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It’s a quintessential October weekend around these parts, which means lots of (very, very large) pumpkins, great outdoor festivals and new movies, too. In other words, lots of choices await. So here are seven ways to have an absolutely fantastic weekend in San Francisco and beyond.
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Now for the fun stuff.
1 SEE: Ridiculously large pumpkins and more
The annual Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival is one of the Bay Area’s most popular events, and not just because you get to gape at gourds the the size of dump trucks (OK, that’s a slight exaggeration). There are so many things to savor, from arts and crafts to yummy food and drink and live music. Here’s what you need to know about the fest.
2 HEAR: Great music at a beloved returning festival
The Treasure Island Festival was always a grand mix of cool music and eye-popping views. It’s back this weekend, but the first thing you should know is it’s not on Treasure Island anymore. It’s at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland, which has some pretty spectacular views of its own. As for the music, Pusha T, A$AP Rocky, Tame Impala and Santigold are just some of the A-Listers on tap. Here’s a guide to all you need to know about the fest.
3 SIP & EAT: Matcha mania!
The matcha frenzy has gone full bore in San Francisco’s Mission district, where the vivid green sip is translated into outrageous hand-crafted matcha drinks, stunning matcha pastries and farm-to-table matcha-infused versions of Japanese street food. Here’s the scoop.
4 WATCH: An early candidate for Oscar gold.
The buzz surrounding the the new film “The Hate U Give” is off the charts. The civil rights-themed movie — about what happens to a young girl when she witnesses a friend shot by a police officer — is based on a YA novel inspired by the Oakland killing of Oscar Grant. Our reviewer gives it 4 stars. And that’s not the only A-List movie hitting theaters this weekend — Damien Chazelle (“La La Land”) is back with “First Man,” a biopic about astronaut Neil Armstrong starring Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy.
5 PLAY: The new uber-spooky Terror Vault
Something scary is lurking in the creepy, stone-cold basement of San Francisco’s Old Mint. Consider the Terror Vault, which opened this week, haunted house-meets-immersive theater- meets-outrageous Halloween spectacle, courtesy of San Francisco drag queen Peaches Christ. Here’s what it looks like inside, right down to the cocktails.
6 SEE: Thought-provoking stage works
These are unsettled, politically charged times, and to some degree that’s reflected by what you’ll see in the arts. Berkeley’s Cal Performances, for example, is hosting a touring production of Ibsen’s classic “An Enemy of the State,” whose shock ending (our lips are sealed!) has provoked controversy. Berkeley Rep is staging Jackie Sibblies Drury’s acclaimed, surprise-filled look at a black family, “Fairview.” San Francisco’s ACT is doing the Pulitzer-winning “Sweat,” which taps into blue-collar rage over a changing economy. And in the South Bay, TheatreWorks is producing “Fun Home,” the Tony-winning musical about a coming-of-age gay girl in a dysfunctional family.
7 EAT: Outrageous pumpkin desserts
Yes, we’re circling back to that pumpkin theme, because we’ve got a quintet of outrageous desserts you need to make right now, from the Barefoot Contessa’s Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Maple Frosting to a swoon-worthy Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Pecan Streusel.
