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Music, dance, theatre, and performance art headline the cultural calendars in all of Night+Day’s cool cities. We combed through dozens of annual performing arts festivals worldwide, and here are the best of the best.
Best Performing Arts Festivals in....
Best Performing Arts Festivals
San Francisco
Fillmore Jazz Festival Early July, Fillmore Street (between Jackson and Eddy), 800-310-6563 fillmorejazzfestival.com
The Draw: A long lineup of jazz up-and-comers and some cats who’ve been around the block play a mix of standards and contemporary jazz to a laid-back crowd of cool locals. The Scene: Marina preppies mix with Rastafarians, Pac Heights families, and old-school jazz hounds for live music, libations, and soul food in the sun. Hot Tip: At the end of the day, jitterbug up Fillmore toward Japantown, where the legendary Yoshi’s jazz club and sushi restaurant has recently opened an SF outpost. Next door, 1300 Fillmore serves killer fried chicken.
Litquake Early October, various venues, 415-750-1497 litquake.org
The Draw: San Francisco boasts the country’s highest per-capita rates of both books and booze. Litquake represents the happy marriage of our city’s favorite pastimes, and is the place to share a pint with your favorite author. The Scene: Not nearly as nerdy as you’d think, Litquake draws a smarty-pants pack of hipsters with a penchant for dark humor, indie rock, cheap beer, and pirates. Hot Tip: Opening night 2008 featured personal stories narrated live, by authors such as sexual adventurer Jonathan Ames and sharp-tongued columnist Cintra Wilson—are you ready for this?—without a script. Every year the question is: Will they sink or swim? The anticipation is the fun part.
San Francisco International Arts Festival Late May to early June, various venues, 415-399-9554 sfiaf.org
The Draw: Can’t make it to Germany to see a choreographic-theatre rendition of Chekhov’s Three Sisters? Here’s your chance to catch the year’s hottest international shows, stateside. The Scene: Only hard-core fans of true performance art (the often strange, silent and avant-garde) need apply. Hot Tip: When it comes to buying tickets, planning ahead pays off. Purchasing in advance knocks a couple of bucks off the cover; heftier discounts are available for enthusiasts attending multiple shows.
