BAR | Bay Area Registry

Litquake Out Loud + Book Fair
2025-09-28 11:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Great Lawn, Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission St. between 3rd & 4th Sts., San Francisco, 94103
In a city built on tall tales, hard-boiled prose, revelatory memoirs, and penetrating reportage, Litquake is the soul of San Francisco’s cultural life. The region’s largest literary festival returns in 2025, celebrating the exuberantly creative literary community from throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Come explore a curated spread of small presses and literary magazines at the Litquake Book Fair in Yerba Buena Gardens. Browse the best in local literature set to a day of poetry readings from Litquake Out Loud. Highlighting the Bay Area’s BIPOC & LGBTQ+ writers and thought leaders, Litquake continues to elevate underrepresented voices so that all people are included in creating and imbuing the Bay Area’s historic, thriving arts scene. Details to be announced, with a list of participating presses coming soon!
Info & Tickets

San Mateo September Arts and Culture Fest
2025-09-28 11:00 - 17:00 | Various Venues (San Mateo), San Mateo, 94497
The San Mateo County Office of Arts and Culture, the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Association of San Mateo are pleased to present the September Arts & Culture Fest 2025 – the best street festival on the Peninsula. Join us on Sunday, September 28, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM for this day-long event featuring LOCAL musicians, entertainment and cultural performances, artists and craft-makers, a poetry corner, and Mural Madness – a live mural competition.
Info & Tickets

Folsom Street Fair 2025
2025-09-28 11:00 - 18:00 | Folsom Street (8th to 12th), Folsom and 10th Street, San Francisco, 94103
Welcome to Folsom Street Fair, where pleasure meets protest, leather meets liberation, and visibility is an act of defiance. This Folsom Street Fair is our 42nd annual celebration of OUR communities in San Francisco. Since 1984 this event has been the largest event of its kind worldwide, and it’s the culmination of San Francisco’s Leather Pride season. You’ll enjoy seven community stages with performers, DJs, live music and more to draw people in and then give them local artists and artisans to buy beautiful creations from!
Info & Tickets

2nd Annual Black Joy Parade Golf & Grooves Tournament Fundraiser
2025-09-28 12:00 - 18:30 | Metropolitan Golf Links, 10051 Doolittle Dr, Oakland, CA, 94603
After a sold-out debut, Black Joy Parade’s 2nd Annual Golf & Grooves Fundraiser is back in Oakland on Sunday, September 28, 2025! We’re bringing that same Black Joy Parade energy to the green with an 18-hole golf tournament (Golf) and an unforgettable cookout (Grooves).
Info & Tickets

Nzuri Soul
2025-09-28 13:00 - 16:00 | Vino Godfather Winery, 1005 Walnut Ave, Vallejo, Vallejo, CA, CA, 94592, United States
Prepare for an unforgettable afternoon of soulful melodies, fine wine, and pure energy as the incomparable Nzuri Soul takes the stage at Vino Godfather Winery. A celebrated R&B and jazz vocalist, Nzuri will pay homage to legendary icons Betty Wright, Etta James, and Gladys Knight, celebrating the timeless influence of these soul music pioneers. Originally from Dallas, she has become a powerhouse in the Bay Area music scene, amassing a loyal following and earning prestigious accolades.
Info & Tickets

Charlie Deal Day
2025-09-28 13:00 - 16:00 | Downtown Mill Valley, 87 Throckmorton Ave, Mill Valley, 94941
Charlie Deal Day is a one-day event celebrating Mill Valley, its legendary character Charlie Deal and the town’s rich music history. Deal is the beloved Mill Valley character who was renowned as the inventor of the toilet seat guitar.
Info & Tickets

Pacifica Family Fun Fest
2025-09-28 13:00 - 16:00 | IBL Field, 1427 Palmetto Avenue, Pacifica, 94044
A free, fun play festival promoting healthy cooperative and non-competitive group interaction! Activities include Earth Ball, Paint a Car, Face Painting, and more!

Info & Tickets

Walking in Life Fashion Event & Luncheon
2025-09-28 13:00 - 17:00 | San Ramon Marriott, 2600 Bishop Dr, San Ramon, CA, 94583, United States
Join us for a fabulous day of fashion and flair as cancer survivors demonstrate resilience and strength strutting the catwalk. Sunday, September 28, 2025 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the San Ramon Marriott. Witness as our models take center stage showcasing their own unique glamour, style and sophistication. Every year, these models not only walk the runway, they own it! This event promises an unforgettable experience. See you there!
Info & Tickets

Runnicles Conducts Mahler 1
2025-09-28 14:00 | Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94102
Mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts joins Scottish conductor Donald Runnicles and the San Francisco Symphony for Berg’s Seven Early Songs. Although Berg was in his early 20s at the time and a devoted disciple of Schoenberg, these surging and sumptuous songs reveal his late-Romantic leanings, too. Occasional touches of Strauss, Mahler, Brahms, Debussy, and Wagner combine with Berg’s rigorous originality in an appealing package. Mahler understood the value of his First Symphony right away, confessing that conducting it “sent shivers down my spine.
Info & Tickets

Whiskey & Fire (San Jose)
2025-09-28 15:30 - 19:00 | Hayes Mansion, 200 Edenvale Avenue, San Jose, 95136, United States
8 Cities, 1 Epic Collaboration
Whiskey & Fire is hitting the road with a 8-stop tour, visiting key cities around the nation.
Two beloved festivals coming together for the ultimate collaboration! Heritage Fire & Whiskies of the World goes national with Whiskey and Fire, including 20+ top local chefs and 50+ whiskey partners, and incorporating two events into one. Expect a hyper-localized live-fire cooking event, regional flavors, exclusive whiskey tastings, local purveyors, and new activations like chef demos —an unforgettable fusion of fire, flavor, and fine spirits.
Each stop will highlight top local chefs, pitmasters, and distillers, celebrating exceptional spirits and bringing together the community’s best food and whiskey offerings for an unforgettable tasting experience.
Info & Tickets

Jazz on the Hill
2025-09-28 17:30 - 19:30 | Claremont Resort & Club, 41 Tunnel Rd, Berkeley, 94705
Join us for an unforgettable evening of live jazz at the iconic Claremont Resort and Club. Whether you’re a devoted jazz lover or simply looking for a vibrant night out, this experience is designed to delight. Curated in partnership with SPON2NEITY Collective, and Musical Director, Kev Choice, the night will showcase soul-stirring, genre-bending sounds that push the boundaries of jazz while honoring its timeless roots. Come savor the music, the atmosphere, and the magic of Jazz on the Hill—a performance you won’t want to miss.
Info & Tickets

Okan
2025-09-28 18:00, 2025-09-28 19:30 | SFJAZZ, 201 Franklin Street, San Francisco, CA, 94102, United States
Taking its name from the word for heart or soul in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria, OKAN fuses Afro-Cuban and other global rhythms with jazz, folk, electronic pop, and classical forms.
Embracing genres and roles that have historically been dominated by men, co-leaders, composers, and multi-instrumentalists Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne bring a fresh perspective to Latin and world jazz fusion through their powerful vocals, inspired musicianship, and potent lyrical content.
Info & Tickets

Candlelight: Tribute to Adele
2025-09-28 18:30 | Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, 757 Market Street , San Francisco, CA, 94103, United States
⭐ Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in San Francisco. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Adele at Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco under the gentle glow of candlelight.
Info & Tickets

Faye Carol Blues Band with Katie Knipp
2025-09-28 19:00 | Sweetwater Music Hall, 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley, CA, 94941, United States
Legendary vocalist The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol & Her Sextet present an evening of blues, blues, and more blues! From Johnnie Taylor to Fats Domino to B.B. King, Miss Faye and her slammin’ band will raise the roof and let loose on the blues in their own unique fashion.
Info & Tickets

America
2025-09-28 19:30 | The Mountain Winery, 14831 Pierce Rd, Saratoga, CA, 95070, United States
The iconic multi-platinum-selling group AMERICA will celebrate their 54th anniversary with a series of tour dates on the “Ride On Tour 2024.” Known for their timeless magic and powerful performances, the Grammy Award-winning perennial classic-rock favorite will draw on their deep catalog of hits including signature song “A Horse With No Name,” a Number One hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1972.
Info & Tickets

Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer
2025-09-28 20:45 | Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco, 757 Market Street , San Francisco, CA, 94103, United States
⭐ Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in San Francisco. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Hans Zimmer at Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco under the gentle glow of candlelight.
Info & Tickets

Bobby McFerrin & MOTION: Circlesongs
2025-09-29 12:00 | The Freight, 2020 Addison St, Berkeley, CA, 94704, United States
Join Bobby McFerrin and Bay Area’s MOTION featuring Bryan Dyer, David Worm, Destani Wolf, and Tammi Brown. They will lead Circlesongs at 12:00 PM and encourage everyone to bring a spirit of adventure, curiosity, trust, and joy. Let it free your voice.
Parking
Center Street Garage, next door to The Freight, is currently open nightly until 1am except Sunday. More details here.
Public Transit
The Freight & Salvage is BARTable! Downtown Berkeley BART station is a half a block from the Freight. Details at bart.gov. Many AC Transit bus lines stop within a few blocks of the Freight. Details at actransit.org.
Nearby Favorites Bars/Restaurants
Revival Bar + Kitchen | 2102 Shattuck Avenue, (510) 549–9950
Comal Next Door | 2024 Shattuck Ave, (510) 422-662
Gather | 2200 Oxford Street @ Allston, (510) 809-0400
Info & Tickets

Make Me Laugh Monday feat. Jammin' Jay Lamont, Ron G, Lance Woods
2025-09-29 20:00 | Yoshi’s Oakland, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Make Me Laugh Monday is your ticket to shake off the stress and laugh your worries away! This joy-filled night features a powerhouse lineup of seasoned comedians, including the Human iPod himself, Jammin Jay Lamont; Emmy-winning entertainer and actor Ron G; and the multi-talented actor, writer, and stand-up comedian Lance Woods. Hosting the evening is none other than the Bay Area’s own, the hilariously unpredictable J-Red, bringing his signature energy and charm to the stage.
Info & Tickets

Borders, Power, and the Press: How the World is Being Remade
2025-09-30 17:30 | Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA, 94105, United States
Commonwealth Club World Affairs welcomes the World Press Institute, which has been the premier organization in the United States providing international journalists with the opportunity to broadly investigate this country—its values, traditions of a free press, institutions, customs, and people. These nine journalists from across the globe are here because of the World Press Institute. This is the 60th annual journalism fellowship program.
Info & Tickets

Virtual | BWOPA Power-Up Advocacy Masterclass Series
2025-09-30 18:00 - 20:00 | [ Virtual ], CA
Welcome to our online Black Women Power Up Advocacy Masterclass Series! This event is designed to empower black women to become effective advocates for change in their communities. Join us for a series of interactive workshops led by experts in advocacy, where you’ll learn valuable skills to make your voice heard and drive positive impact. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and elevate your advocacy game. Register now to power up your advocacy skills!
Info & Tickets

Made in the East Bay Fundraiser
2025-09-30 18:00 - 21:00 | Junior Center Of Art & Science, 558 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland, 94610
Our third annual art sale fundraiser to support our scholarship fund. Rediscover the Junior Center at an evening celebrating creativity and curiosity. Support our mission to provide a place of belonging—where creativity flourishes and every young person has the opportunity to explore, create, and experiment.
Info & Tickets

Concert Performance: inebria me
2025-09-30 19:00 | KQED Headquarters, 2601 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
KQED Live presents a special music-only edition of inebria me, featuring San Cha and acclaimed musician/composer Darian Donovan Thomas.
With inebria me, San Cha merges opera’s form, tradition and opulence with the telenovela’s melodrama, honoring and subverting both, and asserting queer Black and Brown voices and presence. Her composition fuses ranchera, cumbia, punk, classical and electro to celebrate the liberating power of ascendant relationships.
Info & Tickets

Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends
2025-09-30 19:30 | Yoshi’s Oakland, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland, CA, 94607, United States
Saul Williams is a Writer, Musician, Poet, Director, and Actor who came into public attention with the release of the internationally acclaimed film Slam (dir. Marc Levin), which Saul co-wrote and starred in, introducing the world to the Slam Poetry movement, and winning Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera D’Or, in 1998.
As an actor, Saul was a series regular as “Sivad” on the CW’s Girlfriends and has appeared in a handful of films including: K-Pax, Lackawanna Blues, New York, I Love You, and most recently the French-Senegalese Aujourd’hui- TEY (dir. Alain Gomis) which won 2013’s L’Etalon D’Or at FESPACO, where Saul was the first African-American to win Best Actor in the largest and oldest African film festival.
Info & Tickets

Nexus: Experience SF / Bay Area Black Art Week
2025-10-01 - 2025-10-05 | SF/Bay Area
Building on the momentum of last year’s groundbreaking debut, Nexus: SF/Bay Area Black Art Week returns to honor the vibrant creativity and cultural impact of Black artists across the region. This dynamic week-long celebration brings together galleries, institutions, creative hubs, and visionary artists for a series of exhibitions, open studios, programs, and immersive experiences.
Info & Tickets

Nexus - SF/Bay Area Black Art Week
2025-10-01 - 2025-10-05 | Multiple Venues, Fairfield, SF, Oakland, Sacrarmento, CA, United States
Building on the momentum of last year’s groundbreaking debut, Nexus: SF/Bay Area Black Art Week returns to honor the vibrant creativity and cultural impact of Black artists across the region. With 25+ exhibitions, 30+ events (artist talks, open studios, artworks, workshops, film screening), and more than 50 artists participating across the Bay Area, each day offers an inspiring celebration of Black creativity, culture, and community.
More Info / Tickets
San Francisco’s arts and cultural scene is on the cusp of an exciting renaissance, and I am thrilled MoAD is helping lead that charge!” – Ralph Remington, Director of Cultural Affairs, San Francisco Art Commission
“Nexus will showcase and uncover the richness of the Black artist community in the SF/Bay Area, offering unique opportunities to connect with diverse participants. This week-long series of events will highlight the importance of our Black community, culture, and history, positioning the SF Bay Area as a beacon for Black artists. Let’s come together to make the Bay Area a leading force in the art world, honoring the contributions and talents of our Black artists. This is our moment to stand together and let the voices of our artists champion the future of the SF/Bay Area’s arts and culture community!
We invite you to participate in Nexus, engage with our community, and be part of this transformative journey.” – Monetta White, Executive Director & CEO, MoAD

UNBOUND - Art, Blackness & the Universe
2025-10-01 - 2026-08-16 | MoAD | Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, United States
UNBOUND: Art, Blackness & the Universe is a groundbreaking exhibition that explores the intersections of Blackness and the cosmos. Curated by Key Jo Lee, MoAD’s Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Public Programs, the show invites visitors to reimagine Blackness not as fixed or earthbound, but as infinite—expansive, unknowable, and cosmically rich.
Inspired by Lee’s essay, “Gesturing Toward Infinitude: Painting Blue/Black Cosmologies,” the exhibition asks: What if we approached Blackness with the same wonder we bring to the universe? What if, like a black hole or distant star, Blackness could be a site of mystery, power, and transformation?
Featuring a global and intergenerational group of artists—including Lorna Simpson, Rashaad Newsome, Gustavo Nazareno, Harmonia Rosales, Didier William, and many more—the exhibition spans painting, sculpture, installation, and video. Works traverse the historical and the speculative, the scientific and the spiritual.
Info & Tickets

Continuum: MoAD Over Time
2025-10-01 - 2026-03-01 | MoAD | Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, United States
Continuum: MoAD Over Time is a landmark exhibition marking the 20th anniversary of the Museum of the African Diaspora. More than a retrospective, Continuum introduces MoAD’s next frontier, showing how the museum has been both foundational to the Bay Area’s cultural landscape and an increasingly vital global venue for art of the African Diaspora.
Info & Tickets

Dance Outdoors with Rhythm & Motion
2025-10-01 12:00 - 13:00 | Great Lawn, Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission St. between 3rd & 4th Sts., San Francisco, 94103
Named San Francisco’s favorite dance workout by the magazines San Francisco and 7X7, Rhythm & Motion is a low-pressure, full-bodied dance workout class that balances the euphoria of a good party with the challenge of learning choreography and movement techniques. The dance party happens every Wednesday at Yerba Buena Gardens, when Rhythm & Motion and YBG Festival invite you to weekly one-hour dance workout classes in a beautiful outdoor space. Wear comfortable clothing and supportive shoes suitable for grass. Bring water, layers for unpredictable weather, your sense of comfort and connection and your abundant joy.
Info & Tickets

The Art of Second Chances: Community-Led Pathways to Justice and Prosperity
2025-10-01 18:00 | Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA, 94105, United States
Join us for an urgent and inspiring evening as part of Commonwealth Club World Affairs’ Social Impact Forum. “The Art of Second Chances” will highlight community-driven interventions—rooted in healing, education, and economic empowerment—that create real second chances and pave the way for collective liberation and greater public safety.
Info & Tickets
