Hardly Strictly Bluegrass brings sunburns, surprises, and singalongs
San Francisco’s favorite free festival returns — With sizzling heat and hotter performances, Hardly Strictly served up a scorching good time.
If you came to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2024 expecting a casual stroll, surprise! Those 8 miles between stages felt more like a marathon.
From Patti Smith packing Lindley Meadow tighter than blackberry bushes, to a toe-tapping mosh pit erupting during The Infamous Stringdusters’ bluegrass rendition of “Just Like Heaven,” this year’s festival was equal parts folk and fun.
Read the latest and see the photos by Denise Cottin
Castro Street Fair was a sweaty parade of parasols and nipples
Castro Street Fair feels like that last hurrah of summer soirées in San Francisco; a swan song to don something campy or slutty and flutter among the social butterflies. Now and forevermore this year, we’ll move full steam into pumpkin spice everything — which is just fine with me.
The 2024 street fair brought us a blistering 94-degree sun, which on the one hand created a veritable meat market with eye candy everywhere. On the other hand, we all huddled beneath every shady area and whined our way through the day. But this also gave us an amazing parasol parade.
Read the latest and see the photos by Saul Sugarman
Sobakatsu, a legit closet-sized noodle shop opens in Japantown
Japan is a land that perfects each native dish with restaurants entirely devoted to one item, from comforting okonomiyaki to delicately fried tempura. And often at a handful of seats in a tiny space. Enter Sobakatsu, a closet-sized restaurant with a max of 11 seats, no reservations and a sole focus on cold and hot soba, Japan’s silky, thin buckwheat noodles that are friendly to all gluten-free-ers.
As one who has long preferred more nuanced, delicate soba to ubiquitous ramen noodles, this was good news, indeed. Quietly opening late July 2024 on a corner in San Francisco’s Japantown, the first Japantown in North America, lines have run around the block since the beginning.
Read the latest by Virginia Miller
Oktoberfest marks a turning point for SF’s street parties
While street festivals have always been a thing in San Francisco, outdoor parties are incredibly trendy this fall.
Although Schroeder’s — the German beer hall slinging beers and Bavarian food since 1893 — has long held an Oktoberfest, this year’s event was unique because it marked the first “entertainment zone” celebration hosted by the city. A new law passed by the state earlier this year allowed Mayor London Breed to declare the block of Front adjacent to Schroeder’s, Harrington’s, and Royal Exchange a spot where restaurants and bars can sell alcoholic beverages in the zone, and imbibers can party with open containers a la New Orleans.
Read the latest by Katie Sweeney
Why the L train’s return makes San Francisco whole for me
There’s something magical about riding the L train out to the beach, especially as the sun dips below the horizon and casts that warm light over the water. It’s a chance to exhale after the day. After all these years without it, I didn’t expect to feel emotional when the L finally returned. But there’s something nostalgic about hearing that familiar train bell in the distance. Every time I hear it, I feel a little pang of something — maybe gratitude, maybe relief, maybe just the comfort of a routine restored.
Read the latest by T. Von D.
Folsom ‘Princess’ party welcomes Katya at SF Oasis
Katya recently appeared at SF Oasis for Princess, a weekly show by Tito Soto that’s part disco-pop dance party and part drag medley. This was my first time at Soto’s soirée and also visiting Oasis in a hot minute, and don’t worry: I have many positive things to report. Having known D’Arcy Drollinger and the Oasis crew since their opening in 2015, I feel like the club is now the young, queer-inclusive safe space that Drollinger and Heklina dreamed of creating a decade ago.
Read the latest by Saul Sugarman
What we’re doing this week
Wicked at the Orpheum
Why settle for just the film when you can see Wicked live? Returning to San Francisco, Wicked offers a unique perspective on the story of the witches from The Wizard of Oz, focusing on their friendship long before Dorothy arrives. The production features its iconic musical numbers and stunning visuals, bringing this complex tale to life on stage. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the story, Wicked continues to capture audiences with its fresh take on a classic tale.
WHEN: Playing through October 13, 2024
WHERE: Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St., San Francisco, CA
Admittedly it’s pretty sold out, but we do see some matinee seats left this weekend.
San Francisco Fall Show
The 2024 San Francisco Fall Show, one of the West Coast’s most prestigious art, antiques, and design fairs, will take place from October 17 to 20 at the Festival Pavilion in Fort Mason Center. This year’s theme is “Black & White,” celebrating the timeless elegance of this striking color palette across various artistic disciplines, including decorative arts, fashion, and photography. Over 40 international dealers will present fine art, jewelry, furniture, and more, ranging from antiquity to modern day. The event also features lectures and book signings by prominent designers and experts.
WHEN: October 17–20, 2024
WHERE: Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
What’s on our mind
We keep content mostly fun and light at The Bold Italic, but the future of the Bay Area interests us, too. Here’s what we are thinking about in local news. Brought to you by GrowSF.
SF mayoral race tightens with undecided voters still in play
San Francisco's mayoral race is heating up, and the final result is still too close to call. In GrowSF's latest poll, Daniel Lurie has surged into a tie with London Breed in the final round of ranked choice voting. But with 11 percent of voters still undecided, this race is far from over!
Our poll of 415 San Francisco voters (with a margin of error of +/- 4.9%) shows that any of Breed, Lurie, or Farrell can still win. Thankfully, though, Peskin does not appear to have a path to victory. Our position is that Breed, Farrell, and Lurie are more similar than they are different, and any one of them will do a fine job working with a newly elected Board of Supervisors. To help you understand the differences between their platforms, read our detailed writeup here.
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