The Castro Theatre — Attraction in San Francisco

The Castro is a beautiful and historic theater on Castro Street, near Market, in the heart of the Castro, the famous gay neighborhood. The 1400-seat theater has a live organist, a beautiful interior, and is chock full of history. It's great to see old kitschy movies there or go for a film festival or special screening. The Castro Theatre is a treasure!

[Update March 2019] I love the Castro Theatre and have been here many times over the years.

Last night, I went with friends to the Bohemian Rhapsody Sing-a-Long, which was one of the most fun nights I've had in years. Of course I had already seen the movie, which you should anyway but it makes this kind of event even better, and then seeing it this way was a special treat.

With a $16 admission, you get a goodie bag filled with a paper gold crown, which most people wore, a glow stick, a popper thing, and a little bottle for blowing bubbles. The theatre was completely packed with a diverse crowd ready for fun.

The Castro Theatre is beautiful, they have a live organist, arranged a little costume show off, and seem to care about their patrons enjoying themselves.

We sang, we sighed, we whooped, we applauded and we hissed, we laughed and we cried, and we were all in it together. Like Queen says about Queen, we were a family, at least for a couple hours. And it was magical.

I...

The six vertical letters attached to the facade of the theater are probably the brightest part of the building. I have to say I am a bit disappointed by its dark interior that really can use some good lighting. The seats are comfortable but the decorations look very dull. I can tell there used to be glory but they faded away and desperately needs some restoration.

Even so, I appreciate what the theater does for the community. We went for a Saturday three features marathon starting from 5 pm until almost midnight. You can have your hand stamped and go out eat and come back later during the shows. The projection on the screen is not super sized but it's crispy clear. The echo of audio is little bit distracting, but I bet that adds flavor to live performance and concerts. Even this place is not brand new, but facility is maintained and functioning well.

The best of if is that it does not show 40-minutes long commercials in other for profit cinemas. You go in, enjoy the live organ performance to soothe your mind, then lights dim and movie starts.

I bet there are lot of memories and stories heard and seen by the high ceiling. I hope people will continue to support the iconic monument that is part of...

I've passed by this historic theatre numerous times, but only recently went inside. I was expecting a dinky venue, but looks can be deceiving!

Our vacation to South America started off here, so a local friend got us tickets to "Whitney: Can I Be Me". The documentary offers a different perspective of her downward spiral, including claims of possible bisexuality.

THE THEATRE: The lobby area is small and includes the usual concession stand and restrooms. We were in the nosebleed level three, so we headed upstairs. The inside is huge! I didn't expect so many seats nor its grandeur. Seat size is adequate and pretty comfortable, but it was hella warm inside, to the point of uncomfortableness near the end of the 2-hour movie. The screen was also big enough for easy viewing for us in the heavens. Acoustics were very good and not echoey.

CONCESSION: The popcorn smelled ridiculously good but tasted average. Two medium popcorns, two medium sodas and one large soda rang in at over $30.

RESTROOMS: I love the now-becoming "all gender" theme. Nothing like seeing sanitary napkin bins and no urinals,...