Close Your Phone, Leave the House: Things to Do This Post-Election Weekend

There’s no way to sugar-coat it: here in the Bay Area this week, a lot of people are holed up, feeling despair at another Trump presidency and doomscrolling on their phones.

Some of the more introverted among us prefer to stay home, and that’s fine. But man, there is no feeling so refreshing as getting outside and being among others, many of whom are probably feeling just the same as you.

Here’s a quick list of 25 outdoor events, concerts, exhibitions and more, all offering company or community, and all happening this weekend.

Take a Hike
Not to be all “touch grass,” but c’mon, you already know that going on a hike is helpful for anxiety. Call up that friend you haven’t seen in a while and consult our guide 12 Bay Area Hikes and Nature Spots for Escaping the Election This Week.

Opening Nov. 7, 6–8 p.m.: Troy Lamarr Chew II at Altman Siegel
The former Bay Area artist returns with a solo show of portraits that depict people as glassy, translucent outlines (à la The Secret World of Alex Mack), underscoring their “invisibility” in contemporary society.

Grab a slice at the new Golden Boy Pizza
Everyone’s favorite San Francisco square slice shop just opened a brand new location. Golden Boy’s long-awaited Sunset location is slinging the same crunchy-bottomed, idiosyncratic pizzas that have been locally beloved since 1978, for takeout only. (Or you can, of course, always opt to head back to the North Beach original.)

Opening Nov. 8: ‘The Piano Lesson’
Based on the recent Broadway production, this film version of August Wilson’s award-winning play should be excellent. With a cast including Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington, it’s been getting good reviews.

Opening Nov. 8: ‘Heretic’
There are those of us who can turn our brains off by watching Hugh Grant being dashing in rom-coms like Notting Hill, and there are those of us who would rather see him cardigan-clad, chilling and chattering about religion in this new horror from A24. Heretic will keep your nerves and brain in high gear for its unnerving entirety.

Nov. 8–10: Klay Thompson Art Show at SoleSpace in Oakland
The great Splash Brother makes his return to the Bay Area this weekend in — sigh — a Mavericks uniform. Before he plays against his former team, this sneaker shop and creative space hosts an art show dedicated to the beloved ex-Warriors player.

‘David King Publications 1977–2019’ at San Francisco Center for the Book
Best known for designing the logo for punk band Crass, artist David King also illustrated zines and flyers, many of which make up this exhibit. In her review, Rae Alexandra said it “can only act as a sort of tasting menu — but oh, what a delicious introduction it is.”

Buy a whole Malaysian durian at Liu Shang Pin
Because surely there’s someone in your life who would feel comforted by some ripe, pungent tropical fruit. And if so, this new durian shop in Richmond is the swankiest spot to get your stink on.

Opening Nov. 8: ‘Born of the Bear Dance: Dugan Aguilar’s Photographs of Native California’ at the Oakland Museum of California
This show of photographs by Dugan Aguilar (just a fraction of the museum’s recently acquired collection of the late artist’s personal archive) documents the vibrancy of Native life in the state between 1982 to 2018.

Nov. 8: Oakland Symphony’s ‘Two Black Churches + Carmina Burana’ at the Paramount Theatre
New music director Kedrick Armstrong leads the Oakland Symphony in his second program, featuring two pieces from living composer Shawn Okpebholo. (A post-election note, presented without comment: one of the first sections of Orff’s Carmina Burana is titled “I lament the wounds that fortune deals.”)

Nov. 8: Chinatown Night Market
Friday nights in San Francisco Chinatown are never as packed and lively as they are during this monthly night market — and this edition will be the last market of the year. Come early to avoid the longest lines, and enjoy the dim sum and boba stands, cultural performances and fun, family-friendly atmosphere. (5:30–9 p.m. on Grant Avenue, b/w Sacramento and Jackson)

Nov. 9: Cereal Cinema at Oakland’s New Parkway
Nostalgia is comforting, so mentally travel back to your childhood (and take your own kids with you, if you have them) to Cereal Cinema. The New Parkway Theater’s Saturday morning screening of classic cartoons is accompanied by — what else? — all-you-can-eat cereal. The retro fun starts at 10:30 a.m.

Visit a brand new museum: MarinMOCA San Rafael
In this expansion beyond their Novato home base, MarinMOCA has curated an inaugural, intergenerational show that celebrates the exceptional art made in the shadow of Mount Tamalpais.

Nov. 9: ‘Dahomey’ opens at the Roxie, San Francisco
Mati Diop’s followup to her narrative film Atlantics follows 26 statues and cultural objects on their repatriation journey from France to Benin. Our film critic calls it an “unexpectedly inspiring documentary” that “movingly captures the immediacy of art in contemporary life.”

Nov. 9, 12–4 p.m.: Chinatown Ross Alley Zine Festival, San Francisco
Check out work by 10 local publishers and 41 Ross Artist-in-Residence Hotam Press (all the way from Vancouver) in this afternoon-long event filled with art, zines, books and other cultural goodies.

Nov. 9: Afrolicious at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell, San Francisco
Afrolicious always brings a dance party, and Saturday should be no exception in this, the final concert in the SF Live series. The Golden Gate Park bandshell sits right between the de Young and the California Academy of Sciences — two places to consider visiting to make a day of it. Los Calderones open.

Nov. 9: White Crate Anniversary Party at El Rio, San Francisco
Picking up where the Bay Bridged left off, White Crate is a music site covering Bay Area indie music and beyond. Their fourth anniversary party at El Rio features bands Sour Widows, Tony Jay, Pocket Full of Crumbs and Margot James.

Nov. 9: ‘HUQ: I Seek No Favor’ at San Francisco’s Root Division
If solidarity is what you seek this weekend, consider joining Root Division on Saturday for the opening reception of this exhibit that brings together more than 100 artists and writers to collectively respond to the impact of 2022’s Dobbs decision on reproductive rights. ‘Huq’ is an Urdu/Arabic word that means both ‘rights’ and ‘truth.’

Nov. 9–10: San Francisco International Hip-Hop Dance Fest
Forget breakdancing in the Olympics. As part of San Francisco Hip-Hop Month, this three-day fest brings dance troupes from all over the world together to battle for cash prizes.

Nov. 9–10: Lydia Lunch’s ‘Verbal Burlesque’ at the Great American Music Hall in SF and the Ivy Room in Albany
On any given day, Lydia Lunch’s provocative observations about herself, her life and the world around her are primed to provide solid distractions. This weekend she’s upping the ante with two spoken word sets of exclusively raunchy material. Lunch will perform a matinee show in San Francisco on Saturday and another in Albany on Sunday.

Nov. 10–11: Sunami at the San Jose Civic Auditorium and Berkeley’s 924 Gilman
Sometimes you just gotta get mad. Enter Sunami, one of the Bay Area’s best and most aggressive hardcore bands, known for their crowd’s insane pits. If slamming your body against hundreds of others is your preferred method of catharsis, this is the show for you.

Nov. 10, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.: ‘Slipper’ at Personal Space, Vallejo
The artist-run space packs plenty of art viewing into its small footprint, bringing together a group of artists who make objects that slip between registers: flesh and machine, digital and handmade, 2D and 3D. Also: a giant “fur” coat made, in part, from human hair!

Nov. 11: The Sound Healing Symphony at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
If you need to simply chill out this weekend — but among others — the Sound Healing Symphony uses gongs, crystal bowls, vibraphone and didgeridoo to help attendees at scenic Grace Cathedral “go beyond the veil in a celebration of unity.”

Nov. 11: Blood Incantation at Cornerstone, Berkeley
How did this proggy metal band behind the landmark album Hidden History of the Human Race kick things up a notch this year? With an even more complex, dizzying outing, Absolute Elsewhere: a collision of death metal and krautrock.

Through Nov. 24: A Chuck Sperry Retrospective at the Haight Street Art Center, SF
Sperry’s flower-power-infused visions of beauty are always a colorful shot of much-needed dopamine. The Haight Street Art Center is currently displaying a collection of the San Francisco artist’s silkscreen prints, rock posters and tapestries stretching across his 40-year career.