26 Fun Things: Arty Roller Rink at Fort Mason, Celeb-Studded Music & Eco Festivals + More Bay Area Events
Get ready to skate on this art installation-slash-free roller rink at Fort Mason (Courtesy of @fortmasoncenter)

26 Fun Things: Arty Roller Rink at Fort Mason, Celeb-Studded Music & Eco Festivals + More Bay Area Events

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This week is going to be huge, with Snoop Dogg and Chet Faker joining Bill Nye the Science Guy for the coolest eco-forward fest ever, at Palace of Fine Arts.

Plus, Lauryn Hill and Ceelo Green are among the A-list headliners at this week's Sonoma Harvest Festival; a psychedelic art installation, er, roller rink is free and open to the public at Fort Mason; SomArts is hosting a delicious Bloody Mary Festival; and Madonna is playing the Golden Gate Theatre on Halloween (tix on sale this week).


Have a good one!

Monday, September 9th

Hitachi Wagyu Beef tasting menu

Dinner service

Alexander's Steakhouse, 448 Brannan St. (SoMa), alexanderssteakhouse.com

Pop over to this fancy steakhouse for some decadent pieces of Japanese Hitachi wagyu beef—from Japanese Black cattle, it uses all parts of the animal. Taste your way through different cuts, each paired with wine. // The tasting menu is $261 per person/ $145 drink pairings. Reservations can be made on opentable.com.


"Sessionable" Cocktail Class

7pm to 9pm

The Alembic, 1725 Haight St. (Upper Haight), alembicsf.com

Try your hand at low-octane cocktail crafting with Alembic's expert mixologists, who tonight are playing with vermouths and sherries. Enjoy a brief history lesson in all things mixology, good company, and snacks. At the end of the night you'll leave with four new cocktail recipes under your belt. // Tickets ($85) can be purchased on Eventbrite.


The Vagina Bible

6:30pm to 7:45pm

The Commonwealth Club, 110 The Embarcadero (Embarcadero), commonwealthclub.org

Talk all things female health—and crack up—with author of The Vagina Bible and New York Times women's health columnist, Dr. Jen Gunter, along with author/scientist Mary Roach. Bring your book for the signing and your burning questions. // Tickets ($10-$65) can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Tuesday, September 10th

Books and Wine

6:30pm to 9pm

Verjus, 528 Washington St. (North Beach), verjuscave.com

Pop into Verjus for a night of wine and good books. James Beard Award–winning wine writer, Alice Feiring, will be discussing her book, Natural Wine for the People: What It Is, Where to Find It, How to Love It. You'll get a copy of the book and get to taste four of the wines showcased in the book. // Tickets ($68) are available on brownpapertickets.com.


Next Gen Chef Talk: Food + Technology

5:30pm to 8pm

Canopy, 595 Pacific Ave., 4th Floor (Jackson Square), canopy.space

Attend a panel discussion that looks at the crossovers between food and technology, and how they hinder and help our society's access to healthy food. Speakers include Alison Mountford, founder and CEO of Ends & Stems; Daniel Scharff, strategy and analytics director of Just; and moderator Dana Peck, cofounder and CEO of Render Foods. // Tickets ($15-$25) can be found on Eventbrite.


Silent Hike

6pm to 8pm

Lands End Trail, 600 Point Lobos Ave. (Sea Cliff), nps.gov

Soak in the beauty of the bridge and the bay with improvisational piano music as your soundtrack—and of course no talking—from the stunning Lands End Trail. You'll leave this meditative MindTravel SilentHike relaxed and ready to conquer the rest of your week. // Register for the free hike on Eventbrite.


Madonna's Madame X Tour

Tickets on sale noon at today for Citi cardholders; shows Oct. 31, Nov. 2, Nov. 4

Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Taylor St. (Tenderloin), shnsf.com

Madonna is bringing her Madame X Tour to San Francisco for three special nights at the Golden Gate Theatre. Don your cone bra or cowboy hat for her first of three performances on Halloween night. // Citi cardholders can pre-sale tickets from today at noon through 5pm, Thursday, Sept. 12; general tickets will be available for purchase Friday, Sept. 13 at livenation.com and madamex.shnsf.com.

Thank you to our partners at Live Nation.

Wednesday, September 11th

Family-Style Indian Feast

During dinner hours

Besharam, 1275 Minnesota St. (Dogpatch), besharamrestaurant.com

Pop over to Besharam for chef Heena Patel's new Gujarati family-style menu with four courses, sides of rice and paratha bread, and dessert. Bonus for veggie lovers: This one comes vegetarian with dishes like tapioca fritters, corn and chickpea flour pancakes, saag paneer, and bhinda saak. And, if you need your meat, you can order a few of those dishes on the side to round things out. // $50/person; reservations can be made on opentable.com.


Dumpling Time Express

11am to 2:30pm

Dumpling Time Express, 55 Division St. (SoMa), dumplingtimesf.com

If you love Dumpling Time, we've got good news for you. Omakase Restaurant Group is turning its Division Street Udon Time into Dumpling Time Express, which is serving gyoza, baos, and soup dumplings—and even a few udon noodle dishes.


Happier Hour with Gretchen Rubin & Elizabeth Craft

7:30pm

Palace of Fine Arts, 3601 Lyon St. (Presidio), palaceoffinearts.org

Fans of New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Rubin's titles—including The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, and Outer Order, Inner Calm—and those in need of some happy habits will love this this IRL version of the podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, hosted by Rubin and her sister, Elizabeth Craft. // Tickets ($35) can be purchased on ticketmaster.com.

Thursday, September 12th

Flower DIY and Caviar

6pm to 8pm

The Caviar Co., 1954 Union St. (Cow Hollow), thecaviarco.com

Create your own flower arrangement for the perfect fall centerpiece with guidance from the founder of Matilda's Bloombox. Plus, you'll be able to fuel your inspiration with bites of delicious caviar. // Tickets ($50) can be found on Eventbrite.


5K Fun Run

6pm to 8pm

Marina Green, 3950 Scott St. (Marina)

Squeeze in a social sweat sesh at this fun run in the Marina hosted by The Nudge, Public Recreation, and Outdoor Voices. The event will benefit Real Options for City Kids, an organization providing support and activities for at-risk Bay Area children. Plus, reward yourself with a beer at the finish line. // Tickets ($5) can be purchased on Eventbrite.


"Bake the World a Better Place" Bake Sale

5pm to 7pm

Bluestem Brasserie, 1 Yerba Buena Lane (Downtown), bluestembrasserie.com

For 2 hours some of the best Bay Area pastry chefs and dessert extrodianers are taking over the entire Bluestem restaurant for 2 floors of delicious treats. You ticket will let you choose seven treats to take home and three beverages to enjoy. Participating bakers include Dandelion Chocolate, b. Patisserie, Liholiho Yacht Club, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse and Stonemill Matcha. // Tickets ($50) are available here with proceeds benefiting CUESA's Foodwise Teens.


Talking Site & Landscape with Marmol Radziner

6pm to 8pm

Heath Ceramics, 2900 18th St. (Mission), heathceramics.com

Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner, founders of the acclaimed architecture firm Marmol Radziner, will be at Heath to discuss their new book, Site: Marmol Radziner in the Landscape. Bites and drinks will be on hand. // Free to attend, RSVP via Eventbrite.


Ben Folds Conversation & Performance

7pm

JCCSF Kanbar Hall, 3200 California St. (Presidio Heights), jccsf.org

Musician Ben Folds is coming to town to chat about his new book, A Dream About Lightning Bugs, and his learnings about art, life, and discovering his voice. The night will end him with performing a few choice songs. // Tickets ($35-$65) can be found on jccsf.org.

Friday, September 13th

Skate on Art

Through October 6

Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd. (Marina), fortmason.org

Lace up your roller skates and get groovy at this colorful, pop-art filled roller rink art installation—DJ included—designed by creative collective Assume Vivid Astro Focus and inspired by San Francisco's performance troupe The Cockettes. The best part? Tickets are free! // Opens at noon daily; until 10pm Fridays, 6pm Sundays, and 8pm Wednesdays through Saturdays; skates are available to rent for $5. Register (free) at fortmason.org.


Celeb-Studded Planet Home

5pm today through 5pm on Sunday

Palace of Fine Arts, 3601 Lyon St. (Marina), palaceoffinearts.com

An ecological awareness could sound a little dry, but this inaugural event promises to be hoppin' with interactive experiences (a comedic Carbon Cycle class) art installations (the illuminated Amanita Mysteria), and music and performances by the likes of Nick Murphy (aka Chet Faker), DJ Snoopadelic (aka Snoop Dogg), and Wyclef Jean. There will also be a fireside chat with Edward Norton and a keynote address from Bill Nye the Science Guy. // Tickets ($30 and up) are available on Eventbrite.


Off the Grid Mid-Autumn Festival

5pm to 10pm

Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd. (Marina), offthegrid.com

Celebrate the Asian heritage holiday, Mid-Autumn Day, at Off the Grid with duck bao from Mission Street Food; Chinese tamales from Wokitchen; boba from Tepiphany; and mooncakes from Hong Kong–based guest chef Shadow Lau. Beverage specials will include Singapore Slings and beer pouring from tapped mini-pumpkin kegs. Festivities include Chinese lantern decorating and lion dancers. // Free to attend, event details on Eventbrite.


Rare Device Book Party

6pm to 8pm

Rare Device Flagship, 600 Divisadero St. (NoPa), raredevice.net

Bestselling author, artist, and illustrator Lisa Congdon will be onsite to celebrate the launch of her book, Find Your Artistic Voice. Grab a signed copy and learn a bit more about how to discover and develop your true inner artist. // Free to attend, event details on Facebook.

Saturday, September 14th

Wine Tastings on the Lawn

11am to 3pm

Charles Krug Winery, 2800 Main St. (Saint Helena), charleskrug.com

This wine-tasting lawn party has been a tradition at Charles Krug since 1951. Enjoy live music, chef demonstrations, and comedians, plus taste the newest wine releases and nosh on wood-fired pizza, roast porchetta, cheese, and salumi. // Tickets ($95) can be found on Eventbrite.


Sonoma Harvest Music Festival

11:30am to 6pm

B.R. Cohn Winery, 15000 Sonoma Hwy. (Glen Ellen), brcohn.com

From the creators of BottleRock comes a new festival at a luxe Napa winery. Rock out to live tunes from Lauryn Hill, Ceelo Green, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Iration, and The Record Company. Can't make it this weekend? Go for Weekend 2 with headliners Death Cab for Cutie, Chvrches, and Silversun Pickups. // Tickets ($129 for 1-day, $259 for 2-day) are available on sonomaharvestmusicfestival.com.


5th Annual SF Cheese Fest

6pm to 9pm Saturday; various hours on Sunday

Social Hall SF, 1270 Sutter St. (TenderNob), socialhallsf.com

This two-day event starts with a tasting with 24+ artisans and tons of locally made Californian cheeses, plus a raclette station. Pairings include Rustic Bakery crackers, INNA Jam, Lemon Bird Preserves, Fabrique Delices charcuterie, and Dandelion Chocolate. Of course, there will be local beer, cider, wine, and vermouth set to the tunes of live gypsy-jazz quartet, Gaucho. On Sunday, pick up some cheesy tips with seminars at The Cheese School of San Francisco. // Tickets for the Saturday festival are $94; Sunday seminars range in price. Find tickets on sfcheesefest.com.


Bloody Mary Festival

10:30am to 6pm

SomArts Cultural Center, 934 Brannan St. (SoMa), somarts.org

Cure Friday night's hangover and kick off your Saturday with endless bloody marys mixed up by some of SF's best bars and eateries—think The Front Porch and Foreign Cinema. Plus, vote for your favorite cocktail creation and enjoy food and drink samples. // Tickets ($45-$55) can be purchased on Eventbrite.


Art + Food Dinner Series

7pm to 10pm

6:30pm to 10pm

Palette SF, 816 Folsom St. (SoMa), palette-sf.com

Taste your way through an eight-course prix fixe menu of seasonal Californian dishes paired with bevvies in the part-art gallery, part-restaurant space, Palette. The series kicks off with an "elemental and natural" concept—a marriage of the chef's dishes and the unique plateware developed by local artisans. // Tickets ($185 per person) include beverage pairings, live entertainment, and gratuity; purchase at exploretock.com.

Sunday, September 15th

A New Brunch Party

11am to 3pm, Sundays

Elements Bar & Lounge at One65, 165 O'Farrell St. (Tenderloin), one65sf.com

Hang out in this swanky fourth-floor lounge complete with bottomless mimosas and DJ music for a pumped-up start to any Sunday Funday. You'll get three courses with options like a crispy onion tart, soju-cured salmon with remoulade, and warm bread pudding. // Tickets ($85) can be purchased on sevenrooms.com.


The Well Known Strangers

4:30pm doors; 6pm show

Sweetwater Music Hall, 19 Corte Madera Ave. (Mill Valley), sweetwatermusichall.com

Country-soul band The Well Known Strangers will perform songs from their new album, TMI, themed around the mass of information we put out into the world. Buffet eats are included for the first attendees. // Free to attend, event details on sweetwatermusichall.com.


Vertical Succulent Garden Workshop

2pm to 4pm

The Assembly, 449 14th St. (Mission), theassembly.com

Work on your green thumb at this succulent workshop. Plants, moss, wireframes, and gardening tips will be provided. // Tickets ($60) can be found on theassembly.com.

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