Dispatches filed from Civic Center, in reverse chronological order.
Current lead
Sunday at 11:30am, the Asian Art Museum at 200 Larkin Street hosts its monthly community meetup — walk-in casual, no itinerary, just a group of people wandering one of the better collections in the city…
By Drew Bennett, Things to Do · May 30, 2026
On Larkin Street, between the fountain plaza and the pale dome of City Hall, the Asian Art Museum occupies a building that most people in the…
San Francisco residents seeking temporary residential parking permits for rental or loaner vehicles must travel to SFMTA's office at 11 South Van…
At the SF Main Library, local writers gather for Dispatches From the City of Awe, a free literary reading series spotlighting voices from the Bay…
A free public talk built around Young King: The Making of Martin Luther King Jr.
Tuesdays at noon, Civic Center Plaza hosts The Sun Kings, one of the Bay Area's busiest Beatles tribute acts, as part of the Tuesdays in the Plaza…
Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon, Civic Center Plaza hosts the 'Civic Center Soundtrack' series — free outdoor concerts paired with a rotating lineup…
San Francisco's federal immigration court shut down on May 1 after a White House-driven removal of judges reduced its bench from 21 to two…
No fixed date or venue here — this one lives in the memory of anyone who grew up flipping channels in the Bay Area and landed on KOFY TV 20, the…
The SF Main Library hosts a free piano celebration honoring minimalist composer Terry Riley on his 90th birthday.
At the corner of Van Ness and Grove, the marquee outside Davies Symphony Hall has been cycling through the same rotating guest-conductor credits all…
Memorial Day Weekend, May 22–25, SF's free outdoor Comedy Festival runs four days across the city — no ticket, no cover, bring your own chair…
Here's a fun snapshot of life in San Francisco: a couple planning a small, tasteful City Hall wedding followed by lunch at the University Club needs…
The SF Main Library is hosting a pair of poetry events worth knowing about: the Thursday Night Poem Jam, a recurring open-mic-style gathering, and a…
In a city where it can take longer to get a building permit than to earn a medical degree, a seven-story residential infill project is actually under…
May is AAPI Heritage Month, and if your celebration typically maxes out at ordering pho and calling it a day, the Asian Art Museum has a slightly…
Here's something you don't hear enough about in a city obsessed with tech launches and housing battles: San Francisco has a world-class symphony, and…
If you've walked down the back side of the Orpheum Theater recently, you might have noticed something that isn't a faded concert poster or…
Here's something you don't hear enough about in San Francisco: a community organization quietly doing good work, no bloated city contract required.
Here's a novel concept: San Francisco's City Hall being used for something productive.
Leonore's Deli & Taqueria, the beloved lunch counter tucked inside Opera Plaza at 601 Van Ness, served its last torta on April 24.
San Francisco's annual May Day festivities kicked off Thursday with a march starting at 2 p.m.
There's something quietly radical about someone spending their lunch break painting the Civic Center Farmers Market.
Here's something city government rarely delivers: a genuinely good deal for taxpayers and residents alike.
Here's a fun little snapshot of how San Francisco operates in 2025: you can't even elope without running into a bureaucratic bottleneck.
There's a new program popping up at UN Plaza, and for once it isn't another expensive city-funded initiative with a vague mission statement and a…
In a city that somehow manages to spend billions without making its public spaces feel particularly public, the Civic Center Soundtrack Concert…
Here's something San Francisco actually got right: Civic Center Soundtrack, a free concert series launching in 2026 that pairs live music with food…
Say what you will about San Francisco's government spending habits — and we say plenty — but the public library system remains one of the few…
Here's something we don't say often enough: when a public institution actually offers something free and culturally enriching to the community, it…
The SF Main Library is showing A Quiet Passion, the 2016 biographical drama about Emily Dickinson starring Cynthia Nixon.
In a story that could only happen in San Francisco, charges have been dismissed against Martin Moulton — the man who allegedly stripped down at a Bob…
Here's a fun bit of civic trivia that tends to get lost in the fog of San Francisco's daily dysfunction: this city is the birthplace of the United…
While San Franciscans are busy debating bike lanes and arguing about which supervisor said what on social media, a quieter and considerably more…
Here's a number worth sitting with: 4,324.