Halloween falls on a Monday this year and San Francisco is all set to celebrate it with Reinvention, transformation, magic, mystery and mischief, all part of the civic psyche. Oct. 31 and the days leading up to it provide the perfect setting for some treats and tricks.
San Francisco’s Fall Festivities Include Zombie Night, Homage to Houdini and Day of the Dead Observances
A roundup of autumn, Halloween and Dia de los Muertos events is now available at http://www.sanfrancisco.travel/media/San-Francisco-Halloween-Highlights.html.
Highlights include:
• Wicked Plants:
Through Oct. 30, 2011, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (Closed Mondays)
Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities
Conservatory of Flowers, 100 John F. Kennedy Dr., Golden Gate Park
Paralysis, strangulation, derangement — these are just a few of the misdeeds of the plant kingdom chronicled by author Amy Stewart in her bestseller, “Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities.” Building on the fascinating plant portraits in Stewart’s book, the Conservatory introduces visitors to living examples of dozens of infamous plants that have left their mark on history and claimed many an unfortunate victim. For information visit www.conservatoryofflowers.org or call 415-831-2090.
• Houdini: Art and Magic!
Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St.
Through Jan. 16, 2012
“Houdini: Art and Magic” includes more than 160 objects: magic apparatus, a recreation of the famous Water Torture Cell, historic photographs, dramatic Art Nouveau-era posters, theater ephemera, and archival and silent films that allow visitors to fully explore the career and legacy of the celebrated entertainer. With a talent for self-promotion and provocation, this immigrant son of a poor Hungarian rabbi rocketed to international fame and grabbed front page headlines with his gripping theatrical presentations and heart-stopping outdoor spectacles. On Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Joshua Jay, award-winning magician, author and headliner at L.A.’s famed Magic Castle, dramatically recounts some of the strangest deaths that have befallen magicians, assistants and even some audience members throughout history (adults only). Monthly magic classes for kids are also available throughout the run of the Houdini exhibition. For information visit www.thecjm.org or call 415-655-7800.
• Illuminations: Dia de los Muertos 2011 at SOMArts Cultural Center
Oct. 8-Nov. 5, 2011
El Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, offers a way for people to embrace the beauty of life and to honor the spirits of the dead. Each year more than 80 Bay Area artists from a range of cultural backgrounds participate in this exhibition, creating Intricate, traditional altars and complex art installations. Many of them are often topical – touching on devastating natural disasters – and also deeply personal. The 30-plus altars include traditional interpretations as well as high-tech, experimental installations using 3-D images and projections. For information visit www.somarts.org or call 415-863-1414
• Masquerotica: Concourse Exhibition Center, 635 Eighth St.
Oct. 22, 2011, 8 p.m.-4 a.m.
Creating nine exotic areas and bringing several Bay Area party icons and performers under one roof, producers AnonEvents, Opel Productions and J9 from FreshSF will transform the Concourse Exhibition Center into an indoor playground of sexy, wholesome, erotic fun for mixed-gender communities. Billed as a “sinful, sensual soiree,” the event is for ages 21 and over only and costumes are mandatory. For tickets visit www.masquerotica.com.
• “Death in Parallel/Muerte Paralela” Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA), 2868 Mission St.
Oct. 22-Nov. 19, 2011
Through a visual journey of folkloric and contemporary altars, “Death in Parallel” examines el acompañimiento, the accompaniment of the dead in day-to-day lives. Through the creative presentation of stories, photos, home video and personal artifacts, MCCLA fosters this rich and vibrant tradition within the Latino community to call upon the dead to remember and honor loved ones. Information on special workshops and a V.I.P. reception and fundraiser on Oct. 26 are available at www.missionculturalcenter.org or by calling 415-821-1155.
• Zombie NightLife California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park
Oct. 27, 2011, 6-10 p.m.
It's going to be a night to dismember! Just days before Halloween, NightLife will be overrun with zombies! Take a crash course in zombie neuroscience with Zombie Research Society founder Brad Voytek, and learn how zombie-like symptoms would manifest themselves in real life. Don’t miss horror maven and hostess Peaches Christ and her Zombie Drag Show & Costume Contest (un-dead attire encouraged!), or the chance to dance the night away at Miss Misery's "Zombie Prom." Check out real brain specimens, sample the latest in zombie video games, and even go on a zombie apocalypse adventure through the museum. Music by DJ Tomas Diablo. Zombie NightLife is a Bay Area Science Festival event. $12 per person; ages 21 and over. For information visit www.calacademyorg/nightlife or call 415-379-8000.
• Scaregrove Stern Grove, 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard
Oct. 28, 2011, 4-9 p.m.
Join San Francisco Recreation and Parks for a spooky good time at Scaregrove, featuring a haunted house, carnival rides, giant inflatables, hay rides, live entertainment and food for sale. Fun for the entire family; $8 per person. For information visit www.sfrecpark.org or call 415-831-2700.
• Halloween Carnival Japanese Community and Cultural Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), 1840 Sutter St.
Oct. 28, 2011, 6-8:30 p.m.
Come to JCCCNC's and the Japanese Community Youth Council's Halloween Carnival for a safe spooky scene. Games and prizes, tricks and treats, arts and crafts and goodies to eat are all part of the fun. For information call 415-567-5505 or visit http://www.jcccnc.org.
• BATS Improvised Horror Musical at Bayfront Theatre
Oct. 28-29, 2011, 8 p.m.
BATS Improvised Horror Musical
Bayfront Theatre, Building B, Fort Mason
Taking inspiration from audience suggestions, and classic horror films such as “Alien” and “The Exorcist,” BATS’ talented cast of actors and musicians create a completely improvised, and frightfully delightful, full-length improvised musical. Everything from the plot to the score, the lyrics to the characters will be created on the spot. For information visit www.improv.org or call 415-474-6776.
• Bay City Bike’s Spooktacular 2011
Oct. 28-31, 2011
Wear a costume during Bay City Bike’s Spooktacular weekend and save $7 off 24-hour rentals. Departures from Fisherman’s Wharf; for information visit www.baycitybike.com or call 415-346-2453.
• Journey to the End of the Night Justin Herman Plaza, foot of Market Street
Oct. 29, 2011, 7 p.m.
The kickoff event for the Come Out and Play Festival, Oct. 29-Nov. 6, 2011, returns to the “haunted” cityscape of San Francisco. Last year 1,300 participants took over city streets in this free street game. Players wearing colorful ribbons try to make it through a series of checkpoints on foot or by public transportation, avoiding being caught along the way. For information visit http://totheendofthenight.com or http://comeoutandplaysf.org.
Michael Jackson “Thriller” Halloween Ball Bimbo’s 365 Club, 1025 Columbus Ave
Oct. 29, 2011, doors open at 8 p.m., show begins at 9 p.m.
Forever-land, an electrifying 14-piece band, pays tribute to Michael Jackson, with special guest singer Pamela Fields doing some Janet Jackson. Reserved for 21 and over; tickets are $22. Standing only, two-drink minimum. For information visit www.bimbos365club.com or call 415-474-0365.
• Boo at the Zoo San Francisco Zoo, One Zoo Road, Great Highway and Sloat Blvd.
Oct. 29-30, 2011, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Leave the rubber masks at home so as not to frighten the animals. Come dressed up in a Halloween costume and trick-or-treat around the Zoo, wander through the brand new hay maze, venture through the Haunted Nature Trail and more. Plus, check out the popular Pumpkin “Chomp ‘n Stomp” where the animals get some tasty pumpkin treats from their keepers. Free with paid Zoo admission. For information visit www.sfzoo.org or call 415-753-7201
• HallowScreen and Halloween Spooktacular California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park
Oct. 29-30, 2011
Halloween Weekend
A weekend full of special programs and demonstrations highlight the incredible (and sometimes spooky) diversity of creatures and phenomena that populate the natural world. Learn how beetles are used by museums like the Academy to clean bones. Discover how leeches, tape worms and other parasites feed off of other life forms to survive. Take a closer look at human and animal skulls, live tarantulas, hissing cockroaches, snakes and other crawling, slithering critters. All weekend long, observe owl vomit dissections, separate bat fact from fiction (including what they really eat), and explore natural materials that glow in the dark. All ages welcomed; all programs included with general admission fee. For information visit www.calacademy.org or call 415-379-8000.
• Pet Pride Day at Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park
Oct. 30, 2011, registration 11 a.m.-noon, event noon–3 p.m.
This full day of entertainment, education and information is fun for everyone with two, or even four, legs. A parade of pets will also include the San Francisco Mounted Police Unit and entertainment by the DiscDoGG Demo team as well as the Pet Food Express Pet Costume Contest (see website for contest rules). For information visit www.sfgov.org/site/acc.
• Halloween Hoopla: Dance & Parade for Kids
Children’s Garden, Rooftop, Yerba Buena Gardens, Fourth and Howard Streets
Oct. 30, 2011, noon–1:30 p.m.
Come join the 11th annual Halloween program, featuring interactive performances and games for kids. The Unique Derique hosts The Venezuelan Music Project, eco-friendly Trash Mash-Up crafts and Preston folds origami. Just before the Hoopla ends, children under 10 and their adults are invited to parade in their Halloween finery. For information visit www.ybgf.org or call 415-543-1718.
• Halloween Haunts and Happenings at Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon St.
October 30, 2011, noon-4 p.m.
Enjoy some creepy crawlers – human and non-human – at the Exploratorium’s Halloween Haunts and Happenings. Come see giant insects, tarantulas, blood-sucking leeches, maggots and much more. Dress up in your Halloween costume and join in a variety of spine-tingling activities. Try making and decorating sugar skulls, creep through the “Graveyard of Dead Science Ideas” and admire the trappings of predatory plants in the “Garden of Carnivorous Plants.” Spooky, and the occasionally silly, film animations from the 1930s including Betty Boop’s “Halloween Party” (1933) and Bugs Bunny in “Water, Water Every Hare” (1952) will be screened in the McBean Theater. There is a small fee for the sugar skull making, but all other activities are included in Exploratorium admission. Halloween Haunts and Happenings is being presented in association with the Bay Area Science Festival. (http://www.bayareascience.org/festival). For information visit www.exploratorium.edu or call 415-EXP-LORE (397-5673).
Other highlights include:
• Japanese Ghost Stories and Jazz at Yoshi’s San Francisco
• “Phantom of the Opera” Screening with Organist Cameron Carpenter at Davies Symphony Hall
• Halloween Blood Drive at Embarcadero Center
• Teatro ZinZombie - A Macabre Ball at Teatro ZinZanni at Pier 29
• Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and Festival of Altars
• Dia de los Muertos Family Concert at Davies Symphony Hall
The San Francisco Travel Association, www.sanfrancisco.travel, also offers special micro-sites with information on:
Food and Wine: www.sanfrancisco.travel/dine
Diverse Neighborhoods: www.sanfrancisco.travel -- click on “Neighborhoods”
Beyond the Bridge: www.sanfrancisco.travel/beyondsf
Gay Travel: http://lgbt.sanfrancisco.travel/index.html
To access and download images from the San Francisco Travel Association’s online photo gallery, please click on the link http://photo-library.sanfrancisco.travel/photolibrary.asp
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