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I just landed from a quick trip to a giant techno festival in my hometown, Detroit—and boy, are my everything tired. But this weekend here in our beautiful city is popping with things to do, so I wanted to give you a quick rundown of ways to get out of your house and into the sunshine (or, in a couple cases, into the comfort of the dark). Don’t sit on your keister, meister!
FRI/31: SUNSET NIGHTS WITH PARANOID LONDON LIVE! The annual Sunset Campout later this month is a hoot and a half, bringing together house and techno freaks for generations, and hosted by Sunset, one of SF’s founding rave crews. Rev up your engines with one of the most critically acclaimed techno acts, Paranoid London, who will pull you through the acid-tinged looking glass. 7pm-4am, The Foundry, SF. More info here.
SAT/1: 4TH ANNUAL JUNETEENTH ON THE WATERFRONT I love this event so much—and the fact that it’s early this year is even better, because we can celebrate Juneteenth all month long. 20+ Black-owned craft and food vendors set up shop at Ferry Plaza, part of Foodwise’s “Pop-Ups on the Plaza” program. Not only will you be supporting Black businesses and enjoying insanely good food and entertainment, but you will probably leave with a new hot sauce in your bag as well. I always do. 9am-2pm, Ferry Plaza, SF. More info here.
SAT/1: TEA DANCE AT PRESIDIO TUNNEL TOPS The tea dance is a traditional afternoon dance at gay discos, and you can kick off your Pride month at SF’s newest park, the Presidio Tunnel Tops, dancing and carrying on in the sunshine with DJs Brown Amy and Jason Godfrey, with a special vocal performance by Tobirus Mozelle. It’s all brought to us by the Music Connects crew. Free, all ages, and all are welcome! 1pm-4pm, Presidio Tunnel Tops, SF. More info here.
SAT/1: PINTS FOR PAWS Raise ’em high for furry four-legged friends in need. Local craft brewers and liquor makers come together to raise funds for Berkeley Humane’s life-saving program, with unlimited pours that will get your tail wagging. 2pm-5pm, Berkeley Humane, SF. More info here.
SAT/1: NAOMI KLEIN: NAVIGATING THE MIRROR WORLD This event is part of the big Bay Area Book Festival, happening this weekend in Berkeley. Bestselling author Naomi Klein kept getting mistaken for another famous author, Naomi Wolf, whose worldview was the opposite of hers (anti-vax, academic failure, conspiracy theorist, batshit crazy). She’ll talk about the book she wrote about the experience—and the strangeness of contemporary identity—during this conversation. 7:30pm, Freight and Salvage, Berkeley. More info here.
SUN/2: SWAGGER LIKE US SF SEASON FINALE Just 12 years ago (and despite a long history, including hip-hop Monday nights at the Stud in the 1990s) quality, up-to-the-minute hip-hop was hard to find at queer clubs—let alone a party that featured queer hip-hop itself! Times changed when Kelly Lovemonster and DJ davOmakesbeats started throwing family affairs at El Rio that soon blossomed into full-on bangers, becoming a huge stop on the queer rap circuit that ran wild in the 2010s. Now they are “rapping” things up with this bonkers party, featuring Cakes Da Killa, Saturn Risin9, Micahtron, Honey Bear and so many more. 3pm-8pm, El Rio, SF. More info here.
SUN/2: “PROUD BEFORE PRIDE: QUEER SAN FRANCISCO 1955-1970” For Pride’s 50th anniversary, comics wiz Justin Hall produced a series of drawings detailing the history of the LGBTQ community in SF before Gay Lib—”from the earliest lesbian civil rights organization to the first instance of an openly gay person running for political office in the US, to the riot by trans women and drag queens that sparked the modern trans rights movement, San Francisco led the way before Stonewall.” The drawings were blown up to poster size and hung up in bus kiosks throughout the city. Now, you can see the originals at the wonderful Bona Vada barbershop and gallery throughout Pride month, don’t miss this opening party. 5pm-8pm, Bona Vada, SF. More info here.
SUN/2: PURPLE DISCO MACHINE ON TREASURE ISLAND The German maestro of disco recombobulations comes to the Bay Area for a sunny affair on Treasure Island with his injection-powered bass lines, vocal earworms, and oodles of dance floor revelers waving giant fans.
MON/3: DARK ALLEYS ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY AND GOTH PRIDE NIGHT You’ve taken the skinheads bowling—but what about the goths? DJ Tom Axe’s goth-industrial-darkwave night at Mission Bowling Club turns one with spooky tunes from Playa, Starr Noir, Polly Eurethane—plus you reveling in the gutters. 6pm-10pm, Mission Bowling Club, SF. More info here.
TUE/4: ODD SALON: BANANAS Odd Salon digs up weird and wonderful stories about forgotten history, science, and culture, bringing them to life with hilarious presentations in a room full of curious, delighted strangers. Let’s get bananas! 6:30pm-10pm, Public Works, SF. More info here.
