Weekend Planner: August 17th
You’ve worked hard all week, and now Friday’s here again! It’s time to start planning your weekend! Welcome to Weekend Planner, your weekend update on fun.
Every Friday we put together a list of the weekend events we think look most interesting and provide them here. Keep in mind there is always a lot more going on, and all it takes is a little digging to find something that will be the perfect activity for you.
Click on any of the event titles for a link to the event.
Friday, August 17th
Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz
6:30 PM, All Ages
Free
British 80s hitmakers The English Beat are playing a free outdoor concert on the boardwalk. Spend the day sunbathing in the sand and spend the night dancing to “Save It For Later.”
The English Beat originated in working class, industrial Birmingham, England. They rushed on to the music scene in 1979 with a simple message of love and unity set to a great dance beat. They became known for great songs like “Save it for Later,” “Mirror in the Bathroom,” and “I Confess.” We can’t wait for The English Beat to bring their reggae, soul, pop, and rock influences back to the beach.
US Rowing National Championships
Lake Merritt, Oakland
All Weekend, All Ages
Free
The city of Oakland and USRowing are excited to host the 2018 USRowing Masters National Championships at Lake Merritt this week, from August 16-19, 2018 (Thursday to Sunday, racing each day from 8 am to 6 pm). USRowing has announced that this event has the most registrants than any other event hosted before, with over 1,300 rowers competing.
The event is free for spectators to attend and offers local food trucks daily from 11 am to 7 pm, a beer garden featuring local breweries daily from noon to 8 pm and races on the lake all day from 8 am to 6 pm.
Known as the “Crown Jewel” of Oakland, Lake Merritt is an urban lake in the middle of downtown. With a 3.2 mile circumference, the naturally developed, humanly maintained lake is a mix of fresh and salt water connected to the Oakland Estuary leading out to the San Francisco Bay. The competition-quality waters of Lake Merritt have hosted other water sports and events in the past with USRowing now being the largest competition at the venue to date.
Saturday, August 18th
Bay Area Brew Fest
Laurel District, Oakland
12 PM, Ages: 21+
$45
The Bay Area Brew Festival returns for its seventh year, bringing back dozens of breweries, hundreds of beers, food trucks, dj, photobooth, and much more!. Admission includes unlimited beer samplings, with VIP attendees getting an extra hour of admission and some specialty beers poured during the first hour.
For more information, please visit http://www.bayareabrewfestival.com
Save $10 on your ticket by downloading the HOOCH app! HOOCH is a bar discovery app, and the first drink is always on the house! As a member, you can get a free drink every day at bars across San Francisco and many other cities. Use the code “bayareabrews” to get your first month for only $1! When you do, you will receive an e-mail with an Eventbrite code that knocks $10 off your Brew Fest ticket.
Tickts are valid for one of the two sessions. First session is noon to 4pm (noon for VIP, 1pm for general admission) and the second session is 5:30pm to 8:30pm.
Noise Pop 20th Street Block Party
20th Street, San Francisco
12 PM, All Ages
Free
The annual Noise Pop 20th Street Block Party is not to be missed. The lineup this year is jam-packed with hot indie acts like Empress Of, The Marias, and Small crush.
Noise Pop is proud to present the sixth annual 20th Street Block Party to Benefit Mission Language and Vocational School.
The 20th Street corridor will be transformed into a free party to showcase and celebrate a diverse neighborhood that blends modern ideas with community traditions to create a new San Francisco experience. This free, delicious summer feast and dance party will feature some of the City’s best restaurants, local businesses and artisans as well as a variety of indie bands.
Sunday, August 19th
The San Francisco Ice Cream Festival
Spark Social, San Francisco
11 AM, All Ages
$5
Cups, cones, floats, and pops. Scooped, dipped, swirled, and topped. Ice cream non-stop from your favorite shops.
Celebrate summer’s favorite dessert at the San Francisco Ice Cream Festival. It’s a party at SPARK and on the giant astroturf field with sweet treats and summer festivities for the whole family.
Get ready for fun in the sun with cornhole, giant Connect 4, giant Jenga, live music, and mountains of the Bay’s best ice cream – so much ice cream.
Please note that ice cream is for purchase. $5 is your admission fee and doesn’t include any ice cream.
UPDATE – Pre-sale tickets are sold out! Don’t have a meltdown if you didn’t get yours in time. You Can Still Score Tickets Three Ways: 1 – Follow @sparksocialsf on Instagram. They’re raffling off tickets every day 2 – Join the Eventbrite waitlist. If a pre-sale ticket becomes available, you’ll be the first to know 3 – Come fashionably late. When a ticketed guest has eaten to their heart’s delight and decides to leave, walk-ups will be permitted to join the fun, based on venue capacity. We can’t guarantee a time, but recommend aiming for after 2:30pm
Dogs are welcome in the paved areas, but are unfortunately not permitted on the soccer field.
Ice Cream Vendors: Float Bar Powder Shaved Snow Crepes S’il Vous Plait SPRO Coffee Lab DOUGHP Petit Pot Twisted Chill Izza Pops Lobos Ice Cream Pepito’s Paletas Trader Jim’s Uji Time Churn Urban Creamery Scoopzilla Marley’s Treats Pop Nation FK Frozen Custard Bars Icicles Golnazar Gourmet Ice Cream Mustache Mike’s Italian Ice Tuckbox Powder Shaved Snow Crepes S’il Vous Plait SPRO Coffee Lab Vegan-friendly
Additional Vendors:
Kabob Trolley Moonraker Mobile Go JoJo’s Mojo Batter Up Firetrail Pizza Torraku Ramen Nucha Empanadas Panchitas Pupusas Adam’s Grub Truck Poke Delish Koja Kitchen Plus Glittertainment Designs, Lavender Henna, and Imperfect Produce
Main Post Lawn, San Francisco
11 AM, All Ages
Free
San Francisco’s favorite family picnic is back for 2018. Presidio Picnic brings together the best of the Bay Area food scene with the beauty of this national park site and views of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Held on the seven acre Main Parade Ground lawn, this weekly community event features food and drink from more than 25 local vendors, food trucks & pop-ups.
But it’s not just about the grub; visitors can enjoy an ever-changing array of free activities including yoga classes, lawn games, a Presidio photo booth, free kids bike-riding lessons from the Presidio YMCA, and nature-based arts and crafts for kids in the Presidio Adventure Zone tent.
New for 2018 is a series of monthly cultural performances.
Cultural Performances
March 18: Ohlone Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe performs a traditional welcome blessing to open the season
April 29: SF Awakkoren Dance Group performs Awa Odori, one of the most well-known Japanese traditional dances with 400 years of history
May 27: Ballet Folklórico México Danza appears in a colorful, high-energy performance
June 24: Alafia Dance Ensemble demonstrate the beauty of African Haitian dance
July 22: China Dance Theatre celebrates the rich heritage of Chinese ethnic and folk dance
Food Trucks & Pop-Ups
The rotating lineup of 25 of the Bay Area’s best mobile food concepts at this year’s Presidio Picnic includes:
Senor Sisig: A mashup of the best that Filipino food and Mexican taquerias have to offer, serving sisig-style (24-hour marinated pork shoulder) tacos, burritos and fries
Hot Bird: Oakland-based Nashville-style fried chicken and first-timer at Presidio Picnic
Little Green Cyclo: Vietnamese street food hits like garlic noodles and banh mi
Del Popolo: Neapolitan-inspired pizza from a wood-fired oven featuring local, artisanal ingredients
Slightly Skewed: Asian-style skewers and street foods influenced by the ingredients and flavors of Central and Southeast Asia
Gyro Stop: Gourmet Mediterranean fusion concept specializing in gyro sandwiches, falafels, hummus, and dolmas
Jackrabbit: Creative sliders, sides, and fresh baked treats made with local ingredients from Northern California’s farms and ranches
Seoul of Taipei: Korean and Taiwanese mash-up concept serving outside-the-box rice bowls, burritos and tacos
El Pipila: Authentic Guanajat cuisine launched through San Francisco’s culinary incubator for low income entrepreneurs, La Cocina and appearing at Presidio Picnic as a Mexican fruit stand
Cielito Lindo: Mexican Street Kitchen: Mexican street food favorites like tacos and tortas topped with roasted steak ranchero, beef barbacoa, chicken mole and veggie estofado
Spork and Stix: Thai and Korean fusion purveyors serving inventice rice boxes, noodle bowls and sliders
DUM Truck: Indian soul food classics like chicken biryani, paneer kati rolls and mango lassis
A full bar presented by Rye on the Road featuring wine, beer, spirits and craft cocktails