As we near the real summer months in San Francisco and people stop hiding from the fog, my social calendar gets particularly crowded. And it's not all about Outside Lands or the World's Ugliest Dog Contest. The local arts scene is heating up too, so we've put the best on our radar for you choose fill your own sunnier days:
Think of the SF Underground Marketat SOMArts as a craft fair but with delicious food instead of handmade messenger bags and silkscreened shirts. It's a twelve-hour extravaganza this Saturday, July 24 that's split into two shifts. In the morning from 11 am-4 pm, vendors will be selling things like desserts, soaps, produce, and jams, while the second shift, from 6 pm til midnight, has vendors (like Kitchen Sidecar, Biscuit Boy, and Homeroom) offering eats that are hot and ready, as well as beer from local breweries and music. If you bring your own cup, plate and silverware, you get a dollar off admission. Buy advance $2 tickets here, and $5 night tickets here. To enter the market you must sign up to be a member, which is easy and free.
Market SF is the perfect storm of hand-picked local designers coming together for a few hours of Saturday perusing, Mimosa and Bloody Mary-sipping, and DJs. And since many of these designers can be found on Etsy, you'll be kicking shipping charges to the curb and scoring new knick knacks crafted by your fellow Bay Areans. Stop by the Blue Macaw in the Mission this Saturday, July 24 at noon.
The Renegade Craft Fair descends upon Fort Mason Center at the beginning of August like a swarm of hipsters at an American Apparel fire sale. Over 225 of today's best and brightest indie-craft talents from all over the nation set up shop here for two solid days of shopping, craft workshops (amped up by DJs from Amoeba Music and a cash bar!) and entertainment. Don't worry, this isn't the kind of stuff that ends up on Regretsy.
Alamo Square Indie Mart & Flea Market is the best of both worlds. It's a one-day mash-up of DIY, antiques and vintage goods, plus workshops from, uh, Workshop (whom we at 7x7 love) on the slopes of Alamo Square Park. You can bring dogs (if you don't have one of those, there will be some up for adoption!) and your family too to enjoy food, crafts and vintage on Saturday, August 21st.
ArtSpan's SF Open Studios is the first and largest open studios program in the country. The progressive annual celebration of art and community sprawls across the entire city, from artists' enclave to artists' enclave, for curious eyes to get a glimpse at the creative process in all its forms. Gala weekend starts on October 2nd, and artists' doors are open throughout the month.
If you've never been to a free museum day in San Francisco, you don't deserve to call yourself a San Franciscan. We have world class museums of every persuasion, from the Asian Art Museum to the Conservatory of Flowers to the Cartoon Art Museum to the Museé Mechanique (my personal favorite), and countless others. Take advantage of this gift the city gives to us once every month, because everything looks, sounds and tastes better when it's free!
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