Sam Smith Sets 'To Be Free: San Francisco' Residency for 2026 at the Castro Theatre

Multi-Platinum artist and songwriter Sam Smith has set, “To Be Free: San Francisco,” an eight-night residency at the Castro Theatre, a designated landmark in the heart of the city’s LGBTQ+ cultural epicenter.

Kicking off February 10, 2026, Smith's performances will officially ring in the venue’s reopening following two years of renovations. Said Sam Smith, “ I LOVE San Francisco and The Castro especially has been so central to the Queer community here over the years. These shows will also celebrate the official reopening, so it's truly an honour to become part of this iconic venue's history.”

To mark the announcement, they have shared a soul-stirring cover of the 1971 Bill Withers classic “Ain’t No Sunshine” set to a video filmed at the beloved theater and in the surrounding Castro District. Watch it below. “To Be Free: San Francisco” goes on sale Tuesday, October 7, at 10 a.m. PT. See below for all dates and visit here.

The series is a continuation of Smith's upcoming residency “To Be Free: New York City,” which begins on October 8 at Brooklyn’s Warsaw club. With the New York City residency kicking off next week, they are appearing tonight on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for a sit-down interview. They’ll also return to the show tomorrow night, Wednesday, October 1, as the featured musical guest. The initial run of 12 shows for “To Be Free: New York City” sold out immediately, prompting Sam to add 12 additional dates at the intimate venue stretching into November and December. Both residencies take their name from Sam’s soaring new single, “To Be Free.” 

Another Planet Entertainment’s The Castro was built as a movie palace in 1922 with an interior designed by one of San Francisco's most prominent architects, Timothy Pfleuger. The space swirls up an array of worldly influences and includes stunning original artwork on the ceilings, famous sgraffito murals along the walls, and an ornate chandelier, among other features. All of that has been restored as part of a $40 million rehabilitation project that’s also opened the venue up for standing-room music performances and facilitated the installation of “the world’s largest and most versatile digital organ.”

Sam Smith is one of the most celebrated musical artists to emerge in recent history. A five-time GRAMMY® winner, Sam holds two Guinness World Records — one for the most consecutive weeks in the U.K. Top 10 Album Chart (with their 2014 debut In the Lonely Hour), and one for having the first James Bond theme to reach No.1 on the U.K. charts (the Oscar and Golden Globe-winning “Writing’s on the Wall”). Sam has amassed over 40 million equivalent album sales, 300 million single sales, and over 56 billion career streams across their catalog of critically acclaimed albums: In the Lonely Hour, The Thrill of It All, Love Goes, and Gloria, which Rolling Stone praised as “their deepest album yet” and includes the global smash “Unholy” featuring Kim Petras. The track spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and four weeks at No. 1 on the UK Official Singles Chart, making it Sam’s eighth to top the tally. In June 2025, Sam released the stunning live album BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.

Sam Smith – “To Be Free: New York City” 2025 Warsaw Residency Dates

Wednesday,   October 8

Friday,             October 10

Saturday,        October 11

Wednesday,   October 15

Friday,             October 17

Saturday,        October 18

Tuesday,          October 21

Wednesday,   October 22

Friday,             October 24

Wednesday,   October 29

Thursday,       October 30

Friday,            October 31

Wednesday,  November 19

Friday,            November 21

Saturday,       November 22

Wednesday,   November 26

Friday,             November 28

Saturday,        November 29

Wednesday,   December 3

Friday,             December 5

Saturday,        December 6

Wednesday,   December 10

Friday             December 12

Saturday        December 13

Sam Smith – “To Be Free: San Francisco” 2026 Castro Theatre Residency Dates

Tuesday,          February 10

Wednesday,   February 11

Friday,             February 13

Saturday,        February 14

Tuesday,          February 17

Wednesday,   February 18

Friday,             February 20

Saturday,        February 21

Photo credit: Collier Schorr