Freebie of the week: People grouse these days about how San Francisco has lost its old flavor, that tech and artificial intelligence have transmogrified the City by the Bay into a frostier version of itself, overly concerned with wealth and ignoring its reputation as a city a little rough around the edges and ready to make a little noise. That may be forgotten this weekend with the return of Carnaval San Francisco, a two-day festival full of dancing, music, art, food and drink and a jubilant parade. Carnaval was founded in 1979 as a multicultural celebration of the city and its Latin, Caribbean and African Diasporic communities. This year’s festivities take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday when a 17-block section of the Mission District hosts all manner of music and entertainment on five main stages; a scattering of block parties featuring more than 50 music and dance groups; 400 vendors; and close to half a million visitors. An annual highlight is the lively and eye-popping Grand Parade, which this year kicks off at 10 a.m. on Sunday at 24th and Bryant streets. If it is not already abundantly clear, revelers should not drive to this event. For more information, go to carnavalsanfrancisco.org.
Mind over Maddy: New York City-based comedian Maddy Smith has dubbed her current trek the “Bad Genes Tour,” prompting the notion that the title is a play off the controversy around actor Sydney Sweeney’s advertisement for American Eagle Outfitters. Its key phrase, “Sydney Sweeney has good jeans,” had many convinced that the pitch was a not-so-subtle reference to the racist notion that a blond, blue-eyed white woman represents genetic and racial superiority. (Sweeney and American Eagle have denied any connection). It’s not surprising that Smith, who appears at San Jose Improv this weekend, would jump on such a hot-button topic. The 33-year-old Buffalo, N.Y. native has made her mark with a rapid-fire delivery and a willingness to take a joke practically anywhere. She is best known for her five seasons on “Wild ‘n Out,” the MTV sketch comedy/battle rap game show hosted by Nick Cannon. Material on her club tour likely is less restrained than what’s on TV. Find out for yourself; Smith performs at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday at the Improv. Tickets are $31.14-$83.16. Go to improv.com/sanjose/.
Strike a pose: For most people—as they clutch imaginary fender telecasters on imaginary stages and strike the most gorgeous and significant imaginary chord in the history of rock and roll as the imaginary crowd roars—the art of air guitar is a moment of private release. But for the contestants at the Bottom of the Hill club in San Francisco on Saturday, it is as much of a public performance as anything at the BottleRock Napa music festival this weekend. They’re performing in the Air Guitar championships, or, as they’re officially known, the 2026 US Air Guitar Championships. In these regional championships, contestants riff it out for a chance to compete in the national finals in San Francisco on Aug. 1. Besides boasting killer rockstar moves, the Air Guitar contests are intriguing because they inspire a range of approaches, from Spinal Tap to The Edge. Contest organizers call it “Part rock show. Part comedy act. Part spectacle. US Air Guitar allows ordinary people to become ridiculous rock stars.” Saturday’s competition starts at 8 p.m. at Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., San Francisco. Admission is $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Go to www.bottomofthehill.com/calendar.html.
Party hearty time: The California Commonwealth Club is renowned for bringing experts in multiple disciplines—science, technology, politics, literature, world affairs and more—to its San Francisco headquarters to give lectures or readings, but Thursday night’s engagement is a horse of a different color. It’s Music at the Club with All Star Jukebox, a nine-member dance band with drums, guitar, bass, keyboard, trumpet, sax and vocalists getting audiences on their feet and moving to the beat. These performers, who have worked with Herbie Hancock, Sly & the Family Stone and Tower of Power, will hit the stage at 7 p.m., but starting things off an hour earlier are Brian & Epic, singer-songwriter partners who perform covers and original songs. The party takes place in the Taube Family Auditorium at 110 The Embarcadero in San Francisco. Find tickets, $15-$25, at commonwealthclub.org.
A musical paean to America: Famed Czech composer Antonin Dvořák was celebrated in his own land for successfully incorporating elements of Bohemian folk music into his many orchestral works. But during his sojourn in this country from 1893-1895 as visiting director of an East Coast conservatory, he was given the mission of helping composers here come up with a uniquely American sound. The result was “From the New World,” the last and most popular of his nine symphonies, which was inspired in part by the Native American melodies and the Black spirituals he encountered here and considered essential to our national identity. It was a rousing success at its Carnegie Hall debut, with the audience breaking into thunderous applause at the conclusion of each of its four movements. Guest conductor Cristian Măcelaru, music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, takes the podium at Davies Hall to lead the San Francisco Symphony in three performances of it this weekend in a program that also includes the world premiere of “Embers,” by Emerging Black Composers Project winner Tyler Taylor. Guest soloist Simon Trpčeski is on the bench to perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1. The concerts take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; find tickets, $30-$185, at sfsymphony.org.