{"id":297838,"date":"2026-05-03T11:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T11:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/297838\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T11:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T11:32:10","slug":"sf-things-to-do-film-festival-mothers-day-musicals-more-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/297838\/","title":{"rendered":"SF things to do: film festival, Mother’s Day, musicals, more | Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Franciscans have flipped their calendars, but fun is sticking around during the start of a new month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are some of the top events to check out this week in The City.<\/p>\n

Star Wars Day screening (Monday)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The San Francisco International Film Festival will head to the Castro Theatre and close out its 69th edition with a special screening of \u201cStar Wars: Episode V \u2014 The Empire Strikes Back\u201d in honor of Star Wars Day (\u201cMay the fourth be with you\u201d), the franchise\u2019s unofficial holiday. As part of the event, C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels will chat with Lucasfilm executive and SFFILM Board Vice President Howard Roffman.<\/p>\n

\"Castro<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The San Francisco International Film Festival will close out this year\u2019s 69th edition at the recently reopened Castro Theatre.<\/p>\n

Craig Lee\/The Examiner<\/p>\n

David Archuleta at Book Passage (Monday)<\/p>\n

Singer-songwriter David Archuleta, a\u00a02008 \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d finalist, is coming to Book Passage\u2019s Ferry Building outpost to chat about \u201cDevout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself.\u201d Released in February, the memoir captures Archuleta\u2019s struggles with his Mormon faith, sexuality and fame, as well as his decision to come out in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Italianity: The Culture of Italian Wine\u2019 release party (Tuesday)<\/p>\n

The A6 Italian restaurant on Chestnut Street hosting authors Andrea Lonardi and Jessica Dupuy to celebrate the release of their new book. The pair will chat about the significance of Italian wine, participate in pizza and wine tastings with guests, and hold a book signing.<\/p>\n

District 4 supervisorial-candidate forum (Tuesday)<\/p>\n

The League of Women Voters of San Francisco is hosting a forum for candidates in the District 4 supervisorial race. Taking place at A.P. Giannini Middle School, the event will involve participating candidates fielding attendee-submitted\u00a0questions\u00a0about issues and policies.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hell\u2019s Kitchen\u2019 (Wednesday)<\/p>\n

The musical inspired by Grammy-winner Alicia Keys is coming to San Francisco\u2019s Orpheum Theatre for a nearly three-week engagement as part of the production\u2019s North American tour. Directed by Tony nominee Michael Greif and choreographed by Tony winner Camille Brown, \u201cHell\u2019s Kitchen\u201d features Keys\u2019 greatest hits and songs written exclusively for the musical.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Hell's<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Actress Maya Drake performs as Ali in the North American tour of the Alicia Keys musical \u201cHell’s Kitchen,\u201d which will be making an appearance in San Francisco.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Courtesy Marc J. Franklin<\/p>\n

\u2018Queen Kelly\u2019 with live musical accompaniment (Wednesday)<\/p>\n

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival will head to Castro Theatre and open its 29th edition with a screening of this 1929 silent film about a woman in a fictional European country who falls in love with a prince before the World War I. The movie\u2019s musical score will be played live by the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra, conducted by composer Eli Denson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Us Now\u2019 runway show (Thursday)<\/p>\n

The Academy of Art University\u2019s annual graduate runway show will take over the school\u2019s Automobile Museum, where 19 designers will showcase pieces across womenswear and menswear. Designer Roy Halston Frowick will be posthumously awarded an honorary doctorate in recognition of his contributions to American style in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

What She Said speaker series (Thursday)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The W San Francisco hotel is launching the latest installment of its event highlighting women in music. This month\u2019s panel features Tina Davis of Empire, Terri Winston of Women\u2019s Audio Mission, Lara Fox of AEG\/Goldenvoice, Danae Labrana of\u00a0Audacy, and artist Kaleena Zanders.<\/p>\n

Tickets, which are available online\u00a0for $39.19<\/a>, include event entry, a complimentary beverage, light bites and a gift bag. The conservation starts at 5 p.m.<\/p>\n

Downtown First Thursday (Thursday)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The area\u2019s free, monthly all-ages block party takes over 2nd Street from Market to Howard streets. May\u2019s edition features dishes by Napa\u2019s Sticky Business Barbeque restaurant and Prubechu, the Mission\u2019s Pacific Rim restaurant. The musical lineup includes four DJs. There will also be pop-up markets, dancers, games and other fun activities.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"Outdoor
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Good times and to-go alcohol sales are set to pop up in the upper Fillmore and Glen Park, much to the delight of nearby bar and restaurant owners<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"Musk-Altman
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The OpenAI co-founder\u2019s lawsuit against the company and its CEO could hamper the San Francisco AI startup and shake up the industry<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"Board
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Elementary and high school students would receive new history and social studies textbooks for the first time in 20 years<\/p>\n

Nightlife\u00a0\u00d7 Carnaval SF (Thursday)<\/p>\n

The California Academy of Sciences is celebrating Latin American, Caribbean and Afrodiasporic cultures\u00a0for a third year. This month\u2019s edition honors the upcoming Carnaval celebration with a pop-up marketplace featuring artists and vendors, live cultural performances, hands-on arts and crafts, games and other offerings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Nightlife\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Nightlife events hosted by the California Academy of Sciences feature a pop-up marketplace for guests to browse an assortment of goods and items made by local makers and artisans.<\/p>\n

Courtesy Tommy Lau<\/p>\n

Lucia Gutierrez Rebolloso in concert (Thursday)<\/p>\n

Known mononymously as Lucia, the Mexican artist will make her San Francisco debut at the Presidio Theatre. Winner of the 11th annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, Rebolloso is known for her interpretation of jazz music, classical Spanish songs and current pop-music hits.<\/p>\n

Sonicwonder in concert (Friday)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Grammy-winning pianist Hiromi Uehara will visit Golden Gate Theatre, where she will be joined by trumpeter Adam O\u2019Farrill, bassist Hadrien Feraud and drummer Gene Coye. The quartet will perform jazz and funk music from its 2025 album, \u201cOut There.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Living Room Variety Show (Friday)<\/p>\n

Held every second Friday, this monthly free act is returning to 995 Market St. to showcase a range of Bay Area entertainment acts. May\u2019s lineup includes improv comedy by A Lot to Unpack and the Spicy Boyzzz, as well as stand-up sets from Tirumari Jothi and Michelle Moghtader. Musical acts include Andy Feldman, Bryan Wong and Gabe Chaparro.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Taiwanese American Cultural Festival (Saturday)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Billed by organizers as the largest such celebration on the West Coast, the festival returns to Union Square for a family-friendly showcase of food, entertainment, culture, games and other fun activities. Now in its 33rd year, the event highlights artists, chefs, musical performances and other community members who showcase Taiwanese heritage through their work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in San Francisco\u2019s Union Square.<\/p>\n

Cinco de Mayo Show and Cruise (Saturday)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The San Francisco Lowrider Council is hosting its annual Cinco de Mayo show at John O\u2019Connell High School. Cars will be parked in the parking lot for six hours before crusing down Mission Street at 4 p.m.<\/p>\n

\"Lowriders\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The San Francisco Lowrider Council is hosting its annual Cinco de Mayo show at John O\u2019Connell High School on Saturday before cruising down Mission Street at 4 p.m.<\/p>\n

Courtesy Tyrone Malow Diaz<\/p>\n

Proceeds from the car show will benefit the high school, organizers said. The show runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2355 Folsom St.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 85th annual Mother\u2019s Day Rose Show (Sunday)<\/p>\n

The San Francisco Rose Society is taking over the Hall of Flowers inside Golden Gate Park and presenting its annual rose show. This year\u2019s edition \u2014 \u201cStars, Stripes and Rose Petals\u201d \u2014 celebrates 250 years since the U.S. declared American independence from British authority through blooms, displays and other works.<\/p>\n

Guests can attend the admission-free event from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The hall is located near the intersection of 9th Avenue and Lincoln Way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mother\u2019s Day market (Sunday)\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Box Shop is hosting an art market in honor of the holiday, allowing guests to browse arts and crafts from five vendors and take pictures in front of more than 130 murals. Attendees can also make cards for their mothers with help from artist Alejandra Rassvetaieff, or join artist Hallie McConlogue in making this year\u2019s salmon-run costumes for the annual Bay to Breakers event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The open house runs from noon to 4 p.m. at 951 Hudson Ave.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Salsa on the Bay (Sunday)<\/p>\n

Gold Bar Whiskey Distillery is inviting residents to Treasure Island for San Francisco\u2019s annual waterfront salsa festival, which features salsa music, dancing and Latin-inspired food and cocktails. As part of the event, the West Coast Makers will bring a pop-up market featuring local makers and artisans to the island.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"San Franciscans have flipped their calendars, but fun is sticking around during the start of a new month.\u00a0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297839,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[26369,101,103,102,104,106,105,54740,1925],"class_list":["post-297838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-castro-theatre","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-sffilm","tag-star-wars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}