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June 2007
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A fairly fair look at the city’s street fests
The summer outdoor festival season is upon us. With mass gatherings of shade tents, veggie corn dogs, and more muffin tops than the eye should see, San Francisco loves to celebrate itself. But let’s not forget that all street fairs are not created equal. Here’s the proof.
The 53rd Annual (Precious Cheese) North Beach FestivalDATES: June 16–17
TIME: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
WHERE: Washington Square Park and along Grant
WEBSITE: www.northbeachfestival.com
NUMBER OF ATTENDEES: 85,000
RATIO OF PORT-O-POTTIES TO ATTENDEES: 1,977:1
TASTY TIDBIT: The sweet, sweet taste of nearly banned beer and wine.
TAKE HOME: Fair-trade crafts from Third World countries? What’s Italian about that?
DON'T MISS: The spiraling dough of World Champion Pizza Tosser Tony Gemignani.
The 31st Annual Union Street Festival
DATES: June 2–3
TIME: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
WHERE: Union from Gough to Steiner
WEBSITE: www.unionstreetfestival.com
NUMBER OF ATTENDEES: 100,000
RATIO OF PORT-O-POTTIES TO ATTENDEES: 935:1
TASTY TIDBIT: Lattes. Nobody eats when there’s shopping to be done.
TAKE HOME: All kinds of art for your pied-à-terre.
DON'T MISS: Both kinds of music, classical and jazz.
The 23rd annual Fillmore Jazz Festival
DATES: June 30–July 1
TIME: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
WHERE: Fillmore from Jackson to Eddy
WEBSITE: www.fillmorejazzfestival.com
NUMBER OF ATTENDEES: 90,000
RATIO OF PORT-O-POTTIES TO ATTENDEES: 1,475:1
TASTY TIDBIT: Pounds of New Orleans soul grub.
TAKE HOME: That handcrafted tribal animal-skin drum you’ll never, ever play.
DON'T MISS: Every style of jazz ever made, including hip-hop, funk, eclectic, and the ever-feared “modern.”
The 37th Annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration & Parade
DATES: June 23–24
TIME: Saturday, noon–6 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
WHERE: Market and Civic Center
WEBSITE: www.sfpride.org
NUMBER OF ATTENDEES: 1 million, they claim
RATIO OF PORT-O-POTTIES TO ATTENDEES: 2,381:1
TASTY TIDBIT: Keg-size cosmos.
TAKE HOME: Wind socks, wind chimes, and bandannas in all the colors of the rainbow—at once.
DON'T MISS: The much-anticipated Norcal Waste Systems parade float!
Suicide hotlines and resources
If you or someone you know might be contemplating suicide, contact the following resources.
From their lips to the White House's ears
10/20/08—Copy chief & reviews editor Mia Lipman volunteers at a star-studded rally for words.
Burning Man Decompression 2008
10/14/08—Rebecca Pariser and her camera crash the annual Burning Man after party.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2008
Editorial intern and bluegrass musician Brian Heffernan reviews the eighth annual festival's highlights.
ARTS
Treasure Island Music Festival 2008
The eyes at San Francisco magazine capture two days of good, clean, carnival-themed fun at the second annual festival.
START/ EDIT NOTES
Nellie's gotta go
Irascible, iconoclastic, infectious—what made Don Nelson this way?
PUB NOTES
Publisher's note
When you’re traveling, sometimes knowing what’s ahead is even more exciting than anticipating the unknown.
Slaughterhouse redux
In a follow up to San Francisco's August feature on the future of slaughterhouses, Incanto chef Chris Cosentino offers a view of the past with a look at his collection of vintage abattoir photos.
The best way to shop 'local & sustainable' and support the artisans of our area is to check out who is promoting the street fair. The consistently best promoters and festivals in the Bay Area (no imports!) are Pacific Fine Arts, MLA Productions and John Holland Productions. Better food, too.
mernie
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