Culture

Three people in shimmery clothes and wigs pose in front of a BART train.

Culture

From BART to UC Berkeley, Anime Subcultures Are Thriving in the Bay

The Bay Area is quietly one of the biggest anime hubs in North America — and most people don't even realize it.

Alan Chazaro Nov 3, 2025

A low-angle close-up of Megalodon, a gray and blue Monster truck in the shape of a shark, fin and all.

Culture

The Best $20 I Spent This Year Was at Monster Jam’s Pit Party in Oakland

Times are tough. ‘Freestyle Mania’ bent them into the shape of a balloon animal for one glorious afternoon.

Rahawa Haile Oct 30, 2025

A DJ performs in a Liquor store with people dancing in the background.

Culture

Photos: See Inside a Secret Rave at a San Francisco Liquor Store

The West Coast’s first installment of the Bodega Rave Tour was a late-night rager at a Mr. Liquor near Fisherman's Wharf.

Estefany Gonzalez Oct 29, 2025

Panoramic dental x-ray of an adult male without third molars

Culture

More Teeth Than a Mouth

MOUTH did not do interviews. MOUTH was a reclusive genius. MOUTH was the mind behind all your favorite songs.

Reo Eveleth Oct 29, 2025

View of a spooky labyrinth as seem from above. Including a mushroom cloud with a scary face.

Culture

The Only Haunted House I Can Stomach Is At YBCA

What happens when you turn the creation of a haunted house over to local artists? Spinning wolf heads, hanging entrails, and one very good fluffy dog.

Soleil Ho Oct 28, 2025

Everett Regua uses an airbrush on a white t-shirt to draw a black outline over a pink cross.

Culture

“Spray Area”: The Evolution of Airbrushing in the Bay

Airbrushing once offered local artists a full-time income; nowadays, it’s mostly a creative side hustle that recalls a nostalgic past. Here’s what the remaining artists have to say about it.

Alan Chazaro Oct 22, 2025

A Black woman wearing a yellow shirt and brown pants stands on a ladder, holding a rock and showing that rock to two people who both look excited about it.

Culture

The Facade at Esther’s Orbit Room Is in Mortar Peril

The stone front of Esther’s Orbit Room is in danger. Preserving it is about more than just rocks.

Reo Eveleth Oct 20, 2025

an older Black man plays the trumpet into a microphone on stage, backed by a man on drums and a man playing electric guitar

Culture

Fill Up the Tip Jar for Oscar Myers, Pillar of Bay Area Funk and Soul

Known for decades of shows at Madrone and the Boom Boom Room, the musician and mentor suffered a stroke last week, just before his 81st birthday. A fundraiser aims to get him back on his feet.