Theater
When it comes to theater, New York and Los Angeles are hard to beat. New York’s Broadway district is famous worldwide for its impressive list of shows, many of which are some of the most difficult event tickets to get. Because of the draw of Hollywood, Los Angeles attracts hordes of actors to the area, each hoping to get that pivotal role, which will make them a star. Because of this, the Southern California city has a huge variety of theater shows of all kinds.
However, the good news is that there are plenty of other cities that offer an amazing number of high quality shows, so you can see top-notch performances in your own backyard. Cities like Boston, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco are all known for their booming theaters and amazing shows all year long.
The San Francisco theater scene offers a combination of iconic shows like Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton & The Book of Mormon, recent off-broadway hits and unique local shows that you can only see in the City by the Bay. San Francisco was also home to the longest running musical review in history, Beach Blanket Babylon, which unfortunately closed in 2019 after 45 years of amazing shows. The show began its long run at iconic North Beach bar, Savoy Tivoli, back in 1974 before moving to its permanent home at Club Fugazi.
With dozens of great options, there is no shortage of great theater events to see every month of the year. For bigger shows, especially off-Broadway traveling shows, The Orpheum Theater and Golden Gate Theater bring the best of the best to San Francisco. These theaters have also served as the debut for some shows before they officially launch in New York City. Musicals such as Wicked, American Idiot and Mama Mia all got their start in San Francisco. Both of these amazing theaters have been around since the 1920s and have been hosting musicals, comedy, performances and more for 100 years.
Besides the big name shows, you can find a great selection of unique shows at some of the smaller theaters in San Francisco. Some popular spots include San Francisco Playhouse, Boxcar Theatre, New Conservatory Theatre Center, Exit Theatre, Magic Theatre and more.
EXPLORE EVENTS
Upcoming San Francisco Events
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October
2025
Crawloween San Francisco Halloween Bar Crawl
24
October
2025
Ship of Spirits 2025: Spaghetti & Spirits Paranormal Dinner & Tour
24
October
2025
Psyched! Fest: Disco Halloween Pregame
24
October
2025
The New Mastersounds at The Fillmore
24
October
2025
Frost Children with DJ Thank You at The Independent SF
24
October
2025
Princess Halloween: Boo! Ball
25
October
2025
11th Annual Chinatown Halloween Festival
25
October
2025
Spooky Square Halloween 2025
25
October
2025
San Francisco Halloween Pub Crawl: Crawloween
25
October
2025
Haunted Houseboat: Halloween Party Cruise on the Bay
25
October
2025
Charli XCX Dance Party: Halloween Edition
25
October
2025
Monster’s Bash Halloween 2025
25
October
2025
Halloween Scream Yacht Club Cruise on the Hornblower SF Spirit
25
October
2025
The Hip Abduction at The Fillmore
25
October
2025
Dark Masquerade Circuit Party 2025
25
October
2025
Oklou with Cecile Believe at The Independent
25
October
2025
Safada Halloween
26
October
2025
Howl-O-Ween at Spark
26
October
2025
Thrill-O-Ween
26
October
2025
Doggy’s World Halloween Party
26
October
2025
Beats & Eats Halloween Party
26
October
2025
Palm House Bark Bash: Dog Brunch & Fashion Show 2025
26
October
2025
Jason Mraz at The Fillmore San Francisco
26
October
2025
quinnie – The Paper Doll Tour at The Independent SF
27
October
2025
KNEECAP with Bricknasty at The Independent
28
October
2025
Ela Minus at The Independent San Francisco
28
October
2025
Geese – The Getting Killed Tour at The Fillmore
29
October
2025
Wine Woof Halloween 2025
29
October
2025
Water From Your Eyes with Dutch Interior, Marbled Eye- The Independent
29
October
2025
Alessia Cara at The Fillmore San Francisco
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