The Best Art Events in San Francisco Right Now: Live Picks for This Week

If you’ve been wondering why your group chat suddenly turned into an event thread, it’s not just you. Art events in San Francisco are having a bit of a moment right now. This week alone, nearly 3,000 people are circling the same shows, arguing over tickets, and pretending they didn’t almost forget to RSVP. The result: some of the best art in San Francisco this month is happening in dark rooms, intimate venues, and slightly chaotic corners of the city where the vibes are very much “don’t tell everyone, but definitely don’t miss it.”

You keep hearing the same names for a reason. Alice Donut / Steel Pole Bath Tub is the one your older punk friend refuses to shut up about. Cold Cave is bringing the moody, synthy, all-black-everything crowd back out of the woodwork. Tortoise is there for the people who actually listen to full albums, start to finish. Treats and Love and Agility are more on the discovery side—great if you like being able to say you saw them *before* they got impossible-to-get tickets. And then there’s the film heads quietly claiming the best night out might just be The Forests of the Night (1960) & Three Strangers (1946), a double feature for people who’d rather argue about noir than noise levels.

As usual, the city’s real magic is in the rooms themselves. SFJAZZ Center’s Joe Henderson Lab still feels like you’ve snuck into a serious musician’s living room—small, focused, the opposite of scrolling TikTok while something plays in the background. 33 Seneca Ave is for the folks who don’t mind a venue that feels a little off-grid in the best way, the kind of place you end up at after someone says, “trust me, just go.” And Herbst Theatre remains the classic: proper seats, great sound, and the kind of night that makes dressing up feel worthwhile, even if you took Muni to get there.

If you’re trying to prioritize: book the big names first (Cold Cave, Tortoise, Chuck Prophet & The Make Out Quartet if you like your evenings with a side of storytelling), then pick one show that feels slightly out of your usual lane—maybe that noir double feature or a smaller band like Treats. Discovery in San Francisco isn’t some abstract idea; it’s literally just saying yes to the thing your friend sends you before it sells out. This week, the city’s giving you plenty of chances.