With the sun setting before 5 p.m., a hyper-contagious variant of COVID-19 making the rounds and a winter storm drenching the region, you won’t hear us calling you a party pooper for curling up on the couch with a hot toddy and your favorite holiday movie.
But just in case you do want to head out into the cold, wet streets of San Francisco, we have a few suggestions for you this holiday weekend.
‘A Christmas Carol’
1 Taylor St.
Fri., Dec. 24 & Sun., Dec. 26 (opens in new tab)
@ Golden Gate Theater (opens in new tab)
This holiday classic is ripe with metaphors that transcend time. Turns out the selfish life choices of a miserly old merchant are as salient in 2021 as they were in Victorian England. Jack Thorne, one of the playwrights from the much-discussed Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, worked on this recent musical adaptation. Golden Gate Theater is a gorgeous venue that will play host to none other than Weird Al Yankovic come June of 2022. The ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is bringing in the heat already!
The Friday Nightcap
428 11th St.
Fri., Dec. 24 @ District Six (opens in new tab)
If you are alone this Christmas Eve, or if your holiday company enjoys a chance to grab a $3 Tecate and grab street food from businesses like Nucha Empanadas (opens in new tab), hit this open-air block party. Formerly known as Fridays at District Six and Friday Night Market (opens in new tab). Now dubbed “The Friday Nightcap,” this get-together is hosted by District Six (opens in new tab), loosely defined as a “creative event space” and “continuously evolving experience.” Whatever you call it, all that really matters is it’s free to get in the door and they’ll be serving al pastor.
Virtual Christmas Curbside
150 Golden Gate Ave.
Sat., Dec. 25 Online (opens in new tab)
For the second year in a row, Tenderloin nonprofit St. Anthony’s is hosting its annual Christmas donation online (opens in new tab)! It’s a better year than ever to support folks in the neighborhood given the news that Mayor London Breed, and the Board of Supervisors, are taking the situation in the Tenderloin more seriously. Rather than driving in the cold on the big day, you can help the organization buy bulk remotely by chipping in on goods like socks, rain gear, and even holiday hams.
‘Revolution of our Times’
3117 16th St.
Sat., Dec. 25 @ Roxie Theater (opens in new tab)
With his radical acceptance of the poor and sex workers—and his disdain for predatory capitalism (opens in new tab)—Jesus Christ was quite the revolutionary. Why not celebrate JC’s birthday learning about one of the highest-profile battles for democratic values in recent memory: Hong Kong’s struggle (opens in new tab) to keep Xi Jinping’s authoritarian ruling party at arms length. Revolution of our Times plays at the Mission District theater and is hosted by NorCal HK Club (北加州香港會) (opens in new tab), the US HongKongers Club (香港人會館) (opens in new tab), and the Hong Kong Affairs Association of Berkeley (opens in new tab). If this documentary is sold out, you can try for Paul Thomas Andersen’s new movie Licorice Pizza (starring one of the three heroines of HAIM) or the ridiculous and well-reviewed Red Rocket. Discounted or free tickets for members, about $8 for the rest of us.
No Scrubs: ’90s Hip-Hop Dance Party
406 Clement St.
Sat., Dec. 25 @ Neck of the Woods (opens in new tab)
While not quite an opening, hitting this weekly party for the holidays after its 14-month hiatus is a godsend for fans. The show, DJd in part by Milan “BeatsMe” Hawthorne (opens in new tab), returned to Neck of the Woods— a Clement Street institution since 1973—in November. During the closure, the club has been upgraded with a new sound system sure to reinforce T-Boz, Chilli and Left Eye’s message to all the bustas.
MoAD Kwanza Poetry Show
Golden Gate Park
Sun., Dec. 26 @ Music Concourse (opens in new tab)
In partnership with the month-long Alterverse Festival of Poetry and Light (opens in new tab), the Museum of the African Diaspora has assembled a bill of top-tier local talent in honor of the first day of Kwanzaa. Four Bay Area poets will be sharing their work including James Cagney, author of (opens in new tab)Black Steel Magnolias in the Hour of Chaos Theory (opens in new tab), one of the local nonprofit’s most popular books.