The best things to do in San Francisco this weekend

Regency Ballroom
Jan 31, Feb 1

Didn’t get enough time traveling in with the Dickens Fair? Here’s the Edwardian Ball to ease you into the new year. And if you trend towards darkness a little, this is the perfect space to spend an evening, as it’s a celebration of Edward Gorey, art, music, theatre, fashion, technology and the circus. You can dance (ballroom or modern), watch stage shows, experience live music, DJs, steam machinery, art installations, sideshows and oddities and an awesome vendor bazaar. What should you wear? Whatever your heart desires, although the organizers say, “Our only request—and please, this we beseech of you—is that you dress up in some manner, step out of your ordinary life, and join the celebration!” There’ll be a haberdasher there to get the right lid. Tickets are $145, but if you wish to shop at the bazaar during the daytime, it’s free entry from noon to 5pm. (The associated afternoon tea is already sold out this year.)

County Fair Building Auditorium, 1199 9th Ave.
Feb 2

Lunar New Year celebrations continue with this free event at the County Fair Building Auditorium (11am–2pm), encapsulating hands-on activities like traditional calligraphy, origami and “auspicious crafts.” There will be dancing, games of fortune and performances. The event is at the large building just before the entry to the San Francisco Botanical Garden and doesn’t include admission to the garden (which is free for San Francisco residents and $15 for out-of-town adult visitors).

333 Lancaster St., Oakland
Select days through March 2

Across the bay, this massive sale is on and continues until March 2. It’s Northern California’s largest curated rummage sale in a warehouse twice the size of a football field. Oakland Museum of California volunteers sort through donations all year to create this masterpiece of thriftitude. Reduce our carbon footprint, give objects a loving home and support the museum: three gorgeous reasons to go. Tickets are $7 through February 22 and free March 1 and 2 (but you must have a ticket to gain entry). Once the event is sold out each day, walk-ins may be allowed entry as space permits. See website for hours and details.

Golden Gate Park
Sunny Sundays

What good is a bright day if you can’t kick up your heels and dance? Every Sunday that’s sunny, head to where JFK Drive meets Music Concourse Drive in Golden Gate Park anytime from 11am to 2pm to join other Lindy hop enthusiasts dancing to DJ-spun tunes. The streets are closed to traffic and open to dancers! If you’re not quite sure what Lindy hopping is, drop by from noon to 12:30 for a free lesson. No need to bring a partner. You’ll be dancing on asphalt so sneakers are encouraged. Free.

Visit the redwood park tucked in beside the Transamerica Pyramid daily from sunrise to sunset to view 20 major sculptures of Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, inspired by flora and fauna. Les Lalanne is the collective name used by these artists. These sculptures constitute the first public installation of Pyramid Arts, which will rotate twice a year. Free.

Attend the CinemaLit film series for a 6pm showing of a different vintage film each Friday. The café opens at 5:30pm with wine, beer, sparkling water, juice and fresh-popped popcorn for sale, and the movie begins at 6. The Mechanics’ Institute was built in 1906 to house the 1854 organization providing classes, a library and a chess room for residents (some say, “out of work gold miners”). Today it’s a cultural center as well as a library. The film series is curated by author Matthew Kennedy who has written several books on film. 

We realize an hour isn’t very long, but if you embrace the calm and tranquility, an hour at the Japanese Tea Garden can reward you for the rest of the day. Each Friday from 9 to 10am, you can enter the garden with its arched bridge, pagodas, stone ornaments, koi ponds and, of course, gardens. San Franciscans can enter for free anytime (with ID), but visitors can have a free hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 10am. The teahouse, with tea and light snacks, is open for purchases at that time as well. Admission outside the magic hour is currently $19 for adults.

History buffs, come out for a video installation, Fort Point: A Bastion of Memory, created by artist Ben Wood in collaboration with the Fort Point National Historic Site. The 45-minute work consisting of historical photographs will be projected onto the interior walls of San Francisco’s Civil War fort to interpret area history, such as the lighthouse that once operated here, the building of the Golden Gate Bridge and more. Free (as is admission to the fort).

San Francisco City Guides offers walking tours of the Ferry Building, once the second busiest transit hub in the world at its peak in the 1930s (construction of the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge created a devastating blow to ferry service). Tours are on Tuesdays at noon and Saturdays at 10am. Free, but a $20 donation is encouraged; guides can’t accept tips.

Every day at 4pm, gather at the campfire circle to hear a free talk by a National Park Service ranger, covering the stories of the Presidio: indigenous history, military stories including the Buffalo Soldiers’ connection to the Presidio, and the story of the Presidio’s role in the WWII Japanese American internment camps. Having a view of the Golden Gate Bridge during the talk isn’t too shabby. Free.