MARCH 1
SF ZOO FREE ADMISSION DAY FOR SAN FRANCISCO RESIDENTS – A free day for all San Francisco residents. Proof of San Francisco residency is required and can be established by providing: a valid driver’s license, a valid identification card, or a utility, phone, or other local bills with your name and address, along with a current valid photo I.D. First free admission at 10:00 am. Last free admission at 3:00 pm. 1 Zoo Road, SF.
MARCH 4
37th ANNUAL BLACK CUISINE FESTIVAL – A soul food cooking contest, dancing, marketplace, live music, and Kiddieland are among the events at this annual tribute to black cuisine. There will be fried chicken, catfish, oxtails, ribs, links, black-eyed peas, red beans and rice, greens, yams, mac and cheese, cornbread, sweet potato pie, peach cobbler, pound cake, and other soulful delights. Tony! Toni! Toné! will make an appearance. Held at the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center, 1753 Carroll Ave. @ 3rd St. 11 am to 6 pm.
MARCH 5
(FIRST SUNDAY) FREE ADMISSION DAY, ASIAN ART MUSEUM
MARCH 7
(FIRST TUESDAY) FREE ADMISSION DAY, VARIOUS MUSEUMS – Conservatory of Flowers, Contemporary Jewish Museum, DeYoung Museum, Legion of Honor Museum, Museum of Craft and Design, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (please confirm with the museum calendar, as free days may vary).
IHOP FREE PANCAKE DAY – The folks at IHOP are kind enough to serve millions of free pancakes again during their National Pancake Day Celebration. The San Francisco locations are in the Marina (2299 Lombard St. at Fillmore), and at Fisherman’s Wharf (200 Beach St. at Powell). Although the pancakes are free, guests are encouraged to make a voluntary contribution to their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Those who make a $5 donation will receive a coupon good for $5 off their next visit. And did you know … for centuries, the English have opted for pancakes in celebration of Shrove Tuesday, which marks the beginning of fasting during Lent. Long ago, strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the existing supply of eggs, milk, butter, and other dairy products. Hence we have Pancake Tuesday. That’s your trivia fact for the day. 7 am to 7 pm.
MARCH 9-12
INTERNATIONAL OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL – One of the largest and most diverse of its kind, the festival features documentaries, animations, narratives, and other traditional screen fares. Topics include ocean adventures, island cultures, surfing, sharks (of course), and much more things oceanic. Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center. 415-561-6251.
MARCH 9-19
CAAMFest – CAAMFest is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 130 works in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland. Since 1982, the festival has been an important launching point for Asian American independent filmmakers as well as a vital source for new Asian cinema. New People Cinema and various theaters. 415-863-0814, ext. 110.
MARCH 11
166th ANNUAL ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE AND FESTIVAL – This is one of San Francisco’s (and indeed California’s) largest annual parades and one of the longest running parades in the USA. The feast of Saint Patrick (Pádraig)—Apostle of Ireland and its patron saint―is celebrated with live music, dance, traditional Irish cuisine, and a beverage or two. The parade will feature pipe and fife bands, civilian, college, and school bands, Irish dancers, antique cars, drum and bell bands, drum and bugle bands, drill teams, color guards, floats galore, decorated cars/trucks/cable cars, and baton corps. Wear green. You’ll blend right in. The parade, led by pipers, starts at 11:30 am at 2nd and Market St. and ends at Civic Center Plaza, where the festival carries on from 10 am to 5 pm.
MARCH 12
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME – “Spring Forward” one hour. Technically at 2 am, but no need to wait up.
MARCH 18
SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL CHOCOLATE SALON – Those with a penchant for chocolate can indulge in artisanal, gourmet, and premium chocolate from more than 50 chocolatiers and confectioners. Non-chocophile exhibitors and artisans will also be on hand, including reps from wineries participating in the San Francisco Invitational Wine Salon. Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason Center.
MARCH 23
FILLMORE SPRING WINE WALK/WOBBLE – Tasting event includes merchants offering wine samples and special treats inside their stores along Fillmore Street. Tickets are $25 on-site, $20 in advance. Fillmore Street from Jackson to Eddy Streets.
MARCH 24
ODC/DANCE – DOWNTOWN ODC/Dance, San Francisco’s internationally acclaimed contemporary dance company, presents its 46th annual home season. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater.
MARCH 24-APRIL 9
MACY’S FLOWER SHOW – This annual floral tribute is a long-standing spring tradition. It includes a variety guest speakers and special in-store events. Macy’s, Union Square. 415-393-3333.
MARCH 25
EARTH HOUR – Major cities around the world, including San Francisco, demonstrate that the simple act of turning off lights for one hour can have a lasting impact on climate change. Starts at 8:30 pm.
MARCH 26
MOTHER’S DAY
UNITED AIRLINES ROCK N’ ROLL HALF-MARATHON – As the saying goes, “the views are worth the climb”―on a course that starts along the Great Highway at the northwest corner of Golden Gate Park and traverses some of San Francisco’s most beautiful neighborhoods and the Golden Gate Bridge.
MARCH 31
DANCE ANYWHERE – Dance Anywhere® is a simultaneous worldwide public art performance in which people from around the world―of all ages, artistic capacities, and klutziness―will stop at noon (PST) and dance. That’s 3 pm in New York City, 8 pm in Rome, Prague, and Cairo, 10 pm in Istanbul, Nairobi, and Minsk … you get the idea.