COYOTE Calendar: January 1-January 7

Welcome to the COYOTE Calendar. It's the end of the year. Can you believe it? Truly mind boggling. Today's calendar is a bit shorter than our usual but there is still plenty to do. This week we've got lots of outdoor activities (hiking, mushrooming, whale-watching) and plenty of opportunities to journal and vision your way into the new year. Plus: kink mobility, old-school gaming, and emo prom. If you're a film lover, check out one of the many showings of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour at the Roxie. And, as always, if you're not finding what you like here you can check out the Oakland Review of Books Calendar, the Bay Area Current Calendar, and now the brand spankin' new KALW Most Best Events calendar.

We'll post new events each Wednesday. Go forth and enjoy!

• New Year Day Hike 〰️ If you're not hungover (or maybe even if you are) there's no better way to start a new year than with a hike. Get out of the house, touch grass, and maybe set a tone for the year in which you aren't scrolling on your phone for 12 hours a day. Cut it down to 11 this year. I believe in you. 〰️ 10am 〰️ Half Moon Bay State Beach 〰️ FREE (register in advance, one registration per vehicle) 〰️ more info
• First Day Hike at the Refuge 〰️ [DJ Khaled voice another one!] Go walk in the woods. Talk to other people. Hell, talk to a bird if you want. Just leave your damn house you filthy animal. Dress warm, bring binoculars if you have them. They'll have a few on hand if you don't. 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Thursday is a great day to check out some local tide pools — low tide that afternoon will be -1ft in some places which is very good. I'm not telling you my secret favorite tide pooling spot (buy me a beer and I will divulge and force you to look at 23,838 shitty iPhone photos of nudibranchs), but check out this list for a good set of options.

• Into the Woods 1-Hour Tour 〰️ Okay maybe trying to do a hike on New Years Day was too much to ask for your poor hungover body. But never fear! The next day is still just as good for walking in the woods. This walk takes you into the heart of Muir Woods National Monument and features experts who can give you all kinds of cool inside info about the park and ecosystem. 〰️ Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley 〰️ 11am 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• First Friday Night at CuriOdyssey 〰️ These happen at CuriOddyssey every first Friday, but this one is special because it's your last chance to play around with their light-based exhibit IlluminOdyssey, which features the opportunity to build your own spectroscope. If you don't know what that is, this is one very fun way to find out. 〰️ 5pm-8pm 〰️ CuriOdyssey, San Mateo 〰️ $28 for adults 〰️ more info
• Brand New Companion, Tony Horses, The Secretary, John Turkey's Nightmare 〰️ I'm very excited about this new DIY venue in Richmond and can't wait to check out some shows, including this one. Clever, buzzy songwriting wrapped in sneaky little melodies and delightful guitar playing that will stick with you and will be very fun to bop to. 〰️ Planetarium, Richmond 〰️ 7pm 〰️ $10, NOTAFLOF* 〰️ more info
• HOOT! TORCH SONGS LIVE - A Benefit for the National Immigration Law Center 〰️ Recorded in 2020, Torch Songs was a record full of songs "about the dream of a promised land, the difficulty of pilgrimage, and the despair that may come when a sanctuary nation betrays its mandate." Turns out things have gotten a lot worse on that front since 2020, and so this long-running event full of local singer-songwriters is  bringing the album back for the first live performance since it was released. 〰️ 7pm-9pm 〰️ The Back Room, Berkeley 〰️ $25 〰️ more info

• King Tide Walk at Hayward Shoreline 〰️ We've talked about King Tides on the calendar before, and if you keep reading that phrase and thinking "what the fuck is that," here's one good way to learn all about them! Experts at the Hayward shoreline will tell you all about these tides, how they impact the animals and plants in the region, and what we can learn from them. Wear shoes that you don't mind getting muddy. 〰️ 8:30am-10:30am 〰️ Hayward Shoreline 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Whale Watch in Big Sur 〰️ It's almost whale season in the Bay Area (SO EXCITING!) and if you want to be extra-ready to maximize your cetacean creeping this is the event for you. Park Staff will have some scopes, information, and binoculars and you'll get to watch with experts to see what comes by and get tips on how to see and ID everything from whales to dolphins to condors to otters. 〰️ 10am-12pm 〰️ Vista Point on Highway 1, Big Sur 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Sharks x Earthquakes Bay Area Unite 〰️ The Sharks don't suck ass this year! Trust the process, blah blah blah. Come out and see them play before tickets get stupid expensive. This game is against the Tampa Bay Lightning (who may or may not have at one point been owned by the Japanese mob) and get a free mini soccer ball for a crossover event with the Earthquakes (that's the men's soccer team in San Jose, in case you were wondering — sadly they no longer have a weird scorpion mascot). 〰️ 1pm 〰️ SAP Center, San Jose 〰️ $47+ 〰️ more info
• SFUSD Alumni New Year's Fundraiser 〰️ Public schools are good, and deserve better funding! One event can't recalibrate the government's spending priorities, but it can put a little bit more money in the pocket of SFUSD. And if that speaks to you, this event has "DJ sets and music, raffle prizes, photo shoots, and more — all in the name of supporting San Francisco’s students. All proceeds benefit Spark SF Public Schools, the official nonprofit partner of SFUSD." 〰️ 3pm-8pm 〰️ El Rio, SF 〰️ $25 〰️ more info
• Streetpass Meetup 〰️ Calling my beloved gamers. Do you remember DS streetpasses? I will not lie to you: I do not. I know nothing about this, for I do not game. But I love nostalgia and I gather that this is a gaming nostalgia thing! So please, if these words mean anything to you, join your fellow aging nerds to chat and "collect streetpasses" (???) and get a free sticker! 〰️ 4pm-9pm 〰️ Guildhouse, San Jose 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Angel Bat Dawid & 9MAGICFOREVER1: 9th Gate Sonic Research Society (N.G.S.R.S.) 〰️ What better way to start the new year than with a little afrofuturist experimental music as a treat? Two Chicago-based artists are coming through with their project N.G.S.R.S. which is "inspired by Chicago’s rich traditions of free jazz, avant-garde music, and Sun Ra’s cosmic explorations, they craft immersive afrofuturist soundscapes that seamlessly blend improvisation, electronic beats, and striking visual elements." 〰️ 8pm 〰️ The Freight, Berkeley 〰️ $39 in advance, $44 at the door 〰️ more info

• Mushrooms in the Garden 〰️ Does every COYOTE calendar have some kind of mushroom or lichen event? Possibly. I am who I am. The fungal events will continue until morale improves (so... probably forever). This one is at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, one of my favorite places in the East Bay. Let Cat Callaway, UCBG horticulturist for Ethnobotanical Collections teach you about mushrooms. I promise you won't regret it. 〰️ 10am-11am 〰️ UC Berkeley Botanical Garden 〰️ $24 for non-members, $19 for members 〰️ more info
•  Flexibility for Kink and Erotic Movement 〰️ Learning what your body can do, and where you can take it, is what kink is all about. And that applies to the very literal ways you can move yourself. Come for a session that centers pleasure and bodies and not weight loss and Instagram gimmicks. 〰️ 10am-11:30am or 12pm-3pm 〰️ East Bay Community Space, Oakland 〰️ $28.52 〰️ more info
• 2026: A Digital Vision Boarding Party at Kinfolx with Bianka Whye 〰️ I'm a sucker for New Year’s resolutions, so get ready for a couple of annual plan/vision board kind of events. This one is all about making a visual representation of what you want your year to contain. "Through guided activities, you’ll get clear on what you want, collect visuals that actually spark something, and leave with a vision board that keeps your goals front and center". 〰️ 11:30am-2:30pm 〰️ Kinfolx, Oakland 〰️ $17.50-$35 〰️ more info
• Time Is a Mirror 〰️ Another journaling and intention setting session, this one inspired by the all time great Octavia E. Butler. I have multiple images from her journals hung up on my office wall. So be it! See to it! 〰️ 12pm-2pm 〰️ Bathers Library, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info

• New Year Silent Writing Session with Jasmine Guillory 〰️ Come and write in silence with local romance writing icon Jasmine Guillory. And if you need prompts, they'll have a few for you as well. This event is technically sold out (as all Local Economy events seem to be, they're doing great stuff over there) but you can get on the waitlist. 〰️ 6pm-8pm 〰️ Local Economy 〰️ WAITLIST 〰️ more info
• The Man in the Moon 〰️ The Orinda Theatre is doing a series called "50 Movies You May Not Have Seen, That You Should" and this is one of them — featuring Reese Witherspoon's first movie role! After the film there will be a discussion with author and film critic Derek Zemrak who picked the 50 movies, and has thoughts about this one. 〰️ 6:30 pm 〰️ Orinda Theatre 〰️ $11 〰️ more info

• Vision Board Party 〰️ More vision stuff, sorry not sorry. Don't tell me you don't need it! This one is also a collage-making kind of thing, featuring "self-expression, confidence, and meaningful conversation while building planning and goal-setting skills." No need to have any experience with this kind of thing before. Just come and hang out and see what happens. 〰️ 11am-1pm 〰️ Soul Blends Coffee Roasters, Oakland 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Knotty Basic Shibari Class 〰️ New to the kinky rope arts? Learn all the basics, including safety fundamentals and some minimalist ties, so you don’t end up giving somebody rope burn. 〰️ 7:30pm-10pm 〰️ Private residence in Campbell 〰️ $47.46 〰️ more info
• Goth Skate Night 〰️ OK, so it’s not JUST goth, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find goth baddies on wheels here regardless. Skate to the best in new wave, synthpop, dark wave, and post punk (i.e. Siouxsie and the Banshees) tunes every first Tuesday of the month, which includes today. 〰️ 8pm-10pm 〰️ Church Of 8 Wheels, S.F. 〰️ $20 〰️ more info
• DJ Yerstrooly and Friends 〰️ Jam out to this all-vinyl DJ crew, who’ll be digging into a seriously diverse set of deep cuts that really fit the Make Out Room’s stubbornly retro vibe. 〰️ Make Out Room, SF 〰️ No cover. 21+. 〰️ 10pm-2am 〰️

• Emo Prom 〰️ The title says it all. Come dressed for the prom you actually wanted to stand in the corner and be sad at, rather than the one you actually stood in the corner and was sad at. Lots of bands. Lots of feels. 〰️ 5pm 〰️ 924 Gilman, Berkeley 〰️ $15 online, $17 at the door 〰️ more info
• Last Night at the Lodge 〰️ Piedmont’s favorite neighborhood bar is closing for good after today, so swing by for a final Jell-O shot. Pizza pop-up Rice Cracker will be slinging pies, cookies, and other treats, too. 〰️ 6pm 〰️ The Lodge, Oakland
• Queer Craft/DIY Nite 〰️ Bring your own crafting gear to Sour Cherry Comics, where you can gab and whittle with fellow queerdos. 〰️ 6pm-7:30pm 〰️ Sour Cherry Comics, S.F. 〰️ FREE 〰️ more info
• Beginning Knitting With Cirrus 〰️ Get your 2026 holiday gifts started early by learning how to knit! Or just learn how to pass the time when it's fucking dark at 4pm. This is a beginner friendly class that will set you up with all the stuff you need to know to begin a knitting journey. You'll be getting into feuds on Ravelry in no time. 〰️ 6:30pm-8:30pm 〰️ East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, Oakland 〰️ $55.20 〰️ 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