City of Fire: Free Community Day at the de Young
Head to Golden Gate Park for free admission to the spectacular de Young Museum as it unfurls its newest exhibit, Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire. In addition to the budget-friendly opportunity to explore the collections, the whole fam will enjoy live dance and music performances amidst hands-on art stations and short film screenings.
With luminaries like Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson taking social media by storm, there’s never been a better time to get your mobile-device-addicted wee ones invested in the sciences. Take it to the next level at the 7th Annual Discovery Day, with a plethora of interactive activities, edutainment opps and local scientists and engineers on hand to illuminate and inspire. Hitch Junior’s scholarship wagon to that STEM path now!
Uncorked! The San Francisco Wine Festival
World-class wines (including a Champagne bar), artisanal food vendors, live music and a beautiful setting—sounds like a perfect Saturday to us. The Uncorked: SF Wine Fest will take over City View at the Metreon, sending wine fiends into a frenzy with more than 80 award-winning wines with ratings of 90 points and higher. The first general admission will be able to sip from 2 to 5pm, while VIP gets an extra hour to imbibe starting at 1pm. A second all general admission ticket gives access from 6 to 9pm.
Held in urban epicenters such as Brooklyn, Chicago, Austin and of course, San Francisco, Renegade is a traveling marketplace showcasing work from hundreds of the country’s best contemporary indie craft artists. Aside from booths with traditional wares, Renegade offers all sorts of DIY fun: Learn a new skill from the creative minds of Bullseye Glass Co., partake of seasonal cocktails and be sure to swing by the Magnolia Photo Booth for a souvenir.
Find out how to up your green game at the San Francisco Green Festival, where 250 exhibitors come together for a weekend of lectures, demonstrations and merchandise. Learn tips for reducing your carbon footprint in everyday living, get educated on local environmental issues and explore the benefits of making your business green.
Photograph: Courtesy The Fillmore
Los Angeles quartet Chicano Batman plays music that's somewhere in between surf, psych-rock and Tropicalia. Perhaps the superhero reference comes from this innate ability to mash up a grip of different genres into one unique sound. Music lovers are digging this epic sound cocktail, as this up-and-coming band recently launched from the underground Latin indie scene to much grander stages. See them at the Fox this week along with Thai funk and soul outfit, Khruangbin.
The official beverage of chilling out is in the spotlight at this week’s International Tea Festival. Feel like your Earl Grey routine is growing stale? Discover something new with tons of tastings and opportunities to visit with tea producers both local and international. Speakers will be on hand to illuminate the intricacies of tea culture and entrepreneurship, while workshops will teach you how to hack your own chai and more.
Photograph: Courtesy Savage People
A counterpoint to the season’s more normcore craft shows, Savage People hosts this annual ode to the authentic punk rock spirit of the DIY movement. Wrap up holiday shopping for your most hardcore friends and family with access to dozens of vendors, all soundtracked by live music from your favorite local indie rockers.
Other artists may come and go, but the prolific Ani DiFranco goes right on spinning her staccato, stream-of-consciousness songs. The feminist icon, social activist and fiercely independent songwriter is beloved for the songs that made her a cult star in the '90s, but she continues to churn out excellent new material, as evidenced on her new album, Binary. Hear her smart spin on American folk and alt-rock at the Fillmore.