The year 2017 in San Francisco will be a time of welcoming the new and unique while celebrating the richness of the past.  Here are some of the major highlights:
 

50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love

2017 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love with a yearlong celebration of San Francisco’s counter culture with a 1960’s throwback including exhibitions, performances, literary events, tribute concerts and recognition of significant moments in time.

The city of San Francisco served as a magnet for musicians, artists and social rebels in the mid-to-late Sixties. They created a counterculture bound by leftist politics, tribal spirit, music and art. Long stamped a literary bohemia, attracting nonconformists like the Beat Generation writers of the Fifties, it was logical that free-thinking San Francisco would give birth to a radical new movement eventually embraced by the rest of the world.  There will be a wide variety of Summer of Love themed activities and exhibitions, annual music festivals and year-round activities, some of them listed here with more to be planned.  

39th Anniversary of PIER 39

January-October 2017

When PIER 39 opened on October 4, 1978, a former cargo pier was transformed into one of the top attractions in San Francisco.  Today, the pier welcomes more than 11 million guests annually with an eclectic collection of specialty shops, restaurants, entertainment, great views and the famous sea lions.  From January through October, 2017, PIER 39 will mark their 39th anniversary with a different celebration every Friday for 39 weeks.  Plans include everything from discounts and giveaways to fun events like Movie Nights, a 70s Roller Disco Party and more.

Sketchfest – the San Francisco Comedy Festival

Jan. 12-29, 2017

SF Sketchfest was founded in 2001 as a way to showcase the talents of six Bay Area sketch comedy groups.  A favorite with audiences, critics, and performers alike, the festival has grown substantially to become a highly anticipated artistic showcase that consistently delivers top quality comedic performances, tributes and panel discussions.

SF Restaurant Week

Jan. 18-29, 2017

SF Restaurant Week is a celebration of San Francisco’s world class dining community.  Nearly 130 restaurants throughout the city offer special prix-fixe menus to showcase their passion for sharing great food with diners.  

Curran Theater Re-Opens with “Fun Home”

Jan. 25, 2017 

San Francisco’s historic Curran will re-open in January of 2017 with the groundbreaking Tony Award-winning musical “Fun Home.”  Built in 1922, the Curran has housed some of the most important productions in history and has maintained a reputation over the course of its life as one of the greatest venues in North America. Now, nearly 100 years after it welcomed its first Bay Area audiences, the Curran has undergone a major restoration and renovation. Under the curation of eight-time Tony Award winner Carole Shorenstein Hays, the Curran will reopen as a 1,600 seat venue in early 2017 with a new mission, being a home for the most exciting stage works being conceived and created anywhere in the world.

“Rodin Centenary” at the Legion of Honor

Jan. 28, 2017 – Dec. 31, 2017

Marking the centenary of Auguste Rodin’s death in 1917, this exhibition, featuring about 50 objects from the Fine Arts Museums’ permanent collection, presents a significant opportunity to examine the legacy of the artist who has been called the father of modern sculpture. The Legion of Honor holds one of the finest collections in the world of sculpture by Rodin cast during his lifetime.

American Conservatory Theater Presents 50th Season  

Season begins Feb. 1, 2017

Ringing in 2017, American Conservatory Theater – currently celebrating its 50th subscription season – will present the world-premiere theatrical adaption of Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel, “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” Next, A.C.T. will present Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Annie Baker’s new play, “John.” In spring 2017, A.C.T. will present a reimagined version of Robert Lepage’s internationally acclaimed play “Needles and Opium.” Following his remarkable worldwide success with “The Suit,” legendary director Peter Brook is back at A.C.T. with “Battlefield.” A.C.T. will close out its 2016–17 season with the critically acclaimed musical, “A Night with Janis Joplin.”

“Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia” at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

Feb. 8-May 21, 2017

Examines the art, architecture and design of the 1960s and early ’70s counterculture.

San Francisco Beer Week Celebrates America’s First Craft Brewing Region 

Feb. 10-19, 2017

Craft beer – along with its runaway international hit, American IPA – was born of the Bay Area’s spirit of innovation. More than 100 breweries now operate in one of the world’s most creative regions. The Bay Area continues to be a hotbed of beer innovation, where trends and techniques are created, rediscovered and riffed on. SF Beer Week 2017 spotlights the ever-increasing innovation taking shape in breweries across the local landscape.

The San Francisco Brewers Guild and Northern California’s finest breweries will host hundreds of craft beer celebrations on Feb. 10-19, 2017. The Opening Gala for SF Beer Week 2017 will take place at Pier 48 on Feb. 10.  Flipping beer styles on their heads, wielding a growing influence on celebrity chefs’ dishes and renowned restaurants’ beverage menus, adapting beer-making techniques, creating specialized businesses like fermentation-only facilities, embracing entrepreneurial endeavors as with California’s first artisan malting company – it’s clear that innovation continues apace in the City by the Bay and the region. 

“Tomb Treasures: New Discoveries from China’s Han Dynasty”

 Feb. 17-May 28, 2017

On view for the first time in the U.S., “Tomb Treasures: New Discoveries from China’s Han Dynasty” will showcase100 rare selections from recent excavations.  Pieces include a jade coffin, rare bronze bells, elaborate crafts and much more.

“Monet: The Early Years” at the Legion of Honor

Feb. 25–May 29, 2017

Gathered from the Musee D’Orsay in Paris, London’s National Gallery, the New York Metropolitan Museum and private collections worldwide, the first exhibition devoted to the emergent genius of impressionist Claude Monet features more than 50 dazzling works, many rarely exhibited.

“Deja View: The Art of Andreas Deja” at the Walt Disney Family Museum 

March 21–
Oct. 4, 2017

Explore the dynamic work of one of the most accomplished and versatile character animators of our time: Andreas Deja. This unique exhibition showcases original works on paper and maquettes of Deja’s most iconic characters, from menacing villains Scar and Jafar, and larger-than-life muscle men Gaston and Hercules, to the much beloved Mama Odie and Lilo Pelekai. In addition to his work for The Walt Disney Studios, Deja is known for independent projects, including his upcoming film Mushka. The film is animated in a colored pencil style, and is “a story of love and sacrifice set in Russia,” featuring a young girl and her tiger. Deja’s extensive career bridges the rich tradition of classic hand-drawn animation and animation’s innovative future.

Presidio’s New William Penn Mott, Jr. Visitor Center

Opens in early 2017

The new William Penn Mott, Jr. Visitor Center opens at the north end of the Main Parade Ground, a major milestone for the Presidio’s Post to Park transformation and the exciting next phase of welcoming the public. The new center a distinctive partnership with the National Parks Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, will be the jumping off point to a day in the Presidio, orienting guests to its current activities and features. The historic building (1900) is refurbished to offer an information desk and interactive exhibits that will help tell the story of the Presidio through interactive touchscreen panels, a video wall, audio presentation, and an entire room dedicated to revealing the four areas of the park: Main Post, Golden Gate, Crissy Field and the Southern Wilds. Dates for the public opening will be announced in early January.

San Francisco Deltas Bring Pro Soccer to Kezar Stadium

Season begins in March 2017

Professional soccer comes to the city when the San Francisco Deltas take the field in March 2017 against the San Jose Earthquakes.  The home stadium is the history-rich Kezar Stadium at the entrance of Golden Gate Park.  It was the original home of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders in their startup stages.  There is soccer history at Kezar as well – the one and only Pelé also played at Kezar.

SHN Brings “Must See” Shows to San Francisco

“Finding Neverland” opens Jan. 18, 2017

SHN—the preeminent theatrical entertainment company in the Bay Area that brings live entertainment, current hits fresh from Broadway, and original Broadway cast productions—will showcase an amazing lineup of musical theatre hits in 2017, including: “Finding Neverland,” “Into the Woods,” “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” “Hamilton,” and the pre-Broadway premiere of “Roman Holiday – The Cole Porter Musical.”

Orpheum and Golden Gate Theaters

“Matisse/Diebenkorn” at SFMOMA

March 11-May 29, 2017

Featuring nearly 100 paintings and drawings – one-third by Matisse and two-thirds by Diebenkorn, this exhibition explores the inspiration that Richard Diebenkorn found in the work of Henri Matisse.

“Summer of Love: Art, Fashion and Rock & Roll” at the de Young

April 8-August 20, 2017

Featuring more than 400 items, including a wide array of psychedelic art, iconic rock posters, interactive music and light shows, and out-of-this-world clothing produced by print studios, boutiques and workshops in the years surrounding the Summer of Love.

Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Turns 50

April 8-9 and April 15-16, 2017

The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, one of California’s most prominent celebrations of Asian traditions and biggest on the West coast, celebrates its 50th year in 2017. Started in 1968, the festival cultivates the continued alliance between Japan and United States using culture as the bridge.  Each year, more than 200,000 people attend this dazzling display showcasing the color and grace of the Japanese culture and the diversity of the Japanese American community.  The festival is held on Post St. between Laguna and Fillmore Streets with food booths, cultural performances, martial arts, live bands, the annual Queen Program and more. The Grand Parade will be held April 16, beginning at City Hall and concluding in Japantown.  There are only three Japantowns in U.S. and San Francisco’s is the oldest.

“Summer of Love: Jimi Hendrix” at the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)

April 26-Aug. 27, 2017

As Jimi Hendrix walked out onto the stage at Monterey Pop, he was also stepping out for his American rock and roll debut. Playing as “The Jimi Hendrix Experience,” Hendrix was introduced to California at the festival before the U.S. release of his first album. A performance enlivened with rock theatrics, sexual flamboyance and magnetic guitar riffs, this moment solidified Hendrix as a rock idol. An integrated band with a black front man, “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” represented racial and sexual freedom and the goals of the 1906s counterculture.  Composed of photographs taken of Jimi Hendrix in 1967, this exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the famous Summer of Love and the entrance of Jimi Hendrix as one the greatest instrumentalists of all time. 

Bay to Breakers Streaks Across the City Again

May 21, 2017

What was once a local footrace has grown into a major international competition.  In the Bay to Breakers race, runners traverse the city from the Embarcadero to Ocean Beach, passing through a number of San Francisco’s many neighborhoods. Known for creative costumes, Bay to Breakers is more than 100 years old. Registration is open for this only in San Francisco event.

“On the Road to the Summer of Love” at the California Historical Society

May 12, 2017 -Sept. 10, 2017

Guest curated by Grateful Dead historian Dennis McNally, this exhibition will showcase powerful images of the Summer of Love through the lenses of a wide range of photographers.

“Awaking Beauty: The Art of Eyvind Earle” at the Walt Disney Family Museum

May 18, 2017–Jan. 8, 2018

Immerse yourself in the lush landscapes and enchanting illustrations of Eyvind Earle, in the artists’ first-ever comprehensive museum retrospective. Featuring more than 250 works, this exhibition spans Earle’s prolific career, ranging from intricate thumbnail concept paintings for Lady and the Tramp to evocative large-scale background concept artworks for Sleeping Beauty. Beyond his work at The Walt Disney Studios, Earle’s distinctive style and interpretation of iconic American landscapes as a fine artist and printmaker have inspired generations of artists and designers. 

This extensive exhibition will feature original artworks from the full spectrum of his dynamic career alongside unique scratchboards, rare examples of his sculpture, companion poetry, and commercial illustrations. The exhibition, which premieres at The Walt Disney Family Museum on May 18, 2017, is co-curated by Michael Labrie, Director of Collections and Exhibitions for The Walt Disney Family Foun
dation and The Walt Disney Family Museum, and Ioan Szasz, CEO of Eyvind Earle Publishing. 

San Francisco Proper Hotel to Open   

June 2017

This 135-room San Francisco Proper Hotel will be a beacon at the corners of Market and McAllister streets.   The beloved ‘flat-iron’ building in the Mid-Market area has been restored to the pure and elegant character of times past while adding in many new amenities that cater to today’s well-heeled traveler. The results:   An historic lobby, three restaurants on the ground floor and the hotel’s crown jewel, an indoor/outdoor rooftop restaurant and bar with panoramic views of the San Francisco skyline.  

San Francisco Pride

June 24-25, 2017

Expect a variety of events from parades to panel discussions to parties during San Francisco Pride, one of the largest LGBTQ celebrations in the world. Come for this annual celebration of diversity, as the community and its allies gather to celebrate the successes of the past and the struggles of the present.

“Flower Power” at the Asian Art Museum

June 24-Oct. 1, 2017

The 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love in San Francisco conjures images of hippies frolicking in the park and rallying with daisies in their hair. But the power of flowers to inspire peace and love goes back far more than fifty years and far beyond our city shores. To reveal the hidden histories and multi-layered meanings of florals across cultures, the Asian Art Museum presents “Flower Power.” An original exhibition of pan-Asian artworks, “Flower Power” features gloriously gilded folding screens, unusually-modern lacquers, rare porcelains, religious sculptures, and contemporary installations of living plants and sensory-igniting multimedia. Visitors will discover that — more than mere decor — botanical imagery has for centuries conveyed ideals from the refined to the revolutionary. 

“Edvard Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed” at SFMOMA

June 24-Sept. 24, 2017

Produced between the 1880s and the 1940s, approximately 45 landmark compositions reveal a truly singular modern artist and one largely unknown to audiences today.

Eat Drink SF Returns

Aug. 24 – 27, 2017

Eat Drink SF is the Bay Area’s premier annual food, wine, beer and spirits festival. Four days are filled with delicious events that feature 160+ restaurants and 70+ different beer, wine, spirits and cocktails throughout the weekend. During one of the signature Grand Tasting session, guests enjoy bites from top restaurants, unlimited pours, stage demonstrations, wine education, and the opportunity to meet and mingle with the Bay Area’s finest chefs and sommeliers. 

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Marks 40th Anniversary with “Lavender Pen Freedom Tour”

Season begins in October 2017

Recognizing a rapidly shifting climate in the United States, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus has announced the launch of its 2017 “Lavender Pen Freedom Tour.” In an effort to reaffirm its ever-present message of equality and inclusiveness, and the value in treating all individuals – irrespective of differences – with dignity, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus will be crisscrossing significant areas of the United States in which there has been an observable spike in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, including Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. The 2017 Outreach Tour will be the cap to the Chorus’ 40th Season (2017-2018).