25 Can’t-Miss Events to Check Out in 2025
Concerts, food festivals, films, art exhibits, plays, musicals, comedy & more.
Jeanne Hachette at the Siege of Beauvais by Jean–Jacques–François Le Barbier, courtesy of the Horvitz Collection and the Crocker Art Museum
Reform to Restoration
June 1–Sept. 14 In times of tumult, history can be an omen, a balm, or both. Whatever your political persuasion, there might not be a better time to immerse yourself in the lessons of one of the most fraught eras in Western cultural history. Assembling 125 drawings and 20 paintings courtesy of the United States’ preeminent private collector of early French pieces, Reform to Restoration: French Art from Louis XVI to Louis XVIII from the Horvitz Collection brings works by renowned talents like Jacques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Antoine-François Callet, Pauline Auzou and Jean-Jacques-François Le Barbier (the drawing of his masterpiece Jeanne Hachette at the Siege of Beauvais is shown above) to the Crocker Art Museum. Illustrating the turns of culture during the fall of the ancient French monarchy, the rise and bloodiest days of the Revolution, the imperial rule of Napoleon and the ultimate return of the Bourbons to the throne, everything from current events to religion and mythology meld together in this historical tapestry of art. crockerart.org
Portrait by Chino Lemus, courtesy of the Golden 1 Center
Alejandro Fernández
Sept. 19 “I was born with two blessings,” singer Alejandro Fernández recently posted in Spanish on Instagram, “that of being born Mexican and that of being born a Fernández.” The three-time Latin Grammy Award winner’s new tour and album are a tribute to his late father, the undisputed king of traditional Mexican music, Vicente Fernández. A project that began before the icon’s death in 2021, the soon-to-drop album De Rey a Rey (From King to King) sees the son re-recording the father’s greatest hits—including the first single “No Me Sé Rajar.” With more than 100 recorded albums in his dad’s oeuvre, the younger Fernández had no shortage of classics to choose from for the album and upcoming tour stop at the Golden 1 Center, but expect selections from across Vicente Fernández’s career like “Volver, Volver” and “Estos Celos” in a celebration of his full and lasting legacy. “I will sing them with dignity,” Fernández told Billboard magazine. golden1center.com
Royal Chicano Air Force
Sept. 25–April 5, 2026 In the early 1970s, RCAF briefly stood for “Rebel Chicano Arts Forum.” But after learning that the acronym also stood for “Royal Canadian Air Force,” the Sacramento artist collective cheekily changed their name to Royal Chicano Air Force—and they’ve been a force ever since, creating generations of graphic art, murals and installations. In 1975, the RCAF mounted what was among the nation’s first public celebrations of the Day of the Dead. “It is about remembrance, assuring that we don’t forget the persons who have gone before,” historian and UC Davis professor Terezita Romo says, in a description as fitting of the Mexican holiday as it is of the new Sacramento History Museum exhibit she has curated, The RCAF in Mictlán: 50th Anniversary of Día de los Muertos. An RCAF member who helped organize that first 1975 event, Romo is bridging the ancient (“Mictlán” being the Aztec afterlife) and the modern, with a collection of over 100 photos, videos, posters and other artifacts to commemorate a half-century of transformation. sachistorymuseum.org
One Battle After Another
Sept. 26 Is the River City the new Hollywood North? After all, it’s getting the marquee treatment in the soon-to-be-released comedy Sacramento starring Michael Cera and Kristen Stewart, whose set locations included Gunther’s Ice Cream and Old Sacramento. Then in August, it will reappear on the silver screen in one of this year’s most anticipated films, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. Last February, Leonardo DiCaprio and company showed up in town to shoot the writer-director’s 10th feature, which boasts a powerhouse ensemble that also includes Sean Penn, Regina Hall and Benicio del Toro and follows visionary classics like There Will Be Blood, Licorice Pizza and Boogie Nights. Details about the surreal heist thriller—which was partially filmed locally, at spots like Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s house in the Fab 40s, the Sacramento County Courthouse and the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel—have been scarce, but it’s reported to be a loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, a novel about former 1960s radicals fighting against corrupt government agents in the ’80s. One Battle will also be Anderson’s first movie to be shown on IMAX—but whether you choose to watch it on a wide screen or not, avoid the battle over seats and grab your tickets early for this expected summer blockbuster.
Image by Lunia Blue, courtesy of the B Street Theatre
’Tis the Season: Hometown Holidays, Traditions of Sacramento & Northern California
Nov. 23–Dec. 22 If the title ’Tis the Season sounds a tad too traditional for your taste, maybe do a double take, because B Street Theatre’s artistic director Lyndsay Burch lovingly dubs this series, now in its third incarnation, “a holiday Saturday Night Live for all ages.” This annual comedy show—which features about eight vignettes and a different theme each year—combines wit with enough warmth to enlarge the heart of any Grinch. And with its new hyperlocal theme, the 2025 production will highlight many of our region’s beloved winter traditions, from pilgrimages to Apple Hill, to seeing the Christmas lights in the Fab 40s, to weekend snow trips to the Sierras. For those home for the holidays, this show promises to tickle the nostalgia bone of any child—or inner child—of Sacramento. bstreettheatre.org
Photo by Gold Country Photos, courtesy of the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce
Victorian Christmas
Dec. 7–21 Bundle up in your woolies, pop some chestnuts on an open fire, and pour yourself a draught of mulled wine—it’s time to roll back time to celebrate Victorian Christmas, named by Fodor’s Travel as one of the top 10 holiday celebrations in America. A regional tradition since 1978, this year’s festivities are expected to run every Sunday and Wednesday from Dec. 7–21, transforming Nevada City’s historic downtown into a winter wonderland—in no small part thanks to enthusiastic and diligent decoration by local Boy Scouts. Along with a fire pit where you can roast your own chestnuts, past gatherings have included cold-weather libations from hot chocolate to hot apple toddy, a surprisingly eclectic array of local food—think savory Japanese pancakes from Grass Valley’s Hachidori Cooking, olive oil tasting from Newcastle’s Baroness Olive Oil, and homemade fudge from Sacramento’s Fudging Around—and more than 100 artisans offering up handcrafted holiday gifts. Keep an eye out also for chance meetings with walking toy soldiers, Icelandic fairies and even Father Christmas himself—a perfect incentive to stay on his nice list all year long. nevadacitychamber.com
