Best Bets: Free First Thursday, Neil Diamond tunes, Chris Botti, Pacific Mambo Orchestra, ‘Into the Woods’

Freebie of the week: There are several reasons to head to downtown San Francisco for the inaugural 2026 edition of Free First Thursdays. The event runs from 5 to 10 p.m. on Second Street between Howard and Market streets. Those who RSVP on the websites of Downtown First Thursday San Francisco or SFFunCheap will find that pretty much everything is free, except drinks and food at nearby bars, restaurants or food trucks. Festivities include a performance by kick-butt Bay Area band the Jazz Mafia, appearing from 7 to 9 p.m. at Howard and Second streets, or beloved Bay Area crooner Lavay Smith and her band the Skillet Lickers from 5 to 8 p.m. at Natoma and Second, with swing dance lessons offered between sets. That’s not all: Zones are set aside for disco dancing, arts and crafts, a doggie fashion show and pet psychic, and more. Find all details at www.dftsf.com and sfuncheap.com/free-events/.  

Diamond mining: These are good times for Neil Diamond fans in the Bay Area. The iconic singer-songwriter’s tunes are everywhere. The hit film “Song Sung Blue,” about a real-life husband-wife Neil Diamond tribute act, starring Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman, is playing in about a dozen Bay Area theaters through the weekend and beyond. It has received generally positive reviews, with Jackman reminding fans how his voice is so good, and Hudson reigniting the singing prowess she already has displayed during her career. Meanwhile, the touring production “A Beautiful Noise-The Neil Diamond Musical,” is playing through Sunday at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. The two-act, 2¼-hour musical, created in collaboration with Diamond himself, follows the pop star’s life story and rise to fame, much as previous jukebox musicals about such pop music giants as Carole King and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons have done. Of course, the real star and focus of the show is Diamond’s catalog of classic hits, including “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” “Sweet Caroline,” “I Am … I Said,” and more. The show plays 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $54-$146 (subject to change) at broadwaysanjose.com.