Want some surrealist pop culture with your serving of art this weekend? Look no further than "The Art of The Astonishing World of Art”, a solo show by artist Brandon Bird at the Gauntlet Gallery. Opening Saturday night with a book signing by Bird himself, the show will feature original works from Bird’s book, along with giclee prints of his classic paintings like the incredible one pictured above, which features Nicolas Cage in the warm embrace of what appears to be a japanese macaque.

"Northern California native Brandon Bird, has built a cult following with his creative paintings and drawings of historic and pop-culture figures in absurd and bizarre situations," says the gallery. If you come on Saturday night, you'll also be able to snag a copy of Bird's book, an interactive collection of drawings and paintings compiled in the form of coloring pages, stickers and pull-out postcards. See more of Bird's work here.

Gauntlet Gallery
1040 Larkin St.
Opening reception Saturday Sept. 21, 7-10 PM
Showing through October 12

Holy heck, you guys, everything is happening in San Francisco this weekend. Well, almost everything. Christmas and the Oscars aren't happening, sadly. Still, a lot of stuff is going on in San Francisco. So much so, in fact, that we need to break it down into a series of digestible posts. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, playoff games at AT&T Park, 49ers at Candlestick Park, expensive boats in the bay, Castro Street Fair, and more. First up? Fleet Week.

Fleet Week happens from Thursday, October 4 through Sunday October 7. In addition to seeing loads of serving men and women dressed in their finest armed forces garb, you will see and hear (oh brother, will you hear) the Blue Angels practicing overhead. Far more annoying that the planes wooshing overhead? Those who complain about said wooshing overhead. (These are the same people who bitch about the cold weather or how flakey people from California are, so it's best to ignore them. Everyone does.) Look to the sky during the afternoon to catch some military-style acrobatic trickery.

During Saturday's aerial exhibition, Off the Grid will host a food truck event called Off the Pier, which will feature 20 different gourmet food trucks and several outdoor bars. The perfect place for taking in the Blue Angels and/or the America's Cup races.

Lineup of vendors includes, but not limited to:
Bacon Bacon
Cheese Gone Wild
Curry Up Now
Little Green Cyclo
Municher
Slider Shack
Twisted Chill
Kinders
Seoul on Wheels
Five Ten Burger
The Fish Tank
Sanguchon
Senor Sisig
Crème Brulee Truck

For a complete list of Fleet Week events, visit the official Fleet Week page.

Hey guys, it's the weekend. Almost. But you knew that already. (Also, ugh, Fourth of July falls on a Wednesday, so it will fell like one long late Sunday afternoon. So cruel.) Be sure to check out two things happening this weekend. One involving oysters in the park, the other no cars.

Saturday: From 11am-6pm, the annual Oysterfest will go down in Sharon Meadow at Golden Gate Park. Tickets are still available for $35 (not including food and beverage). A few oyster purveyors will be Drakes Bay Oysters, Gustavos, O’Reillys, Saltwater, and more. Also, DJ Aaron Axelson shall spin vinyl beats while you get ripped on Wild Turkey. Slurp.

Sunday: Take to your bike or feet and head to the Mission for Sunday Streets. Look, there will be parking available near the route, but, come on, just walk over or take public transit. Don't clog up surrounding streets with your gas guzzler. (Unless you have a pristine 1970s antique in polished earth tones. In which case, have at it. Show of your bad-ass self.) Here's a map of the route, which runs along Valencia Street from 14th to 24th and 24th Street from Valencia to Hampshire. 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Chihuahuas will outnumber hipsters at Dolores Park on Saturday with SF SPCA's second annual The Whole Enchihuahua, a Chihuahua rescue awareness event, featuring a costume contest, live Mariachi, Off the Grid food trucks, tons of adoptable cats, dogs, birds, bunnies and more from the SF SPCA , Animal Care & Control and SF rescues, and more.

Sunday Streets heads to the Mission again on Sunday as part of the summer-long Mission Sunday Streets Pilot project. The event is jam-packed with activities, such as free bike rentals, music by Rin Tin Tiger, free Capoeira lessons, the Wheel Kids bike course and more: "And that is only between 14th and 15th on Valencia! Come explore the entire route for fun surprises!!" — via Sunday Streets on Facebook.

A huge line-up of local youth performers and DJs are set to play the 6th Annual Omino Day World Music Festival, which was inspired by the life and vision of youth advocate, community activist and DJ, Andrew “DJ Domino” Ele. The festivities include a live concert featuring music, dance, poetry and DJ’s, delicious food, local vendors, youth resource tables and an interactive children’s art and games booth.

Union Street plays host to the 36th Annual Union Street Eco-Urban Festival all weekend, featuring live entertainment, arts and crafts created with recycled and sustainable materials, food by local artisans, cooking demos, booths showcasing green exhibitors, businesses and educators, and more.

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival presents Marcus Cohen’s The Congress on Saturday, who bring a sound steeped in funk, hip-hop, gospel, and jazz, featuring a star-studded 12-piece band and vocalists Valerie Troutt, Crystal Monee Hall, and Tiffany Austin, and hip-hop lyricist MicBlake rounding out The Congress’ amazing membership.

The Long Shutdown be damned. Let's get this Memorial Day weekend started!

Carnaval lights up the Mission all weekend with two days worth of live music, dancing, drumming and dance lessons, food, and more, along with the Grand Parade on Sunday morning.

On the opposite end of town, tens of thousands will celebrate the Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary on Sunday with festivities taking place in several locations near the bridge, including live music and entertainment, an art exhibition, a sustainability demo, and a vintage boat display. The event culminates in a big fireworks display showcasing the bridge, the bay, and surrounding national parklands. (Note: The bridge will be closed from 9 to 10 p.m. for the show.)

Experience some yo-yo magic at the 15th Annual Bay Area Classic Yo-Yo Championship, featuring lessons by the experts and a fierce competition amongst the world's top players.

Flickr is sponsoring Photobooth's Instant Camera Photo Walk through the MIssion on Sunday. Bring your own camera, or borrow one of theirs. On Saturday, our friends over at Harvey Milk Photo Center are hosting a Harvey Milk Photo Walk through the Castro in celebration of Harvey Milk's birthday, which was on Tuesday.

Spruce up your apartment with some one of a kind deals at the monthly Treasure Island Flea on Sunday, and while you're there check out the line-up of bands performing at the event, including Dogpatch, Cosmic Machine, Paris Musique, and Youth of the Beast.

Check out some free live music on Saturday at Yerba Buena Gardens with Liturgy of Coltrane, featuring the music and life of composer/saxophonist John Coltrane, and on Sunday at Golden Gate Park as the Golden Gate Park Band performs patriotic and American music.

This weekend promises to be quite nice, and hopefully for the half-naked attendees at the How Weird Street Faire, temperatures will get above 70 on Sunday. Join thousands of people to "celebrate the unfolding of our potential, and the unlimited possibilities of the future." Mom will love it!

Take mom on a trip at Balloonacy 2012, a delightful-sounding art experiment that's happening both Saturday and Sunday, in which participants will wade their way through a thousands of balloons that respond to your movements with ethereal glows of light: "[P]art dance party, part existential crisis, and all fun."

Mom would really love it if you take her to the Making Mothers Visible installation on Saturday, in which the The International Museum of Women and community volunteers will be installing more than 50 large-scale photographs of mothers and midwives on the exterior of the San Francisco Main Library. The event features free art activities including face painting for kids and a hands-on art making workshop for adults in partnership with Traveling Postcards.

The inaugural Asian Contemporary Art Week kicks off this weekend with the festival's opening event, a Day of Dialogue, on Saturday, featuring a variety of discussions among top Asian artists whose work is included in the Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past exhibition.

The second weekend of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival boasts two free shows on Saturday and Sunday, including Anthony Brown's Asian American Orchestra on Saturday, which combines the improvisational and melodic qualities of jazz with Asian instrumentation including Taiko drums, and a performance by The National Taiwan University of Arts’ renowned dance ensemble on Sunday.

East meets West in a fascinating exhibit at the Exploratorium for just a few more days. "The World of Your Senses" delves into the surprising parallels in how traditional Buddhism and modern Western science understand our sensory perceptions. The exhibition was created by Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns who have been studying western science while living in exile in India. Several of them are on hand to discuss the show with visitors, including one who is demonstrating the traditional Tibetan painting style used for the exhibition panels. More pictures here. Really, make time in your busy schedule for this remarkable chance to chat with the monastics and learn more about how our own bodies work.

The World of Your Senses
Parallel Perspectives from Buddhism and Western Science of Sensory Perception
A special exhibition featuring Tibetan Buddhist Monastics from India
Through this Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Exploratorium
Palace of Fine Arts, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco

Still making plans? Here's some stuff happening around town.

The Eighth Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival is going on as we speak at Dolores Park, featuring a Zumba-thon, live performances by Bay Area artists, including mariachis, dancers, and salsa ensembles, and headliner La Fuerza Gigante, and more.

The Mission plays host to another epic event with Sunday Streets tomorrow. Bike, walk, roll, dance, hula hoop and more along Valencia Street from 14th to 24th and 24th Street from Valencia to Hampshire.

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival kicks off a glorious six months of free outdoor concerts on Sunday with 6-time Grammy-nominated Omar Sosa Afreecanos Quartet, who mix Afro-Cuban musical styles with modern electronic elements and African instruments played by an international group of musicians.

Fashionistas will flock to Hayes Valley on Sunday for the twice annual Urban Air Market (formerly the Capsule Design Festival), featuring 150 independent designers of men’s, women’s, and kid’s clothing, accessories, jewelry and home décor.

Get a zen-like workout on Sunday at SELF Workout in the Park in Little Marina Green in San Francisco — "the perfect venue to inspire your body and mind with its waterfront setting and views." Activities include yoga and pilates, beauty, skincare and style consultations, and more.

Dogfest: Duboce Park will be full of lovable pooches on Saturday for the 5th annual Dogfest, benefiting SFUSD McKinley Elementary School. The fest, which will feature Daniel Handler as the emcee, and celebrity judges including Dave Eggers and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s, includes a dog parade, a dog comedy and stunt show, and a carnival.

Cherry Blossom Festival: Saturday kicks off the 45th annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which spans two weekends and draws over 200,000 people each year.

Sunday Streets: The forecast looks promising for Sunday, as Sunday Streets hits the Great Highway and Golden Gate Park. Grab your bike, hula hoop, roller skates, or just your feet and get outside.

KUSF Rock 'N' Swap: KUSF's famous Rock-n-Swap, which attracts vendors from all over, is happening on Sunday, featuring vinyl, CDs, DVDs, posters, books and more spanning various genres. Proceeds benefit KUSF. Get there early for half-price admission, plus coffee and a bagel!

Quest for Pork — Scavenger Hunt & Wild Boar Roast: Get your tickets asap to Forage SF's daytime scavenger hunt, followed by a dinner of delicious boar and "all the fixin’s" at a secret destination. Gypsy Jazz legends Gaucho will be on hand to take the party into the night.

Being Human 2012: The Palace of Fine Arts plays host on Saturday to the first-ever multidisciplinary public dialogue led by scientists, thought leaders, and philosophers exploring the dawn of a scientific revolution that promises "to overthrow long-held biases and stories about what it means to be human."

Treasure Island Flea: This month's Treasure Island Flea, which is the last indoor market of the season, boasts a first-ever DIY workshop on making your own origami photo album, food from local trucks, and lots and lots of bargains all weekend long.

Art Explosion Spring Open Studios: Speaking of deals, Art Explosion Studio's 12th Annual Spring Open Studios will feature work for sale by 140 artists, including painters, sculptors, photographers, fashion designers, jewelers and textile artists.

Godwaffle Noise Pancakes: Head to the Lab on Sunday for another afternoon of "savage and transcendent performance unlike any other," combining experimental music with "vegan orange flavored beer blamcakes," featuring performances by Ma++ Ingalls, Styrofoam Sanchez, and Ear Spray.

Chinese New Year Parade and Festival: Festival-goers might actually enjoy a dry Chinese New Year extravaganza this year. Leave those umbrellas and ponchos as home!

SF SPCA's Be Mine Adopt-a-thon: The SF SPCA hosts a huge Valentine's party this weekend, featuring animal behavior workshops, children's activities, animal-themed tattoos from Frisco Tattoo, reduced adoption fees, and more.

Make It @ MOCFA: Stencil-Style: This month's Make It event will show you how to make super-cool, art-inspired Valentines, in which you can borrow stencils directly from artist Randy Colosky, or make your own, then stencil away on cards.

Macbeth: The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival and the Presidio Trust present a free 55 minute family performance of Macbeth, performed by a cast of professional actors in costume, with set, props, and recorded music, followed by a Q&A and Playshop, a free one-hour, hands-on experience for kids and parents.

San Francisco Mixtape Society: "Under The Covers" is the theme of this month's Mixtape Society event, in which participants' mixes are traded over the course of the evening through a spirited raffle, the best of which are selected by the audience and judges.

As you'd expect, there are lots of Super Bowl festivities happening on Sunday. We've highlighted a couple, along with a few other non-sports items. Enjoy!

Giants FanFest: All your favorite Giants players will be in attendance at the 19th Annual FanFest on Saturday, featuring player Q&As and photos and autographs. (Expect traffic disruptions thanks to this event.)

Men In Tights Super Bowl Show: SF IndieFest presents its second annual Mystery Science Theater-esque event featuring smart ass commentary by a "regular yuck-a-luck," a "distinguished sportsman," a "semi-professional man-about-town," a "closet-jock," a "gentleman of leisure," and a "fucking worthless nobody."

Best in Show: The delightfully quirky Fred Willard will be in attendance at Sunday's SF Sketchfest screening of Best in Show at the Castro, along with Michael Hitchcock, who played the uptight Weimaraner owner Hamilton Swan.

Beats & Bloodys: Our House Records hosts a Noise Pop-Up Shop in Bold Italic's event space on Saturday, featuring music, dancing, loaded Bloody Mary's, and "even a few more secret surprises to start off your Saturday the right way."

Hot Dog Day: Men in Tights & Hobbit Conspiracy: Those who lean more toward the artsy side can hit up Frankenart Mart on Sunday, and take part in some art-making and hot dog-eating while watching the Super Bowl on "a teeny tiny TV with absolutely no HD."

There's certainly no shortage of frightful Halloween events going on this weekend for adults and kids alike. Here are a few choice happenings.

Midnites for Maniacs' Halloween Spooktacular: Midnites for Maniacs presents an epic line-up of movies this weekend at the Roxie, including a screening of the titillating vampire flick, The Hunger happening tonight -- featuring Ann Magnuson in person, and a 20th Anniversary celebration of Twin Peaks. The event's run-time is conveniently 666 minutes, we might add.

Trannyshack Halloween: Heklina and Peaches Christ are back on Saturday night for their 5th annual holiday extravaganza, featuring a special surprise celebrity guest star -- "a heavy metal drummer once married to a bona-fide 'faux queen'", who's set to judge the event's costume contest, along with a gigantic horror-themed drag show, and ghoulish dancing "with terrifying results in a safe space."

Waldo Pub Crawl: Tomorrow's pub crawl has to be the most brilliant one yet. Get lost in the crowd in a fresh Waldo-esque red-and-white striped shirt and beanie, or stand out by adding your own Halloween twist, as you stop for drinks along Sutter Street.

Journey to the End of the Night: Meet up at at Rincon Park, near Folsom Street and the Embarcadero, (near the Cupid's Span bow and arrow sculpture), Justin Herman Plaza on Saturday night for Journey to the End of the Night's third Halloween edition, "an epic chase through a series of artist-created checkpoints scattered across San Francisco, which last year attracted 1,300 players." This year's event features a new character, Chaser Killer, who's "designed to terrify chasers as they pursue their targeted players across the haunted cityscape."

Vaudeville Halloween - Dead Madames Ball: This old-timey Halloween extravaganza will feature "reality defying acts" of contortionists, knife throwers, sultry belly dancers, sexy burlesque performers and human oddities, along with songs, sketches and recitations by the DJ Risk One. Carnival fare such as cotton candy, salt-water taffy, and diabolical bartender created concoctions will be served.

Teatro Zin Zombie: For those planning ahead to Monday -- Teatro ZinZanni presents "a nostalgic journey of music, cirque and cabaret," starring blues phenomenon Duffy Bishop and Bay Area comedic legend Geoff Hoyle. Also featuring a costume parade, bloody Halloween cocktails, ghoulish face painting, and a five-course gourmet meal.

For the kiddies:
Spooktacular Halloween Party & Trick or Treat in Japantown
Halloween Hoopla : Dance & Parade for Kids
Haunted Wonderland
Doggie Halloween Bash & Puppy Party

Lots of folks will be heading to Treasure Island this beautiful weekend for some un-stressful concert-going. For those who want to stay close to home, there just might be a fair going on in your 'hood, or one nearby!

Kidquake: Take the kids over to USF on Saturday for Monsters in the Bookshelf, a fun-filled morning that includes artists' demonstrations, such as how to draw superheroes and princesses, make-and-take crafts, such as Paperbag Monster Puppets, storytime, Saturday morning cartoons, book signings, and a display of posters created by local children.

Vagabond Indie Craft Fair: Start collecting those one-of-a-kind gifts early this year. Thirty local artists & craftspeople will be selling their handmade wares in Urban Bazaar's awesome backyard.

Japan Center Anime Fair, From Sailor Moon to Hatsune Miku: Japantown plays host to some "Anime fun" on Sunday, featuring singing, dancing, a 'Peoples Choice' Cosplay Contest, live drawing, and performances by Virtual Idol Mari Watanabe, Sentai Hero Barrie Evans, Singer Yukie Dong and K-on Doncing Kara’s Mister.

ArtSpan Open Studios: The third weekend of ArtSpan SF's Open Studios will take place in the Tenderloin, SOMA, Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, and Bayview neighborhoods, featuring the work of over 200 artists. For those attending the event on Saturday, take the shuttle!

Neighborhood Festivals

Saturday

Potrero Hill Festival: Lots of live music, plus a kids area including bouncy house, petting zoo, and pony rides, food from Potrero Hill restaurateurs, booths featuring over 80 Potrero Hill and local artists, merchants and nonprofit organizations.

Noe Valley Harvest Festival: Live music and entertainment, including Circus Finelli, a pumpkin patch, a dunk tank, costume contest, hay rides, jumpy tents, arts and crafts, and a balloon “artist.”

Sunday

The 23rd Annual Fiesta on the Hill: Featuring live entertainment by Shotgun Wedding Quartet, The Shed House Bluegrass Band, Gaucho, and more.

Inner Sunset Street Fair 2011: Includes a baby disco, crafts, Tell Your Story walls, Mini Hipster Plushie Workshop, tarot card readings, live entertainment, and lots more.

Harvest Fest at Hayes Valley Farm: Lots of food demos, farm tours, live music and entertainment, a puppet show, and more.

IndieMart: IndieMart celebrates Indian Summer with a "full fledged metal & psych rock fest, loaded with short sleeves a plenty, foxy ladies in fringe, summer BBQ, one too many beers and oh yeah, the best part- 100 rad vendors," including DIY-ers, makers, designers, screenprinters, illustrators, artists, typographers, vintage, a few carpenters, and foodies.

ArtSpan SF Open Studios: The SF Open Studios continues with its second weekend, featuring work by artists in the Ocean Beach, Sunset, Richmond, Duboce, Eureka Valley, Hayes Valley, Haight, Upper Market, Diamond Heights, Buena Vista, Mount Davidson, Twin Peaks, West Portal, Glen Park neighborhoods. Friends of SFist Harvey Milk Photography Center is co-hosting an open studio with Sharon Art Center. See you there!

Italian Heritage Parade and Columbus Day Block Party: Check out the floats and other entertainment at the 143rd Annual Italian Heritage Parade, and then enjoy some Toasty Melts and an adult beverage in the Columbus Day Block Party beer and wine garden afterwards.

Excelsior Arts and Music Festival: Check out the work of artists and musicians in the Excelsior District and beyond at Sunday's volunteer-run festival, which draws over 5,000 people to the neighborhood annually.

Bazaar Stock: FunCheap SF alerts us to this 12-hour, free acoustic music fest happening in the Richmond District this Saturday, featuring artists ranging from singer/songwriter, folk, roots, bluegrass to acoustic rock to orchestral acoustic rock. Be sure to buy some food while enjoying the free music!

Litquake: The annual literary festival kicks off this weekend with two days worth of Off the Richter Scale day-time programming followed by lots of night-time events. Day One includes "poets and prisoners, adventurers in science fiction and explorers of indie publishing," and Day Two features two hours worth of writers from California and the Bay Area, followed by an exploration in "writing in extreme circumstances and from deep within the mind—defined in terms spiritual, physical, or cybernetic."