FRIDAY, NOV. 20
Una Noche Tropical: The evening of Cuban cabaret (with dinner and a show) features Alayo Dance Company and live music by Patricio Angulo. [7:30 p.m., Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., S.F.]
SF SPCA Holiday Windows: The 29th annual year of window displays with adorable — and adoptable — cats and dogs who need loving homes, opens with a presentation with special guest Snoopy and seasonal singing by children in the De Marillac Academy choir. [5 p.m., Macy’s, Stockton and O’Farrell streets, S.F.]
Yassou: Haunting, beautiful music videos set in the Bay Area are the latest releases by the Bay Area group, which appears on a bill with Lila Rose and There’s Talk. [9 p.m., Starline Social Club, 645 West Grand Ave., Oakland]
Cold Storage: The high-concept show of mixed-media work by Oakland artists Rhonda Holberton and James Cordas (who say they were served “an order of fruits and vegetables with a single living bee inside each one” in preparation for the exhibit) opens with a reception. [7 p.m., City Limits, 300 Jefferson St., Oakland]
Jo Koy: The comic, who gained notoriety from appearances on the TV’s “Chelsea Lately,” opens a three-day local engagement. [7:30 and 10:30 p.m., Cobb’s Comedy Club, 915 Columbus Ave., S.F.]
Smuin Ballet: The troupe returns with its “essential holiday tradition” for families, “The Christmas Ballet,” in the first of multiple performances across the Bay Area. [8 p.m., Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek]
Late Night Tonight: DJ Atish and fellow Burning Man fixture Behrouz team up for a night of their favorite dancefloor tunes and talk-show style commentary. [9:30 p.m., Public Works, 161 Erie St., S.F.]
Bluegrass Bonanza: Nobody From Nashville and True Life Troubadours play the third-Friday-of-the-month acoustic gig. [9 p.m,, Plough & Stars, 116 Clement St., S.F.]
SATURDAY, NOV. 21
The Great Dickens Fair: The annual participatory holiday party recreates Victorian London with theater, authentic dancing and sumptuous feasting and shopping; festivities continue weekends through Dec. 20. [10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave., Daly City]
International Auto Show: Thirty-eight of the world’s major manufacturers display 2016 model cars, SUVs, trucks and vans in the 55th annual event, which continues weekends through Nov. 29. [10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Moscone Convention Center, 747 Howard St., S.F.]
International Orange Chorale of San Francisco: The singers perform a program called “Musica Sacra: Sacred Texts in Modern Settings.” [7:30 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 1111 O’Farrell St., S.F.].
Sandy Ostrau-Pop-Up: Thomas Reynolds Gallery opens a show of paintings by the Palo Alto-based artist whose modern landscapes build on the heritage of California figurative painting; a party at the Boom Boom Room follows the reception. [6 to 8 p.m., Zinc Details, 1633 Fillmore St., S.F.]
International Body Music MiniFest: Molodi, Corposonic Trio, Faye Carol, Jenna Mammina, Cascada de Flores, Kitka, Evie Ladin’s MoToR/dance, The Thieves, Farah Yasmeen Sheikh & Jim Santi Owen, Kathak and Konnakkol and others perform “music you can see and dance you can hear.” [8 p.m., Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley]
A Decade of The San Francisco Social: The cocktail attire gala, with an open bar, hors d’ouevres, music and raffle items, benefits the San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center. [9 p.m., Great Room, W Hotel, 181 Third St., S.F.]
Sevyn Streeter: The R&B singer singer–songwriter, best known as a member of girl groups TG4 and RichGirl, headlines a show with Avery Wilson, famous from appearances on “The Voice.” [9 p.m., Social Hall, 1270 Sutter St., S.F.]
