Summer in the Bay Area brings an expansive lineup of festivals celebrating film, music, dance, opera and community gathering. From downtown theaters and outdoor plazas to vineyard stages and neighborhood parks, this season’s calendar ranges from intimate local showcases to events featuring internationally known artists and performers.
San Francisco Documentary Festival
The Bay Area’s premier documentary-only film festival marks its 25th anniversary with filmmaker appearances, including Colin Hanks; music-themed films; Bay Area stories; and a retrospective selection of documentaries from the inaugural 2001 festival. Screenings take place Thursday, May 28 through June 7 at the Roxie and Vogue theaters and Artists’ Television Access, with virtual programming available at sfindie.com. Tickets are $5-$25; passes are $95-$250.
— G. Allen Johnson
Jazz on the Hill
Once a year, the music championed by the Bay Area’s jazz radio station KCSM materializes in person at Jazz On the Hill, a free all-day festival featuring a rich swath of the artists heard on the airwaves. Running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 6 at the College of San Mateo, this year’s program includes rising 19-year-old clarinetist Nathan Tokunaga, connubial guitar-and-vocal duo Tuck & Patti, and Miles Smiles, an all-star celebration of Miles Davis’s centennial with trumpet great Eddie Henderson and saxophonist David Sanchez led by drum maestro Akira Tana (also a KCSM DJ).
— Andrew Gilbert
BloodRoot Wines Presents: The Ramble
BloodRoot and Reeve Wines host this Sonoma County music and wine festival June 6, blending live performances, local food and wine, and philanthropy. A new culinary stage will feature cooking demonstrations with chefs and winemakers. The lineup includes Lucius, Spoon, Devon Gilfillian, Tropa Magica and The Plastic Cherries. Proceeds benefit Giffords and efforts to combat gun violence…