Your Guide to San Francisco's Performing Arts | San Francisco Travel

Broken Wings at SF Ballet

Your Guide to
San Francisco's Performing Arts Events This Fall

By Joe Coleman

Here's a helpful round-up of the must-see performances in San Francisco this season.

From theater to opera to dance, San Francisco attracts the best of the best, giving visitors plenty of performances to choose from during their stay. Explore what’s playing this season and start planning your trip.

Dance

French Kiss

Smuin Contemporary Ballet

The French Kiss program incorporates three ballet performances: a world premiere from choreographer My'Kal Stromile, a fan favorite from choreographer Amy Seiwert, and a re-staging of one of company founder Michael Smuin's most legendary works. October 9-18, 2026.

Invisible Atlas

Dance Mission Theater

Invisible Atlas is an interdisciplinary performance project bringing together Butoh, contemporary dance, acting, animation, poetry, live Shakuhachi and Taiko music, and immersive installation. Inspired by both local and global history, Invisible Atlas asks audiences to consider how environmental damage spans generations, landscapes, and bodies. October 23-25, 2026.

Àṣẹ, Axé, Ashe

Dance Mission Theater

Presented in partnership with Arenas Dance Company, this new piece by Susana Arenas Pedroso and Dandha da Hora blends Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian traditions. November 7-8, 2026.

Alonzo King LINES Ballet

Davies Symphony Hall

In partnership with the San Francisco Symphony, choreographer and company founder Alonzo King will debut two world premiere works set to iconic classical compositions by Aaron Copland and Claude Debussy. November 19-21, 2026.

The Nutcracker

San Francisco Ballet

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without The Nutcracker, and The Nutcracker wouldn't exist if not for the San Francisco Ballet. It's true! The beloved ballet made its American debut right here in the 1940s. See it again (or for the first time). December 4-27, 2026.

The Christmas Ballet

Smuin Contemporary Ballet

A seasonal favorite returns with a new addition by choreographer Maggie Carey. December 10-24, 2026.

Opera

Mary, Queen of Scots

San Francisco Opera

Composer Thea Musgrave retells the story of one of history's most maligned and misunderstood queens: Mary Stuart. Can the savvy and confident Mary stand up to the greedy demands of the men at court and within her family? This production marks the San Francisco Opera debut of conductor Clelia Cafiero. On through October 4, 2026.

Manon

San Francisco Opera

In this tale of unbridled passion and ambition, the young and beautiful Manon must choose between fulfilling her desires or winning her family's approval, and between a true love with an uncertain future or a marriage of convenience devoid of affection. October 15 - November 1, 2026.

The Marriage of Figaro

San Francisco Opera

Director Shawna Lucey sets Mozart's romantic comedy at the birth of the nation. In a colonial manor house, smitten servants Figaro and Susanna must conspire with the lady of the house to avoid the jealous Count Almaviva and live happily ever after. October 31 - November 29, 2026.

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Theater

Little Shop of Horrors

New Conservatory Theatre Center

The campy classic comes to San Francisco! When lovelorn plant shop worker Seymour unexpectedly discovers—and encourages—a one-of-a-kind, talking, singing, blood-sucking flower, his corner of Skid Row will never be the same. On through October 18.

North by Northwest

American Conservatory Theater

You've never seen stagecraft quite like this! Director Emma Rice has adapted Alfred Hitchcock's cinematic masterpiece North by Northwest for the stage. On through October 18, 2026.

A Case for the Existence of God

New Conservatory Theatre Center

You wouldn’t expect a play with two guys sitting in a cubicle to be so transformative, but this is. Maybe there is some good left in the world. October 17 - November 15, 2026.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong

San Francisco Playhouse

A chaotic comedy of backstage and on-stage antics, Peter Pan Goes Wrong is a theatrical car-crash (all carefully rehearsed and safe for the audience, of course) that will have you doubled over in laughter. On through November 28, 2026.

Every Saturday Night

American Conservatory Theater

Inspired by true, local stories, Every Saturday Night is focused on San Francisco's Fillmore neighborhood, once known as "the Harlem of the West", and its legacy of creativity, community, and possibility. October 10 - November 1, 2026.

John Proctor Is The Villain

American Conservatory Theater

The incendiary Tony Award-nominated play comes to San Francisco for its West Coast premiere. When five high school girls are assigned to read and analyze Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, the parallels between the classic work and their own lives become uncomfortably real. November 12 - December 6, 2026.

Waitress

Orpheum Theatre

Waitress tells the story of Jenna, an expert pie maker who dreams of a way out of her small town in this uplifting celebration of friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie. November 13-15, 2026.

The Music Man

Orpheum Theatre

You won't want to miss the limited run of this classic musical, famous for its tongue-tying songs, sweet love story, and big band (76 trombones, you know). November 20-22, 2026.

Water for Elephants

Orpheum Theatre

The bestselling novel that became a feature film is now a stage musical featuring stunning acrobatics, soaring melodies, and a tender love story. November 24-29, 2026.

The Wiz

Orpheum Theatre

You've never seen Oz like this! A new production of this beloved twist on Dorothy's adventures over the rainbow comes back to San Francisco for a limited time. December 4-6, 2026.

A Kidman Carol: A Gay Dementia on Australian Dames

New Conservatory Theatre Center

In this wildly funny and deeply unserious spoof of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Academy Award-winner and notable Australian Cate Blanchett is visited by the spirit of three Nicole Kidmans. Can she learn the true meaning of the season—Oscar season, that is—before it's too late? December 5, 20256 - January 10, 2027.

The Outsiders

Orpheum Theatre

The Tony Award-winning adaptation of S.E. Hinton's famous novel tells a universal tale of family, friendship, and belonging. December 9-27, 2026.

Rent

San Francisco Playhouse

Jonathan Larson's generation-defining and boundary-breaking musical about love, creativity, and identity in the most bohemian corner of New York City, Rent is the perfect show for the holiday season. December 11, 2026 - February 6, 2027.

Elf The Musical

Golden Gate Theatre

What would the holiday season be without Buddy the Elf? This popular adaptation of the Christmas classic is just as sweet as all the candy you could eat. December 15-20, 2026.

Dear San Francisco

Club Fugazi

Powered by exhilarating acrobatics, choreography, spoken word, video projections, shadow play, and original music, Dear San Francisco invites locals and visitors alike on a heart-stopping romp through the essence and myth of San Francisco. San Francisco comes vividly to life through an international cast of world-class acrobats across a variety of disciplines.

Joe Coleman

Joe Coleman has been writing professionally since 2019. Though always up for an international trek, there’s nothing he loves more than a road trip exploring the large cities and small towns of the United States. You can find more of his work at colemancreates.com.