Take that, beer pong. I dig a nice, silly beer pong tourney as much as the next paddle-happy fool -- and I’ll even take a turn on the crooked table at Thee Parkside can be a blast. But here’s your chance to merge art, beer-drinking and free play. True to its name, Ping Pong Gallery is hosting a holiday happy hour on Dec. 18 that combines artists and friends, chopping serves and plentiful brews.

The happy hour is part of the Potrero Hill gallery’s ongoing “social sculpture” -- the organizers quote Tom Marioni who popularized the idea that “The Act of Drinking Beer With Friends Is the Highest Form of Art.” The SF conceptual artist also jotted down the nugget of wisdom, “sculpture is an event always in the present” in his sketchbook -- so consider this a present of the most carefree sort. (Following the event, the gallery will be closed through Jan. 14 and opens Jan. 15 with “Lucy Pullen: The Effect Effect.”

Holiday Happy Hour is Friday, Dec. 18, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at Ping Pong Gallery, 1240 22nd St., SF. (415) 550-7483, www.pingponggallery.com