By Jerucifer, Arts & Events Editor

We likely all know someone who is celebrating a special day this week, and there are plenty of canna-friendly events to make the most of the High Holy Day! For those who don’t toke, there’s plenty of other fun stuff, including a music festival and naked bike ride! Great giveaways too, if you like free shit, and who doesn’t like free shit!? Here’s what I’m most excited about for the week of 4/18..

Our Partners’ Events

KQED Fest
4/29 | KQED Headquarters | 2601 Mariposa St, SF | 11 am | free

Come meet some of your favorite KQED personalities at KQED Fest! Join us Saturday, April 29th for a free, all-ages block party and community celebration at our headquarters in San Francisco. Go behind the scenes with studio tours. Watch live shows and conversations on stage, and enjoy musical performances on an outdoor stage!

Hubba Hubba Revue: Heaven vs Hell
4/23 | DNA Lounge | 375 11th St, SF | 7 pm | $15-30

Hubba Hubba Revue invites you to an epic BURLESQUE battle between the forces of Good & Evil! — Who will win? Angelic shimmy, or demonic shake? Only the fate of the Universe hangs in the balance! Get your SEATS now!

Ep. 4 with Comedian Nato Green!
4/19 | Don’t Call it San Fran | podcast | 6 pm | free

We’re going live with Episode 4 of “Don’t Call It San Fran” at 6pm PST Wednesday 4/19 on Callin!  Stuart and Lysol will be joined by Comedian Nato Green to talk about how to keep SF’s streets safe from violent tech workers and drug dealing POA’s.

This Week’s Giveaways

We Wanna Send You to See Nils Frahm at the Fox Theater on 4/28!

We Wanna Send You to the World Goth Day Festival on 5/6!

We Wanna Send You to See Teenage Bottlerocket at Bottom of the Hill on 4/27!

This Week’s Events

Tuesday, 4/18

Joan Baez: I am Noise
4/18 | Castro Theatre | 429 Castro St, SF | 4 pm | $16-20

In her 20s, Joan Baez was the undisputed queen of folk music, one of the first people to recognize Bob Dylan’s talent and record his songs (the two would also make another kind of music together for a while), and someone who used her rising celebrity to fight for civil rights and justice and against the war in Vietnam. This entrancing documentary takes a long look back at Baez’s wild ride while following the longtime San Mateo County resident on her 2018/2019 Fare Thee Well Tour. The final Baez standing after the deaths of her two sisters and her parents, Baez gives an account not just of her singular life of art and activism but also spins a complicated family story. Music, archival material, and oral history combine for a stunning glimpse into the voice of a generation. Expected guests: Joan Baez, director Miri Navasky, director Karen O’Connor.

Vampire’s Kiss
4/18 | Balboa Theater | 3630 Balboa St, SF | 7 pm | $12.50-15

1988, Directed by Robert Bierman

Seduction. Romance. Murder. The things one does for love.

A publishing executive is visited and bitten by a vampire and starts exhibiting erratic behavior. He pushes his secretary to extremes as he tries to come to terms with his affliction. The vampire continues to visit and drink his blood, and as his madness deepens, it begins to look as if some of the events he’s experiencing may be hallucinations.

Zo! & Tall Black Guy
4/18 | Yoshi’s | 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland | 7:30 pm | $30+

When it comes to innovative takes on R&B, you can’t go wrong with Zo! and Tall Black Guy and their next-level creations that invoke the genre’s classic sound while pushing it forward. So what happens when these two guys collaborate? You get a progressive joint album like Abstractions. The set showcases the undeniable chemistry between the musicians while inviting a whole host of their friends — including Phonte, BeMyFiasco, Sy Smith, Omar, Darien Brockington, Muhsinah and many more — to play alongside them. This means that the fellas have all the talent they need to create music as beautiful as the artwork by Rachel Stewart that graces the cover.

Late Night Wooftop Party
4/18 | Dandelion Chocolate Factory | 2600 16th St, SF | 8 pm | $155

Join the San Francisco SPCA at the Late Night Wooftop Party for an evening filled with bites, cocktails and dancing featuring DJ Steve1der at Dandelion Chocolate Factory Tuesday, April 18. Proceeds help animals in need!

In celebration of its 155th anniversary, the San Francisco SPCA is hosting the first-ever Late Night Wooftop Party, offering a new opportunity to support its mission and mingle with fellow animal lovers. Guests will enjoy a night of music and dancing by DJ Steve1der, bites, and cocktails. All attendees can also enter a raffle for a chance to win an assortment of prizes from the San Francisco Giants, the Golden State Warriors, and more.

Wednesday, 4/19

Art Bash 2023
4/19 | SF MoMA | 151 3rd St, SF | 6 pm | $95+

Calling all art lovers, makers, and visionaries: SFMOMA invites you to the museum’s most spectacular party of the year celebrating art and artists!

Your generosity makes a big impact! Art Bash funds SFMOMA’s much-loved education and family programs and community engagement events that benefit over 150,000 people every year, such as the popular First Thursdays, offering free admission for all Bay Area residents.

Navigating climate change with grief, hope & humor w/ author Andrew Boyd
4/19 | Tamarack | 1501 Harrison St, Oakland | 7 pm | free

Come crush a cup and enjoy some delicious food while we read some passages, laugh some dark laughs, sign some books, gnash some teeth, explore some of our possible futures via oversized flowcharts….not necessarily in that order. The evening will NOT be a boring book reading. It will be interactive, participatory, fun; it’ll be a chance to come together and — aided by gallows humor and some unusual prompts — reflect on some of the big questions before us.

To tackle the climate emergency, we need each other; we need solidarity and laughter and all the rest. We hope to see you there!

Bicycle Day 2023: The Floozies, Dirtwire & More
4/19 | The Midway | 900 Marin St, SF | 8 pm | $25+

We’re going down the rabbit hole again this spring with The Floozies, Dirtwire & more! Now an unofficial holiday amongst psychonauts celebrated worldwide, one of the biggest Bicycle Day parties takes place in San Francisco. Presented by Legion of Bloom Music & The Midway, San Francisco’s Bicycle Day Celebration is not only a concert, but a petri dish of creativity, inspiration, and sensory stimulation. World renowned, visionary artists have played a large role in this annual celebration, integrating their philosophies, live painting, and personal stories into the event.

The Bellas Podcast Live
4/19 | Cobb’s Comedy Club | 915 Columbus Ave, SF | 8 pm | $75+

It’s like having happy hour with your best friends, the iconic duo Nikki & Brie, as they take you into their lives beyond the cameras and keep it 100 about being moms, sisters, entrepreneurs, and TV Personalities. From pop culture and fun games to life moments, join Nikki and Brie Garcia in their next chapter.

Reading Rocking Rainbow Tour!
4/19 | Thee Parkside | 1600 17th St, SF | 8 pm | $10+

“Uncovering the 90’s: The Good, the Bad, and the Like, Whatever” is an interactive discussion led by Venice Beach writer/drummer Jessamyn Violet from behind her drum kit. She’ll read from her debut LGBT+ punk rock novel set in the 90s Hollywood music scene, Secret Rules to Being a Rockstar (Three Rooms Press, April 2023), and discuss the dangers and joys of the casual, funny and totally weird 90s with acclaimed author and CCA Professor Tom Barbash.

Immediately after the discussion will be live music from psych rock band Movie Club, featuring Jessamyn on drums and Vince Cuneo on guitar, followed by local bands The Helltones and Orchestra Gold.

Thursday, 4/20

Daddy J’s Canna Cabaret
4/20 | Joy Reserve | 865 Market St, 2nd Fl, SF | 5 pm | $30

Spend your 4/20 like royalty among kings and queens at our 4/20 drag show! It’s going to be our biggest drag show yet with award winning-performers such as Javier Miguel, Helixir Byntwell, and more! There will be raffles, brand demos, food, music, and lots of deals!

420 Party
4/20 | Shovels Bar | 460 Larkin St, SF | 4:20 pm | free

420 Party featuring Cellarmakers annual triple IPA Release ‘Dank Statement’ as well as an exclusive nachos menu and 420 trivia questionnaire with prizes!

Opening Night!
4/20 | Rendezvous | 2030 Lombard St, SF | 5 pm | free entry

The seductive neon sign draws guests through the unassuming exterior to an intimate cocktail bar with high-top tables and seating available for 16 at the bar and 35 guests in total. Misif has fashioned the design of Rendezvous to include alluring curtains, flower motifs to evoke spring and the “Summer of Love,” and playful bar decorations. The back bar features an eclectic array of interactive toys, knick-knacks, worldly spirits, and drink vessels collected throughout Misif’s stint behind the bar. Much like a rendezvous, secrets will remain under wraps at this new establishment. Join us for opening night!

Bay Area 5 Art Exhibition
4/20 | 111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna St, SF | 5 pm | free

The Bay Area 5 will feature the works of Max Ehrman (Eon 75), Seibot, Nicole Hayden, Josh Thurman, and Messy Beck. All five of these artists have been active in the Bay Area throughout the last decade (and longer) creating murals throughout the streets of San Francisco, the greater Bay Area and abroad. Ranging from backgrounds starting in graffiti, street art, illustration, architecture and fine art; all of these artists have come to make a name for themselves in the Bay with full building-size murals, expansive street art projects, dozens of community-driven storefront murals during the pandemic and privately commissioned murals for clients ranging from small businesses in San Francisco to The Googleplex in Mountain View, Ca.

A 420 Celebration
4/20 | Kanna | 2019 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland | 3-8 pm | free

Join us for live music, food and art as we celebrate 420 the KANNA way!

420 at Hippie Hill
4/20 | Hippie Hill | Golden Gate Park, SF | 10 am | free

Join us at Robin Williams Meadow for the he biggest FREE cannabis event in California! 21+ only.

420 Cannacrawl
4/20 | Barbary Coast | 952 Mission St, SF | 8 pm | free

Make an event out of your holiday and stock up on all the best products for the best deals. Our 420 event is sponsored by the best companies in the industry (Jeeter, Kiva, Pax…). Go to Grass Roots, Moe Greens, and then meet us at the Barbary Coast 420 Comedy Festival. Hosted by #HellaFunny 8PM at Barbary Coast.

420 Festival: Live Music, Vendors, Skating + a PUFF & PAINT
4/20 | Liberation Park | 7101 Foothill Blvd, Oakland | 1-7 pm | free

The 420 Festival is a celebration and platform for small businesses and artists to network and gain exposure within our community at the Black Cultural Zone and the Bay Area. This will be outdoors – we will have a movie screen, skating rink, games and raffles/activities for all attendees. As always, we will have a DJ and Live music with performers!

Baked!
4/20 | Kapwa Gardens | 967 Mission St, SF | 3 pm | free with RSVP

Baked! Is a gathering for cannabis enthusiasts & Filipino culture seekers to celebrate 420 in an elevated, intimate, and “purple hazed” outdoor setting. Sweet and savory Filipino food will be in full effect. Enjoy an array of treats featuring ube, pandan, calamansi, and other exotic flavors that the SF Chronicle calls “an exciting, new genre that feels distinctly Filipino American.”

Puff freely and sample special gifts from our generous sponsor STIIZY, the leading lifestyle brand in cannabis while getting down to live music and SF’s best underground DJ’s. Tickets to attend Baked are FREE for the general public, however, we are accepting sliding scale donations. Your donations will help us continue to host our future events and keep our garden growing.

Friday, 4/21

Radiolab Live: How the Cassette Tape Changed Us
4/21 | KQED Live | 2601 Mariposa St, SF | 7 pm | $35 in person, free livestream

Do you want to be happier, healthier or wealthier, or simply want to reach your full potential? What if we told you that you have the power to do all these things and more? Starting in the 1980s, phrases like these could be heard on cassette tapes and through headphones at a dizzying rate. It was the birth of self-help and the death of collective reality. WNYC Studios’ Radiolab and Senior Producer Simon Adler present a live multimedia event exploring self-help, the power of these phrases, the cassette tapes that carried them, and the ideas embedded within.

Featuring silent disco headsets and a performance from freestylers Bay Area Theatre Cypher. Bring your own cassette tape and players if you want to listen in the lobby.

Friday
4/21 | The Cut | 250 Main St, SF | 8 pm | $14-27

It’s Friday, and Craig and Smokey must come up with $200 they owe a local bully or there won’t be a Saturday.

Dosed: The Trip of a Lifetime
4/21 | Roxie Theater | 3117 16th St, SF | 6:30 pm | $12-14

A loving mother of four is granted the legal right for medical use of magic mushrooms. She then embarks on a remarkable journey of personal transformation and healing while exploring lesser known possible cures for cancer, like cannabis oil. This story of courage and resilience calls into question everything we think we know about the human body, mind, and spirit.

Art Market San Francisco 2023
4/21 | Fort Mason Center | 2 Marina Blvd, SF | 7 pm | $35+

The 2023 edition of Art Market San Francisco presents a significant selection of contemporary and modern artworks from returning Art Market exhibitors and exciting newcomers. The much-anticipated 11th edition celebrates the San Francisco art scene while featuring an array of compelling installations, events, talks, and performances curated by author, curator, and self-described “cultural infrastructure builder” Nato Thompson, who joins Art Market as the fair’s Creative Director.

So Stoked Earth Day 2023 ft. Ed Rush & Optical, Rob GEE
4/21 | DNA Lounge | 375 11th St, SF | 7 pm | $5-30

Welcome to the Earth Day Rave! As you move and groove to the beat, feel the love and connection with our planet and all its living beings. Let’s take a stand together and make a positive impact on our environment while enjoying the beauty of our world.

Remember that every little action makes a difference towards a sustainable future. Let this event inspire you to create change, not only in your life but also in your community. Let’s make this an unforgettable experience that sparks positive change and a brighter future for our planet. Let’s rave for the earth!

Wear kandi for $5-$10 door discount or get in free with a 3D cuff BIGGER (Wider AND Taller) than your head!!

Saturday, 4/22

DIVA or Die: Spring Bling
4/22 | The Lost Church | 988 Columbus Ave, SF | 7:30 pm | $25-35

Let rhinestone showers bring hot flowers!!

Join us in our own take on a spring fling!  We will be celebrating all things spring: The unfreezing of the elements, warmth, renewal, maybe even some bunnies (not real ones…. No animals or small children are ever harmed in the production of Diva or Die). But, here at Diva or Die we bring you spring with BLING:  Rhinestones, sequins, and assorted sparkles, as well as the effervescence of our performing cast!

Pickin’ On The Polk Bluegrass Festival
4/22 | various small businesses on Polk St, SF | 12 pm | free

Earth Day –  A day of fun, music, food, and laughter with our Discover Polk community.

LINEUP: Martin Luther the Real McCoy – Mr. Sunanna – Kristina – Ape – Aflemaylot

Earth Day World Naked Bike Ride
4/22 | Cupid’s Span | Embarcadero at Folsom, SF | 11 am | free

It’s the 11th Annual World Naked Bike Ride: Earth Day Edition! Join the Fun! Become a part of the annual International World Naked Bike Rides; Celebrate your self, body, freedom, and liberty; Promote bike & transportation safety and a more livable planet for all.

Get your bikes and sunscreen bottles ready, as we will be riding in the buff once more in San Francisco! Meet at Cupid’s Span, Embarcadero, ride starts at 12 pm! Ride ends at Jane Warner Plaza, Castro + a naked ride back to the Ferry Building!

Hot Buttered Rum & Poor Man’s Whiskey
4/22 | The Independent | 628 Divisadero St, SF | 9 pm | $30+

Bay Area newgrass jam band Hot Buttered Rum have been described as a rock band playing bluegrass instruments (the bandmembers themselves call what they do “high altitude California bluegrass”), and with musical influences ranging from blues, rock, and jazz to Celtic and old-time string band music from the Appalachians, the group could almost be termed bluegrass fusion.

FCKNG SERIOUS: Boris Brejcha Block Party
4/22 | The Midway | 900 Marin St, SF | 2 pm | $55+

Sunday, 4/23

Ryan Patrick Welsh: Sex, Camp, Rock n’ Roll
4/23 | Oasis | 298 11th St, SF | 10 pm | $25-35

Sex, Camp, Rock ‘N Roll is a musical, cabaret fantasy starring Ryan Patrick Welsh, The 8th Best Legs in San Francisco. Deeply personal, thoroughly humorous, and exceedingly fantastical, Ryan Patrick weaves an unforgettable night of story, song, and sensuality featuring a four-piece rock band & back-up divas extraordinaire! Buckle up for a night of delicious vulnerability and dazzling entertainment from one of San Francisco’s most outlandish performers.

Hot Goths In Your Area: Darkwave, Current & Classic Goth
4/23 | Crybaby | 1928 Telegraph Ave, Oakland | 9 pm | free before 10 w/ RSVP, $5 after

CALLING ALL HOT GOTHS!!

Crack open your coffins and dust off your Demonias because there’s a new queer goth nite in ur area! from trad goths to egirls and everyone in between, all are welcome to join us in this inclusive, fog-filled ritual of dance, drink, and dark devil disco. A space made by us, for us, to be our strangest selves. No creeps!!

Jiaoying Summers
4/23 | Cobb’s Comedy Club | 915 Columbus Ave, SF | 7:30 pm | $41

Jiaoying Summers is a stand up comedian, Asian Hall of Fame inductee and social media comedy queen with over one billion online views and counting. She a regular headliner at The Laugh Factory and also performs at The Comedy Store and The Hollywood Improv, where she has her own monthly show. She recently headlined at Carolines on Broadway and starred in Netflix is a Joke Festival’s Women in Comedy Show.

NEW JACK CITY
4/23 | Paramount Theatre | 2025 Broadway, Oakland | 7:30 pm | $70+

NEW JACK CITY LIVE, transports audiences to metropolis-Harlem, NY where they bear witness to the journey of the infamous Nino Brown, a drug lord who, when caught in the crossfires of the dangerous drug game, must decide what is most important: friendship, money, or total domination. Balancing betrayal between friends, lovers, and ultimately generational hardships, this riveting rendition of the time-honored movie will have everyone leaving the theatre wondering, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Michelle Lambert
4/23 | Lucca Beer Garden | 4396 1st St, Benicia | 2:30 pm | free

Join Michelle in beautiful downtown Benicia for an afternoon of music! This is an awesome historic venue with large “NorCal” style beer garden. It’s a friendly hang so bring a friend or come solo and meet some new ones! Hailing from the Bay Area, Lambert began studying violin at age 2 and has continued making music ever since. A pop, folk and hip-hop artist whose career has taken her across the U.S. and abroad, she is influenced by her studies in Celtic music. Female empowerment is a recurring theme in her music.

Monday, 4/24

Queer Film Theory 101: Batman Forever
4/24 | Alamo Drafthouse | Mission St, SF | 7 pm | $17.75

A SEMI-EDUCATIONAL CRASH COURSE ON THE QUEER SUBTEXT OF YOUR FAVORITE FILMS.

Fans of Tim Burton’s gothic noir Batman films experienced a bit of whiplash when director Joel Schumacher took the reigns of Gotham and revealed his dayglow vision for the not-so-dark-knight in 1995. Schumacher and his all-star cast of scenery-chewing heroes and villains lean hard into the high-camp shenanigans of the 1960s and ’70s Batman stories with a distinctly ’90s flair.

It’s all just so queer and so good! Surrender to the experience of Schumacher’s vision and join us for this neon romp through the campiest corners of DC Comics.

Dakh Daughters
4/24 | Freight & Salvage | 2020 Addison St, Berkeley | 8 pm | $20+

Seven Ukrainian actresses and musicians create share life-affirming performance about love, freedom, and beauty which – at the end of the day – will save the world.

Silver Cloud Comedy Showcase
4/24 | Silver Cloud | 1994 Lombard St, SF | 7-9 pm | free

Come to Silver Cloud in the SF Marina for the best stand-up comics $0 can buy! See comedians who have performed all over including the Punchline, Cobb’s, Cheaper than Therapy, and Wheel of Fortune (long story).

Grab a drink, order up some food, and then stay for Karaoke once the comedy’s over.

Dick Tracy
4/24 | Roxie Theater | 3117 16th St, SF | 9:15 pm | $5-21

Torn between his gal friday Tess Trueheart and the slinking Breathless Mahoney (Madonna), Tracy goes up against crime boss Big Boy Caprice (an all-time Pacino) and his rogue’s gallery of freak show goons. Lensed by Vittorio Storaro (REDS, APOCALYPSE NOW), with music by Stephen Sondheim, DICK TRACY’s fusion of classical Hollywood wonder and modern expressionism is too intoxicating to miss.

Rad Upcoming Events 

5\6 3rd Annual World Goth Day Festival

Don’t forget to check out our Big Bad List of Rad Ongoing Events right here!