While your neighbors are off to Burning Man 2011, enjoy a less crowded San Francisco with this weekend’s marathon of free things to do—concerts, street fairs and other events--most of them outdoors. Labor Day is looming, so bask in the gorgeous summery weather and free activities of the remaining days of August.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2011
- 12-8:26 pm: Whether you’re a frustrated writer or a best-selling novelist (or both), whether your forte is technical articles or nursery rhymes, on Friday afternoon your writing can be undeniably worthy as part of the 8/26 Day Write-a-thon.
Sign on to write, get people to sponsor you, and then from 12-8:26 pm, at 826 Valencia Street (or wherever you’d like), write away. All proceeds go toward free writing programs for youths at 826 Valencia, the pioneering, nonprofit writing center co-founded by author Dave Eggers. To register, email writeathon@826valencia.org.
- 5-10 pm: For the Valencia Street Evening Fair, shops stay open late and provide specials, discounts, drinks and music. On Valencia between 14th and 24th streets.
- 10 am-5:30 pm:Oakland Chinatown Streetfest; see Sunday listing.
- 11 am-6 pm: The inaugural San Francisco Reggae Festival brings reggae musicians (among them Rankin Scroo, Junior Toots, Ancestree, Wontanara Revolution and Irae Divine) and DJs to the Fillmore, as well as Jamaican food, arts & crafts, and children’s activities. At Fillmore and O’Farrell.
- 1-6 pm: At The Really Really Free Market, it really is. And it’s recycling before your very eyes. People bring and set out their stuff and peruse and take other people’s stuff. The market happens on the last Saturday of the month in Dolores Park, near 19th and Dolores.
- 3 pm: Multiple Grammy nominee and San Francisco native John Santos and his sextet play Latin jazz to kick off American Sabor: Latinos in US Popular Music, a traveling Smithsonian exhibition about Latinos’ impact on pop music. At the San Francisco Public Library through Nov. 13, the exhibit covers the Latino music that sprang from New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San Antonio and San Francisco from the 1940s onward, and artists like Tito Puente, Ritchie Valens, Celia Cruz and Carlos Santana. More free concerts, performances and films are scheduled throughout the run. At the Library, 100 Larkin St.
- 10 am-5:30 pm: The Oakland Chinatown Streetfest has Shaolin kung fu and other martial arts demonstrations and performances by dance troupes, jazz ensembles, a children’s orchestra playing Chinese music, and Foreverland (a 14-piece tribute band to Michael Jackson). About 200 booths offer food, games and arts and crafts. From 7th to 11th streets and from Broadway to Harrison streets, Oakland. BART station: 12th Street Oakland.
- 3-6:30 pm: The King of Pop would’ve turned 53 on Aug. 29, 2011, and around town the Bay Area Flash Mob is doing a pop-up Michael Jackson Birthday Tribute, dance choreographed to a medley of Jackson hits. Learn the routine from the online tutorials and join in, or just watch. The flash mob’s movements: 3:30 pm at Ferry Plaza (in front of the clock tower); 4:30 pm at Union Square; 5:30 pm at Dolores Park; 6 pm at Market and Castro streets.
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