The SF Must List: Things to Do in San Francisco June 2017
If you ever find yourself ever so slightly bored in San Francisco, then you should wake up and smell the coffee: The City’s entertainment scene is bustling with new, unusual, and fabulous shows, screenings, and performances.
Indeed, the arts and culture scene in San Francisco continues to thrive and pulsate across town with a diverse offering of spectacles; this month is particularly festive considering the plethora of entertainment festivals that are being hosted in The City, from comedy festivals with A-list headliners, to dance festivals celebrating local talent.
Whether you want to experience Hollywood in San Francisco, or if you’re inclined to dive into the local performance art scene, there is a myriad of events that can appeal to your tastes this month.
Scroll down to find the best events happening in film, music, comedy, performing arts, and sports in San Francisco this June.
Cinema & Media
The historic Castro Theatre will continue its famed tradition of hosting popular sing-a-longs with a screening of Disney’s Moana. Participating in a sing-a-long in the Castro Theatre is a right of passage in San Francisco, so if you have yet to attend one, this is your chance!
Moana Singalong | The Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA | June 9th-11th: check site for showtimes | $16
This annual, 2 week film festival focuses on issues that target the LGBTQ community. Films will screen in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland at the Castro, Roxie, and Victoria Theaters in The City, and the Rialto Cinemas Elmwood and the Landmark Theatre Piedmont in the East Bay. Tickets will be available to the public starting Friday, June 2nd at 3PM.
Frameline Film Festival | Bay Area Wide: check site for venues | June 15th-25th: showtimes vary | $15-$90: check site for ticketing and pricing information
Taking place in various venues in San Francisco, the SFBFF celebrates African American cinema and the African cultural Diaspora by sharing a diverse collection of films from both emerging and established filmmakers. In addition to film screenings, there will be special events, a filmmakers lounge to socialize and network, and forums.
San Francisco Black Film Festival | City-wide: check site for venues | June 15th-18th: check calendar for showtimes | Tickets start at $10
This City-wide film festival promises to deliver a “manageable amount of truth.” SF DocFest is an annual, 2 week long film festival that showcases weird and wonderful aspects of real life via the craft of documentary film.
SF DocFest: The 16th Annual San Francisco Documentary Festival | Roxie, Vogue, and Alamo Drafthouse Theaters, San Francisco, CA | May 31st-June 15th: check event calendar showtimes | $35-$220
Concerts & Live Music
Usually known as the Union Street Festival, this year’s event will have a much bigger emphasis on music. This event will feature live bands performing in small entertainment areas throughout the venue, including five different genres: Jazz, Blues, Country, Bluegrass and local bands. Additionally, there will be beer and fine wines in the beverage garden, and a juried art section with cash prizes.
41st Annual Union Street Music Festival | Union Street at Gough through Fillmore, San Francisco, CA | Saturday & Sunday, June 3rd-4th: 10AM-6PM | Free
Calling all Dead Heads! Dead & Company, AKA Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, John Mayer, Bob Weir with Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti, will be continuing their longstanding career with a performance in the Silicon Valley.
Dead and Company | Shoreline Amphitheatre, 1 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA | Saturday, June 3rd: 7PM | $40-$150
The SF Symphony will host 2 evening performances and 1 matinee of Stravinsky’s “riot-inducing masterpiece.” Since its scandalous debut for the Ballet Russe in 1913, this dramatic piece, inspired by Russian and Lithuanian folk music from history and ancient pagan customs, has continued to be revived by popular demand.
San Francisco Symphony: The Rite of Spring | Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA | June 9th-10: 8PM, June 11th: 2PM | $15-$158
Hailing from Leeds, England, Grammy-award winning artist Corinne Baily Rae will take the stage at the Fillmore alongside Jamila Woods for an evening of R&B and meaningful messages.
Corinne Bailey Rae | The Fillmore, 1805 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA | Thursday, June 8th: 8PM | $30
Comedy
This is clearly the event of the season. This 3 day comedy festival features some of the biggest names in comedy: Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Hart, and more. Tickets for a day pass are about $99, and weekend passes run at $250, or $600 for VIP.
Colossal Clusterfest | Civic Center Plaza and Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA | Friday-Sunday, June 2nd-4th: All Day | Tickets start at $99
Comedians will discuss why millennials suck during happy hour. If you come early enough, there will be free oysters!
Millennials Ruin Everything | El Rio, 3158 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA | Friday, June 9th: 6PM | Free
One of The City’s best improv teams will put on a Western themed show every Saturday in June. You can expect to see unslinging desperados, ruthless bounty hunters, and slow-talking drifters hell-bent on revenge. Indeed, it’ll be a night of the good, the bad, and the ridiculously funny.
Gritty Western | BATS Improv, Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Boulevard, Building B, San Francisco, CA | Every Saturday in June: 8PM | $17
SF FunCheap presents a night of comedy that is sure to be hella funny. This show will feature stand-up comedy from Oakland native Stroy Moyd, who has opened for the likes of Dave Chappell and Tracy Morgan.
#HellaFunny Comedy Night | Cobb’s Comedy Club, 915 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA | Wednesday, June 21st: 8PM | $16
Dance
Following a successful sold-out inaugural season in 2016, SFDanceworks is a contemporary repertory company that presents the best of the past, present, and future of dance, showcasing masterworks alongside works from emerging dance makers with a wide range of style. This year, the company will present its second annual home season, featuring nine world-class dancers performing six unique works.
SF Danceworks Season Two | ODC Theater, 351 Shotwell Street, San Francisco, CA | June 22nd-24th: 8PM, with a 2PM show June 24th | $20-$50
Now in its sixth year, the Walking Distance Dance Festival is a 2 week dance extravanganza featuring premier performances by Bay Area artists across the ODC Campus and the Mission District. This dance event showcases choreography by The Foundry, FACT/SF, Fauxnique, and Tinypistol.
Walking Distance Dance Festival SF | ODC Campus and the Mission, San Francisco, CA | Check site for venue info | June 2nd-10th: check site for showtimes | $30-$50
In part with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, ChoreoFest aims to highlight the spectacular strength, diversity, and vibrancy of the Bay Area contemporary dance scene. This 3 day mini dance festival will feature nine local companies in three special performances throughout the Gardens’ lawns and architecture.
Yerba Buena ChoreoFest | Yerba Buena Gardens Esplanade, Mission Street between 3rd and 4th, San Francisco, CA | June 9th-11th: check site for times | Free
Presented in association with YBCA, Nobody Lives Here Now is a poetic fable that explores the nature of disappearance as a part of the fragile human condition.
Nobody Lives Here Now | Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA | June 22nd-24th: 8PM | $25-$65
Theatre & Opera
Relive the experience of rock legend Janis Joplin in light of the 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love. Variety calls this performance “electrifying!” Fueled by unforgettable songs as “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Piece of My Heart,” “Mercedes Benz,” “Cry Baby,” and “Summertime,” this staged revival is not to be missed by music fans.
A Night With Janis Joplin | ACT’s Geary Theatre, 405 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA | Opens June 7th: 8PM | $20-$80
The New York Post call The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night “the most inventive new show on Broadway.” This acclaimed show is about 15 year-old Christopher who has an extraordinary brain yet is ill-equipped to handle everyday life. When he is suspected for killing his neighbor’s dog, he sets to find the true culprit, leading to a life-changing journey.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night | SHN Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor Street, San Francisco, CA | Opens June 27rd: 8PM | $55-$225
“Wherever he goes, trouble follows.” Don Giovanni is a serial seducer with a big ego. But when this playboy goes too far, his appetite for seduction leads to his downfall. Mozart’s smart interpretation on Don Juan explores the darker side of this story, delivering an otherworldly flirtation between comedy and tragedy, pleasure and pain.
Don Giovanni | San Francisco Opera, 301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA | Opens June 4th: 2PM | $42-$400
A jewel of drag herstory, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical will be performed at the Eureka Theater, opening this weekend. If you love the movie, drag queens, comedy, and musicals, then this is a must-see. If you’ve never seen Priscilla and you are drawn to the aforementioned list, then you should do yourself a favor and drag you favorite friends to this show for a night of unforgettable camp. Tickets are only $20, after all!
Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical | Eureka Theater, 215 Jackson Street, San Francisco, CA | All Weekend: Matinees at 3PM, Evening Shows at 8PM | $20
Sports
San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park:
Twins: June 9th-11th. Royals: June 13th-14th. Mets: June 23rd-25th. Rockies: June 26th-28th.
Oakland A’s at Oakland Coliseum:
Nationals: June 2nd-4th. Blue Jays: June 5th-7th. Yankees: June 15th-18th. Astros: June 19th-20th.
Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena:
Cleveland Cavaliers: June 2nd, June 12th, and June 18th.
San Jose Earthquakes at Avaya Stadium:
San Francisco Deltas: June 14th. Sporting KC: June 17th. Real Salt Lake: June 24th.
San Francisco Deltas at Kezar Stadium:
June 3rd: Indy Eleven. June 17th: FC Edmonton.
