Welcome to our new calendar feature BIG WEEK! Each week, our expert Arts & Culture writers recommend the best things for you to do in the best city on earth: Arts, Music, Food & Drink, Stage, Film, Nightlife, and more.
ARTS
Tons more to do and support right here.
SAT/7: OAKLAND CARNIVAL & WELLNESS FESTIVAL The spot for joyful noise, the 11th edition of this local Caribbean celebration features yoga, dance, and tai chi classes, fun for the kiddos, and of course, a stellar lineup of acts to keep you moving. This year’s edition features headliner, Trinidadian soca artist Olatunji, and is presented as ever by local dance troupe SambaFunk. Be sure to donate some funds towards the event’s longevity if you go—SambaFunk has not managed to escape the funding woes affecting other local arts organizations. Mosswood Park, Oakland. More info here.
SAT/7: BERNAL HEIGHTS PRIDE FAMILY FIESTA Bernal Heights neighbors are currently hard at work getting approval for a multi-level park located on an unmaintained “unacceptable” street (in the words of the city). All are welcome to today’s activation of the space, a family-friendly Pride celebration with a taco truck, face-painting, and appearance by the Bernal Library. Ogden Avenue between Folsom and Gates, SF. More info here.
SAT/7: JUNETEENTH ON THE WATERFRONT 20 Black food and craft entrepreneurs will be vending their delicious wares at this kick-off to Juneteenth season. Pick up some avocado-infused natural haircare products from Avocurl and Duafe Designs’ waist beads—snacks will include Jamaican beef patties from Lil’ Alijo Catering, sweet potato brownies from Bessie Carter Co., jollof rice plates from That Hausa Vegan, and banana pudding from Maldoni’s. Embarcadero Ferry Terminal Plaza & Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, SF. More info here.
SUN/8-NOVEMBER 30: ROUTED WEST: 20TH CENTURY AFRICAN AMERICAN QUILTS IN CALIFORNIA This exhibition revels in the ravishing quilt designs made during the Second Great Migration, highlighting the connective threads of ancestral knowledge that hold disparate generations together tight. The show runs for the next couple months, but is opening with a free-admission bang on Sunday for BAMPFA’s Community Day. Berkeley Archive Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, SF. More info here.
SUN/8: FREE FAMILY DAY AT SFMOMA The grand museum has declared every second Sunday its free all-ages fun time, and today’s edition has a “Hometown Heroes” theme in honor of artists who live and create in the City By The Bay. Grab the squad for free access to pretty much the entire museum (besides the Ruth Asawa show), hands-on art activities, a raffle of SF book titles, and drag story hour with local treasure Per Sia. SF Museum of Modern Art. More info here.
MUSIC
Hit up John-Paul Shiver’s Under the Stars column for great musical picks every week.
THU/6: ROCHELLE JORDAN AT DOWNTOWN FIRST THURSDAY “ROJO” is a beast, and I mean that in the most fabulous, complimentary way. A fearless interpreter of soul and R&B, one moment she channels vintage UK “garridge,” bass music excursions, and hip-hop in a more elevated form; next, she’s channeling the voices of Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Aaliyah, Amerie, Kelis, and Mariah Carey. Rochelle Jordan makes American R&B interesting, not contrived in a boring-ass cage. So, when this Los Angeles-based artist shows up to perform for a First Thursday spot in Cloud City? Show the eff up and witness what R&B in America should be. Freakin’ dangerous. Second and Howard Streets, SF. More info here.
SAT/7: PUB CHOIR You wanna sing out, then sing out, baby! Here’s a low presh sitch in which to do so. Pub Choir is a casual night of community building by way of vocalizing, where average Joes off the street will hit musical nirvana. The night was created by “loveable lunatic and choir mistress of myth and legend,” Astrid Jorgensen and is an entirely improvised comedy music lesson. At every show, random yodelers learn a brand-new arrangement of one song in three-part harmony en masse. That’s it! There’s no sheet music, auditions, or rehearsals. No presh. UC Theatre, Berkeley. More info here.
other staff picks… SUN/8: BLACK BALL: THE NEGRO LEAGUES AND THE BLUES Composer Marcus Shelby crafted this blues-heavy program for his 15-piece orchestra of song and dance honoring Black baseball greats, from Jackie Robinson to Willie Mays. Audience members are encouraged to come dressed in baseball jerseys and other gear. Ready to play ball? Presidio Theatre, SF. More info here.
FOOD & DRINK
Tamara Palmer’s Good Taste Good Taste column tells you where to stick your fork every week.
COOKBOOK AUTHOR SHARES BUSINESS SECRETS Between cookbooks, novels, and children’s titles, Bay Area author Ying Chang Compestine has written a remarkable 27 books. In a recent Food Book Club newsletter, she talks about how she manages such creative and productive feats and shares a recipe from her latest release, a graphic cookbook called Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and Other Curiously Named Classic Chinese Dishes (Chronicle Books). She also shares her pick for her favorite Chinese restaurant in San Francisco for big social occasions! For more inspiration from Compestine, consider taking one of her writing workshops later in the year.
SAT/7: ROLL UP TO THE HARAJUKU LUMPIA FEST Enjoy the creature comforts of Labubu and lumpia together as Aquarian Artisan Market throws a kawaii Filipino food and Japanese marketplace called the Harajuku Lumpia Fest this weekend. Aquarian hosts Harajuku Foodie Fests regularly around the Bay, but this one hones in on that crunch. The event runs from 10am-5pm, with giveaways for the first 150-300 attendees. Tickets start at $7.18 for general admission. Stonestown Galleria, SF. More info here.
other staff picks… SAT/7: MAMA SANTOS A sweet moment to munch with fellow community members, recurring afternoon gathering Mama Santos is kicking off Pride season with a round of $10 chicken and vegan picadillo tostada plates, plus something sweet to finish you off from Camilles Confections. The menu will be accompanied by beats from DJs Chuck Gunn and Brown Angel, delicious! Kilowatt, SF. More info here.
STAGE
Charles Lewis III hits up theaters and performance spaces every week for his Drama Masks column.
RUNS THROUGH JUNE 15: PACIFIC OVERTURES Mimicking the style of Japanese theatre, Pacific Overtures means to tell the story of how the multi-island nation moved out of its feudal era into the industrial age. That means moving from the age of samurai and kimonos to tailored suits and European delicacies. To the creators’ credit, they at least make an attempt at progressiveness by giving depth to the Japanese characters and portraying Europeans as invasion-happy buffoons. The folks at Kunoichi Productions and SF’s Japanese-themed Theatre of Yugen (whose Nick Ishimaru directs) clearly attempt to inject some genuine Nippon perspective into this rarely-produced anomaly. Yusuke Soi’s sets evoke woodcarvings and Yugen knowledge of classic Japanese theatre is clearly on display. Yet, there’s only so much they can do with a flawed text. Brava! for Women in the Arts, SF. More info here.
other staff picks… WED/4: CIRCUS BELLA 16TH SEASON OPENER Ever since 2008, Circus Bella has been welcoming crowds to its free shows of acrobatics, clowning, and circus glee in the open air. this year’s show HOOPLA! promises “hypnotic hijinks and hilarity” plus no small amount of “madcap mayhem” and foot juggling. DeFremery Park, Oakland. More info here.
other staff picks… THU/5 + FRI/6 JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND: OH WELL The stunning queer chanteuse takes a page from Radclyffe Hall’s lesbian tome The Well of Loneliness for this evening of song. The program promises that Bond will deliver ditties from The Indigo Girls, Joan Armatrading, St. Vincent, and Chappel Roan, all accompanied by enchanting stage presence. Feinstein’s at The Nikko, SF. More info here.
other staff picks… THROUGH JULY 6: DOODLER A one-man LGBTQ whodunnit written and performed by John Fisher follows a young gay intent on finding “The Doodler,” a serial killer who is targeting the community—and leaving behind drawings as their campy, creepy calling card. The Marsh, SF. More info here.
FILM
Dennis Harvey’s long-running Screen Grabs has tons more flicks to recommend.
NIGHTLIFE
Marke B. often knows what’s up.
FRI/6: B.A.S.S. BAY AREA SOLIDARITY STRIKE The once-essential Boiler Room DJ series has not only cheapend its brand with boring sponsorships, it has just been acquired by KKR, “a private equity and investment firm with continued investment in Israeli tech and data firms as well as connections to weapons manufacturers and defense contractors.” This gathering of more than a dozen outstanding underground local DJs is standing in solidarity through mutual aid with artists who have withdrawn from a planned Boiler Room San Francisco edition in protest. 3pm-11pm, safariicamp, Oakland. More info here.
SAT/7: SOUL SLAM We are all about the daytime parties this weekend, apparently! I swear it is not because I am old. DJ Spinna is bringing his amazing Michael Jackson + Prince tribute to Jones after like a decade at the much-missed Mezzanine club, and the genius is that it goes far beyond singalong territory into something cosmic. 2pm-8pm, Jones, SF. More info here.
SUN/8: SALTED W/ SOUL CLAP The 2000s are back (again), baby! Salted brought out all the cute house dancers during that schlocky-glitzy decade with DJs Miguel Miggs, Julius Papp, and Franky Boissy keeping the spirit alive—despite a few fedoras in the crowd. Classic duo Soul Clap, personal heroes of mine, will add some deep funky house cuts to the proceedings. 2pm-9pm, Midway, SF. More info here.
