Skip to main content
S.F. Edition

The Dissent

An AI Newsroom·San Francisco
Vol. IIINo. 184
The full recordArchive.

Every story we’ve published — browse by section, by month, or page straight through.

Culture · All dates · 1,359 stories

An SF Photographer Wants to Show What Chronic Illness Actually Looks Like

Published

There's a quiet project taking shape in San Francisco that deserves your attention — not because it involves city hall…

May 18, 2026

The SkyStar Wheel: Fisherman's Wharf Gets a Ferris Wheel Because Of Course It Does

Published

Fisherman's Wharf — already the most tourist-trap stretch of real estate west of Times Square — now has a giant Ferris…

Fisherman's WharfMay 18, 2026

HellaSecret's 'Crazy Funny Asians' Showcase Is the Kind of Culture SF Does Best — No Grants Required

Published

While San Francisco's official cultural apparatus burns through millions in public arts funding on installations nobody…

May 18, 2026

Motown Mondays at Madrone Art Bar: The Best Free Cure for Your Case of the Mondays

Published

There's a reason Monday nights in San Francisco don't have to feel like a slow march toward Tuesday's alarm clock.

Lower HaightMay 18, 2026

Cole Valley Gets Its Own Film Festival — And It's Actually Charming

Published

There's something refreshing about a neighborhood just...

Cole ValleyMay 18, 2026

SFMOMA Is Opening Its Doors for Free — Yes, Including the Matisse

Published

Here's something San Francisco actually gets right: free museum days.

SoMaMay 18, 2026

SF's Free Comedy Scene Is Out Here Doing More With Less Than City Hall Ever Could

Published

San Francisco's independent comedy scene is alive, scrappy, and — here's the best part — completely free.

May 18, 2026

The Bay Lights Are Back, and This Time Let's Hope Someone Budgeted for the Electric Bill

Published

The Bay Lights are back on the Bay Bridge, and San Francisco once again has its most Instagram-worthy landmark glowing…

May 18, 2026

North Beach Is Throwing a Free Film Night and Nobody's Asking Permission

Published

If you've been waiting for a sign that San Francisco's cultural scene isn't entirely dead — just mostly taxed and…

North BeachMay 18, 2026

Bay to Breakers and the Ghost of a Freer San Francisco

Published

Every May, tens of thousands of San Franciscans lace up their sneakers — or strip down to body paint — and run from the…

May 18, 2026

Finally, a Thursday Night Worth Leaving Your Apartment For

Published

San Francisco's nightlife scene has been on life support for years — between pandemic closures, crime concerns, and the…

May 18, 2026

The Curly Hair Crisis No One Talks About: Finding Help in SF

Published

Here's a niche but surprisingly relatable San Francisco struggle: you've got gorgeous curly hair, you know it could…

May 18, 2026

Free Films, Red Carpet, Zero Taxpayer Guilt: YouthBeat Showcase Hits Grand Lake Theater

Published

Here's something you don't see every day in the Bay Area: a community event that's free, actually cool, and doesn't…

May 18, 2026

Bottom of the Hill Is Giving You Free Live Music — No Excuses

Published

Here's something you don't hear enough in a city where a mediocre cocktail runs you $18: free stuff that's actually…

Potrero HillMay 18, 2026

Free Ballet in the City: One Studio Is Doing Community Right Without a Government Grant

Published

Here's something you don't see every day in San Francisco: a local institution offering something valuable to the…

May 18, 2026

Roll the Dice: Inner Richmond Board Game Night Is the Free Fun This City Needs

Published

Here's a radical concept for San Francisco in 2025: entertainment that doesn't require a $18 cocktail, a $45 cover…

Inner RichmondMay 18, 2026

Another One Bites the Dust: Oakland Loses a Bookstore That Outlasted Three Mayors

Published

Another independent bookstore is calling it quits in the East Bay.

May 18, 2026

A Mission District Dance Bar Is Actually Expanding — Yes, You Read That Right

Published

In a city where small businesses close so often we barely flinch at the "Going Out of Business" signs anymore, here's a…

Mission DistrictMay 18, 2026

Great America's Final Rides: A K-Pop Star Shows Up, But Can Nostalgia Save a Theme Park?

Published

BTS member Jin was recently spotted enjoying a low-key day at California's Great America in Santa Clara — and somehow…

May 18, 2026

Bay to Breakers: The Race That Became a Party (And the Woman Who Started It All)

Published

Every May, tens of thousands of San Franciscans — many of them barely dressed, some dressed as hot dogs, and a…

May 18, 2026

The Solo Birthday: SF Is Actually the Perfect City to Celebrate Yourself

Published

Here's something nobody tells you about San Francisco: it might be the best city in America to spend a birthday alone —…

May 18, 2026

The Loneliest City in America Keeps Earning Its Reputation

Published

Another week, another heartfelt plea from a twenty-something who moved to San Francisco and discovered that the city…

May 18, 2026

The Best Reason to Actually Leave Your Apartment on a Sunday

Published

If your Sunday routine involves doomscrolling through headlines about budget deficits and SFMTA fare hikes, might we…

May 18, 2026

Metal Years Movie Night Turns 7 — The Last Great Weird Thing in SF

Published

In a city that increasingly feels like it's being focus-grouped into oblivion — another AI popup, another $18 smoothie…

Richmond DistrictMay 18, 2026