The parties events in San Francisco aren’t just "back" right now – they’re fully feral. You can feel it on the 49 bus at midnight and in the line outside every venue on 11th Street: people are actually planning their weeks around parties again. Over 5,700 people are already circling this week’s highlights alone, which, in SF terms, means if you show up late, you’re in the back by the bar pretending you like it there.
This month, certain names keep popping up in group chats and half-yelled conversations on Valencia: SUNSET ARCADE: REUNITED for the ones who still believe in a proper all-nighter, After Dark: Sexplorations for science-nerds-with-rizz energy, and that gloriously chaotic triple bill MISSION DELIRIUM – Miss Hits – The Cheetah Boys at Rickshaw Stop. If you’re more about deep, trippy journeys than screaming along to brass, there’s Intimate Night w/ Ace Ventura & Perfect Stranger, plus Dimond Saints & DRRTYWULVZ at Public Works, the current spiritual home of “I was only going out for one drink” lies. And for something smoother, Twilight Blues - New Orleans Soirée is there for when you want a party with actual chairs and a sax solo instead of a drop.
Certain rooms are still doing the city’s heavy lifting. Rickshaw Stop is that reliable friend who always knows a band three years before anyone else; Neck of the Woods keeps pulling in the late-night Richmond crowd who secretly party harder than the Mission; and Punch Line Comedy Club - San Francisco remains the spot for when you want to go out, but your social battery can’t handle a warehouse rave. None of this is a comprehensive list – it’s more like a starting lineup of where the city’s energy is right now. If you’re trying to find the best parties in San Francisco this month, start with these, commit to at least one big night out, and let the rest of your weekend get delightfully out of hand. This is what discovery looks like in San Francisco: a little sweaty, a little last-minute, and absolutely worth leaving the couch for.
