5/3 Sunday
Community: Empty Bowls
Empty Bowls will benefit the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, combining art and activism to fight food insecurity. For $65 choose from an array of hand-crafted bowls donated by San Francisco Bay Area artists, fill it with soup and sit down for a simple meal of soup, bread and a cookie. The bowl is yours to keep. Soups provided by Cafe Josephine, with vegan options available. Wine and beer will be on hand for purchase. 1 to 3 p.m. $65. Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way. For more information: www.sfemptybowls.org
5/6 Wednesday
Art: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Free Admission Day
Opened to the public in 1993, YBCA was founded as the cultural anchor of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood. Offerings span the realms of contemporary art, performance, film, civic engagement, and public life. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street. For more information: ybca.org/visit/
5/7 Thursday
Design: Museum of Craft and Design Free Admission Day
Founded in 2004, MCD showcases designers, makers and artists through a distinctive series of exhibitions and public programs. As a non-collecting institution, the museum collaborates with artists, designers, museums, and universities, as well as venues and practitioners to create experiences in the world of craft and design. 12 to 5 p.m. Free. Museum of Craft and Design, 2569 Third Street. For more information: sfmcd.org/visit/
5/8 Friday
Music: Jazz Without Borders
Lua Hadar’s Jazz without Borders blends global styles and languages. She peppers her show with funny stories to connect the dots between her influences and her songs. She and her band, Twist, will perform from samba to swing. 8 p.m. Tickets from $20. Community Music Center, 544 Capp Street. For more information: tinyurl.com/TicketsLua
5/10 Sunday
Mother’s Day: Free Guided Walking Tours of San Francisco
Spend quality time with mom while learning something new about the City you love. San Francisco City Guides offers 14 free guided walking tours on Mother’s Day. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free, except where admission fee is required. For more information: bit.ly/4tPjetp
5/10 Sunday
Music: A Mother’s Day Celebration with The Golden Gate Park Band
Celebrate Mother’s Day with soaring melodies at a special concert in Golden Gate Park. Featuring special guest soloist Sarah Jaegers on clarinet, the afternoon promises warm nostalgia and uplifting harmonies beneath the open sky. 1 to 2:30 p.m. Free. Spreckles Temple of Music, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. For more information: bit.ly/487fTO2
5/14 Thursday
Calligraphy: Exploring My Curiosity for Language Through Calligraphy
Step into a world where language becomes art, with a glimpse into Takako Takigawa’s creations. This salon offers a rare opportunity to experience Takigawa’s calligraphy and book work up close, accompanied by her reflections on the process: selecting a passage, shaping its form, scale, and layout on each page, deciding which words deserve emphasis. Calligraphers, designers, typographers, and anyone curious about the expressive potential of written language will find fresh perspectives in this exploration of how calligraphy and the book arts meld the visual and the verbal. Born in Japan, Takigawa has been teaching and creating calligraphy works since the 1990s. She’s lived in Brazil and Hong Kong. 6 p.m. $9.85 to $28.52. Letterform Archive, 2325 Third Street. For more information: bit.ly/4sCzBsj
5/15 Friday through 5/31 Sunday
Theater: PlayGround’s Festival of New Works
Festival of New Works showcases the next generation of playwrights. This year’s festival will be highlighted by the premiere presentation of Mycelium by Juliet Kang Huneke. It also features staged readings of three brand-new plays in development under commission as part of PlayGround’s year-long Playwright Residency Program: Good Romans by Baylee Shlichtman, The Case of the Missing Messenger by Madeleine Butler, and Disloyal by Anne Brady. Four playwrights will be recognized this year as Festival Finalists for their outstanding plays. Potrero Stage, 1695 18th Street and simulcast. For more information: playground-sf.org/festival/
5/17 Sunday
Art: SFMOMA’s Hat Party for Matisse Exhibit Opening
Celebrate the opening of Matisse’s Femme au Chapeau: A Modern Scandal by wearing your favorite hat. The exhibition, on view until September 13, explores the history and impact of Matisse’s iconic 1905 portrait of his wife, Amélie, a work that shocked Paris and became a cornerstone of modern art. Visitors can participate in hands-on activities, including making hats from recycled materials and crafting flores de papel. Open to all ages; activities included with regular museum admission. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $30. SFMOMA, 151 Third Street. For more information: bit.ly/4tfzx2P
5/17 Sunday
Health: Beach Tai Chi
Known for its slow, intentional movements, tai chi has practitioners worldwide and is particularly popular as a form of gentle exercise and moving meditation, with benefits to mental and physical health. All welcome. 10 a.m. Free. Meet at Judah Street and Great Highway. For more information: bit.ly/4mEPpcO
5/21 Thursday
Art: Watercolor Postcards
Enjoy a cozy hangout at ARCH and paint watercolor postcards. After Hours is informal, uninstructed. Supplies available for testing. Bring your favorite along with a project to work on or follow a prompt and experiment with art material samples. Light snacks and beverages on offer; feel free to bring your own. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. $10. Each attendee will receive a $10 ARCH gift card; no-shows forfeit it. ARCH Art Supplies, 1490 17th Street. For more information: bit.ly/4csbqH2
5/23 Saturday and 5/24 Sunday
Community: Carnaval Festival
Carnaval San Francisco offers five main stages, 50 local performing artists, and 400 vendors, with international food, dancing, and entertainment. Over its 48-year history, the festival has welcomed renowned artists and delivered a vibrant cultural experience, drawing more than 400,000 attendees annually. The Grand Parade features a 60-contingent lineup with 5,500 artists representing the cultural heritages of Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador, and more. Festival hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Grand Parade begins at the corner of 24th and Bryant streets at 10 a.m. on Sunday. For more information: carnavalsanfrancisco.org
