 p.m. (4 p.m. Sunday) through April 5. Tickets from $35.
The Paul Taylor Dance New York-based company will perform its groundbreaking modern dance combining Taylor’s canon with new pieces by leading choreographers to deliver “athletic precision, expressive movement, and unforgettable choreography.” Taylor originally performed in the companies of Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, and George Balanchine before founding his own in 1954. 7:30 p.m. at the Presidio Theatre. Tickets from $50.
Saturday, March 21
Rec Fest, S.F. Recreation and Park via Instagram
India Basin Waterfront Park will host Rec Fest, an afternoon of live performances, a D.J., dance fitness, skateboarding, a perinatal zone, kayaking, archery, jump rope, cornhole, disc golf, a community row day with Rocking the Boat, food for sale at The Food Pavilion, and more, including a public art reveal. Noon to 4 p.m. Free admission.
Pick your very own pocket full of posies at Tulip Day, where over 80,000 tulips will cover Union Square in celebration of spring, which officially began on Friday. NB: This is a very popular event, so go early and take Muni. 1–4:30 p.m. Free.
Sunday, March 22
Courtesy Gardens of Golden Gate Park
Stressful times require simple pleasures. Enjoy the beauty of the Botanical Gardens and craft something the garden has provided into something useful in this Weavin’ Nature: Coiled Pine Needle Basketry with Raffia class. You’ll leave with a new weaving skill and a deeper appreciation for the artistry of coiled baskets, the cultures that practice the art, and bundles of pine needles if you want to continue weaving at home. Plus, how fun to say to your guests when you hand them a coaster, “I made that!” 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Tickets: $116
Notable next week
Tuesday, March 24
Matthew-Murphy, MurphyMade
Back by overwhelming demand, MJ: The Musical returns to San Francisco. The production focuses on the making of Jackson’s 1992 Dangerous World Tour, and of course features his signature sound and dance moves. 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. (today), through April 5 at the Orpheum Theatre. Tickets from $59.
Wednesday, March 25
Gianna DiGregorio Rivera, Naomi Latta, Hillary Fisher, and Yeena Sung | Kevin Berne, courtesy ACT
Follow four gifted teens as they collaborate and collide at a prestigious Berkeley girls’ summer music program in this world premiere commissioned by playwright Eisa Davis, Girls Chance Music. It’s described as “hilarious and melancholy, raucous and poetic” and “an exquisite and achingly true story of friendship, self-discovery, and the salvation of art-making.” 2 p.m. and 7:30 pm. (select days) at the Strand Theater through April 19. Tickets from $25.
Enjoy your weekend out and about-ing, be safe, and be kind.
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