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School’s back in session, work is chugging along and pumpkin spice lattes are everywhere. So, yeah, summer is pretty much over. So let’s focus on the fresh, new weekend that lies just ahead! Here are seven fantastic ways to play around the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, from a high-energy (and romantic!) musical about two of pop music’s biggest stars to a sensational waterfront street-food fest and foresty hikes that are all redwoods, no crowds.
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1 SEE: A musical to get you “On Your Feet!”
Gloria Fajardo and Emilio Estefan emigrated from Cuba, met and fell in love in Miami, and went on to become one of Latin pop’s most successful and influential teams (they just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary). But don’t take our word for it — the story is told on stage in the hit Broadway musical “On Your Feet!” (with all those great Miami Sound Machine hits like “1-2-3” and “Conga”) which just opened in San Francisco and runs through Oct. 7, with a San Jose run Oct. 9-14. Details here.
2 EAT: Waterfront deliciousness
It’s been 10 years since the Eat Real Festival sent the Bay Area’s passion for food trucks into overdrive. The food fest returns to Oakland’s Jack London Square this weekend with more than 50 of the Bay Area’s hottest food, craft beer, wine and cocktail vendors whipping up gastronomic goodies in a family-friendly setting. Yum. (And admission is free. Even yummier.)
3 HEAR: Some of rock’s biggest names performing for a vital cause
Several Rock and Roll Hall of Famers — Patti Smith, Bob Weir, Flea, anyone? — will be jamming at San Francisco’s The Masonic this weekend in a Pathway to Paris concert that’s part of a campaign to fight global warming. It’s just one several promising concerts on the horizon this weekend, including the Beach Boys, Latin megastar Romeo Santos and a New Orleans jam party starring the always-amazing Trombone Shorty. We’ve got the roundup here.
4 SEE: A night of theater like no other
Few Bay Area events speak to the glorious and thrilling immediacy of live performance like the annual San Francisco Fringe Festival. Featuring dozens of short plays and solo shows, the fest can immerse in you in everything from apocalyptic malfeasance to weird cabaret musings to Cat Stevens from another dimension — all in one night. Details are here. A similarly adventurous show awaits you in Berkeley, with Guillermo Calderón’s wild ride of a play, titled “Kiss.” And if you’re of a mind for a more traditional trip to the theatuh, how about the ABBA musical “Mamma Mia?” Or the Ibsen-inspired Broadway hit “A Doll’s House, Part 2,” which just opened at Berkeley Rep? So many choices!
5 PLAY: Sip on the high seas
Sail off into the sunset on a yacht — OK, it’s not your yacht, it’s a charter. Still cool though, especially since this one includes wine. The Chardonnay II does sunset sails from the Santa Cruz Harbor every Friday evening through October, with a winemaker on board to guide that high seas wine-tasting. Saturdays, it’s a beer-tasting sail. (And OMG, they do pizza charters, too.) Find the deets here.
6 WATCH: A galaxy of huge hip-hop stars in action
There’s nothing modest about this festival. Not its name — Rolling Loud — and certainly not its lineup: Wiz Khalifa, Travis Scott (yes, Kylie Jenner’s significant other), Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, E-40 and many more (trust us, we’re just scratching the surface). It unfolds — loudly, we presume — outside the Oakland Coliseum this weekend. Details are here.
7 PLAY: Redwood hikes, no crowds
Muir Woods has always been a glorious place — an incredibly mobbed, parking challenged, but glorious place. Don’t fret if you didn’t manage to score parking reservations, though. Here are six more gorgeous Bay Area redwood groves to explore — no rezzies needed.
