Welcome to our Halloween edition of Out and About, which has picks for the younger, some for older, some for both. And for the Halloween uninterested, there are also a few options for you, too, including some park events, a discussion about our schools, some music, dance, opera, and more.
Thursday, Oct. 23
Although the Sundown Cinema paused operations earlier this year due to financial reasons, the San Francisco Standard stepped in to relaunch the final two films of the season. The last screening tonight is Tim Burton’s classic, Edward Scissorhands, a modern-day gothic fairytale about a young man who has (long) scissor blades for fingers, which sounds truly dreadful but is actually quite sweet. 6 p.m. at the Presidio Main Parade Ground. Free, RSVP here.
Celebrate life and how death leads to energy for the living, enjoy the colorful altars in honor of Día de los Muertos, and more at After Dark: Death and Life. Ages 18 and up. Tickets: $23.
San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent, Dr. Maria Su, will discuss “What’s Next for San Francisco’s Public Schools?” tonight at Manny’s. Hear what she has to say about guiding the district through a transformational time. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: from $12 and change.
Friday, Oct. 24
SuperNatural will haunt the California Academy with trick-or-treat stations, a silent disco, crafts, face painting, a festive Halloween ride, and more. Tickets from $45.
Saturday, Oct. 25
Leap Arts in Education will host the largest sandcastle competition in Northern California, the 43rd Annual Sandcastle Classic. The event features teams of Bay Area students from over 25 schools who work together to build giant sand sculptures; funds raised by the students and sponsors help to provide arts programs to Bay Area students. So grab a blanket and chairs, enjoy the live music and your food truck favorites, and watch those kids do more than play in the sand to create incredible sandcastles. 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Ocean Beach near the Cliff House. Free admission.
Spooky Square will feature a magic show (spooky, of course), a kids’ costume parade, a dog costume contest, a pumpkin patch fountain photo, and lots of fun. 1 to 4 p.m. at Ghirardelli Square. Free admission.
Giordano Dance Chicago, America’s original jazz dance company, now in its 63rd season, continues to redefine and expand the meaning of jazz dance to preserve and promote the Giordano Technique, which emphasizes a deep plié, rhythmic complexity, and an elegant style with kinetic urgency. The company performs tonight at the Presidio Theatre. Tickets from $55.
Hello, Star, commissioned by Opera Parallèle and based on the book by Stephanie S. V. Lucianovic, tells the story of a young girl who is captivated by a call from a bright dying star, and questions her ability to meet the star before it dies. The opera explores whether she can overcome her self-doubts and expectations about what should happen or whether she will achieve her goal and “see possibilities beyond her wildest dreams.” Through Sunday (weekend tickets are limited). Tickets: $30
My mind’s image of this event was just too cute: A Pumpkin Giveaway (one per kiddo while supplies last, plus a photo) and a free carousel ride. 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Yerba Buena Gardens. Free.
It’s a fun-filled full day at Hayes Valley Halloween with a Pet Parade (noon to 2 p.m.), a Jazz Jam (2–4 p.m.), the Trick or Treat Trail (4–6 p.m.), an outdoor movie screening of Wicked (6:45–9:30 p.m.), and more, like a big bubble event. Hayes and Octavia streets. Free admission; donations welcome.
The Haunt: An Artistically Haunted House is described as “spooky yet campy, scrappy but full of wonder, DIY and open to everyone.” Visitors will visit a labyrinth of salvaged materials from “bat’s wool, eye of newt, and a lot of hot glue,” which has to make anyone laugh. Beyond the maze, you can explore the graveyard with libations and dance, and otherworldly delights (whatever those may be). Afternoon shows are for the kiddos, and costumes are encouraged, of course, because it’s Halloween time. Through Saturday. Tickets from $15.
Sunday, Oct. 26
This is the last day of the season to enjoy the Whale Tail pop-up beer and wine garden with live music in Golden Gate Park. Located west of the Rose Garden near 14th Avenue East Meadow and next to Street Whale, the 49-foot-long humpback whale “swimming” down JFK Promenade. Noon to 6 p.m.
Join an artists’ reception with photographers Rob Badger and Nita Winter to celebrate the Botanical Garden’s new art exhibition and the authors’ new coffee table book, Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change. The book is a culmination of a 30-year documentary project that blends conservation with telling the story of wildflowers with images of superbloom landscapes and floral portraits revealing California’s biodiversity and the threats wildflowers face from climate change, habitat loss, and development. 3 to 5 p.m. in the Helen Crocker Russell Library. Free admission; donations accepted. RSVP here.
Notable next week
Monday, Oct. 27
Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Black Cat about a man’s descent into madness, The Black Cat Hotel is an immersive, walk-through theatrical event. Guests wander through jazz parlors, banquet halls, and haunted hotel rooms, discovering “secrets through whispered confessions, ominous encounters, and the ever-present shadow of the infamous Black Cat.” Through Saturday at the Palace Hotel. Tickets: $71 and change.
Tuesday, Oct. 28
Noontime Concerts will feature 10 Strings, a Bay Area-based duo of guitarist Marks Simons and violinist Heeguen Song. The pair’s repertoire spans classical, contemporary, and global influences. Today’s program includes selections from Heitor Villa Lobos, Niccolò Paganini, Francisco Tarrega, Astor Piazzolla, and Bryan Johanson. Noon at Old St. Mary’s Cathedral. Free.
Wednesday, Oct. 29
This year’s Terror Vault immersive haunt, Hexed involves a coven of three powerful witches, and a group of witch experts called “The Believers,” who will recruit you to help them stop the coven before the world descents [further] into eternal darkness. At the San Francisco Mint through Saturday (limited tickets available). Tickets from $85 and change.
There’s sure to be lots of people out and about in the next several days, so be safe, be nice, and have fun, whatever you decide to do.
