COYOTE Calendar: August 20-August 26

Welcome to the COYOTE Calendar. Here are this week's handpicked events, just for you.

There's a summer surge in COVID cases right now so please be thoughtful and safe as you go out and do things. Masks are sexy! Let's all keep each other safe.

The UC Berkeley Botanical Garden's Welwitschia mirabilis (an extremely cool plant native to the ancient Namib Desert, and one of the longest living plants on Earth) is coning for the first time since they got the sample in 1989, so get thee to the gardens to see it! It's also tarantula mating season, so if you want to see horny spiders head to the hills at dusk (I recommend the Mitchell Canyon Staging Area at Mt. Diablo, Black Diamond Mines in Pittsburg, and Almaden Quicksilver County Park in San Jose).

Lots of events span the weekend including SF Black Pride, Palo Alto Festival of the Arts, the San Jose Poetry Festival, King Tut Festival, the San Francisco Historium Spotlight, the Redwood Empire Bonsai Society Show, and Oakland Chinatown's 37th Streetfest. There's still time to catch "Hidden Currents" at Audium, and be sure to read this banger review by Rahawa either before or after you do (dealer's choice). It's also your last chance to watch an artist spank a tech executive. And if you're into opera, grab tickets to Girl of the Golden West for one of their weekend showtimes.

This week we've also got orbs, raptors, Chinese knots, DIY phone books, tacos and stained glass. We'll post new events each Wednesday. Go forth and enjoy!

• Investigating Public Agencies 〰️This is part one of a two-part series on how to find out information about public agencies — all things that can then inform your activism and resistance. This first session is on the research side of things. Bring a computer if you've got one, and some idea of what you might want to find out so you can put the tools to the test right here. Some ideas: Who owns your building? What public official has the biggest salary in your town? What specific charges did they try to bring against your comrades? Part two is on September 3rd. 〰️ 6:30-8pm 〰️ Tamarack, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• ORB Launchiversary: Always Be Launching 〰️ Our pals at Oakland Review of Books are celebrating a year of vibe reports, deep dives, calendar wrangling, and launching, launching and launching. There will be pizza, DJs, a Book Domme, and a contest for "least essential book." Bring an ORB shaped object and your hottest anti-Piedmont burn. 〰️ 6-11pm 〰️ Eli's Mile High Club, Oakland 〰️ $15 suggested donation; NOTAFLOF 〰️ more info
• Raptors in the Concrete Jungle 〰️ From bald eagles in Milpitas and Oakland to peregrine falcons in Berkeley, to osprey in Vallejo, the Bay Area is full of what I like to call "BOPs" or "birds of prey." But city life isn't easy. These birds have to dodge power lines, windows, poison, cars, disease and other dangers that their remote cousins don't. Come learn about the Secret Lives Of City Raptors and how cities could be more BOP friendly. 〰️ 7pm 〰️ David Brower Center, Berkeley 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Beach Goth Night 〰️ Beach bums 🤝 goths at this event that blends all the dark moody aesthetics with sandy California subculture. DJ JPEG will be spinning all night for fishnets and rash guards alike. 〰️ 9pm 〰️ Rickshaw Stop, SF 〰️ $13.73 〰️ more info
• Harm Reduction Kit Making Party 〰️ Get together with the Safer Together mutual aid folks and help build some safe-use supply kits, learn about harm reduction, eat some snacks, and generally make the world a better place one little bundle of goods at a time. If you can't make this one but are interested in this kind of work, Safer Together has these and other programs regularly, and West Oakland Punks With Lunch has weekly packing days on Tuesdays at 5pm. 〰️ 3-6pm (but try to arrive around 3 if you can) 〰️ 29 Precita Ave, SF (parking can be hard to find around there so consider public transit) 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Bay Area Tech Workers Coalition Social 〰️ If you can't quit your evil tech job, you can still do something to sooth your soul — come through and meet up with tech workers interested in organizing and building collective power. 〰️ 6-8pm 〰️ Zeitgeist, SF 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Storied: San Francisco in Studio 〰️ KSFP (the low-power radio station of the San Francisco Public Press) has a new studio and they're celebrating with a live recording of the Storied: San Francisco podcast featuring iconic local photographer Dave Glass, who has been photographing SF for over 50 years. 〰️ 6-8pm 〰️ Warfield Commons, SF 〰️ $0-8, seating is limited so RSVP if you want a spot 〰️ more info
• Riso 101 〰️ Riso is so hot right now. And who doesn't want to learn how to make beautiful, stylish prints without the microplastics of toners? Come to this class to learn the basics of this really neat printing technique, and get ready to get addicted. 〰️ 6-8pm 〰️ Sequoia Fabrica, SF 〰️ $7-10 (free for members) 〰️ more info

• Hanson 〰️ Look I don't usually put "big" shows on the calendar but did you all know that Hanson was still touring? Get your girlies and your MMMBop and maybe even check out their latest album which came out in 2024????? 〰️ 8-9:30pm 〰️ Graton Resort & Casino, Rohnert Park 〰️ $50+ 〰️ more info
• Endless Summer 〰️ Summer isn't over just yet, so bring your friends and squeeze the last drops of joy out of the season at this happy hour with the comrades. Some of the proceeds go to the Center for Political Education, "which helps organizers build winning strategies through deep study of social movement history and political theory." 〰️ 5-7pm 〰️ Understory, Oakland 〰️ FREE, please RSVP 〰️ more info
• Tigridia @ There/There 〰️ Any event that promises "lezzing out" is automatically going to go on our calendar at this point. Plus, this is at a newly opened venue that we're excited about. Get your dance on at this party featuring go-go dancers and any go-go dancing of your own making. I believe in you. 〰️ 9pm-1am 〰️ There/There, Oakland 〰️ presale $5-10; at the door $10-20 Black trans folks get in free NOTAFLOF for QTBIPOC 〰️ more info
• Chinese Knot with Ms. Yan 〰️ Learn the basics of traditional Chinese Knot art and make your own piece you can take home and hang proudly wherever you like. Limited space on this one so grab your spot if you want to get knotty. 〰️ 2-4pm 〰️ Chinese Center Exhibit Space, SFPL Main Library 〰️ FREE but RSVP is required 〰️ more info
• Open Mic Drag Takeover 〰️ It's hard to find drag shows that are accessible in both the COVID sense and in the beginners sense, and this one is both! Local queen Taipei is hosting a hybrid open-mic show "for newbie drag performers, drag-curious creatives, experienced artists looking to experiment, and everyone in between." Try something out, support newbies, and enjoy the show. 〰️ 😷 COVID SAFE: masks required inside and outside 〰️ 6-8:30pm 〰️ Disability Cultural Center, SF 〰️ FREE, but if you want to perform you need to sign up in advance 〰️ more info
• GENRE: FULL THROTTLE 〰️ Drag show, art form, costume party, "moving directly towards you at an unsafe rate of speed." The cool thing about this particular show is that it features drag houses and gives them 30 minute slots to put on a whole production (as opposed to the five-minute numbers you usually see). Come see folks pushing the form and trying something new. 〰️ 9pm 〰️ The Stud, SF 〰️ $17.85 〰️ more info
• Gallery Talk: Motherboards 〰️ I'm a sucker for any behind-the-scenes info about how a museum exhibit was put together. In this talk, assistant curator Juan Omar Rodriguez will give you all the goods on the San Jose Museum of Art's current exhibit Motherboards, which highlights the contributions women have made to the technology industry. 〰️ 12:30pm 〰️ San Jose Museum of Art 〰️ $20 〰️ more info

• All This Every Day: Bolinas Community Publishing in the Seventies 〰️ My very favorite little town in the North Bay (with the best tide pooling in the Bay Area) has a long history of scrappy self-organization. In 1969 the community created its own, handwritten phone book that took on a life of its own as a design object, a symbol, and a resource. Now you can come see these old phone books on display! Even if you can't make this opening event, go check it out while it's on through September 27th. 〰️ 2-4pm 〰️ Bolinas Museum 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Rhythm and Runways 〰️ I don't put a lot of fashion shows on the calendar because we don't have that many in the Bay Area (as far as I know? send me them if you know about them!). This one features the work of the titular Stephanie, of Stephanie’s Boutique, and should be a fun time. 〰️ 1pm 〰️ Vino Godfather, Vallejo 〰️ $50 〰️ more info
• Music Festival Fundraiser for Journey Home 〰️ Rock for a good cause — this lineup of 13 (lucky!) bands is raising money for Journey Home, a nonprofit focused on helping women escape from domestic violence. Bonus: a clothing swap, arts and crafts, and more. 〰️ 3-11pm 〰️ Arlene Francis Center, Santa Rosa 〰️ $20 suggested donation 〰️ more info
• Afrobeats at the Lake 〰️ This one is exactly what it sounds like: Afrobeats at the Lake. Come through to hear a broad take on "the culture and identity of of African music within dance spaces across the Bay Area." This one mostly focuses on local artists (no shade to Burna Boy) with a few surprise international artists. 〰️ 1-8pm 〰️ Snow Park, Oakland 〰️ $11.79+ 〰️ more info
• Trans Takeover! At the Pinball Museum 〰️ Calling all trans and nonbinary folks! Whether you're a pinball wizard or just curious about those flappers this is a great way to meet up with fellow pinballers and try your hand at the games. There will be a scavenger hunt, a high score tournament, prizes and trinkets, and loads of cool people. 〰️ 1-4pm 〰️ Pinball Museum, Alameda 〰️ $10 entry, NOTAFLOF 〰️ more info
• Parks on the Air w/the Lefty Radio League! 〰️ If you've ever been curious about Ham radio this is a great way to see it in action. Jason Breede will be setting up his rig and contacting operators all over not just the country but the world. Meet fellow radio nerds (current and future) and find out what the Lefty Radio League is all about. 〰️ 3-6pm 〰️ Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach, Alameda 〰️ FREE (but please RSVP) 〰️ more info
• Plus Arcade Party 〰️ A day party featuring games, cards, drinks, cosplay, hip-hop, minigolf, and more. Lots of stuff going on here, so there's something for everybody. Plus, even if you lose at Street Fighter, you could still win prizes. 〰️ 5-10pm 〰️ Hella Bees, Oakland 〰️ $25.31 〰️ more info
• She Shreds Sessions: Hot and Heavy Summer Show 〰️ Check out these four female-fronted and queer-led bands at this showcase put on by the She Shreds Women's Music Community: Wonderland Rejects, StarStrut, Black Gold Sun, The Lilies. Every cent of your door fee goes right to the musicians. Support local music! 〰️ 7pm 〰️ Fireside Lounge, Alameda 〰️ $10 〰️ more info
• Anti Data Centers Art Build 〰️ In order to power their plagiarism CSAM machines, the powers that be want to build new huge, pollutive data centers — mostly in communities of color who have already suffered from redlining and environmental racism. Come together with local activists to make banners and screen prints, and organize against this construction. This is outside so wear a hat and sunscreen and bring water. 〰️ 11am-2pm 〰️ Richmond Communities for a Better Environment 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Courtside Maker's Market 〰️ Artists, local businesses, and food will all be on offer at this market in the parking lot of these local pickleball courts. Shop, hit some loud hard balls, sip and snack and soak up the community vibes. 〰️ 11am-5pm 〰️ Pickleball City, Fremont 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• baddie bingo 〰️ Tickets to the baddies who crab water-related events are incredibly hard to get (get on their WhatsApp group if you even want a chance), but anybody can participate in this land-based bingo. Players have the opportunity to win tickets to Liz Phair & Sleater-Kinney at the Greek, tickets to Spirited Away at the Castro Theater, or, perhaps most elusively of all, guaranteed spots at the next baddies who crab meetup. 〰️ 1-3pm 〰️ Anina, SF 〰️ more info
• Crash An Indian Wedding Party 〰️ You could make friends and get invited to their weddings or you could simply buy tickets to this event and get all the party with none of the "having to remember someone's birthday" stuff. A night of DJs, live drummers, dancing, interactive lessons, snacks, henna art, and lots and lots of dancing. 〰️ 6-11pm 〰️ Great American Music Hall, SF 〰️ $33.16 〰️ more info
• That 90's Rave 〰️ Throw it back to the 90's at this iconic rave venue. This one will have three different areas featuring hard techno, drum & bass, and funky house. Dress like Bart Simpson or Doug (just don't tell Soleil) and really embody the vibe. 〰️ 9pm-4am 〰️ The Gingerbread House, SF 〰️ $17+ 〰️ more info
• Stained Glass Mommy Community Workshop 〰️ I'm calling it now: Stained glass is going to be the next hot crafting trend soon. Get out ahead of it with this workshop by one of my favorite local stained glass artists and make some sexy glass (literally, click through and check out the designs) for your windows. 〰️ 12-5pm 〰️ private location, SF 〰️ $100-120 〰️ more info
• Compton's Cafeteria Riot Celebration 〰️ It's the 60th anniversary of the Compton's Cafeteria Riot, so come out and celebrate a key historic point in queer resistance and liberation. There will be “liberation stations” featuring literature, free HRT, labor organizing, and more. Plus performances and a closing speech by Susan Stryker. 〰️ 5-9pm 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Brick Blast 〰️ This celebration of LEGO is sold out, but you would have known to buy tickets in advance if you were a paying subscriber because it's been included in our Buy Tickets Now preview feature for weeks! You can still get on the waitlist if you're hoping to throw your tiny brick hat in the ring just in case. 〰️ Santa Clara Convention Center 〰️ all day 〰️ more info
• Mutual Aid Bloc Party 〰️ Mutual aid forever, and specifically on this afternoon if you want to get together at a potluck and picnic and vibe with good people. Masks will be provided, so you can safely hang out and meet the folks doing the work on the ground. 〰️ 12-4pm 〰️ Hammer Theater Plaza, San Jose 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Compost Basics Workshop 〰️ After the big blooms of spring and summer, it's time to start thinking about fall: decomposition, renewal, richness. Learn how to setup your own composting situation at home and make that good, good dirt. 〰️ 2-4pm 〰️ Rose Garden, San Jose 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info

• Community Dye Party 〰️ Writing the calendar means that I get a front row sent on local trends, and let me tell you that natural dyeing is IN right now. (Other trends I'm noticing: Linocuts are fading, riso is booming, puppets are hot, mushrooms are waning, birding is holding steady but tide pooling is on the rise.) Hit up this class on how to identify, sustainably gather, process, extract and apply dye from local plants guided by a queer South Asian textile artist. 〰️ 1-3:30pm 〰️ Oakland 〰️ $66-88 〰️ more info
• CÁMARAS DE ICE SALGAN DE OAKLAND! 〰️ Mark the end of Flock National Week of Action (find more events on that front here) and the beginning of the rest of the work with fellow comrades in resistance at this rally to push Alameda county to drop this invasive system of mass surveillance. 〰️ 2pm 〰️ Fruitvale BART, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Wafful Howze Day Party 〰️ Global beats, playful vibes, and bootie appreciation at this event. "This is a spicy, sweaty, safer space where all bodies are sacred, community is everything, the bassline is a prayer, and joy is the mission." Twerk to your little heart's content and still get to bed at a reasonable hour. 〰️ 3pm 〰️ Fluid510, Oakland 〰️ $10+ 〰️ more info
• Rollin with the Homos Pageant 〰️ This is the fourth annual pageant and this year there's a new category: pair skate! Get your wheels and costumes and wildest routines ready. And if you're not really a "strap wheels to my feet" kind of guy, just come and watch the masters work. 〰️ 4pm 〰️ Brooklyn Basin, Oakland 〰️ $7.50 suggested donation 〰️ more info
• Bubble Bath 〰️ Sadly as far as I can tell this is not in fact a literal bubble bath pop-up (free idea, for anybody who has a whole bunch of bathtubs laying around), but rather the bubbles are of the spiritual variety. By which I mean that this is a rave. Float along until you pop. 〰️ 11pm 〰️ secret location, SF 〰️ $10 〰️ more info
• Save the Day for Snail 〰️ Apparently Menlo Park has been having their 9th Annual Summer Puppetry Festival all summer and I only just learned about it! This is the final event in that festival, so get your puppet on with Risa Lenore. Bring the kids, too, because in this one "children become part of the performance by making the sound effects, joining as puppeteers, and helping Gladsy the snail search for a new home." 〰️ 11-11:45am 〰️ Belle Haven Library, Menlo Park 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• 6th Annual All-You-Can-Eat Seafood Boil 〰️ Come hungry for little seabugs and stuff yourself full at this all you can eat celebration of Mr. Gumbo's birthday. This is part of the Sunday Streets Bayview so you can stroll and hang out before or after you get gluttonous. 〰️ 12-2pm or 2-4pm 〰️ Gumbo Social, SF 〰️ $50 〰️ more info

• Plant Swap 〰️ Bring a plant, take a plant at this plant swap! Simple as that. If you miss this one, there are also events on Tuesday and Wednesday at other Livermore libraries. Go to all three! Nobody can stop you! Plants forever!!! 〰️ 6pm 〰️ Rincon Library, Livermore 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• MLV NorCal Fan Fest 〰️ The Bay Area is about to have not one but two professional women's volleyball teams — one in each of the competing domestic leagues (more on that here if you're a sports nerd). This event is the first ever "fan fest" for the Major League Volleyball team in the Bay and will feature players, owners, and the mayor of San Jose. MLV NorCal has not officially confirmed that they'll be playing in San Jose, but I think this event is a pretty clear sign that that's what's going to happen. 〰️ 4-6pm 〰️ San Pedro Square Market, San Jose 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info

• ICE OUT OF SFO 〰️ The news might seem quiet on the ICE front locally but that's only because they've gotten better at hiding their work. Travelers at SFO are being targeted by ICE, in blatant violation of the city's "sanctuary city" ordinance. Show up to the next SF Airport Commission meeting and let them know what, exactly, you think of that. If you can't make this one, you can share your thoughts with AirportCommissionSecretary@flysfo.com 〰️ 9am 〰️ SF City Hall, Room 400 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Noe Valley Night Market 〰️ Take advantage of some of our last warm evenings before the rains come, and check out this cute little night market featuring live music, local food, artists, clothes, and other treasures. There will also be dancing! 〰️ 4:30-8:30 〰️ Noe Valley Town Square 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info

• Make, Paint, and Take: Evening Floral Arranging & Watercolor Workshop 〰️ A two for one set of skills here: arrange the flowers and then paint them like one of your French girls. Led by artist Suzy Kopf, you'll leave this with skills, a bouquet, and a painting. No experience necessary, and they'll provide all the materials. 〰️ 5:30-8:30pm 〰️ Marin Art and Garden Center, Ross 〰️ $145.90 〰️ more info
• Global Pay What You Can Day at Tacos Oscar 〰️ Tacos Oscar gets a lot of hype but you know what? It's fucking delicious. And now you can celebrate Global Pay What You Can Day (the first ever) with some extremely good food. "We’re participating because we believe restaurants can be spaces of care, not just commerce—where more people can gather, eat well, and feel welcome," they say. And they'll be donating 50% of the day's profits to Collective Action for Laborers, Migrants & Asylum Seekers (CALMA). 〰️ 5-9pm 〰️ Tacos Oscar, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info

You can see all of COYOTE's past calendar picks here. If you have an event you'd like to see on a future COYOTE Calendar, email us at calendar@coyotemedia.org. If you attended and enjoyed any of these events, we'd love to hear about it in the comments!

*NOTAFLOF = No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds