SFJAZZ Center is a jazz performance venue at 201 Franklin Street in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley, with two rooms for shows. If you’re planning a performance, you can use Muni or nearby rail stations, review ticket and access details in advance, and choose from several nearby parking garages.
- Location: Franklin and Fell streets, Hayes Valley.
- Performance spaces: Robert N. Miner Auditorium and Joe Henderson Lab.
- Transit: Muni buses, Muni Metro and BART serve the area.
- Box office: Regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 12:00 PM–5:30 PM; it opens 90 minutes before showtime.
SFJAZZ Center and its Civic Center location
SFJAZZ Center is on Franklin Street at the corner of Fell Street, in Hayes Valley. The 35,000-square-foot venue opened in January 2013. SFJAZZ describes it as the country’s first stand-alone structure built specifically for jazz performance.
There are two performance spaces: the 700-seat Robert N. Miner Auditorium and the 100-seat Joe Henderson Lab. The second-floor lobby features three commissioned tiled murals by artists Sandow Birk and Elyse Pignolet. For context on the surrounding district and its connections, you can read this guide to getting around Civic Center.
How do you get to SFJAZZ Center?
Muni buses, Muni Metro and BART serve the area around SFJAZZ Center. SFJAZZ lists bus routes 5, 6, 7X, 21, 47, 49, 71, 7/7R and 90, and identifies Van Ness and Civic Center as nearby Muni Metro stations. Civic Center is also a nearby BART station.
For detailed public-transit directions, SFJAZZ directs riders to 511.org. If you’re driving, the SF Performing Arts Garage at 360 Grove Street, three blocks away, is usually the venue’s best nearby parking option.
Other garages include Civic Center Garage at 355 McAllister Street, Fox Plaza Garage at 1390 Market Street and Opera Plaza Garage at 601 Van Ness Avenue. SFJAZZ no longer offers prepaid parking; metered street parking is subject to availability.
From European Hostel, SFJAZZ Center is about an 11-minute walk. The European Hostel rooms are in the Civic Center area.
Finding a performance and buying tickets
Check the SFJAZZ performance calendar for show details and available tickets. SFJAZZ recommends checking its website during the week of your show and again shortly before you visit to confirm event details.
You can also buy in person at the box office, whose regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 12:00 PM–5:30 PM; it is closed Monday and Tuesday and opens 90 minutes before showtime.
The box office and will-call open 90 minutes before showtime. Tickets may be available there on the night, including some seats released before a sold-out show. In-person box-office purchases and day-of-show door sales have no service charges. Buy through SFJAZZ: third-party online ticket reselling is prohibited, and tickets bought through other vendors cannot be honored.
Ticket prices vary by theatre area. The highest price is for the most-front and most-central seats; some of the lowest-priced seats at certain venues may have limited or obstructed views. Exchanges require at least 48 hours’ notice and cost $25 per transaction, with the fee waived for members at Contributor level and above.
Tickets are non-refundable except when a performance is cancelled. Returns for box-office credit are accepted up to 48 hours before a show for a $25 fee, also waived for those members.
Arrival, seating and access
Plan to arrive in time for the show: late arrivals must wait in the lobby until a break, when an usher can help them find their seats. Ticket holders can attend free pre-concert talks, which begin one hour before showtime.
SFJAZZ describes the Center as fully accessible. You can select wheelchair-accessible seats online using the wheelchair symbol or request them by phone through the Box Office. Assistive listening devices are available for most performances from Front of House. Request ASL interpretation at least two weeks before the performance.
Cameras and photography are not allowed in the theatre. Food is not allowed in the auditorium, though drinks purchased at a lobby bar may be brought in. The lobby bars serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and B-Side Restaurant and Lounge serves food inside the Center.
Making an evening plan nearby
B-Side is a full-service restaurant and bar inside SFJAZZ Center, so you can make a meal part of your visit without leaving the venue. If you’re planning more time in the neighborhood, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is another Civic Center attraction.
SFJAZZ recommends against bringing children younger than ten to regular shows, and every child needs a ticket for admission. Children of all ages can attend Family Concerts.
Before you go: Show details can change, so check the official SFJAZZ site before you go.
FAQs
Where is SFJAZZ Center?
It is at 201 Franklin Street, at the corner of Franklin and Fell streets in Hayes Valley, San Francisco.
Can you buy tickets at the door?
Tickets may be available at the box office on the night of a show, including some seats released before a sold-out performance. The box office and will-call open 90 minutes before showtime.
Can you bring food into the auditorium?
No. Food is not allowed in the auditorium, but drinks purchased at a lobby bar may be brought in.
How can you request wheelchair-accessible seating?
Select seats marked with the wheelchair symbol online or request accessible seats by phone through the Box Office.