Welcome to the Anglerfish – A short list of interesting and odd, smart and independent events coming up each week.
Each week we’re looking for upcoming local events that get lost in other events lists, or never quite make it to them in the first place. All the events here are picked based on the all important criteria that the editors here think it sounds like something they’d like to check out. If you have an event you’d like to submit, let us know>
This week’s Anglerfish Curator: Bart Bernhardt, of Nerd Nite SF:
“Hi! I like learning new and weird stuff, drinking cocktails, and swearing. I keep a teapot filled with scraps of paper with interesting places to go scribbled on them, and a perfect day for me is drawing something at random, finding a good bar near it, and going on a spontaneous adventure! But sometimes I actually do plan ahead. Here’s what’s on my radar these days.”
Reimagine End of Life
Over 100 events – performances, workshops, storytelling, art installations, and more – about… well, dying. Some are funny, some powerful, others practical.
April 16-22, various locations, prices, ages
Nerd Nite SF: Parallel Worlds, Elderly Sex, & Privacy!
Hey, I run this event! Every month, 200+ people cram into a bar to drink and hear talks from smart people who have also been drinking. This month we have tales from the history of quantum physics, being on the front lines of the gray-haired sex revolution, and what big data psychology means for your privacy.
Wednesday, April 18, 8-10pm | $8 | Technically all ages, but it’s pretty adult-oriented
Memento Mori: Lessons from a Decade Among the Dead
Paul Koudounaris is quite the storyteller and photographer, and a hell of a character. Don’t take my word for it, this is his photo on Wikipedia. He’s been documenting death practices around the world, and his work will have you thinking differently about how our culture views death.
Thursday April 19, 6-8 pm | Free with museum admission | All ages
Hoodslam
There is nothing educational about this incredibly acrobatic, athletic, offensive, bizarre, boozy (among other things) underground wrestling event. But I love it so, so much. Be 420-friendly for this one, or maybe wear a gas mask.
Friday April 20, 8:30-11:30pm | $20 | Ages 21+
Neon Speaks Festival & Symposium: A celebration of historic neon signs
Randall Ann Homan and Al Barna are delightful people who showed me a whole new way to look at SF’s landscape through the lens of our historic neon signs. Behind every sign is a story – of talented craftsmen, of the first Cantonese-language radio station in the US, of typography, of long-lost nightclubs, and more. Randall Ann and Al have organized this festival that goes deep into the design, art, craft, and preservation of neon.
April 20-22 | $12 | All ages
(Almost completely sold out. At the time of writing there are a few events with tickets still available.)
Muni Diaries Live 10th Anniversary Show
Congrats to my friends at Muni Diaries for 10 years of storytelling. Our public transit is weird, wonderful, traumatic, and sometimes even efficient, and makes for a lot of good stories.
Saturday, April 21, 7-9pm | $16 | I think it’s ages 21+?
Taste of Science Festival
From synthetic bio to speed dating with scientists to lab visits to science rapping, the Taste of Science Festival is a week-long celebration of curiosity happening in bars, clubs, and restaurants around the Bay Area.
April 22-28, various locations, prices, ages
The Corona Heights Slickenside
At the northeast corner of Corona Heights is a tall, weirdly glassy cliff. It’s one half of a fault line, the other half removed in the 19th century for bricks. Tectonic forces polished it smooth. Geologists find it very sexy and make pilgrimages to see it, and here it is in your backyard. Bonus: There’s a little pet cemetery nearby, too. And up the hill is the recently renovated Randall Museum.
Any time you want, free, all ages
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Caveat Eventor: just because we mention an event here, does not mean it won’t be terrible. Anglerfish curators are looking for events that sound like fun to them – your mileage may vary.