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Bay Area arts: 15 cool shows and concerts to catch this weekend

October 23, 2025
Bay Area arts: 15 cool shows and concerts to catch this weekend

From great concerts and operas to a parade honoring our four-legged friends (in costumes!), there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend.

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Here is a partial rundown.

3 cool concerts to catch

Here are three upcoming shows worth catching in the Bay Area:

Garbage, Starcrawler: We just love this doubleheader, which, of course, is topped by iconic alt-rock vocalist Shirley Manson and her pals in Garbage. These headliners, known for such smash hits as  “Stupid Girl” and “Only Happy When It Rains,” are out on the road in support of their recently released eighth album, “Let All That We Imagine Be the Light.” Joining Garbage on Oct. 23 at the Mountain Winery is none other than Starcrawler, an awesome L.A. glam-rock outfit that puts on such a fun live show.

Details: 7:30 p.m.; tickets start at $45; mountainwinery.com.

Chris Tomlin: The great singer-songwriter — who Time magazine once dubbed the “most often sung artist in the world” in reference to how many many millions of church-goers raise up their voices through Tomlin songs on a weekly basis — is set to perform on Oct. 28 at Cathedral of Faith in San Jose. Tomlin is known for such popular anthems as “How Great Is Our God,” and “Holy Forever.”

Details: 7 p.m.; the show is currently listed as sold out, check tprlive.co. for updates.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead: JRAD — as fans refer to this high-energy Grateful Dead tribute act led by drummer Joe Russo — performs Oct. 23 at Channel 24 in Sacramento and Oct. 24 at the Fox Theater in Oakland.

Details: Showtime is 7:30 p.m. for both shows; tickets start at $76 (Sacramento) and $82 (Oakland); apeconcerts.com.

— Jim Harrington, Staff

Dress up your dog, cat or whatever for the free “Howl-O-Ween Costumed Pet Parade” and a Beer City Festival at the City Center Bishop Ranch in San Ramon on Oct. 26. (City Center Bishop Ranch) 

Parade goes to the dogs (literally)

Dogs will follow you to the end of the earth if it means proving their love. But you know what’s a better loyalty test? Dressing them up as a goofy jack-o’-lantern or, god forbid, sexy four-legged nurse, and seeing if they don’t give you a little side-eye.

On Oct. 26, owners can test the limits of their pets’ patience at San Ramon’s free Howl-O-Ween Costumed Pet Parade. Taking place at the City Center Bishop Ranch, the event invites both pets and their owners to don outfits and strut their stuff for the amusement of the general public. People are invited to preserve the memory at a Halloween-themed selfie station. And from 1-5 p.m., nearby “dog gym” The Hub will set up a miniature obstacle course and a ball-pit sniff patch for hounds. For a $10 entry, the gym is also hosting special “haunted obstacle adventures,” pro-pet photography and trick-or-treat training (ends at 5 p.m.; limit one dog per owner).

This isn’t the only action happening at Bishop Ranch that day. There’s also a Beer City Half Marathon, 10k and 5k starting early in the morning followed by a Beer City Festival centered around Fieldwork Brewing. Expect appearances from local brewers, live music, games and food – plus lots of funnily dressed dogs kicking back after their big show.

Details: Parade begins at 2 p.m. in Alexander Square, 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon; free; citycenterbishopranch.com/events/howl-o-ween. Details on the Beer City races and festival at beercitybishopranch.com

— John Metcalfe, Staff

Film fests galore in Bay Area

It’s one festival-packed week for Bay Area film lovers with the groundbreaking San Quentin Film Festival (Oct. 23-24; www.sanquentinfilmfestival.com), the 2025 Green Film Festival of San Francisco (Oct. 24-30; filmfreeway.com/sfgreenfilmfest); and the 17th San Francisco Latino Film Festival (Oct. 23-Nov. 6; www.cinemassf.org) all getting underway.

The Green Film Festival whips up another tempting buffet of Earth-focused narratives, docs and shorts, including the intriguing opening-night narrative “Transamazonia,” about a “miracle” plane crash survivor/healer getting caught up in the Amazon’s illegal logging quagmire. Another hot pick is “Outdoor School,” a narrative feature based on the real-life story of Vin Shambry who, at a young age, discovered inspiration and joy from the wilderness and an outdoor school in Oregon. Screenings take place at the 4-Star Theatre.

At the SF Latino Film Festival, the innovative quasi-documentary/narrative “ASCO: Without Permission” (6 p.m. Oct. 23, the Roxie) sets the fest’s eclectic tone with its creative look at the revolutionary ’70s-’80s Chicano art group ASCO. Also on tap: Bay Area filmmaker Ray Telles’ “American Agitators,” a documentary about father-son labor organizers Fred Ross and Fred Ross Jr. (5 p.m. Nov. 1, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts); and Orlando Bedolla’s “Encuerados” (1 p.m. Nov. 1, YBCA), which follows nine Latino men who become active in the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ leather community.

Visit the festival SF Latino Film Festival  and Green Film Fest sites for information on films you can stream at home.

— Randy Myers, Correspondent

Classical picks: 3 operas on tap

There’s lots of great music coming to stages around the Bay Area, and this week focuses on opera, with three new productions on tap.

Brandon Jovanovich stars in San Francisco Opera’s “Parsifal.” (Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera) 

“Parsifal”: When the 1882 world premiere of Richard Wagner’s final opera opened at Bayreuth, it changed music forever. Now opera lovers from the Bay Area and beyond can see San Francisco Opera’s new staging of the composer’s masterwork: an existential drama of human existence, one that features an international cast featuring Brandon Jovanovich in the title role. Directed by Matthew Ozawa and conducted by Eun Sun Kim, this much-anticipated production runs for five performances. Come early for pre-performance talks.

Details: Oct. 25 through Nov. 15; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; $35-$447; sfopera.com.

“La Traviata”: Festival Opera has joined forces with the Diablo Symphony Orchestra for two concert performances of “La Traviata,” and Walnut Creek is the place to see it.  Verdi’s always-heartfelt opera features soprano Jamie Chamberlin and tenor Nathan Granner, real-life partners who will sing the leading roles of the impassioned Violetta and Alfredo. Richard Harrell directs, and Matilda Hofman is the conductor.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24, 2 p.m. Oct. 26; Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek; $20-$90; lesherartscenter.org.

“Hello, Star”: That’s the name of a new opera by composer Carla Lucero and librettist Jarrod Lee, which starts when a young girl named Celeste, captivated by a bright, dying star, is amazed when she receives a call from the place. Based on the book by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic, it’s a 50-minute performance recommended for young audiences.

Details: 2 and 4 p.m. Oct. 25; Children’s Creativity Museum, San Francisco; $15-$60; operaparallele.org.

— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent

Who will be the chili champ?

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s annual Chili Cook-Off returns Oct. 25 with a record number of teams — 55 — cooking meaty and/or vegetarian chili for cash, plaques and bragging rights.

That’ll be a lot for chiliheads to sample, but a portion of the proceeds from each tasting kit purchased ($15 for eight sample cups) always supports a local cause. This year it will be Haven of Hope, a nonprofit that has been offering support services to current and former foster youth since 1998.

Tasting kits will go on sale at 10 a.m., and each includes a People’s Choice ballot. The public tasting will begin at 1 p.m. Awards will be given for Best Amateur Red, Best Amateur Vegetarian Red, Best Professional Red, Best Professional Vegetarian Red, along with People’s Choice, Most Tasted and Best Booth Theme. Awards will be announced at 4 p.m. at the Pirate Ship Stage.

Details: Boardwalk admission is free; 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz; beachboardwalk.com.

— Linda Zavoral, Staff

Freebie of the week

It seems the Bay Area has always celebrated storytellers. From its rich literary and spoken word scene to such theater troupes as Word for Word, there is no shortage of opportunities to embrace those artists offering to transport us to a different place and time. And if we may take a second to state the obvious — it’s something that’s needed now more than ever. Which brings us to ZYZZYVA, the San Francisco-based literary journal that is marking its 40th anniversary this year. Named for what’s said to be the last word in a standard dictionary (it refers to a kind of insect and is pronounced ZEE-Zee-Va), the journal publishes three editions a year offering a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction entries that touch on themes and subjects that impact the Bay Area and the country. Many of the editions are themed but we can all but guarantee that each publication will offer something to surprise, engage or entrance you.

On Oct. 23, ZYZZYVA is celebrating its birthday with a free bash and you are all invited. Some of the literary guest stars will include musician and author Daniel Handler (yes, the Lemony Snicket guy), award-winning novelist and essayist Lauren Markham and Ingrid Rojas Contreras, whose “The Man Who Could Move Clouds: A Memoir” was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Details: The event runs 7:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 23 at 7Social, 65 Post St., San Francisco (next door to the Mechanics Institute). The event is free, RSVPs are recommended; go to www.milibrary.org/events/24900. More information about ZYZZYVA , go to www.zyzzyva.org.

Appalachian tales on stage

Speaking of Word for Word, the wonderful stage troupe that presents dramatizations of classic works of literature (and true to its moniker, the productions are offered exactly as written), is performing its latest work through next weekend at the Z Space performance center in San Francisco. This production focuses on the works of Ron Rash, an author deeply associated with the people, communities and issues of Appalachia; he is known to touch on such themes as displacement and change and the loss of cultural identity. The acclaimed author is known for such novels as “Serena” and “The Cove” (both of which have been adapted for the big screen) as well as his rich collection of poems and short stories that have captured all manner of literary awards. Word for Word is focusing on three short stories — “The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth,” a comedic look at marriage and religion; “Sad Man in the Sky,” about a man seeking to get helicopter flyover of a particular neighborhood; and “Hard Times,” a look at Appalachian lives during the Depression.

Details: “Hard Times, Appalachian Stories by Ron Rash” will be presented at Z Space, 450 Florida St., San Francisco, through Nov. 2. Tickets are $45-$70; go to www.zspace.org.

Early taste of muertos: Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican holiday in which people remember and pay respects to family members who have passed on, is officially recognized as taking place Nov. 1-2, and most of the Bay Area celebrations and performances will be going on then. But if you want to get a jump on the revered holiday, you could hardly do so with a more talented artist than the one taking the stage at Zellerbach Hall in UC Berkeley on Saturday evening. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter-musician Lila Downs is considered one of the finest Mexican traditional singers on the planet. And for good reason. Her voice is a wonder – a powerful and evocative reflection on the culture and history of the country. She performs in a variety of Mexican dialects, with some English-sung works mixed in, and her setlists are a combination of traditional standards and her own compositions. Downs, always a popular draw in the Bay Area, will be backed by an all-star band on Oct. 25 when she performs as part of the Cal Performances concert/performance series.

Details: The music starts at 8 p.m.; tickets are $35-$125; go to calperformances.org.

— Bay City News Foundation

Music on the Hill concert

Music on the Hill, a nonprofit San Francisco chamber music series dedicated to presenting high-quality concerts at affordable prices, is hosting the Berkelium String Quartet in a concert called “The Bow and the Brush,” including new pieces inspired by paintings, with the images projected. First violinist Dan Flanagan, the brainchild behind the ensemble, wrote two compositions on the program: “Water Lilies,” after the painting by Claude Monet; and “Tamayo,” after a painting by Rufino Tamay. Hadyn’s String Quartet, Opus 33, “The Joke,” and Beethoven’s String Quartet Opus 127, the first of his “late quartets” (and called “incomprehensible” at its premiere in 1825) round out the lineup. Joining Flanagan are Karen Shinozaki Sor on violin, Jacob Hansen-Joseph on viola and Michael Graham on cello, musicians whose resumes include performances with New Century Chamber Orchestra, Santa Rosa Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Oakland Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet, and many more. Established in 2024,  the group is named after the synthetic chemical element Bk, discovered in and named after the city of Berkeley in 1949. Its motto is “Virtuosity in the interest of music.”

Details: The Music on the Hill performance is at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26 at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 101 Gold Mine Drive in San Francisco. Tickets are $25 on eventbrite. Visit MusicOnTheHill.org for more information. 

— Bay City News Foundation

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