San Francisco Visitors Planning Guide - 2025 VPG

LIVE JAZZ & BLUES

Jazz flourished among San Francisco’s Black population in the 1950s. Soak up smooth sounds at SFJAZZ Center in Hayes Valley, which puts on more than 300 shows a season featuring top artists, up-and-coming musicians and the resident all-star ensemble. Or bop over to Fillmore Street, the city’s historic jazz district, for intimate performances at clubs like the Boom Boom Room and Sheba Piano Lounge.

OTHERWORLDLY SOUNDS

Imagine hearing multidimensional sounds swirling from 176 speakers as you listen in total darkness. For nearly 60 years, Audium has been pioneering immersive electronic journeys that reshape the way we perceive sound. Each experience is different, with performers using technology to manipulate recorded sounds, musical instruments and synthesized tones.

THE BEAT GOES ON

Take a trip to the 1950s, when the Beat Generation thrived in San Francisco’s North Beach. Dive into The Beat Museum’s collection of books, letters and memorabilia belonging to writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, then continue your literary journey on a self-guided trek from Tours by Foot, visiting Beat hot spots and learning about the neighborhood’s Italian American heritage.

HIPPIE HISTORY

On a Flower Power Walking Tour, you’ll trace the footsteps of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead and other music legends who called Haight-Ashbury home in the 1960s. The hippie vibes are still strong in this colorful neighborhood that helped spark the counterculture movement.

DAZZLING DRAG

San Francisco’s drag culture dates back to the 1800s, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that this queer art form hit the mainstream. Part activism and part artistry, drag is a celebrated fixture of the city’s nightlife. Oasis, owned by the nation’s first Drag Laureate, D’Arcy Drollinger, hosts everything from cabaret-style shows to all-Black drag revues. For more fun, see the famous Hot Boxxx Girls at Aunt Charlie’s Lounge or take your pick of weekend drag brunches in the Castro District.

TRADITION WITH A TWIST

The San Francisco Ballet and the San Francisco Symphony are among the oldest and most venerated performing arts companies in the country. These days, they’re making history by experimenting with tech in intriguing ways — like incorporating AI-generated art into stage design, and enhancing performances with bursts of scent. Whether you prefer the classics or the avant-garde, you can enjoy them both on these storied stages.

FRESH AIR FESTS

From June through October, San Francisco’s hills are alive with the sound of music — festivals, that is. Head to Pier 80 to hear the best in electronic music at Portola Festival, one of the city’s newest music events, or jam out to sounds from many genres at Outside Lands. Several top festivals happen to be free, including Stern Grove and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, where dancing barefoot on the lawn at Golden Gate Park will take you back to the Summer of Love.