Guide to San Francisco: Nightlife & Entertainment

Cultural Musts in San Francisco

Whether you're into music, theater, dancing, or club-hopping, or prefer to hole up in a quiet bookstore with a great cup of organic, fair-trade coffee — the San Francisco Bay Area can accommodate you with entertainment options to match your every mood. And, with 3,200 local eateries, you could have lunch and dinner at a different restaurant each day and still not have sampled them all by the time you graduate.

Bay Area Nightlife: Under 21

California's official drinking age is 21, so you may have to wait a while to sample some nightlife offerings, but there are still plenty of appealing alternatives available. Under-21 dance clubs are located all across the metro area, including 924 Gilman Street, an East Bay punk rock incubator for bands such as Green Day and local fave Sleater-Kinney. The club promotes a PC environment, prohibiting drugs, booze, violence, sexism, racism and homophobia. Burnt Ramen Studios offers punk, hardcore, and heavy metal without Gilman's stringent conduct code.

Several San Francisco sites also cater to the under-21 set. Amoeba Music, the U.S.'s largest indie record store, offers free shows to standing-room only crowds who can browse CD selections while enjoying the music. And you can rock out with your socks out at the Brainwash Café Laundromat, turning a mundane chore into an entertaining evening as you enjoy food, drinks, and free shows while you replenish your supply of clean skivvies.

Catch a Show Between Books

Give Shakespeare the old college try and you might be surprised how much you enjoy live theater. Talented thespians bring the Bard's masterpieces to Bay Area parks from July through September. Or take in a Primitive Screwheads show. This troupe converts horror-movie classics into live performances, such as the Chainsaw Massacres. If you prefer active entertainment, check out one of Touchstone Climbing's six Bay Area indoor climbing gyms or slide into Lucky JuJu's in Alameda, where for a mere $10, you receive unlimited pinball play on circa 1960-70's electro-mechanical machines.

With such a diverse variety of non-alcohol fueled entertainment options, you may be able to skip the temptation to obtain a fake I.D!

Sources:
SF Official Visitor's Guide
SanFrancisco.com: Music and Nightlife
AOL City Guide: Best Singles Scene
SF Arts
San Francisco Underground