Panama-Pacific International Exposition Centennial opening highlights

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20

San Francisco Ethnic Dance

Festival — Noon, City Hall. The annual event launches its 2015 Season under the rotunda of San Francisco City Hall.

Palace After Dark — 9-10 p.m., Palace of the Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon Ave. The public is invited to stroll the Palace grounds — see what it looked like in 1915!

There will be a film and light show by Optic Flare in the theater lobby.

Palace After Dark is made possible by a grant from Taube Philanthropies with additional funding from The Friend Family.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21

PPIE100 Community Day — Palace of Fine Arts, Noon-5 p.m. PPIE100 Community Day will be a free, open to-the-public celebration of music, arts, history and innovation — all of the things that made the 1915 World’s Fair such a special moment a century ago. The programming and attractions will be provided by nearly 30 community organizations and some of the largest Bay Area cultural institutions, including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Exploratorium, Bay Area Discovery Museum and a new exhibit at the California Historical Society.

Community Day will serve as the first public opening of Innovation Hangar (iHangar), a unique social innovation space that facilitates connections, ideas and investments in a way that simply cannot happen in the virtual world. The day will focus on engaging young people and families with hands-on activities.

Palace After Dark — 7-10 p.m., Palace of the Fine Arts.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22

City Rising: San Francisco and The 1915 World’s Fair — Noon-5 p.m., California Historical Society, 678 Mission St. Opening of City Rising: San Francisco and The

1915 World’s Fair from CHS headquarters. It is a stunning jewel-box show, highlighting the Fair’s history, beauty, complexity, and impact. Includes posters, historical artifacts and souvenirs of the Fair. For more information, visit www.calhist.org.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23

Commonwealth Club panel

discussion — 6:30-9 p.m. Commonwealth Club, 555 Post Street. A discussion on the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, moderated by Dr. Anthea Hartig, with Dr. Kevin Starr and San Francisco cultural leaders. For tickets, visit www.commonwealthclub.org.

TUESDAY, MARCH 3

Ferry Building lighting — 6:15 p.m. Ferry Building. For the duration of the 1915 Exposition, the Ferry Building was festooned with lights, a beacon proudly proclaiming “1915” to the world. This lighting will be recreated in a civic ceremony beginning at 5:30 p.m. Lights will be switched on at 6:15 p.m. and remain on until Dec. 4, the night the Fair closed. All are welcome. Made possible by a grant from Taube Philanthropies and other community supporters. That same evening, in the Ferry Building at Book Passage, Laura Ackley will be signing her book “San Francisco’s Jewel City.”