15 Fun Things to Do This Week (8.28.23)
A new exhibit from SF street artist Optimist Williams, at the Haight's RCVA Gallery, touches on the hottest topic in the city today: to stay or (where) to go. (Courtesy of the artist)

15 Fun Things to Do This Week (8.28.23)

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Can you hear that: It's the quiet before the autumn storm.

In the last week before Labor Day, our events calendar is cooling off a bit. But if you're not yet tired out from all that summertime fun, you still won't be bored. Get curious about a SF street artist's personal take on the most controversial topic in the city today, get a gander of the blue super moon, and find lots of local ways to support wildfire relief efforts in Maui.


If that's not enough, there's always Beyoncé. Have a good one.

Send your love to the Aloha State. Bay Area small businesses are doing their part to raise funds for wildfire relief in Maui. Pick up a few bottles of Matthaisson's 2022 Rosé (through Monday only); Order an "I Love You, Hawaii" print from 3 Fish Studios (through 2023); donate to Berkeley Humane's efforts to take in Maui shelter animals; feast on "A Bounty of Tomatoes" at Cyrus' anniversary fundraiser dinner (Sept. 14) for the MauiStrong fund; and have dessert (a special Island Pie with Maui coffee ice cream) at Harris' Restaurant.


Walk the dog or have a picnic along theDoolittle Bay Trail expansion, a 2,300-foot stretch of newly paved path for both pedestrians and cyclists in Oakland. The new trail results from a decade-long project aimed at closing an unsafe gap in the 500-mile SF Bay Trail. It also promises better access to San Leandro Bay waterfront where the boat launch has also been renovated. // Doolittle Dr. at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline (Oakland); For more info, go to ebparks.org.


You won't break my soul...sing along with Beyoncé when the queen brings her Renaissance tour to Silicon Valley; 8pm Wednesday. // Levi's Stadium, 4900 Marie P DeBartolo Way (Santa Clara); tickets at ticketmaster.com

Relive the glory of some of SF's most legendary concerts at RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped.The exhibit features more than 150 epic captures from 1978 to 2008—of bands including Sinead O'Connor, Grateful Dead, Carlos Santana, Soundgarden, and Joni Mitchell—by Bay Area–based photographer Jay Blakesberg; Thursday, through Jan. 28, 2024. // Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St. (SoMa), thecjm.org


Get a damn job...at Chase Center that is. The home of Warriors is hosting its very own job fair with open roles in a variety of departments including guest experience, security, food and beverage, and retail; 3:30pm to 6:30pm Thursday. // Chase Center, 1 Warriors Way (Mission Bay), chasecenter.com


Seize your once-in-a-blue-moon chance to see this week's super blue moon from our favorite spots for stargazing around the Bay Area; Thursday.


ICYMI, you can still catch Killing My Lobster's "The Skin We're In," a sketch comedy performance about the "joy, frustration, and quirks galore" of living inside human bodies; 8pm Thursday through Saturday. // Counterpulse, 80 Turk St. (Mission); tickets at eventbrite.com


Celebrate the coming of bourbon season, er, we mean fall at Garrison Brothers’ Hye Fashioned Takeover. Belly up to any of several participating bars—including Absinthe, The Lark, and The Beehive—for creative takes on the classic Old Fashioned. When you share your pics to social, you’ll be entered to win special prizes. Plus, Garrison Brothers will donate $2 for every post to military families and vets through the nonprofit Boot Campaign; Friday through Sept. 30. // For more information and locations, visit garrisonbros.com.

Thank you to our partners at Garrison Brothers.

Celebrate The Matheson's second anniversary with a limited-time three-course sushi menu or a six-course chef's tasting (think salmon with caviar Australian A9 wagyu); dinner, this Friday through Sunday only. // The Matheson, 106 Matheson St. (Healdsburg), thematheson.com


Hit the road to Haight Street where SF artist Optimist Williams will be in the house to launch his new exhibit, Travelin' Man, " along with a book of the same name. The 50-piece series of travel-themed paintings and drawings speaks to a very current theme: "the decay of San Francisco" and the need, for some, to move on; opening event is 7pm to 11pm Friday, exhibit through Oct. 1. // RVCA Gallery, 1485 Haight St. (Upper Haight); RSVP for free at eventbrite.com.


Mash it up with Castro Art Mart and Art Walk SF at a special edition art walk featuring LGBTQ+ artists, musicians, DJs, and drag performers; noon to 5pm Saturday. // Castro and18th St. and Noe St. from Market to Beaver (Castro); find more info at eventbrite.com.


Celebrate Labor Day weekend with a crowd of total strangers at the Toasted Life block party. Expect an eclectic mix of music plus food and drink for purchase; 3pm to 8pm Saturday. // 701 Clay St. (Oakland); tickets (starting at $15) are available at eventbrite.com.

To be or not to be at Shakespeare in the Park, that is the question. The SF Shakespeare Festival's popular free outdoor theater is back for two weekends of performances of Cymbeline, a Shakespearean rom-com centered on an ancient British king, his misbehaving daughter, and her proud husband in exile; 2pm Saturdays, Sundays, and Labor Day Monday through Sept. 10. // Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, 40 John F. Shelley Dr. (McLaren Park), sfshakes.org


Get ready to groove: the Fifth Annual Afrobeats at the Lake is back. Bring your kids (or not) to this all ages day party featuring Afrobeats artists, dancers, and DJs from around the Bay Area; noon on Saturday. // Snow Park, Lakeside Dr. (Oakland); tickets at eventbrite.com


Stuff your face with vegan fare at the Bizerkeley Food Fest. The third annual event will feature grub from national vendors—including Bay Area sponsor brands Prime Roots, Three Trees, and Eclipse Foods—plus vegan fashion and wellness brands, games, and adult drinks; 11am to 5pm Sunday. // Sports Basement, 2727 Milvia St. (Berkeley); tickets and info at eventbrite.com


Take it to the streets with Creekside Socials’ free block party series. The San Jose community is coming out for live music by Audiopharmacy and more, bites by Moveable, Maker’s Row vendors, and live mural painting curated by the woman-powered nonprofit Local Color. Ride your bike over and valet it with Good Karma Bikes; 11am to 3pm, Saturday Sept. 9. // 20 Barack Obama Blvd. (San Jose), eventbrite.com

Thank you to our partners at Creekside Socials.

(Courtesy of Creekside Socials)

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