The 117-Minute Stage
Three published blocks make the performance. Act I runs 47 minutes, the intermission runs 20 and Act II runs 50. The production page prints the three figures under Run Time. The total is 117 minutes, or one hour 57 minutes.
Curtain Times and Their Finishes
The run holds 35 performances across 20 dates from 4 to 27 December 2026. Fifteen performances start at 7:00 pm, 13 at 2:00 pm, three at 6:00 pm, two at 11:00 am and two at 4:00 pm.
Each start plus 117 minutes gives the finish. A 7:00 pm curtain ends at 8:57 pm and a 2:00 pm curtain ends at 3:57 pm. The 11:00 am performance on 24 and 27 December ends at 12:57 pm, and the 4:00 pm performance on those dates ends at 5:57 pm.
The house publishes a closing clock. The Opera House lobbies close 30 minutes after the end of a performance and the doors are locked at that time. The latest exit lands at 9:27 pm after a 7:00 pm curtain and 4:27 pm after a 2:00 pm curtain.
The Arrival Clock
The FAQ asks patrons to arrive at least 45 minutes before the performance. It gives the Will Call queue as the reason. Will Call tickets are held at the box office in the Main Lobby, and that desk opens four hours before the performance on performance days.
The Opera House lobby opens one hour before the performance. The FAQ gives the lobby as the place for food and drink ahead of the start.
Late arrivals do not reach their seats during a work in progress in the Repertory Season. Nutcracker latecomers sit at the discretion of management.
Dining Clocks Before the Curtain
Prelude at the Opera House sits in the Lower Lounge and opens two hours before the 2:00 pm Sunday performances and the 7:00 pm Tuesday to Saturday performances. Prelude opens one hour before 6:00 pm shows.
The North Box Restaurant sits on the north mezzanine. It opens two hours before the 2:00 pm Sunday performance and the 7:00 pm Tuesday to Saturday performances. Its other window is one hour before 2:00 pm Tuesday to Saturday performances, the 7:00 pm Sunday performance and the 6:00 pm shows.
Cafe Express on the lower level south side serves sandwiches, salads and snacks. Intermission bars sit on every level.
The plan-your-visit page prints no Prelude or North Box clock for the 11:00 am and 4:00 pm performances on 24 and 27 December.
Intermission Without the Queue
The house takes intermission drink orders by email at operahousepreorder@ggcatering.com. The plan-your-visit page asks patrons to place the order before the curtain goes up, and it states that a San Francisco health mandate is added to every check.
No outside food enters the house. A drink bought in the house enters the auditorium in the approved compostable cup with a lid.
Getting Out of the Civic Center
The War Memorial Opera House stands at 301 Van Ness Avenue at Grove Street. The plan-your-visit page puts the house a short walk from the Civic Center BART and MUNI stations and the Van Ness MUNI station.
The same page names the Performing Arts Garage as the nearest garage. It also lists the Civic Center Garage, the Opera Plaza Garage and the UC Law SF Parking Garage. Garage entry takes time inside the hour before a performance, according to the page.
The house publishes no shuttle, no group departure clock and no post-curtain meeting point.
The Sensory Friendly Slot
One dated performance carries a named programme. The 11:00 am performance on Sunday 27 December is the Sensory Friendly Performance, adapted to meet the needs of neurodiverse audiences.