Weekend Planner: January 4th
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, January 4th
Telegraph Ave, Oakland
4 PM, All Ages
Free
Oakland First Fridays is an immersive art and community experience on the first Friday of each month from 5-9p. for five huge blocks on Telegraph Avenue from West Grand to 27th Street.
Oakland’s KONO district (Koreatown/Northgate) springs to life with for this event, with galleries, artist collectives, street artists, local culinary artisans, performers, musicians, dancers, DJs, and poets gathering for Oakland First Friday events.
Closest BART – 19th Street
Rain sometimes cancels – They typically make an announcement by Wednesday – Check Facebook for updates
Thousands of people come from across the Bay Area and beyond to see and experience art, be inspired, eat great food, enjoy live music, and stroll through the amazing, eclectic city of Oakland. An economic impact report shows that the Oakland First Fridays has a major, positive economic impact on the KONO community.
What else is going on? How About Art Murmur! Taking place at the same time is the Oakland Art Murmur, a collection of galleries and mixed-use venues many of which are open First Friday evenings. The range of artistic exhibitions is inspiring. Most of the venues are open from 6–9 pm. Many of the galleries are adjacent to the Telegraph Avenue site of Oakland First Fridays on 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th Streets going east toward the hills.
Festival FAQ
Is there an entrance fee? Oakland First Fridays is free and open to the public! But we rely on community support to keep our festival alive! You can make a donation online here, or at our festival entrance on West Grand & Telegraph Avenue.
When does the street festival start / end? Oakland First Fridays Street festival happens on the first friday of each month, from 5pm – 9:00pm. If the event becomes cancelled due to rain, an announcement will be made Wednesday the week of the event. Check back on our website or facebook page for updates.
Where is Oakland First Fridays located? Our festival entrance is located at the intersection of West Grand and Telegraph Avenue, and spans 5 blocks down to 27th Street in Oakland’s KONO District. View the location on google maps here.
Accessibility Info: Our festival is wheelchair accessible and family friendly. People of all ages are welcome to attend. If bringing a dog, it must remain on a leash at all times. Our events bring over 30,000 attendees, so expect large crowds, and amplified sound from our multiple stage and performance areas. There are Porta Potties available on 23rd St, 24th St, 25th St and 26th St. For exact locations, check out our festival map here.
Public Transportation: We recommend taking public transportation to Oakland First Fridays. The closest Bart Station is the 19th Street stop, which is only a few blocks away. The 12 (Grand Ave. & MacArthur Blvd.), 51A (Broadway), and 6 (Telegraph Ave.) AC Transit buses also come right to the KONO District. On weekdays and weekend evenings, the free Broadway shuttle runs every 12-15 minutes up and down Broadway from 26th to Jack London.
Parking: Oakland First Fridays’ pick up and drop off location is located on Valley and 23rd street. Limited Metered parking is available on side streets near Telegraph Avenue, so make sure to bring quarters! If you chose to park on the street, we advise you to not leave any valuable items inside your car. If you’d rather park in a garage, here is a list of garages close by.
Alcohol Policy: Alcoholic beverages are served exclusively within our Sake Garden, located in front of Gogi Time at 23rd St and Telegraph Avenue. Otherwise, no alcohol is allowed at the street festival. We do not tolerate the consumption of alcohol in our festival streets. If you’re interested in drinking alcohol, we advise for you to visit our Sake Garden or one of the many bars and restaurants in the KONO district. Drink Responsibly.
How do I become a volunteer? Volunteering is a great opportunity for you to connect with your community, work as a member of a team, meet new people, and gain references for future employment or academic advancement. You’ll also get free food and a t-shirt for volunteering. We have in-office and day-of-event volunteer positions. For more information, visit: http://oaklandfirstfridays.org/volunteer/ or check out our volunteer orientation video!
What to do after the Festival? Oakland First Fridays street festival ends at 9:00 pm, but nightlife within the KONO district still goes on! Visit one of the many bars, nightclubs or restaurants in the neighborhood. For a list of locations and events, check out the Koreatown-Northgate Business Directory: http://www.koreatownnorthgate.org/shop-dine/
Batch Made Market Artisan Food
Forage Kitchen, San Francisco
6 PM, All Ages
Free
This is your monthly chance to come see and taste what’s cooking at Forage Kitchen. Your favorite chefs are in the kitchen, and you can walk through and taste their favorite new recipes. Plus there’s beer. What could be better?
The monthly Batch Made Market highlights the most creative small batch food being made in the Bay Area.
Saturday, January 5
Wild in Marin First Annual Fungus Festival
Mill Valley Golf Clubhouse, Mill Valley
10 AM, All Ages
$10
This wonderful event will engage, entertain, and enlighten the community about the benefits, joys, and culinary delights of fungi!
We will have a variety of booths showcasing all things fungi from mushroom kits, cookbooks, forage guides, textiles, apparel, tasty treats, and more! Come learn about what mushrooms you can forage in the Bay Area, how to prepare, store, and cook with them. We will be featuring an amazing mushroom habitat exhibit, cooking demonstration with a celebrity chef, speaker presentation, raffle and auction items, and a mushroom identification table (so bring in your mushrooms and we’ll help you ID them!)
Fungus Festival sponsors and vendors include: Back to the Roots, Fairfax Backyard Farmer, Farwest Fungi, Front Porch Farms, Gayle Lee Still Fiber Arts, Green Jeans Garden Supply, Il Fornaio, Sloats, Jewels of the Forest, Maclean Custom Screen Printing, Mendocino Magic, Michael Scianamblo, Mushroom Adventures, Mycological Society of Marin County, Mycopia, Picco, Wine Forest.
Festival location: Mill Valley Golf Clubhouse, 267 Buena Vista Avenue, Mill Valley, CA (plenty of free parking)
Preserved, Oakland
10 AM, Ages: 21+
$45
Spice up your cocktails and ease your digestion with homemade bitters.
This workshop begins with a LECTURE on the history of bitters and medicinal herbs followed by a TASTING of different bitter tinctures. Explore the bitter flavor spectrum from common, local plants like artichoke leaf, dandelion root and citrus skin, as well as lesser-known plants like gentian, mugwort and yarrow. The second half of class is HANDS-ON, and we provide a buffet of dried herbs, roots and barks to CRAFT YOUR OWN bitter infususion to take home.
Led by former Bartender & practicing Herbalist Kate August.
All students will recieve a 10% discount on post-workshop purchases in our store. Thanks for taking the next step in preserving your connection to food.
The minimum age for this workshop is 21 years old.
Sunday, January 6th
Burn, Flow, Vino
SPARK Social, San Francisco
9 AM, Ages 21+
$25
Reboot your fitness routine for 2019 at the Burn, Flow, Vino! Bootcamp
SPARK is teaming up with Orangetheory Fitness and CorePower Yoga to jumpstart your heart rate and your “new year, new me” resolution. We’re hitting the lawn and feeling the burn of Orangetheory Fitness’ total body workout – designed to focus your effort and expend your energy in the most efficient way possible.
First, challenge your endurance, strength, and will-power with sprints, bodyweight exercises, squats, and core work that’s guaranteed to have your abs burning and your forehead glistening! Then, find your center, length, and 2019 zen with a cool-down flow from CorePower Yoga.
While you’re getting your juice flowing on the field, the Sip Bar at SPARK will be prepping and pouring fresh-squeezed juice and popping bottles for bottomless mimosas and sangrias so you can cheers to a workout well done! Cure your post-workout tingle with life-reviving brunch eats from 10+ gourmet food trucks – you’ve earned it!
NEW YEAR, NEW ME
9:00am – Find a prime spot on the lawn to get in your zone
9:30am – Feel the burn with Orangetheory Fitness’ 40 min, coach-led bootcamp
10:30am – Cool-down with CorePower Yoga & soak in your new-found workout motivation
11:00am – Head into SPARK for brunch and some well-deserved bottomless mimosas & sangrias
2:00pm – Last call – sip and savor your final pour
BURN, FLOW, VINO! DETAILS
The Lawn at SPARK Social SF
601 Mission Bay Boulevard North, San Francisco, CA 94158
Sunday, January 6th, 2019
1hr Orangetheory Bootcamp & CorePower Yoga cool-down flow
Brunch + bottomless mimosas and sangrias 11am-2pm
BYOM – bring your own mat (commonly confused with bring your own mimosa)
TICKETS
$10 Coach-led Bootcamp
$25 Bootcamp & Bottomless
ABOUT ORANGETHEORY FITNESS
Orangetheory Fitness is a one-of-a-kind, group personal training workout. The result is more energy, visible toning, and extra calorie burn for up to 36 hours. Backed by the science of Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (or EPOC), Orangetheory’s heart rate monitored training is designed to maintain a target zone that stimulates metabolism and increases energy. We call it the afterburn. Our members burn an estimated 500 to 1,000 calories in 60 minutes.** And keep burning calories for up to 36 hours. *
ABOUT COREPOWER YOGA
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned yogi, Corepower Yoga believes in working every muscle and every emotion. Their classes, instructors and network of over 170 yoga studios nationwide are there to welcome you when you’re ready for a yoga fitness experience unlike any other. Their mission is to show the world the incredible life-changing things that happen when you root an intensely physical workout in the mindfulness of yoga.
Free Ice Skating Lessons in Union Square
Union Square Park, San Francisco
8:30 AM, All Ages
Free
Don’t know how to skate? Kaiser Permanente is inviting beginner skaters to the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square presented by Alaska Airlines to come learn from professional skate instructors every weekend.
Lessons are free (including skate rental) to those who sign up in advance, thanks to Kaiser Permanente. Signups are limited to 50 participants per session.
Available for ages 3 to 300, lessons will take place every Saturday and Sunday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 am throughout the season.
Check in time is 8:15 am – Standbys admitted after 8:15 am
How Can I Reserve Tickets? Reservations for next classes will be released one week in advance. Please note that these spots are very limited and often book up far in advance.
Advance sign-up required. Space is limited to 50 participants per day. Please provide skate size, name, email address, phone number and experience level.