Happy sorta summertime! The weather certainly seems like it will be cooperating for the outdoor street festivals this weekend, and there are also some musical choices from The Dead to classical to Motown, plus the beloved Bouquets to Art, and more. Read on for my picks.
Thursday, May 29
The 2025 S.F. Documentary Festival (DocFest) opens tonight at the Roxie with the comedy Rebel with a Clause about a pop-up grammar advice stand on a road trip “to show that comma fights can bring us closer together in a divided time”; and Peaches Goes Bananas, about the trailblazing feminist queer icon. Films in 28 categories will be screened and are also available for virtual viewing. Through June 8. Tickets: $20
Friday, May 30
Dead Heads unite at the second installment of the Magic Theatre’s Grateful Fridays. Meet at the theater (Building D, third floor) for cocktails and Dead spins, then head to the Fort Mason Night Market for music by the Sunshine Garcia Band, then back to the theater for an acoustic set with Rory McNamara and Friends. Scenes from the upcoming musical, Jerry Garcia in the Lower Mission will also be performed. Tickets: from $40
Saturday, May 31
Now in its 45th year, the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, considered a must-do for triathletes, is this weekend. The Pro Race on Saturday includes a 2k bay swim, 80k bike ride through the Presidio and Sea Cliff, and an 18k run along the San Francisco Bay Trail. Sunday is the 1.5-mile swim from The Rock, and more running and biking. Visit the website for road closure information; it is estimated roads will be reopened by 11 a.m. Free viewing.
It’s unofficially summer after Memorial Day, and right on its heels is the kick-off of the street fairs with the Union Street Festival. Expect the usual lineup of live music, arts and crafts, food trucks, cocktails, and the beloved waiters’ race where teams of servers race up and down the street with a serving tray and drinks in a relay. New this year, San FranPsycho will be live screen-printing official festival t-shirts featuring art by Amos Goldbaum. Also, be sure to visit the Helpers Artisan Boutique, which displays the work of talented artists with developmental disabilities. Through Sunday. Free.
It’s also time for “San Francisco’s Only Italian Street Festival,” the Festa Italiana and Statuto Race on Stockton Street (between Union and Filbert) in North Beach. Enjoy Italian music, a pizza toss performance, an Italian vendor fair, kids’ corner, wine tasting, and of course, Italian cuisine. The Statuto Race on Sunday commemorates the creation of the first Italian Constitution, the Statuto Albertino. Free (Festa) Race: $20 and $40.
Sunday, June 1
The San Francisco Civic Music Association presents the last concert of its season, “Mahler 1,” with a program of Edward Elgar’s Serenade for Strings in E Minor, Op. 20 and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. Free ($10–$20 suggested donation); RSVP here.
Notable next week
Monday, June 2
“It’s only Monday if you treat it like one,” so says the The Madrone Art Bar, which claims its Motown on Mondays “is the most talked about night in town.” Gordo Cabeza and weekly guests play your favorite originals and remixes starting at 7 p.m. (doors 4 p.m.) $5 cover after 8 p.m.
Tuesday, June 3
Crowd favorite Bouquets to Art opens today at the deYoung and this year also at the Legion of Honor as part of its 100-year anniversary celebrations, where talented floral designers create beautiful arrangements in conversation with selected artworks. Through Sunday. Tickets from $24.
Wednesday, June 4
Co-Founders, at ACT’s Strand Theater, is a hip-hop musical born in the Bay Area about an underrated young Oakland coder who hacks into a competitive startup accelerator and forms a partnership a prep-school dropout. Can she win Silicon Valley’s game without leaving her community behind? Through July 6. Tickets from $25.
Enjoy your week, friends, be safe, be kind, and enjoy, whatever you decide to do.
Got events? Let me know: lynette@thevoicesf.org
