How the Reopening of SF’s Castro Theater Could Revitalize Nightlife

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KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 12 February 2026

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When the marquee lights of the Castro Theater dimmed two years ago, many worried that this grande dame of cinema would never be the same. Now after a $41 million renovation, the 104-year old SF icon is ready for its coming out party. The organ has been refurbished, the ceiling cleaned, and hidden gems, like a gold proscenium have been discovered. No longer just a movie house, the theater will host both films and musical acts, including a sold out 20-night stand by Sam Smith. As music venues and movie theaters continue to close post-pandemic, we talk about what the theater’s renewal and reopening means for nightlife and the arts in San Francisco. Guests: Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts and Culture Tom DeCaigny, program officer of performing arts, Hewlett Foundation; former director of cultural affairs for the City and County of San Francisco, where he led the San Francisco Arts Commission Mary Conde, senior vice president, Another Planet Entertainment Gabrielle Armand, CEO, SF Jazz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	Support for KQBD podcast comes from the Exploratorium After Dark.
0:04.7	Adults 18 plus discover mind-bending programs and grab a drink every Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m.
0:11.4	Tickets at Exploratorium.edu slash after dark.
0:15.7	Sanjeeves just received a decent bonus. Nice work, Sanjeeve. He knows he could invest all of the money,
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0:26.1	financial advice service, he can get a personalized plan for the future and know how much you can
0:30.5	spend a day. Everything's Premier when your bank account is. Search HSBC Premier. HSBC UK,
0:36.7	opening up a world of opportunity.
0:38.7	For financial advice, you need minimum £100,000.
0:41.1	Other criteria and fees apply.
0:42.5	Financial and other eligibility criteria apply for HSBC Premier.
0:46.7	From KQED.
0:49.8	Welcome to Forum.
0:51.0	I'm Alexis Madrigal.
0:52.4	I love when we've been following a story out in the world long enough that we can complete a certain arc here on Forum.
0:59.3	And it was a couple years ago that we had a whole show about the renovation of the Castro Theater and its potential futures.
1:06.1	There was this big dispute about the seats that may be ongoing. I'm not sure.
1:09.6	But here we are. Two years later,
1:12.1	the Castro is really reopening. The vibe in the city is different, but that doesn't mean it's
1:18.7	easy to keep a venue rolling. The rest of the arts are still kind of a question. Here to discuss
1:24.9	the challenges at the Castro and for nightlife and the arts in
	...

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