The next several days bring an arts festival, cultural festivals, jukebox musicals, theater, and more. Read on for my picks.
Thursday, April 30
The San Francisco International Arts Festival officially opened yesterday and features performances from spoken word to theatre and other performing arts to walking tours and lectures. Tonight is Canada’s Cirque Kikasse’s Santé, Canada’s Duane Forrest performing Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed the World, the U.S.’s Emma’s Revolution performing We Are The Power: Songs for the Resistance, and more. Through May 10. Ticket prices vary by event; passes available.
The Oakland Ballet’s Dancing Moon Festival, which celebrates AAPI artists, will perform Double Happiness featuring two world premieres by Phil Chan and Wei Wang and a company premiere of Elaine Kudo’s Opposites Distract, plus a revival of Phil Chan’s Amber Waves. Through Sunday at the Great Star Theatre. Tickets from $30.
Friday, May 1
Tonight’s full moon is a Flower Moon, named appropriately for the spring season. At the Full Moon Water Rituals event, enjoy conversation, refreshments, a creative interactive ritual activity, a traditional libation ceremony, and a walk down the pier to connect with the water. 7:30 p.m. at India Basin Waterfront Park. Free admission.
It’s opening night for the world premiere of Shades and Shadows with live music and dance. Three travelers — a shade from the underworld, a loveless wanderer, and a man with a mysterious burden — meet a prophetess at Delphi and tell her the sad story of Orpheus and Eurydice, and each tells a different version. 8 p.m. at the Magic Theatre. Through Sunday. Tickets: $20.
Saturday, May 2
Grab the kiddos and head to the Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day) Festival for this annual event whose origins dates to circa 600 A.D. and is a national holiday in Japan, where children are respected and honored for their individual strengths, and to celebrate their happiness. Today’s festival will feature games and prizes, craft activities, a bounce house, and cultural and live stage performances for all to enjoy. Children are encouraged to wear a kimono, yukata, or other Japanese clothing. 11 a.m. at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California. Free admission.
Tea aficionados will want to take tea at the San Francisco International Tea Festival to discover hundreds of tea types from local and global producers and attend lectures to learn all about tea. Admission includes a swag bag with your very own porcelain teacup to savor your tea tastes. Through Sunday at the Ferry Building Marketplace. Tickets (timed entry and limited availability) from $13 and change.
Amadeus Never Gave Me the Blues is billed as a world premiere “jukebox musical.” It’s a musical solo autobiographical show written and performed by opera singer Amy Bouchard that tells her story of choosing between love and stability and her passion for singing, featuring music from Mozart and Schubert to Cole Porter and Gershwin to Jason Robert Brown and Sara Bareilles. 5 p.m. Saturdays at The Marsh San Francisco through May 23. Tickets from $25.
Sunday, May 3
Enjoy your Sunday in the park with the Łowiczanie Polish Folk Dance Ensemble and the Golden Gate Park Band for the Annual Polish Constitution Day Concert celebrating Polish culture, song, dance, and the historic Polish democratic Constitution of 1791. 1 p.m. at the Bandshell. Free, RSVP here.
Notable next week
Tuesday, May 5
The 2026 Decorator Showcase is now open, housed in an 1897 Queen Anne Victorian and spanning nearly 10,000 square feet at 2315 Broadway Street. Tuesday through Sunday through May 25. Tickets from $50 (benefitting University High School).
Wednesday, May 6
Hell’s Kitchen — a jukebox musical based on the life of Alicia Keyes, tells the story of 17-year-old Ali as she navigates family, life, and the community that helped her find her voice — opens tonight. 7:30 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre. Through May 24. Tickets from $115.
Enjoy your out and about-ing, whatever you decide to do; just be safe and nice to each other.
