Take a trip to Asia (without the hassle of lost bags and canceled flights) at the return of FoodieLand Night Market in Berkeley this week. (Courtesy of FoodieLand Night Market)
26 Fun Things to Do This Week (8.8.22)
08 August 2022
The California Garlic Festival is stinkin' things up in the best way possible, FoodieLand Night Market will transport you to the streets of Bangkok, and Gravenstein Apple Fair highlights the best of Sonoma County.
Closer to home, Nisei celebrates its first anniversary with a special tasting menu, a cajun residency is spicing things up at Turntable at Lord Stanley, and Bar Agricole is back!
Have a good one!
Snag a reservation for freshly reopened Bar Agricole: The James Beard Award–winning, seasonal cocktail bar is back in an all new location after a pandemic hiatus. The 34-seat tasting room will soon double as headquarters for proprietor Thad Vogler's single-origin spirits company; Tuesday to Sunday, 5:30pm to 11pm. // 1540 Mission St. (SoMa); reservations required tock.com
Join the dynamic Miss Faye Carol, legendary drummer Dennis Chambers, and two-time Grammy Award–winning saxophonist Casey Benjamin for an all-star evening of jazz, blues, funk, and beyond; Tuesday at 8pm. // Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West (Oakland); tickets at yoshis.com
Backstreet’s back in the Bay for their DNA World Tour. Somehow, the beloved boy band’s still got it and Nick, Howie, AJ, Brian, and Kevin are bringing their larger than life music and moves to Concord Pavilion, Tuesday at 7:30pm. // 2000 Kirker Pass Rd. (Concord); tickets at livenation.com.
Taste the flavors of NOLA when chef Melissa Martin, of New Orleans’ Mosquito Supper Club, takes up residence at Turntable. Signed copies of her new James Beard Award–winning cookbook, Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou, will be available; Tuesdays through Saturdays, through August 26th. // Turntable at Lord Stanley, 2065 Polk St. (Nob Hill); tickets at tock.com
Join bestselling authors Kirstin Chen (Counterfeit), Ingrid Rojas Contreras (Fruit of the Drunken Tree), and Vanessa Hua (A River of Stars) for a conversation that just might help you find your next favorite book; Tuesday at 6pm. // SF Main Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin St. (Civic Center), sfpl.org
Join bestselling novelist, feminist, and philanthropist Isabel Allende for a discussion on writing, political voice, and the state of feminism in America; Tuesday at 7pm. // The Commons, KQED Headquarters, 2601 Mariposa St. (Mission); tickets at kqed.org
Toast to Veuve Clicquot’s 250th anniversary. The Ritz-Carlton's Solaire Terrasse courtyard will be pouring bubbly and Champagne cocktails (featuring herbs from the garden) to pair with seafood towers and dairy or vegan gelatos; 1pm to 6pm Thursdays through Sundays, through September 30th. // 600 Stockton St. (Nob Hill); reservations at ritzcarlton.com
Settle into a reclining deck chair or bean bag at SF's only year-round outdoor movie experience. The Cut Outdoor Cinema has a calendar filled with cult classics and community programming. Entry includes a cozy blanket and headphones for immersive hi-fi audio; Fridays to Sundays. // The Cut at The Crossing, 250 Main St. (SoMa); tickets at thecutoutdoorcinema.com
Eat with your mouth closed and laugh with it open at Hella Funny, a live standup comedy sesh paired with bites from Tyler Florence's steakhouse, Miller & Lux. The two-hour show will feature comedians including the Bay's own Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, Ellis Rodriguez, and Stroy Moyd; Friday at 6pm. // Thrive City at Chase Center, 1725 3rd St. (Mission Bay); RSVP at chasecenter.com
Relive the suburban summer you maybe never had at Dublin’s new waterpark, The Wave. The City of Dublin is offering free admission when you arrive by 8:30am and half-priced entry until noon; Friday. // 4201 Central Pkwy (Dublin), thedublinwave.com
Celebrate Nisei's first anniversary with a 12-course tasting menu featuring favorite dishes from the last year. Menu highlights include crab shinjo, braised abalone, and wagyu katsu; Friday through Sunday, this weekend only. // Nisei, 2316 Polk St. (Russian Hill); tickets available on tock.com
Throw down at Trombone Shorty’s Voodoo Threauxdown, a curated mini music festival highlighting the history and future of New Orleans sound. Guests include Tank and the Bangas, Big Freedia, and more; Friday, 6pm. // Oxbow RiverStage, 1268 McKinstry St. (Napa), oxbowriverstage.com
Take a trip to Asia at FoodieLand Night Market, which brings more than 150 multicultural food and drink vendors together along with arts, crafts, games, and live entertainment with views of the Bay; 3pm to 9:30pm Friday, 1pm to 9:30pm Saturday and Sunday. // Golden Gate Fields, 1100 Eastshore Hwy (Berkeley); tickets at eventbrite.com
Catch up on the tea with Oakland’s rising star Renaissance man Michael Wayne Turner III, who's bringing his one-man hip hop production, Hat Matter: Thoughts of a Black Mad Hatter, to SF after a successful run in Oakland. A whipsmart mingling of poems, stories, monologues, and dandy fashion, you've never seen a show like this; 7:30pmFriday through Sunday. // Z Space, 450 Florida St. (Mission); tickets at zspace.org
Get a little mountain high at Tahoe's Brews, Jazz, and Funk Fest. Expect music on two stages plus a lineup of beers from local breweries including Sierra Nevada, Moonraker, and Deschutes Brewing. Proceeds will benefit the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe; Saturday and Sunday, 3pm to 8pm. // The Village at Palisades Tahoe; tickets at palisadestahoe.com
Head to the 21st annual Laurel Street Fair for live music, DJs, artisan vendors, food trucks, a craft beer garden, and local chefs; Saturday, 11am to 7pm. // MacArthur Blvd. and Brown St. (Oakland); details at laureldistrictassociation.org
Join the African American Quilt Guild of Oakland for a guided quilting workshop and family art-making in celebration of the art of Faith Ringgold, whose work is currently on view at the de Young; Saturday, 11am to 3pm. // de Young Museum (Golden Gate Park), deyoung.famsf.org
Groove to the reggae rhythms of J Boog, The Green, The Expendables, and more at Cali Roots Sessions; Saturday, 2pm till late. // The Midway, 900 Marin St. (Bayview); tickets at tixr.com
Bad breath is fair game at the California Garlic Festival, which returns with new management and a fresh location but all the same creative garlic-centric dishes, live cooking demos, and garlic merch we’ve come to love; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 7pm. // San Joaquin County Fairgrounds (Stockton); tickets at eventbrite.com
Get yourself an earworm at Australian artist Tones And I’s headlining show; Saturday at 9pm. // The Independent, 628 Divisadero (Fillmore); tickets at ticketmaster.com
Watch the sidewalks come to life at the Chocolate & Chalk Art Festival. As if that weren't fun enough, there will also be tons of chocolate-y goodies to savor; Saturday, 10am to 5pm. // Shattuck Ave. and Cedar St. (Berkeley); tickets at eventbrite.com
Roll with the best of ‘em (i.e. Church of 8 Wheels) at Saturday Night Skate. Fuel up with dinner and drinks in the Ferry Building Marketplace, then strap on a free pair of skates and show off your best moves outside with amazing views of the Bay; Saturday, 7pm to 10pm. // SFFerry Building (Embarcadero); RSVP at eventbrite.com
The in-person return of the 29th annual Pistahan Parade and Festival is something worth celebrating. The free, two-day event features hands-on and authentic cultural experiences in eight pavilions: art, culinary, dance, health, heritage, innovation, sports, and tavern. The Filipino heritage celebration will culminate with a parade on Market Street; Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 5pm. // Yerba Buena Gardens (SoMa); details at pistahan.net
Raise your Anchor to the craft beer that started it all at the seventh annual Anchor Steam Week. Be the first to shop the new limited Steam X Culk capsule collection brewed up with SF artist Sam Culkins. Plus, enjoy Anchor Steam flights, beer-battered fish tacos from Sam's Chowder Mobile, a DJ spinning vinyl, games, prizes, and more; 12:30pm to 4pm Sunday. // Anchor Public Taps, 495 De Haro St. (Potrero Hill); details at facebook.com/anchorpublictaps
Thank you to our partners at Anchor Steam.
Be ready to come hungry and leave inspired: Heritage Fire, the nationwide live-fire food and wine tour, is returning to Charles Krug Winery in Napa. The feast will highlight star chefs, whole-animal cookery, heirloom produce, local wineries, and more; Sunday, August 21st. // Tickets are all-inclusive of food, wine, and beer and are available at heritagefiretour.com.
Thank you to our partners at Heritage Fire.