Rooted in Place: California Native Art
2025-08-26 - 2026-12-06 | de Young – Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Golden Gate Park | 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA, 94118, United States
Part of the reimagining of our Arts of Indigenous America galleries, this is the first in a series of exhibitions that highlights specific regions of Native California. This installation explores the interconnections between art, ceremony, and the land in the Karuk, Yurok, Hupa, Tolowa, and Wiyot communities of northwestern California. The exhibition presents collection highlights alongside major loans, acquisitions, and commissions by contemporary artists.
Info & Tickets

Arts of Indigenous America
2025-08-26 - 2028-08-31 | de Young – Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Golden Gate Park | 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA, 94118, United States
Celebrating the vibrancy and diversity of Indigenous American art, this new presentation features beloved collection highlights alongside major acquisitions and commissions by contemporary artists. In the most extensive reinstallation of this collection in 20 years, each of the four refreshed galleries explores a different aspect of the theme “Relationship to Place.” Developed with Native scholars and in consultation with communities of origin, the project centers Indigenous values and voices. Works spanning over a thousand years of history in all types of media challenge expectations about what Native art is and can be.
Info & Tickets

Rose B. Simpson: LEXICON
2025-08-30 - 2026-08-02 | de Young – Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Golden Gate Park | 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA, 94118, United States
This exhibition brings together two seemingly distinct art forms: Pueblo pottery and classic cars. In 2014, Rose B. Simpson, a mixed-media artist from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, refurbished a 1985 Chevy El Camino, transforming it with a black-on-black Tewa pottery motif. Simpson titled her work Maria in honor of renowned artist Maria Martinez (San Ildefonso Pueblo, 1887–1980), who popularized the distinctive black-on-black style. Ten years later, this exhibition debuts Simpson’s second customized car, a 1964 Buick Riviera painted in vibrant polychrome.
Info & Tickets

Children’s Creative Lab
2025-09-01 - 2025-12-01 | Livermore Valley Arts, 2400 First St, Livermore, CA, 94550, United States
Our children’s after-school drawing and painting class is designed for kids ages 7-10, welcoming all skill levels from beginners to more experienced young artists. In this fun and supportive environment, students will explore various techniques and mediums, including pencils, watercolors, and acrylics. Each session includes guided instruction, creative projects, and opportunities for self-expression.
Info & Tickets

Teen Art Studio: Exploring Techniques and Mediums
2025-09-03 - 2025-12-03 | Livermore Valley Arts, 2400 First St, Livermore, CA, 94550, United States
This dynamic art class is designed for teens who want to build their creative skills and explore a wide range of artistic mediums. From drawing and painting to sculpture, printmaking, and mixed media, students will experiment with different materials while learning foundational art techniques. Each session will focus on developing key artistic skills such as composition, shading, color theory, and perspective, all while encouraging personal expression and creativity. Get creative and explore! This class offers a supportive environment to grow as an artist and create a strong, diverse portfolio.
Info & Tickets

San Mateo County History Museum Free First Friday
2025-09-05 - 2025-12-05 | San Mateo County History Museum, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City, 94063
San Mateo County History Museum FREE First Fridays Every Friday of the Month. Don’t miss this day of discovery each month at the History Museum inside the iconic 115-year-old Old Courthouse in Redwood City.
Info & Tickets

The Day the Sky Turned Orange
2025-09-05 - 2025-10-05 | Z Space, 499 Alabama St, San Francisco, CA, 94110
High school science teacher Amari must let go of her grief while starting a new relationship; her brother, QC, grapples with the realities of long-COVID and his future as an artist; and her student, Alé, is just trying to pay for remote therapy.
Painted with the background of the ongoing pandemic, Black Lives Matters uprisings, and an upcoming election, these interconnected San Franciscans face yet another sobering moment: the day the sky turned orange.
Info & Tickets

The Addams Family
2025-09-05 - 2025-10-05 | Berkeley Playhouse, 2640 College Avenue, Berkeley, 94704
A spooky-fun musical comedy feast!
*Snap snap* Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a sweet, smart young man from a respectable family—a man her parents have never met. And if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Wednesday confides in her father and begs him not to tell her mother. Now, Gomez Addams must do something he’s never done before keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the entire family on the fateful night they host a dinner for Wednesday’s “normal” boyfriend and his parents. Inspired by the popular TV and film series, The Addams Family musical is a spooky good time for all ages and a hilarious send-up of family quirks, being true to oneself, and celebrating love in all its forms.
Info & Tickets

The Reservoir
2025-09-05 - 2025-10-12 | Peet’s Theatre, 2025 Addison St, Berkeley, CA, 94704, United States
Josh is a hot mess of a queer twenty-something. He’s dropped out of school to get his life together — but can’t manage to stay sober. Struggling with fogginess and memory loss, he finds unlikely allies in his four hilarious grandparents. Desperate for a sense of purpose, Josh sets out to bring them along on his road to recovery. He drags them to Jazzercise at the JCC. He makes them play memory games. He insists they eat spinach by the handful. Eventually, he slams up against the limits of his quest. When he can no longer help his grandparents, they begin to help him. The Reservoir is Jake Brasch’s sharply funny and deeply heartfelt new comedy about family, memory, and the path toward healing.
Info & Tickets

Hula Class for Seniors
2025-09-05 - 2025-12-19 | Harvey Milk Cultural Arts Center, 50 Scott St, San Francisco, 94117
New Hula Class geared for Seniors and Beginners (open to all).
Info & Tickets

"Light Bodies" by Bill Kane
2025-09-06 - 2025-10-25 | Themes+Projects, 1275 Minnesota St Suite 205, San Francisco, 94107
Themes + Projects presents Light Bodies, a solo exhibition by Bay Area artist Bill Kane. Featuring nineteen new lenticular artworks.
Info & Tickets

15th Annual Caregivers Count! Conference
2025-09-06 - 2025-09-20 | Campbell Community Center, 1 W Campbell Ave C-31, Campbell, 95008
Caregivers Count Conference is an annual event designed for families and friends caring for their loved ones. Conference features professional speakers covering wide ranging topics to support caregivers. Past conference topics have included in home support services, compassion fatigue, advocacy, caregiving info, etc.
Info & Tickets

Oliver Lee Jackson
2025-09-06 - 2025-10-25 | Rena Bransten Gallery, 1275 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA, 94107, United States
Rena Bransten Gallery is pleased to present a selection of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from celebrated artist Oliver Lee Jackson. The works on view span decades, and exemplify Jackson’s breadth of material mastery and expansive, nuanced visual language.
Info & Tickets

Indecent
2025-09-07 - 2025-09-28 | Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA, 94596, United States
February 19, 1923—the internationally renowned play God of Vengeance by Polish dramatist Sholem Asch opens on Broadway. Weeks later, the entire cast is arrested for obscenity. Is this play a seminal work of Jewish culture, or an act of traitorous libel? Bursting forth with an original Klezmer score, Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel’s “riveting” (Variety) true tale shines a glaring light on the intersection of art and censorship when America was pitched at a cultural crossroads. “Masterful” (Entertainment Weekly) and “spellbinding” (Deadline), Indecent is a thunderously relevant modern theatrical classic that stands as a testament to the power of theatre and the resilient immigrant artists who create it.
Info & Tickets

Object Oriented: Abstraction and Design in the BAMPFA Collection
2025-09-10 - 2026-07-12 | BAMPFA, 2155 Center St, Berkeley, CA, 94704, United States
Object Oriented: Abstraction and Design in the BAMPFA Collection explores how artists have represented, reshaped, and reimagined familiar objects, drawing attention to the role of design in our everyday lives. This exhibition encourages acts of close looking, asking viewers to question their immediate recognition of what they see. In this way, an object that might at first appear to be a chair could also be considered a sculpture, a stand-in for a body, or simply a piece of metal.
Info & Tickets

Sunset Baby
2025-09-11 - 2025-09-28 | Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, 2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco, 94123, United States
A searing and heartfelt story of family, legacy, and the weight of history, Dominique Morisseau’s Sunset Baby follows Nina—a sharp, guarded woman carving out her path in present-day Brooklyn. When her estranged father, a former Black Panther, suddenly reappears seeking redemption, their collision sparks a reckoning over grief, betrayal, and the generational scars of revolution.
Directed by Artistic Director Margo Hall, Sunset Baby confronts the tension between dreams and survival, the fight to define identity on one’s own terms, and the quiet, radical power of forgiveness.
Info & Tickets
THE CAST

Exploratorium: After Dark Thursdays
2025-09-11 - 2025-10-30 | Exploratorium, Pier 15, San Francisco, CA, 94111
🏡 Learn and play at the same time with over 650 hands-on exhibits at night
🎵 Experience a special adults-only program of guest speakers, music, films, and one-of-a-kind activities.
Info & Tickets

Adult Beginning Painting
2025-09-11 - 2025-12-04 | Livermore Valley Arts, 2400 First St, Livermore, CA, 94550, United States
This introductory painting class is designed for adults with little or no previous experience. Students will explore foundational painting skills while working with a variety of media, including acrylic, watercolor, gouache, and more.
The class covers essential techniques such as color mixing, brushwork, layering, and composition in a supportive, step-by-step environment.
Info & Tickets

Flower Piano
2025-09-12 - 2025-09-21 | Golden Gate Park, 501 Stanyan St. (office), San Francisco, CA, 94117, United States
Sunset Piano, Gardens of Golden Gate Park, and San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, present one of the most unique, creative, and interactive music festivals in the Bay Area
In the final days of summer and celebrating its 10th anniversary, Flower Piano will fill San Francisco Botanical Garden with music for everybody, September 12-21, 2025.
Participants are invited to explore and enjoy the Botanical Garden’s plant collections as they seek out 12 pianos spread out across the 55-acres. At each of the pianos, there will be scheduled professional and community partner performances as well as open play time for anyone to sit down and play, reflecting a range of genres, ages, and cultures.
Info & Tickets

Seminar, the hit Broadway play by Theresa Rebeck
2025-09-12 - 2025-09-28 | Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, 94709
The Royal Underground Theatre Company proudly presents Theresa Rebeck’s Seminar, a sharp-witted comedy about power, ambition, and the price of success. Four young writers sign up for a private seminar with Leonard, a celebrated novelist whose unorthodox teaching style borders on brutal. As the sessions unfold, alliances form, secrets surface, and each student must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice to make it in the literary world.
Info & Tickets

Shotgun Players presents "The Motion"
2025-09-13 - 2025-10-12 | The Ashby Stage @ Shotgun Players, 1901 Ashby Ave, Berkeley, CA, 94703, United States
Morality is a tricky thing – especially when interpreted through the prism of science and our thrilling and often disoriented understanding of its powers. A heated debate on animal testing slips down a kaleidoscopic rabbit hole where the audience is not only voyeur but accomplice. We invite you to Intelligence Cubed to immerse yourself in the world of Christopher Chen’s The Motion where we blur the lines between performance and participation.
Info & Tickets

Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty in a Sparkling Show
2025-09-14 - 2026-04-04 | Brava Theater Center, 2781 24th St, San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
⭐ Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty has arrived in SF Bay Area! This beloved tale is brought to life through classical dance, stunning choreography, and beautiful glow-in-the-dark costumes. Get your tickets for Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty in a Sparkling Show in SF Bay Area!
Info & Tickets

The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention
2025-09-17 - 2025-09-21 | Various Venues (Berkeley), Berkeley, 94704, United States
The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention is a five day music gathering featuring a lovingly curated roster of local and national old-time music acts, with concert sets, rollicking square dances (and a Cajun dance too!), workshops, jams, an online crankie showcase, and the illustrious string band contest in venues throughout Berkeley.
Info & Tickets

Fall Season 2025: “Deep River”
2025-09-18 - 2025-09-21 | Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA, 700 Howard St., San Francisco, 94103
Deep River, Alonzo King’s acclaimed masterwork, fuses dance with Black spirituals and Jewish liturgical music in a powerful reflection on love, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit. Named one of Pointe Magazine’s standout performances of 2024, Deep River has been praised for its beauty, emotional depth, and spiritual force. With soaring vocals by Lisa Fischer and an evocative score by Jason Moran, Deep River is a transformative journey of compassion, beauty, and transcendence.
Info & Tickets

Newark Days
2025-09-18 - 2025-09-21 | MacGregor Playfields and Newark Community Center, 35501 Cedar Boulevard, Newark, 94560
Newark Days is a four-day festival held to commemorate the birthday of the City of Newark, California held every year in September. In 2025, we’ll be celebrating Newark’s 70th birthday from September 18-21 with the theme, Celebrating the 70s!
Newark Days is enjoyed by over 100,000 people every year. The festival is organized by Newark Days Celebration Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is made up entirely of volunteers. The volunteers of the Newark Days Committee work throughout the year to plan and host all the events.
Info & Tickets

‘Iweš- ‘iweš kečkeyma: One Hundred Women Exhibit
2025-09-18 - 2025-10-13 | Faultline Gallery, 3908 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, 94619
This art is an ancestral reckoning.
Iweš-‘iweš kečkeyma: One Hundred Women; A legacy of Indigenous resistance and resilience shares the a story of the land we are on through an offering of 100 hand made ribbon skirts created in honor of the first 100 Indigenous women and girls that were taken into the Bay Area Missions in the first wave of colonization.
Info & Tickets

Kim's Convenience
2025-09-18 - 2025-10-19 | Tony Rembe Theater (formerly the Geary Theater), 415 Geary St, San Francisco, CA, 94102, United States
This hilarious and heartwarming award-winning comedy drama about a Korean family-run corner store that inspired the popular Netflix hit is a feel-good ode to generations of immigrants who have made Canada the country that it is today. Mr. Kim works hard to support his wife and children with his Toronto convenience store. As he evaluates his future, he faces both a changing neighborhood landscape and the gap between his values and those of his Canada-born children. Playwright Ins Choi, who will also star in the production as the title character, calls Kim’s Convenience his “love letter to his parents and to all first-generation immigrants who call Canada their home.”
More Info / Tickets

Big Truck Day
2025-09-18 16:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Antioch Community Center, 4703 Lone Tree Way, Antioch, 94531
With great success and back by popular demand, the brightest and loudest day of the year is here. Thursday, September 18th, the City of Antioch Recreation Department will host its sixth annual Big Truck Day– a day that gives families and kids of all ages an opportunity to learn more about local companies and the large vehicles they use to keep our community safe and green. Enjoy food truck options brought to you by Foodie Crew, while you explore fire engines, school buses, tractors, and many more vehicles that help our city function.
Info & Tickets

Culture Makers
2025-09-18 18:30 - 20:00 | The New Parkway Theater, 474 24th Street, Oakland, 94612, United States
Join us for The Oaklandside’s Culture Makers on Thursday, Sept. 18 at the New Parkway Theater, for an evening of community, conversation, and performance.
The Oaklandside’s Arts and Community Reporter Azucena Rasilla will be in conversation with Abby Sullivan Engen, Immigrants’ Rights Co-Directing Attorney at Centro Legal de la Raza, Gabriela Galicia, Executive Director of Street Level Health Project and Leva Zand, Founder and Executive Director of ARTogether. Together, they’ll share stories from Oakland’s immigrant communities and highlight critical resources-from navigating legal challenges and accessing health care to uplifting immigrant voices through the arts.
Info & Tickets

BOTMC Thursday Concert: Bruce Molsky, Ozark Highballers, and Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellows
2025-09-18 19:00 | The Freight, 2020 Addison St, Berkeley, CA, 94704, United States
The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention presents a triple bill show featuring Bruce Molsky, Ozark Highballers, and Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellows. Hosted jamming in front of The Freight from 5-6PM; doors open at 6PM; showtime at 7PM. The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention (BOTMC) runs Sept. 17-22 with concerts, dances, string band contest, instructional workshops, activities for families and lots of jamming! Many free events too.
Parking
Center Street Garage, next door to The Freight, is currently open nightly until 1am except Sunday. More details here.
Public Transit
The Freight & Salvage is BARTable! Downtown Berkeley BART station is a half a block from the Freight. Details at bart.gov. Many AC Transit bus lines stop within a few blocks of the Freight. Details at actransit.org.
Nearby Favorites Bars/Restaurants
Revival Bar + Kitchen | 2102 Shattuck Avenue, (510) 549–9950
Comal Next Door | 2024 Shattuck Ave, (510) 422-662
Gather | 2200 Oxford Street @ Allston, (510) 809-0400
Info & Tickets
