While a good portion of San Franciscans will be headed up to Tahoe because of the snow storms (finally!), you know better than to spend 10 hours in traffic on Friday night only to wait 10 hours in lift lines on Saturday. And to reward yourself for that genius, you should take advantage of the plethora of food events happening in the city, including the season opener of Off the Grid: Fort Mason, the best soul food festival in California, and a chance to feast on more delicious pork than you ever thought possible. Not into eating? That’s weird, but rest assured, there will be some stuff for you as well.
The Gaetano Group
Selling Mountains, Coast, Town & Country
FUN EVENTS IN SAN FRANCISCO THIS WEEKEND
SAMPLE FOOD FROM THE BAY’S BEST MOBILE FOOD CREATORS
FORT MASON CENTER
Head to Off the Grid: Fort Mason from 5 to 10pm to eat food from 30+ trucks and stands, drink craft cocktails and beer, and listen to DJ Lady Ryan spin (5 to 8pm).
Cost: Admission is free
Cost: Admission is free
FRIDAY
MAR 9
CHECK OUT ONE OF THE BAY AREA’S FAVORITE BANDS
BOTTOM OF THE HILL
The nine-piece band known as the Bayonics are performing their soulful homegrown funk at Bottom of the Hill with Vinyl Spectrum and EagleWolfSnake. If you’ve ever seen a Bayonic’s show before, you know to skip the gym, ‘cause you’re going to get your workout on the dance floor.
Cost: $10 in advance; $15 at the door
Cost: $10 in advance; $15 at the door
FRIDAY – SATURDAY
MAR 9-10
TAKE A 24-HOUR BREAK FROM TECHNOLOGY
ANYWHERE THAT’S AWAY FROM YOUR PHONE, TV, IPAD, ETC.
You’d probably be at least a little happier if you took a break from Twitter, Facebook, and cable news. National Day of Unplugging is a chance to force yourself to do just that. Ditch all technology for 24 hours starting at sundown on March 9 until sundown the following day. Sounds terrifying, but also maybe a really bright idea?
Cost: Free
Cost: Free
SATURDAY
MAR 10
BATTER UP FOR SOME CORN DOGS
SOMA STREAT FOOD PARK
The Great San Francisco Corn Dog Festival is your chance to truly appreciate the glory that is a hot dog is dipped in batter and golden fried. There will also be a mustard art competition, a corn dog eating competition, and an option to get in on five hours of all-you-can-drink craft beer (which, obviously, you’re doing).
Cost: $5 admission; $32 all-you-can-drink craft beer (includes admission)
Cost: $5 admission; $32 all-you-can-drink craft beer (includes admission)
SATURDAY
MAR 10
EAT GOOD BACON. DRINK GOOD BEER.
JACK LONDON SQUARE, OAKLAND
If anything is worth traveling across the bridge for, it’s the Bacon and Beer Festival where you can sample bacon dishes from local restaurant and drink regional craft beer. It goes from 2:30 to 5pm, which is not nearly long enough, but what can you do.
Cost: $45 to $65 (includes larger donation to Oakland Grown)
Cost: $45 to $65 (includes larger donation to Oakland Grown)
SATURDAY
MAR 10
RIDE YOUR BIKE… NAKED
MEET AT THE FERRY BUILDING
They call this clothing optional bike ride the “World Naked Bike Ride,” but somehow we feel like SF probably has the most participants anywhere around the globe ‘cause people here really, really, really love to be naked. If you don’t, however, you can also ride “as bare as you dare.”
Cost: Your energy, fear, and possible embarrassment of being seen by your boss
Cost: Your energy, fear, and possible embarrassment of being seen by your boss
SATURDAY – SUNDAY
MAR 10-11
ATTEND A BIGFOOT BONANZA
VOGUE THEATRE
Do you believe that giant, hairy, ape-like creatures walk upright through the wilderness? Doesn’t matter, actually. If you’re at all into yetis then you’ll probably enjoy two days of Bigfoot cult flicks, documentaries, and guest speakers. Fur real.
Cost: $20 to $40 ($40 is for all weekend access)
Cost: $20 to $40 ($40 is for all weekend access)
SUNDAY
MAR 11
SPRING FORWARD AN HOUR
YOUR CLOCKS
Daylight Saving Time starts on Sunday at 2am, which means it finally won’t be pitch black when you leave work next week and you’ll have a 7% less chance of being robbed (seriously). Of course, it also means you’ll have an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and getting sick, but an hour more of sunshine is totally worth it, right?! RIGHT?!
Cost: Maybe your life, but probably nothing
Cost: Maybe your life, but probably nothing
SUNDAY
MAR 11
SHOW OFF YOUR PUP IN A ST. PATRICK’S DAY DOG PARADE
BRANNAN STREET WHARF PARK
The EmBARKadero St. Patrick’s Day Dog Parade’s costume contest starts promptly at 10:20am, so make sure your Irish Wolfhound is dressed in his leprechaun outfit and ready to strut his stuff. After the parade down the Embarcadero, everyone will meet at Pier 23 for drinks. At 11:15am. It is a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, after all.
Cost: Free, minus the cost of drinks
Cost: Free, minus the cost of drinks
SUNDAY
MAR 11
KICK OFF THE SUNDAY STREETS SEASON
MISSION
Sunday Streets is back with lots of car-free fun, this time on Valencia from Duboce to 26th Street. Ride your bike, put on your roller skates, or just cruise around on foot to check out different merchants and activities.
Cost: Free
Cost: Free
SUNDAY
MAR 11
TASTE LOTS OF REALLY GREAT CHOCOLATE
SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY FAIR BUILDING
The San Francisco International Chocolate Salon is your chance to taste chocolate from some of the top chocolatiers and chocolate makers, as well as wine and spirits. There will also be demonstrations as well as chef and author talks.
Cost: $20 in advance; $30 at the door
Cost: $20 in advance; $30 at the door
SUNDAY
MAR 11
GO RANDY SAVAGE CRAZY FOR TEQUILA
25 LUSK
TequilaMANIA is a showdown between SF chefs and bartenders who are competing for title of “Ultimate Tequila Cocktail and Food Pairing,” but the best part is that you’ll taste all of the entries and vote for who takes home the tequila wrestling belt.
Cost: $48; $75 to enter 30 minutes early
Cost: $48; $75 to enter 30 minutes early
SUNDAY
MAR 11
CHECK OUT A BRAND NEW HAPPY HOUR
THE MONK’S KETTLE
This Sunday kicks off a new happy hour at The Monk’s Kettle where you can get $1 off all drafts and $2 pretzels every Sunday through Thursday from 4 to 6pm.
Cost: Cheaper than not during happy hour
Cost: Cheaper than not during happy hour
The Gaetano Group 