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Lucero is coming to the UC Theatre!

Since forming in late the ‘90s, this group of Memphis road-dogs has mixed heartfelt lyrics with the sounds of early rock and roll, classic punk, country-folk, and deep-fried Southern soul. It’s a sound that stands on the pillars of American music, born more of feeling than technique, delivered night after night to legions of fans in dive bars and theaters, and on stages as august as Red Rocks Amphitheater and the Ryman. In short, it’s music that is built to last, impervious to trends. Get your tickets to the show right here!

Whether it’s a hookup, a relationship, or time spent with yourself, every good date (ESPECIALLY a first date!) has to be one thing: fun! Don’t just drag them (or yourself!) to the same sushi spot you hit up every day – get creative! Whether they’re an absolute ogre or the fairy princex of your dreams, you’ll at least enjoy yourself a lot more  😉 Here’s what we’re most excited to do with our significant others the week of 11/9/21…

Our Partners’ Events

Get Paid to Give Your Opinions on Transportation in SF!

Community design agency Sharehold is seeking to understand the local transportation experience of everyday San Franciscans. All voices are welcome, and they’re especially excited to hear from gig workers, cyclists, working parents, people of color, and those who identify as LGBTQIA, lower-income, neurodivergent, and/or mobility limited. This is a 4-week study starting this week conducted via text message, requires participation of up to 30 minutes/week, and includes up to $100 in compensation. To be included, complete their survey right here!

This Week’s Events

Tuesday, 11/9

The Lesbian History of Valencia Street

7:00 pm | Manny’s, 3092 16th Street | $0-10

Valencia Street in the 1970s and 80s provided an alternative to the Castro as a place for the Lesbian community. So why have the remnants of this rich history largely disappeared? What was it like during its heyday? Manny’s is excited to host Ruth Mahaney to discuss the history of their neighborhood, right there on 16th & Valencia. Join them for a discussion and Q&A with the longtime teacher and community member, and get to know a hidden hometown history!

*Date Night Note – Invite the cute feminist artist you swiped right on to this fun “edutainament” event!

Wednesday, 11/10

Lindsay Lohan Fest

12:30 pm | Balboa Theatre, 3630 Balboa Street | $20 for an all-day pass

Get in, loser, we’re going to the Balboa! Rewind Wednesday is bringing you a full-on feast of the icon herself, Lindsay Lohan. Starting at 12:30 pm with a mystery lineup of Lohan’s greatest hits screened on VHS and including trivia, games, and prizes, the evening will culminate in a screening of everyone’s favorite high school masterpiece, Mean Girls.

*Date Night Note – Bring all your besties to this all-day movie marathon!

Band of Horses

7:30 pm | The Masonic, 1111 California Street | $39-59

This country-inspired, acoustic indie-rock outfit is a personal favorite of mine. Running the gamut from funereal ballads to leather-and-gravel Southern-rock, Band of Horses has a versatile, emotion-stirring sound that evokes Americana influences from bluegrass to the blues. See them tonight as they bring down the Masonic!

*Date Night Note – There’ll be plenty of soulful crooning to get you both feeling some feelings at this show!

The Hip Hop Nutcracker

7:30 pm | Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland | $34-79

Okay y’all don’t understand – the Nutcracker IS the holidays for me and my family. And that means I’m WILDLY excited about this new-to-me version of the ballet, coming to the Paramount just in time for me to get out of Spooky Spirit and into the X-mas Spirit. A holiday mash-up for the whole family, The Hip Hop Nutcracker returns to the stage for its seventh season on tour. This contemporary dance spectacle is a re-mixed and re-imagined version of the classic, smashing hip hop dance and Tchaikovksy’s timeless music together into a heart-stirring and inspirational holiday event. I can’t wait to go – check it out with me tonight!

*Date Night Note – What’s more impressive than taking a date to the opera or the ballet? Uh, taking them to THIS!

Thursday, 11/11

San Francisco PornFilmFestival

Through 11/28 | Streaming Virtually On-Demand, and In-Person at the Brava Center for Women in the Arts, 2781 24th Street | $25 to stream all programs; $50 for an in-person all-access pass (or $15 per individual show)

In 1970, San Francisco broke ground as the first city in the United States to host a public screening of hardcore sex, with the International Erotic Film Festival at the Presidio Theatre. Sexual rights and free speech are as important now as they were half a century ago, and the San Francisco PornFilmFestival seeks to showcase the creativity and craft of adult-oriented filmmaking from the San Francisco Bay Area, and beyond. Check out the official program schedule right here to see what’s on offer both virtually and in-person. And remember: “If you stream it, they will ‘come!’”

*Date Night Note – Make sure you get consent from your date before bringing them on this one! But if they do consent… Bow chicka WOW WOW!

Role Model

8:00 pm | Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell Street | $18

Get your sad-boi music fix tonight with Role Model! Role Model amalgamates influences from R&B, world music, neo soul, surf rock, dream pop, synth pop, avant garde, and more, injecting his own introspective fervor and synthesizing a characteristically soft flock of unforgettable new-age tracks.

*Date Night Note – There’s no way this dreamy-sweet sound won’t induce them to rest their head on your shoulder. Score!

Unnie: An Eastern Pop Drag + Dance Party

10:00 pm | Oasis, 298 11th Street | $5-10

Unnie is a unique drag and dance party celebrating Pan-Asian and Eastern Music. Sponsored by SarangHello and Bombay Sapphire, Unnie shows off San Francisco’s brightest drag stars alongside some of the Bay Area’s best dance crews to perform K-Pop, J-Rock, Bollywood, and more. Coming to you every Second Thursday at Oasis, catch the Eastern cultural wave! This week, Frank Lotion and Jay Pegg are taking over for the “Oppa Edition” – plus they’ll be raffling off some amazing K-Pop Merch from SarangHello, including some of the latest K-Pop releases!

*Date Night Note – Show off how much you’ve been studying to impress your K-Pop-obsessed significant other by singing along to every song!

Friday, 11/12

The Bark Mitzvah

Friday, 11/12 and Saturday, 11/13, 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm | Corner of Haight and Ashbury, 1506 Haight Street | Free, donations accepted (VIP line-skipper tickets available for $36.18)

There comes a time in every pup’s life when they become a dog – so why should they miss out on the special coming-of-age rituals that we humans enjoy? Join not-for-profit group Value Culture and photo experience company SnapFiesta for an interactive art experience wherein you and your sweet pooch will get to experience a special celebration together (just make sure you don’t forget the poop bags!)

*Date Night Note – This event’s great for couples with a fur baby or two, but the whole family can enjoy this one!

MFA Lit Night

6:00 pm | Green Apple Books and Music, 506 Clement Street | Free

A night of readings by the newest names in literature, featuring MFA students from San Jose State University, St. Mary’s College, and University of San Francisco. No brag but, as a graduate of one of these very writing programs myself, I can totally vouch for the colossal talents you’ll get to witness tonight. (For real though guys – the lineup has me fangirling.) Don’t miss out on the freshest new faces in literature – you’ll be able to say “you saw them when!”

*Date Night Note – Poetry is literally foreplay. Just trust me on this.

WAP: The Icy Ball

10:00 pm | DNA Lounge, 375 11th Street | $15-20

The Hot Girls are going Icy! Break out your bling, icy outfits, hot girl attitude, and bring all your BFFs as we pay tribute to these Queens of Hip Hop – Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion! Plus dance to club bangers from Saweetie, Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, Lizzo, Bia, and more!

*Date Night Note – Shake that booty on the dancefloor and show them what you’ve got! Then when you’re both danced-out, head downstairs for an intimate chat over a hot slice of the DNA’s yummy vegan pizza.

Saturday, 11/13

San Francisco Coffee Festival 2021 

Saturday, 11/13 and Sunday, 11/14, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm | Fort Mason Center, corner of Buchanan and Marina Streets | $25 for an all-day pass

Get ready for an immersive coffee experience when the 5th annual San Francisco Coffee Festival kicks off. Enjoy over 100 specially curated exhibitors, including the Bay Area’s top coffee roasters, as they share with you some of the best coffee, teas, and eats in the country. Want to learn more about coffee? Just ask the master roaster at their booth, or attend one of the many educational panels. Sway along to a soundtrack provided by some of the best bands and entertainment in the Bay, while you taste endless coffee. Sounds like the perfect way to spend a cold, foggy San Francisco day!

*Date Night Note – What’s better than wandering about with someone exciting and new, with plenty of things around to do and talk about? This event was MADE to be a great first date, so don’t miss out on your chance to invite that hot honey along!

El Rio’s 42nd and 43rd Birthday Bash

3:00 pm | El Rio, 3158 Mission Street | Free

Celebrating two whole birthdays that have been sidelined by the past two years of pandemic fuckery, El Rio’s 42nd and 43rd Birthday Bash promises to pop off like fireworks in Oakland in the summertime! Featuring the DJs you know and love from all of El Rio’s queerly beloved dance parties (such as Mango and T4T), as well as drag performances and free merch and food (while it lasts!), you literally can’t afford to miss out on this party of a lifetime!

*Date Night Note – Got a new flame? Eager to show them your favorite hometown dive? Now’s the perfect chance!

Ladies of the 80s

9:00 pm | The Great Northern, 119 Utah Street | $32-42

For one night only, an unbelievable lineup of actual stars from the 80s are back in the Bay! Rock out with some of your favorite icons of the era: Annabella’s Bow Wow Wow, Stacey Q, Missing Persons, and a whole lot more!

*Date Night Note – Surprise that person you’ve been flirting with for weeks with tickets to this! It’s sure to please just about anyone, so it’s a safe bet for anybody who loves music!

Vallejo Open Studios

Saturday, 11/13 and Sunday, 11/4, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm | Mare Island Studios, 110 Pintero Street, Vallejo | Free

Take yourself (and somebody special, maybe?) on a self-guided tour of the work on display Mare Island Studios! Drift in and out of the artists’ very own workspaces, chat with them about their process, and browse their works at this annual event. Maybe you’ll walk away with a new objet d’art  to fancy up your crib!

*Date Night Note – Literally what I said about Coffee Fest: MADE for a first date.

Sunday, 11/14

Makers & Margs

11:00 am – 5:00 pm  | Merkado, 130 Townsend Street | Free

Join Merkado SF for the premiere of Makers & Margs! This pop up Merkado invites you to browse through local SF makers and artists in a curated indoor & outdoor venue. Grab a bite from Bay Area food trucks, enjoy drink specials courtesy of Corona & Tequila Fortaleza, and groove to DJ sets courtesy of Lefty, KleanKut & DAntonio.

*Date Night Note – Show that new human in your life that you’re invested in your hood by bringing them to this grassroots makers’ market.

Cocktail Robotics Grand Challenge

5:00 pm | DNA Lounge, 375 11th Street | $20-25

Do you like robots? Do you like alcohol? Experience incredible robot bartenders serving you drinks, lovingly crafted with mad science by the finest competitors in the art of robotics and bartending! You probably won’t get wet. Or disassembled. Probably. But you’ll definitely get to witness a competition unlike anything you’ve ever seen (unless you went to last year’s Grand Challenge…) And admission includes two robot drink tokens (you can purchase more for $6 each), so you can put the competitors to the test yourself!

*Date Night Note – Got a date with the new techie in town? Show them you’re no troglodyte, but that you also know how to party at this sci-fi booze-fest!

Monday, 11/15

Lucero @ The UC Theatre
8:00 pm | UC Theatre, 2036 University Avenue| $30

Since forming in late the ‘90s, this group of Memphis road-dogs has mixed heartfelt lyrics with the sounds of early rock and roll, classic punk, country-folk, and deep-fried Southern soul. It’s a sound that stands on the pillars of American music, born more of feeling than technique, delivered night after night to legions of fans in dive bars and theaters, and on stages as august as Red Rocks Amphitheater and the Ryman. In short, it’s music that is built to last, impervious to trends. Get your tickets to the show right here!

*Date Night Note – Classic rock makes most people horny. It’s just science. Be prepared.

Mark Your Calendar

Dangerous Beauties: MUSE

Saturday, 11/20, 8:00 pm | Brava Center for Women in the Arts, 2781 24th Street | $20-45

The Dangerous Beauties Ten Year Anniversary production MUSE shines a light on the inspiration behind some of  the world’s most beloved works of art. Think Vermeer’s “Girl with the Pearl Earring”, Rodin’s “Eternal Idol”, Eric Clapton’s “Layla”. The artists have been honored and memorialized, but what of the mysterious muse?  Immortalized on canvas and the page; in marble and in songs, but over time, their passion, exquisite light and identities have been negated; even the name “Layla”  was a pseudonym. “Muse” by Dangerous Beauties brings these extraordinary women to life in a celebratory evening of dance you’ll always remember…so they may never be forgotten.

Rad Ongoing Events

NEW! Every 2nd Sunday – ShangriLa Tea Dance

And don’t forget to check out our Big Bad List of Rad ongoing events right here!