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You ever get the feeling in your bones that the upcoming weekend is going to be absolutely epic? Or maybe that’s just us, pretty much every Thursday. This weekend, though! Here are seven sensational things to do in the Bay Area and beyond, from a huge concert by pop music royalty and a bold new dance about The Beatles to a Bloody Mary Festival (yes, really!) and the hottest rooftop lounges around.
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Now, onto the fun stuff:
1 HEAR: The king and queen of popular music
Queen Bey and King J — aka Beyonce and Jay-Z — had apparently hit a bump in their marriage when they last performed in the Bay Area as part of the On the Run tour in 2014. Now, everything looks to be hunky-dory with music’s It Couple, as they return to the Bay Area for On the Run Tour II. Here are the deets on their Levi’s Stadium show. But that is hardly the only big concert in these parts. Not. Even. Close. A shortlist of other worthy performers includes First Aid Kit with M. Ward, Ben Howard, Judas Priest and Deep Purple, Fall Out Boy … . Yowza. Here’s the 411 on those other big shows. Or maybe you just want to head to San Francisco’s War Memorial on Sunday and take in scores of Bay Area musicians performing chamber music, jazz, Americana and a lot more all day. For free. Yes, you can do that too.
2 SIP: A zesty boozy festival
Take one salt-and-pepper rimmed glass. Fill it with a boozy, zippy tomato-juice riff and garnish with utter abandon. Then lather, rinse and repeat, repeat, repeat! This Saturday’s Bloody Mary Festival in San Francisco lets cocktail enthusiasts sample brunchy cocktails and bites from some of the Bay Area’s top restaurants and bars. (Prefer to do your cocktail shaking at home? Here’s a trio of Bloody Mary recipe inspirations.)
3 GET LOST: In a pumpkin patch, that is
If you are ready to jump into Halloween season with both feet (which is a heck of a lot more fun than jumping in with one foot — we’ve tried) there are more than a few ways to get the ghoulish party started this weekend. Pumpkin patches (and corn mazes) are popping up all over the Bay Area, many of which have a ton of fun stuff to do with the young ‘uns. Here’s a roundup.
4 SEE: Famed dancemaker Mark Morris’ take on The Beatles
Choreographer Mark Morris will be the first to tell you he is NOT a huge fan of Beatles’ music. So when offered a chance to create a dance to commemorate the 50th anniversary of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” arguably the Fab Four’s most celebrated album, his response was — if I get to do it my way. The result was a smash hit in England that makes its way to Berkeley this weekend. It’s sure to be one of the dance events of the year.
5 SIP: A San Diego fave comes home
If you’ve been shlepping all the way to SoCal for Mike Hess Brewing’s suds, shlep no more! The San Diego fave — and Walnut Creek native — has just opened a tasting room in his hometown and it’s as hoppy an event as any IPA devotee could desire. Grand opening hoopla is Saturday. Take a peek here.
6 WATCH: Tiffany Haddish and Kevin Hart bust it up on screen
Tiffany Haddish got her big breakthrough on director Malcolm D. Lee’s naughty big-screen comedy “Girls Trip.” Now Lee and Haddish are hoping to strike gold again with “Night School” — and it certainly cannot hurt that Kevin Hart is along for the ride, too. We could all use a laugh, right? And there are a lot of promising options at movie theaters this weekend as the fall film season heats up. Here’s a rundown.
7 SIP & PLAY: Rooftop lounges & bars
Summer may be over, but these gorgeous warm evenings will linger into October — so head for the rooftop, stat! These six incredible Norcal rooftop lounges — in San Francisco, Sacramento and Wine Country — send guests skyward for their sips, offering gorgeous views, craft cocktails and in one case, a rooftop swimming pool to boot. Cheers!
