RSSThings To Do | San Francisco Travel Blog - Part 39
20th Annual Sonoma International Film Festival 2017
Cinema and San Francisco are no strangers to one another. Many of the world’s best and brightest filmmakers, stars, and enthusiasts hail from this great and wonderful city, and many continue to call it home. Perhaps it is the picturesque bay, a great counterpoint to the heat and sand of LA, or perhaps it is simply the rich culture that San Francisco fosters that attracts these movie magicians. Either way, when it comes to film, San Francisco has its finger on the pulse.
Beach Blanket Babylon 2017
On our blog we often find ourselves highlighting festivals, regional wine tours, and street fairs. Today, however, we want to turn our travel spotlight onto something a little less time-consuming, a little more compact, and a hell-of-a-lot of fun: Beach Blanket Babylon.
San Francisco Giants Season at AT&T Park
With the end of the Winter and the coming of Spring visitors (and residents) of San Francisco can look forward to any number of different things. The warmer weather for certain, the blooming flowers, the softened breezes, and, of course, the return of the San Francisco Giants to AT&T Park for their 2017 season.
166th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival and Parade
We told you about the Mardi Gras events, so now it is only reasonable that we move on to the next day of drinking and good cheer heralded across the country: St. Patrick’s Day! In many ways, St. Patrick’s day is the true harbinger of spring, which is why so many people let themselves go, dress absurdly, and turn their personal volume knobs way, way up as they meander through the streets wearing emerald green and sporting shamrocks in their top hats.
Three Mardi Gras Events
You are possibly aware that this weekend is the official weekend when Mardi Gras will be celebrated around the country. While New Orleans is certainly home to the most famous Mardi Gras events and spectacles, San Francisco offers more than enough to compete. In preparation for this weekend, we want to highlight three separate events that will take place on Saturday, the 25th.
Black Cuisine Festival 2017
As the spring preparations get underway in the Bay Area visitors and residents can begin filling their calendars with all the fun events and festivals that will start appearing with the same frequency and brilliance as the crocuses along Lombard Street. On March 4th, fans of soul food will not want to miss the annual Black Cuisine Festival held at the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center at 1753 Carroll Avenue. This event, which has been going on for several years, is well known for it tremendously delicious food offerings, it’s family-friendly atmosphere, and its wide array activities that will entertain, educate, and delight all who attend.
This year, the Black Cuisine Festival will feature scores of food vendors selling classic soul food items like fried chicken, oxtails, black-eyed peas, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie, catfish, and peach cobbler. Grab a plate and prepare to fill yourself on some of the best southern inspired delights you will ever taste! The Black Cuisine Festival is a chance for chefs who work in the soul-food tradition to dive deep into their repertoire, riffing on classics and also sharing their knowledge with the next generation soul food fanatics.
Also included this year is the Soul Food Cooking Contest. Come to watch chefs both new and experienced in the soul food world compete for prizes and cash as they whip up delicious dishes before your eyes. Not only will this contest result in numerous dishes of amazing food to taste, but you will also likely come away with new ideas to try out in your own kitchen for your family and friends.
The Black Cuisine Festival also features live music and entertainment provided by the Bay Area sensations Tony! Toni! Toné! This Grammy-nominated trio have been making inspiring R&B music since the 1980s and are continuing to fill the hearts and minds of their fans around the world with their smooth and inspiring sound.
The Black Cuisine Festival takes place on Saturday, March 4th. It runs from 11:00 A.M. Until 6:00 P.M. Entrance to the event is free, although advanced VIP tickets can be purchased.
Polk Street Spring Wine Walk 2017
Although we have already highlighted a number of wine events coming to the Bay Area on this blog, we solemnly swear to continue to do so until the wine events run out. Which, given the bountiful supply of vineyards in the valleys throughout California, is not likely to happen any time soon.
18th Annual Whiskies of the World
The past few years have seen a resurgence in whiskey enthusiasts, which is great for several reasons. For one thing, it means that many more people are getting to know and love this storied and fascinating drink in all its wild varieties. For another, it means that events such as the 18th Annual Whiskies of the World are able to get off the ground. Held on the floating historical marvel, the Belle Yacht, Whiskies of the World is a gathering of the Bay Area’s best palates and the world’s best whiskies for a one-day-only event that is not to be missed.
While the price tag is somewhat steep, you must keep in mind that the $140 base ticket gets you access to expressions from more than 200 distilled spirits including Japanese whiskeys, Scotches, Bourbons, and Irish and Canadian whiskeys as well as numerous seminars and food and cigar pairings. This is not a toss-off whiskey sling at a local pub: this is where the crèm dela crèm of whiskey enthusiasts gather to rub shoulders, clink glasses, and swap knowledge.
But don’t be intimidated! This event is also geared towards those with perhaps a little less knowledge around the wonderful world of whiskey. Classes such as “Whisky Mixology—A Comparative Tasting” led by the legendary mixologist H. Joseph Ehrmann, will take attendees on a journey through the chemistry behind mixing whiskeys into drinks, how to select the best whiskey to compliment the beverage’s other flavors, and the mechanics behind crafting a truly exceptional cocktail. Other classes include “The Last Great Malts,” which will present a wide range of information and samples from some of the world’s best scotches, and “Cigars and Whiskey,” which is a fairly self-explanatory title for a seminar that will truly enlarge your tastebuds.
Whiskies of the World will take place on March 31st, from 6:00 in the evening until 9:30. The proceeds from the event will go towards the Breast Cancer Emergency Fund, so you can rest easy knowing that the pleasure you experience on this day will not be entirely without positive repercussions.
15th Annual Human Rights Film Festival
March in San Francisco is the month where things in our great city start to really heat up. Festivals, wine tours, and spring extravaganzas of all stripes begin to unfold as the residents of the Bay Area celebrate Spring.
Bay Area Pet Expo
Are you a dog person? A cat person? Maybe you are neither, maybe parrots or rabbits are your thing. Regardless, if you like fuzzy creatures of any sort, things that bark or squawk or rustle around in wood chips looking for food, then the Bay Area Pet Expo is the place for you. Held on March 11th and 12th, the Bay Area Pet Expo takes place at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, only a short hop from San Francisco. Featuring unique vendors of pet products, live entertainment, and plenty of activities for the whole family (and your pets!), the Pet Expo will transform your dreary existence into a fuzz-filled weekend of cuddly wonder.
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