San Francisco - Alison Bing [4]
SF SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
415-422-2221; www.sfshakes.org
The play’s the thing in the Presidio, outdoors and free of charge on sunny September weekends. Kids’ summer workshops are also held for junior Juliets and budding Bards, culminating in performances throughout the Bay Area.
October
CASTRO STREET FAIR
415-841-1824; www.castrostreetfair.org
Drag royalty rules the stage, punk rockers fill the mosh pit and rainbow flags fly above the fray on the first weekend of October.
LITQUAKE
415-750-1497 www.litquake.org
Stranger-than-fiction literary events take place in the second week of October, with bestselling and cult-hit authors spilling true stories at lunch readings and trade secrets over drinks at the legendary Lit Crawl.
HARDLY STRICTLY BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL
www.strictlybluegrass.com
The west goes wild for free bluegrass and rock with a twang in Golden Gate Park, with three days and three stages of bluegrass legends on the first weekend of October. Recent headliners include Emmylou Harris, Billy Bragg, Nick Lowe and the legendary Earl Scruggs.
SF JAZZ FESTIVAL
415-788-7353; www.sfjazz.org
Horns and minds are blown from late September to late November in SF as jazz greats share the bill with newcomers, from Brazilian bossa chanteuse Gal Costa and jazz-tap impresario Savion Glover to jazz ukelele upstart Jake Shimabukuro and powerhouse drummer Cindy Blackman.
LOVEVOLUTION
www.sflovevolution.org
The first weekend of September, all you need is love – that, and over 100 DJs Downtown. Join the parade of art cars and surreal floats, or join the psychedelic dance party at Civic Center that makes Burning Man look like a dress rehearsal.
ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO
www.comic-con.org/ape
Meet the demented masterminds behind your favorite cult-hit comics, and score original Chris Ware sketches and Lark Pien books prepublication, as well as precious signed, limited-edition handmade comic books by the Bay Area’s next Daniel Clowes, Adrian Tomine or R Crumb.
November
DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS (DAY OF THE DEAD)
415-821-1155; www.dayofthedeadsf.org; November 2
Zombie brides, Aztec dancers in full feather regalia and dancing skeletons party like there’s no tomorrow, leading the parade of happy mourners down 24th St and paying their respects to community altars to the dead along the way.
TRANNY FEST
www.trannyfest.com
Cross-dress and transgress with the best on the first weekend in November, with a film festival and all-star performances; tickets cost $8.
GREEN FESTIVAL
www.greenfestivals.org
The lights may be low-watt fluorescents, but the bright ideas are positively blinding in mid-November at this landmark three-day showcase for the latest in green cuisine, technology and sustainable thinking. Events include workshops and talks with 150 eco-luminaries, such as Alice Waters, performances by the likes of Chuck D, eco-fashion shows, organic beer and wine tastings, and 400 leading green businesses. Tickets cost $15 per day or $25 for all three days; proceeds support SF food banks and pioneering fair-trade nonprofit Global Exchange.
UN-THANKSGIVING DAY
Un-make colonial history at the Alcatraz sunrise ceremony with Native leaders and supporters, held on the third Thursday of November every year since 1975. The celebration commemorates the 19-month Native occupation of Alcatraz, and pays homage to indigenous traditions around the bay and beyond.
December
CELEBRATION OF CRAFTSWOMEN
415-431-1180; www.celebrationofcraftswomen.org
Get crafty with unique handmade gifts in support of a worthy cause at this Women’s Building fundraiser, held on the last weekend of November/first weekend of December.
DANCE ALONG NUTCRACKER
415-255-1355; www.sflgfb.org/show.html
Do you tutu? Dance to the Nutcracker Suite, performed with booty-shaking verve by the Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on the first weekend of December.
KUNG PAO KOSHER COMEDY
www.koshercomedy.com
A cherished