Let’s face it: autumn is the best time of year in the Bay Area. The weather is often perfect, so many events are held during fall to take advantage of the clear skies before winter rains set in. Here are some of our favorites. Art Murmur — First Friday of Every Month Downtown Oakland along Telegraph Avenue This popular indoor/outdoor fair has continued to grow in every way — more people, more art, more music. The epicenter is around 23rd Street and Telegraph Avenue. Public transit or bike is recommended, as parking nearby is often difficult. http://oaklandartmurmur.org Cal Performances — Various dates On campus at Zellerbach Hall and Hertz Hall Dance, music, theater… all with a special discount for Cal students. Children under 16 are half price for family events. Check out the Fall highlights at the Cal Performances website: http://calperformances.org/performances/by_date/ Sunday Streets Berkeley — October 13 Shattuck Avenue, from Haste to Rose Streets are closed to automobile traffic for a day, so that people may use the space to walk, bike, skate, dance and play. Everyone from businesses and community organizations to musicians and artists use the space creatively, engaging the public and providing spontaneity and discovery. http://www.sundaystreetsberkeley.com Arab Film Festival — October 16-28) Various venues in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose Films from and about the Arab world provide realistic perspectives on Arab people, culture, art, history and politics. http://aff2013.arabfilmfestival.org Berkeley Spice of Life Festival — October 19 Shattuck Avenue, Virginia to Rose Food vendors, children’s activities, entertainment, cooking demos and more at this annual street fair. Lit Crawl — October 19, 6:00-10:00 pm Various venues in the Mission District of San Francisco This annual literary event in the Mission District features live readings of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and more in bookstores, bars, art galleries, restaurants, stores, cafés, a bowling alley, community spaces… even a police station. For a list of specific events and locations, visit http://litcrawl.org/sf/ 11th Annual United Nations Film Festival — Oct 19-26 Stanford University Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 11th annual United Nations Association Film Festival has chosen the theme ‘Blue Planet, Green Planet’ to reflect the myriad of problems we encounter living on our ‘Blue Planet’ and to seek awareness and solutions — through film — to better our lives and become a ‘Green Planet’. http://www.unaff.org/2008/index.html 38th Annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival — October 19-20 Main Street, Half Moon Bay Huge autumn festival with world championship pumpkin “weigh-off,” food vendors, arts and crafts, live entertainment, children’s activities and haunted house, pumpkin patches. http://miramarevents.com/pumpkinfest/ 5th Annual Fall Harvest Festival — October 26 to 28 Ferry Building Marketplace, San Francisco Organic wine and beer tasting, olive oil tasting, demonstrations, live music, Barnyard by the Bay http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/events_102607.php Uncharted, The Berkeley Festival of Ideas — October 25-26 An exciting new ideas festival that gathers some of the world’s great thinkers to engage with each other and with you. This is an unrivaled opportunity to answer the question, “What’s next?” http://www.berkeleyideas.com/ Dia de los Muertos Festival — November 2 Garfield Park, 26th and Harrison, Mission District, San Francisco. More than 15,000 people are expected to participate in this 26th Annual Day of the Dead Procession & Altars. Through art, music, and ritual this event honors our ancestors and celebrates the vitality and richness of today’s community. While the ceremony remains true to its Latino roots, the San Francisco procession actively encourages participation by people of all origins. www.dayofthedeadsf.org Dia de los Muertos Festival — November 2 Fruitvale, Oakland The Fruitvale festival is one of the biggest and oldest in the Bay Area, each year drawing more than 60,000 people to enjoy vendors, music, dance and folkloric art, and to celebrate this great Latin American tradition. Berkeley Half Marathon — November 24 California’s first-ever half marathon takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving and promises to be a “turkey trot” like no other. Encourage your running folks to form a Cal team and raise funds for Berkeley Public Schools. http://berkeleyhalf.com Imago Theatre’s “Frogz” — November 24-25 Zellerbach Hall Penguins in musical chairs, a cat trapped in a giant paper bag, huge frogs doing calisthenics, larger-than-life alligators taunting the audience — Frogz! is Imago Theatre’s signature work of illusion, puppetry, and acrobatics. The inventive staging and clever Fellini-esque plots keep adults engaged while the breakneck physicality and goofy creatures keep children captivated. http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/ Campus Screening of Film “At Berkeley” — December 3 Campus location to be announced A film by alumnus Frederick Wiseman, “At Berkeley,” focuses on UC Berkeley as the oldest and most highly regarded member of the ten-campus California university system and one of the finest research and teaching facilities in the world. Wiseman amassed 250 hours of footage over 12 weeks to capture a multitude of UC Berkeley meetings, events, and class discussions illustrating the campus’s vast landscape of ideas in action. The film will also be screened on December 6 at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco. http://at.berkeley.edu/ If you find shopping for food is fun, check out the Farmers’ Markets near campus! All feature fresh and organic produce, breads and bakery items, specialty foods, and more for sale, with arts and crafts vendors and free special programs and events. WIC and EBT accepted. South Berkeley Farmers’ Market — Tuesdays, 2:00-7:00 pm 63rd and Adeline Streets, Berkeley North Berkeley Farmers’ Market — Thursdays, 3:00-7:00 pm Shattuck Avenue at Rose Street, Berkeley Grand Lake Farmers’ Market — Saturdays, 9:00 am-2:00 pm Splash Pad Park, Grand and Lake Park Avenues, Oakland Central Berkeley Farmers’ Market — Saturdays, 10:00 am-3:00 pm Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, 2151 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley Temescal Farmers’ Market — Sundays, 9:00 am-1:00 pm 5300 Claremont Avenue, Oakland
Let’s face it: autumn is the best time of year in the Bay Area. The weather is often perfect, so many events are held during fall to take advantage of the clear skies before winter rains set in. Here are some of our favorites. Art Murmur — First Friday of Every Month Downtown Oakland along Telegraph Avenue This popular indoor/outdoor fair has continued to grow in every way — more people, more art, more music. The epicenter is around 23rd Street and Telegraph Avenue. Public transit or bike is recommended, as parking nearby is often difficult. http://oaklandartmurmur.org Cal Performances — Various dates On campus at Zellerbach Hall and Hertz Hall Dance, music, theater… all with a special discount for Cal students. Children under 16 are half price for family events. Check out the Fall highlights at the Cal Performances website: http://calperformances.org/performances/by_date/ Sunday Streets Berkeley — October 13 Shattuck Avenue, from Haste to Rose Streets are closed to automobile traffic for a day, so that people may use the space to walk, bike, skate, dance and play. Everyone from businesses and community organizations to musicians and artists use the space creatively, engaging the public and providing spontaneity and discovery. http://www.sundaystreetsberkeley.com Arab Film Festival — October 16-28) Various venues in San Francisco, Berkeley, San Jose Films from and about the Arab world provide realistic perspectives on Arab people, culture, art, history and politics. http://aff2013.arabfilmfestival.org Berkeley Spice of Life Festival — October 19 Shattuck Avenue, Virginia to Rose Food vendors, children’s activities, entertainment, cooking demos and more at this annual street fair. Lit Crawl — October 19, 6:00-10:00 pm Various venues in the Mission District of San Francisco This annual literary event in the Mission District features live readings of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and more in bookstores, bars, art galleries, restaurants, stores, cafés, a bowling alley, community spaces… even a police station. For a list of specific events and locations, visit http://litcrawl.org/sf/ 11th Annual United Nations Film Festival — Oct 19-26 Stanford University Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 11th annual United Nations Association Film Festival has chosen the theme ‘Blue Planet, Green Planet’ to reflect the myriad of problems we encounter living on our ‘Blue Planet’ and to seek awareness and solutions — through film — to better our lives and become a ‘Green Planet’. http://www.unaff.org/2008/index.html 38th Annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival — October 19-20 Main Street, Half Moon Bay Huge autumn festival with world championship pumpkin “weigh-off,” food vendors, arts and crafts, live entertainment, children’s activities and haunted house, pumpkin patches. http://miramarevents.com/pumpkinfest/ 5th Annual Fall Harvest Festival — October 26 to 28 Ferry Building Marketplace, San Francisco Organic wine and beer tasting, olive oil tasting, demonstrations, live music, Barnyard by the Bay http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/events_102607.php Uncharted, The Berkeley Festival of Ideas — October 25-26 An exciting new ideas festival that gathers some of the world’s great thinkers to engage with each other and with you. This is an unrivaled opportunity to answer the question, “What’s next?” http://www.berkeleyideas.com/ Dia de los Muertos Festival — November 2 Garfield Park, 26th and Harrison, Mission District, San Francisco. More than 15,000 people are expected to participate in this 26th Annual Day of the Dead Procession & Altars. Through art, music, and ritual this event honors our ancestors and celebrates the vitality and richness of today’s community. While the ceremony remains true to its Latino roots, the San Francisco procession actively encourages participation by people of all origins. www.dayofthedeadsf.org Dia de los Muertos Festival — November 2 Fruitvale, Oakland The Fruitvale festival is one of the biggest and oldest in the Bay Area, each year drawing more than 60,000 people to enjoy vendors, music, dance and folkloric art, and to celebrate this great Latin American tradition. Berkeley Half Marathon — November 24 California’s first-ever half marathon takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving and promises to be a “turkey trot” like no other. Encourage your running folks to form a Cal team and raise funds for Berkeley Public Schools. http://berkeleyhalf.com Imago Theatre’s “Frogz” — November 24-25 Zellerbach Hall Penguins in musical chairs, a cat trapped in a giant paper bag, huge frogs doing calisthenics, larger-than-life alligators taunting the audience — Frogz! is Imago Theatre’s signature work of illusion, puppetry, and acrobatics. The inventive staging and clever Fellini-esque plots keep adults engaged while the breakneck physicality and goofy creatures keep children captivated. http://www.calperfs.berkeley.edu/ Campus Screening of Film “At Berkeley” — December 3 Campus location to be announced A film by alumnus Frederick Wiseman, “At Berkeley,” focuses on UC Berkeley as the oldest and most highly regarded member of the ten-campus California university system and one of the finest research and teaching facilities in the world. Wiseman amassed 250 hours of footage over 12 weeks to capture a multitude of UC Berkeley meetings, events, and class discussions illustrating the campus’s vast landscape of ideas in action. The film will also be screened on December 6 at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco. http://at.berkeley.edu/ If you find shopping for food is fun, check out the Farmers’ Markets near campus! All feature fresh and organic produce, breads and bakery items, specialty foods, and more for sale, with arts and crafts vendors and free special programs and events. WIC and EBT accepted. South Berkeley Farmers’ Market — Tuesdays, 2:00-7:00 pm 63rd and Adeline Streets, Berkeley North Berkeley Farmers’ Market — Thursdays, 3:00-7:00 pm Shattuck Avenue at Rose Street, Berkeley Grand Lake Farmers’ Market — Saturdays, 9:00 am-2:00 pm Splash Pad Park, Grand and Lake Park Avenues, Oakland Central Berkeley Farmers’ Market — Saturdays, 10:00 am-3:00 pm Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, 2151 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley Temescal Farmers’ Market — Sundays, 9:00 am-1:00 pm 5300 Claremont Avenue, Oakland