October 27 BOO BASH HALLOWEEN EXTRAVAGANZA 

Head to Downtown Walnut Creek for trick-or-treating fun Friday, October 27! Local businesses are passing out treats noon to 3pm. The festivities continue at Civic Park with trunk-or-treat, playful games, face-painting, balloon twisters, and food trucks. No trick, it’s all free!

 

October 27 BARBIE THE MOVIE LIGHTS UP THE BAY

This year’s biggest blockbuster graces the big screen in San Francisco this Friday! On October 27 at 7:15pm, let Oracle Park take you into Barbie’s world. Dress in your playful best, snap memories, and indulge in themed delights. General admission tickets: $24. 

October 28 MONSTER BASH USS HORNET

Dance your ghoulish heart out as the USS Hornet becomes America's ghost ship for a night. Groove to tunes from The Cocktail Monkeys and flaunt your spooktacular costume – the best look snags a cool $300. Tickets: $30, Alameda. 

 

October 28 TERROR BALL

Vau de Vire, Peaches Christ, Bootie Mashup, Terror Vault, and a slew of SF icons and creative freaks unite for a wild Halloween escapade at The Mint. Circus, sideshows, drag, debauchery, dance, and bone-chilling haunts. 9pm, tickets $100 & up. 

Through October 29 BOO AT THE ZOO

Calling all ghosts, goblins, and witches to the Oakland Zoo for a family-friendly Halloween event complete with 500-bale hay maze and self-guided scavenger hunt. Advance tickets required.

 

October 28 SANDCASTLE CLASSIC

Ocean Beach is set for a creative transformation as architecture, design, tech, engineering, and construction experts unite with local students to craft mesmerizing sand sculptures. Now in its 3rd year, the event supports arts and architecture education in Bay Area public schools. 

 

Now through December 17 BITS + PIECES

From teacup ceramics to tiny ships in a bottle, Bedford Gallery highlights the artistry behind small-scale creations exploring why, in art as in life, sometimes the tiniest things capture our attention the most. Special Event: Cocktails & Conversations on October 20 with curator Emilee Enders and artist Shannon Taylor.

 

Through October 29 AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’

Contra Costa Musical Theatre revives the roaring rhythms of the Harlem Renaissance with a Tony award-winning musical tribute to jazz legend Thomas “Fats” Waller and a toe-tapping musical lineup. Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek.

 

 

Now through January 7 THE DE YOUNG OPEN 

Designed to support Bay Area art communities, this expansive exhibition showcases 883 works in a captivating “salon style” floor to ceiling display. If you’re an art enthusiast, this is a chance to acquire a piece for your collection. 

Through December 3 BULRUSHER

Berkeley Rep illuminates the story of an 18-year-old multiracial girl grappling with her sense of place in mostly white Boonville, California. The narrative deepens with the arrival of a Black woman from Birmingham, leading to a cascade of revelations. Eisa Davis, hailing from Berkeley, crafts this moving tale set in 1955. 

 

 

November 4-26 THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE

In this hilarious musical by Matthew López, an Elvis impersonator loses his gig and trades in “The King” for an all-out queen in a drag show. Performed by Center Rep, the play is full of sass, snappy zingers, and dance-worthy numbers. 

 

November 15–December 23 HARRY CLARKE

Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor Billy Crudup returns to Berkeley Rep for a solo performance in a funny thriller written by acclaimed monologist David Cale. Harry Clarke is one of many characters Crudup portrays as an awkward Midwestern man who leads a double life as the cocky Londoner Harry Clarke. 

November 18: CIRCUS FREAKS 

 

November 29-December 30 LION KING

Celebrating over 25 years as a Broadway sensation, "The Lion King" roars into San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre this fall. Honored with six Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, the iconic production boasts tracks by Elton John and Tim Rice, and immerses audiences in a world of hope adventure.