Best Bay Area Events 12.17-1.6

Direct from Broadway, MEAN GIRLS is the hilarious hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer TINA FEY (“30 Rock”), composer JEFF RICHMOND (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), lyricist NELL BENJAMIN (Legally Blonde) and original director and choreographer CASEY NICHOLAW (The Book of Mormon).

Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir
12/24 | Great American Music Hall | 859 O’Farrell St, SF | 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. |  $22 ADV, $25 DOOR

The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir weaves together a family of more than 55 singers from a wide range of faiths, races, and cultures– joined in the mission to inspire joy and unity in all people through Negro spirituals and black gospel music. No matter the venue, whether it’s the Paramount Theatre, San Quentin State Prison, Mercy Retirement Center, or even a small church in Selma, Alabama, the choir sings with the same passion and precision. And when the choir starts singing, audiences can’t help but jump to their feet, lift their hands, and allow the glory of the music to uplift them.

Yes, we return this year, keeping the holiday tradition alive. Room 1: Solar, Mozhgan,& Tyrel. Room 2 Interzone: Hex Embrace, Impirumcrypt, &Echoic. Free w/ RSVP before 11 p.m.

Christmas Eve Farmers Market
12/24 | Ferry Plaza | 1 Ferry Building, SF | 10 a.m. | Free

Satisfy your last-minute holiday feast and gift-giving needs at our special Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Tuesday, December 24. You’ll find everything you need to make for a unique, delicious, and truly local winter feast. Stock up on fresh produce, handcrafted treats and sweets, and delicious and unique gifts, and grab lunch while you’re here.

Chanukah In Union Square
12/25-1/2 | Union Square | Geary, Powell, Post, & Stockton St, SF | 3:30 p.m. | Free, All ages

A local miracle happened in San Francisco in 1975 when community leaders joined together to create the first big public menorah and celebration of Chanukah outside of Israel. The San Francisco “Mama Menorah” public celebration has now become a global phenomenon with large menorahs lit annually in over 15000 cities worldwide.

Kung Pao Kosher Comedy
12/24-12/26 | Imperial Palace Restaurant | 818 Washington St, SF | 5 p.m. | $35-$117

Kung Pao Kosher Comedy™ is celebrating its 32nd Annual Jewish-Comedy-on-Christmas-in-a-Chinese-Restaurant extravaganza on December 24-26, 2024. This San Francisco institution returns to San Francisco’s Chinatown this year to its new home, the Imperial Palace Restaurant, just steps away from the new Chinatown-Rose Pak MUNI Station.

X-Mess Night
12/25 | DNA Lounge | 375 11th St, SF  9 p.m. | $8

Death Guild is the oldest weekly goth/industrial dance night in the world! Every Monday, six DJs in two rooms play a mix of gothic, industrial, synthpop, noise, ambient, and weird stuff for those who love the darker side of things.

Christmas Party
12/25 | Question Mark Bar | 312 Harriet St, SF | 10 a.m. | Free
Celebrate Christmas Day at Question Mark Bar! Join us on December 25th for a festive day filled with: Music, Karaoke, Movies, Sports, and Delicious food. Don’t miss the Happy, Drunk Santa vibes!

Thursday 12/26

THROTTLE THURSDAY: Fatima Hajji
12/26 | 1015 Folsom | 1015 Folsom St, SF | 9 p.m. | $15-$20, 21+

Young DJ, composer and entrepreneur girl. Fátima, Spanish by birth but with Arab origins is a confessed lover of nature and animals, as well as striking colours… and of course, she’s in steadfast love of a fireproof music genre like Techno. From its analogue and classical roots through the most contemporary sounds combining all with ancestral sounds – she’s specialist in bringing up her deep African origins-. She stands for freshness, audacity and ruthless grooves, ideal medicine for having fun.

Get It?! Gameshow
12/26 | Cobb’s Comedy Club | 915 Columbus Ave, SF | 7:30 p.m. | $18.50-$26.50, 18+

Get It?! A Stand-Up Comedy Game Show with host Joe Klocek! Test how well you understood a stand-up-comic’s set in real time! A comic performs. Then three participants are picked from the audience and asked questions about what they just laughed at. Whoever gets five questions first wins the round! After two rounds, the winners face off in a third and final Speed Round to decide who will be the champion of Get it?! Game Show!

Friday 12/27

The legendary duo, CHROMEO, are playing a day party at Audio on Saturday, December 28th! This will be an event to remember as we open the skylights and bring in all the special effects for this daytime disco.

Luenell: Live at the Paramount
12/27 | Paramount Theatre | 2025 Broadway, Oakland | 7:30 p.m. | $35.50-$125.50

Luenell, the “Original Bad Girl of Comedy,” has thrilled audiences for over 30 years with her bold humor and infectious energy. Born in Arkansas and raised in Oakland, she is currently headlining her “Fresh Out of Favors” comedy tour and holding a residency at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in Las Vegas.

Misfit Cabaret: Divine Decadence
12/27 | Great American Music Hall | 859 O’Farrell St, SF | 8 p.m. | $30-$600, 21+

Misfit Cabaret is a splendiferous variety show centered around magical music with a rotating cast of eccentric performers. From burlesque to drag to circus to magic, you never know what you’re going to see! For each new Misfit Cabaret, emcee Kat Robichaud writes two original songs keeping with the theme of the evening and plays them with her Darling Misfit band, as well as a special medley to kick off the evening and welcome in the spirits of San Francisco’s saucy past.

The Christmas Meltdown
12/27 | Monarch | 101 6th St, SF | 9 p.m. | $13.63-$37.18

Strap in for a night of holiday cheer with Sleevin Records! Tune in to the sounds of the UK with UK Bassline, Garage, DnB, and more. DJs: IZUK, J9, SIMO, MYCHØ, SOL & MANCUB, DYLL, YUKA YU, & COLONEL MC.

Saturday 12/28

Sarah Silverman
12/28 | The Masonic | 1111 California St, SF | 8 p.m. | $45-$95

Sarah Silverman is a comedian, writer, and actress who is best known for producing and starring in the comedy series “The Sarah Silverman Project.” Sarah was born and raised in New Hampshire with her three older siblings and attended college at New York University. She began her stand-up career in New York City, gigging at local venues before receiving national recognition in the early nineties as a writer and featured player on “Saturday Night Live.”

Shaq’s Bass All-Stars Block Party
12/28 | The Midway | 900 Marin St, SF | 4 p.m. | $45-$129

SHAQ’S MAIN STAGE LINEUP: Diesel, Troyboi, Layz, Vastive, Kliptic, & Downlo. VITAL EVENTS TOXIC STAGE LINEUP: Eliminate, YDG, Sanzu, Ayvo, & Ecka.

Chuck Prophet and his Cumbia Shoes
12/28 | The Chapel | 777 Valencia St, SF | 9 p.m. | $28-$33

“I was going through a tunnel,” he recalls. “It was dark. But I had music: music to play, music to listen to, music to get me out of my head. Music was my savior.” That much is plain to hear on Wake The Dead, Prophet’s extraordinary new album. Recorded with band of brothers ¿Qiensave?, the collection explores the world of Cumbia music, which consumed and comforted Prophet during his illness and subsequent recovery. The songs are intoxicatingly rhythmic, all but demanding you move your body, with arrangements that blur the lines between tradition and innovation. There are flashes of rock and roll, punk, surf, and soul, all filtered through the streets of San Francisco and wrapped up in the rich legacy of a genre that traces its roots back to the jungles of South America.

PLAN 9 – Misfits Tribute
12/28 | Ivy Room | 860 San Pablo Ave, Albany | 9 p.m. | $15-$20, 21+

Plan 9 was started in Oakland, CA as a Misfits tribute band. Years later, this tribute band has grown into a full-fledged horror punk band with acclaimed albums of original songs including one featuring Jerry Only (“8 Hits from Hell”).

Sunday 12/29

Lindy in the Park
12/29 | Golden Gate Park | JFK Dr. btwn 8th and 10th, behind the De Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, SF | 11 am. | Free

Lindy in the Park is a perfect way to get the heart rate going by moving those muscles (legs, arms, and even face — cause you’ll be smiling!) to great swing dance(able) music spun by friendly DJ’s.

Cyber Sunday
12/29 | Cat Club | 1190 Folsom St, SF | 10 p.m. | No Cover, 21+

Calling all Cyborgs and Androids to UNPLUG from the Matrix to fight Brain Rot!!! Join us off the grid every Sunday for UNPLUG, (aka Cyber Sunday). New name, same party. Still FREE to enter! We specialize in many forms of dark and heavy electronic music. If you’re in the mood to power down instead of dancing, we will also have a variety of video games set up on 3 TVs, as well as a big stack of board games.

Pink Talking Fish
12/28 & 12/29 | Sweetwater Music Hall | 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley | 8 p.m. | $41.75

Pink Talking Fish is a Hybrid Tribute Fusion Act that takes the music from three of the worlds most beloved bands and creates a special treat for fans of the music. Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish are all more than just bands they are phenomenons. Their creations have artistically inspired people and their mind-blowing live performances have brought people together to form a special sense of community around the love for their favorite band.

Monday 12/30

Primus
12/30 & 12/31 | Fox Theater | 1807 Telegraph Ave, Oakland | 7 p.m. Doors | $78.15+

Primus is responsible for some of the most cutting edge and original rock music of the 1990’s. And now, the definitive Primus line-up – singer/bassist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde, and drummer Tim Alexander – is back together and planning on getting the worldwide masses bobbing up and down in unison once more.

On New Years Day, starting at 10:30 am, begin gathering at the intersection of Taraval and the Great Highway. If it isn’t raining, then we’ll ride down to the Lincoln end of the Great Highway up to the Cliff House, turn around and head to Sloat by the zoo and back to Taraval. Then we will go down onto Ocean Beach to participate in the Polar Plunge. If the weather is good, we’ll stay around afterwards for our Annual WNBR-SF New Years Day Beach Party.

Start your year off right with the annual Kilowatt pancake breakfast hangover party! Classic movies on the projector, blow up mattresses to lounge around on all day, bottomless mimosas, and a FREE pancake breakfast to boot…pajamas strongly encouraged. First of 3 movies starts around noon!

Tropicana Reggae en Español – First Thursdays
1/2 | Madrone Art Bar | 500 Divisadero St, SF | 10 p.m. | Free w/ RSVP (Donation)

Join us every 1st Thursday of the month at Madrone Art Bar for a night filled with the electrifying fusion of Latin rhythms and reggae beats. this event its Produced by La Fauna Music, this event promises an unforgettable experience that will keep you dancing all night long.

It’s a new SF tradition! Grab your friends and head downtown for Downtown First Thursdays. Get ready for DJs, live music, screenprinting, arts + crafts, drag and many more surprises! DFT also features outdoor bars, dozens of food and shopping vendors, family-friendly activities, dancing in the strees, and amazing local restaurants, museums, and bars to explore.

Queer Bedtime Stories
1/2 | Queer Arts Featured | 575 Catro St, SF | 7:30 p.m. Doors | $12.51-$17.85

Queer Bedtime Stories is an opportunity to re-seed the fertile ground of your imagination with poetry, memoirs, and history from our people: LGBTQ+ ancestors and creators alive today. You can come just to listen or bring a reading to share! Readings should be 1-8 minutes long, be any genre, and either be written by an LGBTQ+ author or be about queerness in some way. Original work is more than welcome!

Jesus Trejo
1/2-1/4 | Punch Line San Francisco | 444 Battery St, SF | 8 p.m. | $22.25-$34.25, 18+

Jesus Trejo is one of the fastest rising names in the stand-up comedy scene. He can be seen recurring on the upcoming Netflix series MR. IGLESIAS, and in roles on ALONE TOGETHER (Freeform) and TEACHERS (TV Land). Born and raised in Long Beach, CA, Trejo is a paid regular at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

Friday 1/3

Freakonomics Radio Live w/ Stephen Dubner + Special Guests
1/3 | Sydney Goldstein Theater | 275 Hayes St, SF | 7:30 p.m. | $54.25-$86.35

Freakonomics Radio Live brings to the stage the same uncommon, inquisitive journalism that is a hallmark of the Freakonomics Radio podcast — but in an unscripted and freewheeling format. Join Freakonomics Radio host and best-selling author Stephen Dubner as he explores the hidden side of everything, live onstage at the Sydney Goldstein Theater.

Sam Jay
1/3-1/4 | Cobb’s Comedy Club | 915 Columbus Ave, SF | 7:30 p.m. | $30.25, 18+

Stand-up comic, actor, and Emmy-nominated writer Sam Jay can currently be seen as the host of HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay, a weekly late-night series on which she also served as executive producer. Sam is a two-time Emmy nominee and WGA award nominee for her writing on Saturday Night Live. Sam’s TV credits include her hosting role on Ricking Morty, the Rick and Morty post-show on Adult Swim.

Shlømo
1/3 | Public Works | 161 Erie St, SF | 9 p.m. | $37.39-$48.82, 21+

Dark Techno Mastermind Shlømo makes his SF debut. Featuring local heavy hitters Miss Crafty and SNAQ.

The Realest Coolest Dopest New Year Rap Show Ever!
1/3 | Ivy Room | 860 San Pablo Ave, Albany | 9 p.m. | $12, 21+

Señor Gigio presents The Realest Coolest Dopest New Year Rap Show Ever! 3rd annual show setting the intentions to kick off the Year right promising new music & continued growth for all. A special curated night of dedicated local Bay Area Hip-Hop acts bringing the conscious messages, lyricism & organic high vibes to inspire & entertain.

Saturday 1/4

Mild Heroes, Fossil Fuel, Pretty Boy Chance
1/4 | Brick & Mortar Music Hall | 1710 Mission St, SF | 7:30 p.m. | $16.97

Start your year off right with a night of electrifying music as Mild Heroes takes the stage at Brick & Mortar Music Hall! Known for their heartfelt blend of Pop and Rock-n-roll, Mild Heroes is kicking off the new year with an unforgettable performance. Get ready for a high-energy show filled with captivating melodies, powerful rhythms, and an atmosphere that will leave you wanting more. Don’t miss out on the chance to experience one of the Bay Area’s rising bands as they gear up for an exciting year ahead!

Jeremy Passion, Gabe Bondoc
1/4 | Great American Music Hall | 859 O’Farrell St, SF | 8 p.m. | $35-$85

In Jeremy Passion’s own words: “my best friend @gabebondoc and I are kicking off the new year with a concert in a city very dear to our hearts- SAN FRANCISCO ❤️ It will be a soulful night to remember at @greatamericanmusichall as we share acoustic songs, stories, laughs, and memories of our 20+ year-friendship.”

The Last Supper Party: Poetry and Music Series
1/4 | Temo’s Cafe | 3000 24th St, SF | 6 p.m. | Free, All ages

Inspired by Fe Bongolan’s painting, this monthly series showcases diverse artists addressing social justice and equity issues through spoken word and music. Join us for the next installment of The Last Supper Party, featuring Clarisse Kim, Frances Ancheta, and Tadeh Kennedy. Curated by Kimi Sugioka.

Tribute Saturdays Live
1/4 | Music City SF | 1355 Bush St, SF | 7 p.m. Doors | $29

Join us at Music City San Francisco for a night of unforgettable performances paying homage to the greatest hits of all time! This is your chance to sing, dance, and relive the soundtrack of your life in a vibrant, immersive setting. Whether you’re a fan of rock legends, pop icons, or soulful classics, our Tribute Night has something for everyone.

Burlesque Show San Francisco’s #1 Variety & Cabaret Show
1/4 | Red Velvet Burlesque Show | 6 p.m. | $18.82 ( +2 drink minimum), 21+

Our San Francisco burlesque dancers engage with the audience to ensure that everybody is having a good time during the performances. Our management team goes above and beyond to coordinate all of the stunts and choreography involved in each and every show. Every show is different from week to week which is why our repeat customers always enjoy coming back. Nobody is ever bored at our burlesque shows.

Sunday 1/5

An Evening with Black Flag
1/5 | DNA Lounge | 375 11th St, SF | 8 p.m. | $30-$39, All ages

If unbridled anger and unfocussed rebellion have a soundtrack, it’s Black Flag. Primarily the brainchild of songwriter/guitarist Greg Ginn, Black Flag welded the heaviest metal to avant-jazz’s noisy atonality powered by the full-tilt rhythms of the highest energy punk. Black Flag will be performing The First Four Years in its entirety and a second set of Black Flag greatest hits!

Puddles Pity Party, the 7-foot sad clown whose golden voice is comparable to rock legends like Tom Jones and Freddie Mercury, has amassed nearly 900K YouTube subscribers and performed sold out shows all over the globe. Deftly combining melancholy with the absurd, Puddles has received endorsements and accolades from musical comedy legends like Jack Black, Michael McKean, Weird Al Yankovic, Drew Carey, Nick Offerman and Paul Reubens. His one-of-a-kind “textured voice laced with melancholy” (NY Times) has been hailed as “operatic” (Boston Globe) and his show both “life-affirming” (Herald Scotland) and “hysterically funny” (LA Weekly).

Here’s how it works. We are a team of award-winning improvisers. We ask an audience member questions about their life. Then we turn the answers into an hour-long show right there in front of you. No writing, no planning, just spontaneous comedy. It’s like a magic trick. (There is no pressure to participate! We never pick on the audience. If you don’t want to volunteer your life’s details, someone else will.)

Rod Wave, Featuring Moneybagg Yo, Toosii, Lil Poppa, Dess Dior and Eelmatic
1/6 | Oakland Arena | 7000 S Coliseum Way, Oakland | 7:30 p.m. | $96-$334

Rod Wave, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter known for his strong voice and incorporation of hip hop and R&B, and having been recognized as a pioneer of “trap-soul.”