March Events

St Patrick's Day

Feeling lucky? March in the Bay Area means green hills and green beer. In San Francisco, Marin County and beyond, there are a wealth of food fairs, film festivals and cultural events this month. Get a photo with Lou Seal at Giants Fanfest. Or, try a new dish during Oakland’s restaurant week. Bottom line: you won’t be bored this March in the Bay Area.

March 1–3 Scriabin’s Prometheus & Bartók’s Bluebeard 

San Francisco Symphony seen in concert.
Photo by Brandon Patoc.

SF Symphony creates a multisensory experience in this collaboration with Cartier, which adds fragrance and a light show to the orchestra’s music. The concert bill includes celebrated conductor and musical director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the symphony’s in-house perfumer Mathilde Laurent. 

March 5 Kehilla Synagogue Anniversary Concert 

Piedmont’s Kehilla Synagogue celebrates its 40th anniversary at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley with Wellspring: 40 years of Music, Joy, and Social Justice. This live-streamed event features singer Melanie DeMore, and the evening honors the congregation’s work for peace and social justice.

March 7 Fargo Screening and Q&A with William H. Macy 

28 years ago, the Coen Brothers’ snowy and sometimes subtle Fargo hit theaters. Rewatch the film in good company with William H. Macy, who will hold a Q&A after the screening to discuss the film’s production and his Oscar-nominated performance.

March 7–24 Women’s History Month at SFJazz 

SFJazz is swinging into Women’s History Month with six different shows featuring innovative instrumentalists and vocalists like Christina Galisatus, Jacqui Naylor and more. This series also includes the 10th Annual Girls Day on March 9, a free workshop for young women musicians. 

March 9 SF Giants FanFest at Oracle Park 

The last stop of the Giants’ FanFest Tour, Oracle Park will be full of fans, players and broadcasters during the park’s Open House. Reserve your free ticket now to sidle up next to a trophy or get a rare view of the field from the home dugout. 

March 9 Flower Bulb Day

Tulips, tulips and more tulips are coming to Union Square. Pick your favorites from the 80,000 of the Dutch flowers that will spring up for one day only. We suggest that you show up right when the garden opens at 1 p.m. for the best chances of walking away with a good bunch — six flowers maximum per person!

March 9–April 21 Memento Mori | Memento Vivere 

Memento Mori Memento Vivere at the Marin Art and Garden Center
Memento Mori by Anthony Delgado.

Marin Art and Garden Center presents Memento Mori | Memento Vivere, or “Remember that you must die | Remember that you must live.” The exhibition depicts the cycles of life and the natural world through photography, sculpture, video and more. An opening reception on March 10 will also include a demonstration of ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement.

March 10 The Cole Porter Society Presents a Tribute to Tony Bennett 

If Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco, then he must have left his sheet music in San Rafael: The Marin Center presents a night of the Bennett songbook, with an 18-piece orchestra backing singer Noah Griffin and bandleader Harold Jones, Bennett’s former drummer. 

March 12 25th Annual Persian New Year 

Jump over the fire and into spring! Visitors can expect an evening of lively dancing and delicious food at this celebration of Nowruz, or Persian New Year, at San Rafael’s McNears State Beach from 6–10 p.m. 

March 12–23 A Midsummer Night’s Dream 

Kids dancing in SF Ballet's A Midsummer Night's Dream, showing for two weeks in March.
Photo by Erik Tomasson.

Combining George Balachine’s influential choreography with costuming by designer Christian LaCroix, SF Ballet creates an immersive and imaginative performance of this Shakespeare comedy. 

March 13 Tessa Hulls discusses memoir Feeding Ghosts

Tessa Hulls, author of Feeding Ghosts, drawing her graphic memoir.
Author Tessa Hulls drawing. Photo by Hall Anderson.

Her grandmother fled political persecution in China, her mother tried to pick up the pieces in America, and now author Tessa Hulls tells their family story in her graphic memoir Feeding Ghosts. Hulls, a Point Reyes native and graduate of Archie Williams High School, discusses the book with Maia Kobabe at Book Passage’s Corte Madera store. Her tour continues with a March 23 event at Point Reyes Books.

March 14 Off the Reef Benefit Auction

Support ocean education and outreach through the International Ocean Film Foundation’s (IOFF) 21st annual Off the Reef benefit. The Golden Gate Club will host this elegant night, and guests will enjoy a cocktail reception, sustainable dinner and trailers from the upcoming IOFF film festival selections. Proceeds from the silent and live auctions will go towards IOFF’s continued efforts to raise environmental awareness through film and storytelling.

March 14 Pi Day at the Exploratorium 

Kids and parents march in Pi Parade for Pi Day at the Exploratorium, an annual Bay Area event in March.
Photo courtesy of the Exploratorium.

With a brass band, pie slices and a parade that circles the Pi Shrine 3.14 times, the Exploratorium’s 37th annual Pi Day celebration is packed with activities themed around the irrational number. How many digits do you know? 

March 14–24 Oakland Restaurants Week 

These ten days of Oakland gastronomy feature Michelin guide restaurants and neighborhood joints alike. Expect special menus that showcase the Town’s diverse food culture. 

March 15–31 The Divine Sarah 

Sarah Bernhardt, a nineteenth-century actor, was known by her nickname “The Divine.” The Ross Valley Players portray her life in the musical The Divine Sarah, one show in the company’s New Works series for local playwrights.

March 16 St. Patrick’s Day Parade 

This 174-year San Francisco tradition has a new face. With the new theme “Unite SF,” the parade will emphasize cross-cultural connection as it winds from 2nd and Market to the Civic Center, where a music festival will follow. Expect appearances by city officials, fabulous groups like a burlesque marching band and over 120 floats made by community members and celebrants from all over. “It’s going to knock the socks off the city,” says parade director James Quinn.

Opening March 16 Petals & Ice: The Adventures of Louise A. Boyd

Sitting on a hill above San Rafael’s downtown, the Marin History Museum’s Boyd Gate House presents a new exhibit on a trailblazing woman from Marin. Louise Arner Boyd was a polar explorer and San Rafael native, whose photos and artifacts from her adventures will be displayed in a new exhibit dedicated to her life. Even more fitting, the museum resides in her historic family home. Petals & Ice runs through September.

March 17 2nd Annual Marin Powwow 

Diverse Native American communities from around the Bay Area are putting together the second-ever Marin powwow at Terra Linda High School. This cultural celebration is a full day of traditional music and dancing with crafts for sale. 

March 16–July 21 Irving Penn 

Look at Audrey Hepburn, the Grateful Dead and boxer Joe Louis through the eyes of Irving Penn, one of the most influential fashion and portrait photographers of the 20th century. Both intimate and striking, Penn’s works can be seen at the de Young. 

March 16–October New Work: Mary Lovelace O’Neal 

La Pieta by Mary Lovelace O'Neal.
Photo by Michael Covián, courtesy of Mary Lovelace O’Neal and Karen Jenkins-Johnson.

SFMOMA displays new and old works by Mary Lovelace O’Neal, the accomplished visual artist and Berkeley arts professor emerita. Lovelace O’Neal is known for her experimentation with materials and for exploring the bounds between representational and abstract. 

March 20 Angela Davis at City Arts and Lectures 

Angela Davis, the prominent activist and professor at UC Santa Cruz, speaks with writer Hilton Als about her new collection of essays, Abolition: Politics, Practices, Promises, Vol. 1., and her lifelong work combating oppression. 

March 20–24 Sonoma International Film Festival 

The 27th annual Sonoma International Film Festival draws in filmmakers and film lovers from around the world. It shows over 100 international films while also celebrating the food and drink that makes Sonoma Wine Country world-famous. 

March 21–30 March Madness Viewings at Thrive City 

Just outside of the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center lies Thrive City, a retail and community space. Lounge in a lawn chair and watch the final matches of the yearly college basketball tournament projected on the big screen. 

March 22–24 California Artisan Cheese Festival 

Cheese wheels and wedges sit behind glass of white wine, labeled California Artisan Cheese Festival — one March event in the Bay Area.
Photo courtesy of California Artisan Cheese Festival.

Ever been on a cheese crawl? A crawl through The Barlow in Sebastopol is just one of many events during this three-day cheese festival showcasing the best of the California cheese scene. 

March 23 Spring Faire 

Mill Valley Spring Faire
Photo courtesy of Mill Valley Recreation.

Bring the kids to the Mill Valley Community Center for food, games and an Easter egg hunt. This event, formerly known as Eggstravaganza, is the perfect way to usher in spring. 

March 23 Novato Spring Trash to Treasures Flea Market 

The Margaret Todd Senior Center will be filled with second-hand treasures for sale at its spring flea market. 

March 24 Melvin Seals & JGB 

Nicknamed “Master of the Universe” by Jerry Garcia, Melvin Seals’ Hammond organ has gone from supporting to leading the Jerry Garcia Band. Now known as JGB, the group and Seals’ organ can be heard jamming out at Sweetwater Music Hall this month. 

March 27–31 ODC Dance Downtown

Two dancers on white background for ODC/Dance's Dance Downtown series, a March event in the Bay Area.
Photo by RJ Muna.

A weekend of breathtaking dance is coming to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. See ODC/Dance’s Dance Downtown, a series which includes world-premiere works by expert choreographers like Kimi Okada and Brenda Way, the ODC founder and recent California Hall of Fame inductee. Special events follow select performances, like March 29’s post-show gala and March 30’s LGBTQIA+ Night.

March 28–31 Unnamed Footage Film Festival 

Fans of the shaky cam will love this film festival that’s dedicated to found footage and faux documentary film. Think Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity. Warning: the flicks may be spooky. 

March 30 Sausalito Easter Egg Hunt and Parade 

First, a parade down Caledonia St. Second, kids partake in an Easter egg hunt. Then… adults partake in an Easter egg hunt?! This morning of festivities promises fun for the whole family. 

March 30 Photos with the Easter Bunny

Bon Air shopping center in Greenbrae has a very special guest hopping by from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Get free photos with the Easter Bunny in the adorable Bunny Hut in front of Mollie Stone’s. Kids can also walk away with some jellybeans, courtesy of our fluffy friend.

Through March 10 Big Data

A new play written by Kate Attwell, Big Data raises questions about how we let tech into our homes. The show, which features A.C.T. regular BD Wong, finishes its world-premiere run at the Toni Rembe Theater this month. 

Through March 31 Nina Temple: The Magic in Fluid Expression 

Piece of art by Nina Temple at Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, exhibit runs through March.
Photo by Nina Temple, courtesy of Marin MOCA.

Witness the unfolding of shocking colors and organic shapes at this Marin MOCA member artist showcase. Temple, a Monterey-based artist, mingles ink and water on paper to dramatic effect. 

Through March 31 Rob Gailey: Photomicrographs Reveal Stories Within Rocks 

Cross-section of a rock, photographed by Rob Gailey.
Photo courtesy of Rob Gailey.

Bolinas Museum has several eye-catching exhibits running through the end of March, including this exhibition of Rob Gailey’s microscopic photography of rock cross-sections.