Culture
North Beach Festival – Saturday - Sunday, 10am-6pm
The annual North Beach Festival, considered one of the original outdoor festivals in America, returns for its 61st year and will feature 125 arts and crafts booths, 20 food booths, beverage gardens, two stages for free entertainment and a kids’ chalk art area.
Courtesy Steven Restivo Event Services.
The long-running "Blessing of the Animals" ceremony will be held at the Shrine of Saint Francis of Assisi on Vallejo between 2-3pm each day.
The festival will take over Grant Avenue between Columbus and Filbert, Columbus between Broadway and Green and Vallejo and Green between Grant and Columbus (the site map lays out the pending traffic nightmare). The local bus changes can help you get around the bottlenecks.
As always, the festival is rain or shine, but it's looking like today's warm weather will hold.
Courtesy Eric Molina / Flickr
12th Dragon Boat & Zhongzi (Chinese Tamales) Festival – Saturday, 12pm
Across the street from the North Beach Festival at the “Language of Birds Plaza” (Broadway & Columbus near Grant) will be the first part of the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival which always falls on the 5th day of the 5th month in the lunar calendar. There will be a Chinese tamales-making demo and sampling along with Chinese folk dancing and traditional music. At 4:30pm there will be lion/dragon dancing starting at the Chinatown Gate at the opposite end of Grant and ending in the Language of Birds Plaza. For more info, you can contact Wilma Pang at (415) 296-8701. And be sure to check out our in-depth article about the tradition from last week, here.
Tactile Dome – Friday & Saturday, 6:15 - 7:30pm
Fancy crawling your way around a maze in pitch-black? The Exploratorium offers you a few chances to do that this weekend after the museum closes to the public. Get your tickets in advance, more info at exploratorium.edu.
Saturday Cinema: Seeking Summer – Saturday, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm
While the rest of the country enjoys the start of summer, this film series celebrates SF’s unique summer weather with the help of Daybreak Express by D.A. Pennebaker and The Unseen Sea by Simon Christen. Tickets are free with museum admission to the Exploratorium.
Making Baskets With Julia Parker and Family – Sunday, 10am - 3pm
Master basket maker Julia Parker will demonstrate the art behind the weaving process alongside her daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter in addition to other local educators. Tickets are free with museum admission to the Exploratorium.
Rangers In The Rig – Sunday, 11am
For the next three Sundays, you can head to the Hyde Street Pier to join park rangers on board the the Balclutha and learn more about rigging in addition to aloft demonstrations. The event is weather-specific, so call (415) 447-5000 for more information. Tickets at $5, children under 16 years old are free.
Steam-Powered Donkey Engine Demonstration – Sunday, 11am
One Sunday a month, the SF Maritime park will turn on its rare steam-powered donkey engine, popular in the late 1800s for loading cargo and setting sail. There are very few working engines left, so swing by the Hyde Street Pier between 11am-4pm; a park ranger will be give a demonstration around 1pm. Call (415) 447-5000 for more information; admission is free.
Laughs
Cobbs Comedy Club – Comedian Tom Arnold (True Lies, The Best Damn Sports Show Period) will perform two sets on Friday and Saturday ($25 tix). Sunday night is Comedians With Criminal Records, a unique showcase of comedians who have bumped into some legal issues in their past. Tickets are $15; more info can be found at www.cobbscomedy.com.
Punch Line San Francisco – LA native Brent Morin will perform two sets on Friday and Saturday ($25 tix). Sunday is their weekly SF Comedy showcase for up-and-coming talent around the area. Tickets are $15; more info can be found at www.punchlinecomedyclub.com.
Sounds
Doc's Lab – The western swing / hot jazz trio The Hot Club of Cowtown perform Saturday (doors open at 7pm) and the local 17-piece big band Electric Squeezebox Orchestra performs free on Sunday (doors open at 5:30pm).
Maggie McGarry’s – Bay Area originals SuperBad! will be performing on Friday (10pm) and '90s alternative cover band Total Recall takes the stage on Saturday (10pm).
Rose Pistola – Celebrating Jazz Month rolls along at the Italian eatery with SF-local Joe Baer Magnant on Saturday (9pm) and the jazz bassist Eric Markowitz on Sunday (8pm).
The Condor – The Condor will entice folks inside with the jazz trio Street Brew on Friday, the Third Thursday Band on Saturday and local blues outfit My Blue Soul on Sunday.
The Saloon – Your jazz needs for the weekend: Jinx Jones and Steve Freund on Friday, Lonnie’s Eggs, Dave Workman and Wendy DeWitt on Saturday and finally Blues Power and The Door Slammers on Sunday.
Tupelo – SF natives Marshall Law Band hit the stage on Friday (9pm), the funk/reggae group Hot Pocket performs on Saturday (9:30pm) and local jazz/R&B outfit The Love Gangsters take over on Sunday (9pm).
Sports
Baseball – The Giants host the Diamondbacks all weekend: Friday (7:15pm), Saturday (4:15pm) & Sunday (1:05pm). Meanwhile, the A’s travel to Anaheim Friday (7:05pm), Saturday (7:05pm) & Sunday (12:35pm).
NBA Championship – Warriors vs Cavaliers, Game 5: Sunday, 5pm: There are plenty of recommendations to join Dub Nation, though the festival traffic may make it hard to find a seat. If all else fails, Cafe Pellegrini has an outdoor TV right across from Washington Square Park.
NHL Stanley Cup Championship – Blackhawks vs. Lightning, Game 5, Saturday, 5pm
Festival foot traffic is problematic again, but a bit away from the action Northstar, the Boardroom, Naked Lunch and The Score Bar and Lounge should have you covered. Sweeties or Red Jack Saloon should also work well.
Women’s World Cup – The US team plays Sweden on Saturday at 5pm. Other first round games this weekend include Switzerland vs. Ecuador (Friday - 4pm), Japan vs Cameroon (Friday - 7pm), Australia vs. Nigeria (Saturday - 2pm), Brazil vs. Spain (Sunday - 1pm) and South Korea vs. Costa Rica (Sunday - 4pm). Maggie McGarry’s remains the place to be for all things soccer.
Courtesy Steven Restivo Event Services
