Cuffing season is upon us. Here’s where to find your seasonal ‘situationship’

The days are shorter, the discounted Uniqlo fleece your mom bought you is no longer enough to fend off the wind chill and suddenly your friends are posting cute selfies with the someone they met literally last week. Cuffing season (opens in new tab) is upon us. 

For those looking for a special friend to stay cozy with through winter, here’s a list of local places where you can scout your seasonal bae.

And no hard feelings when the California poppies bloom, marking the beginning of spring. You’ll shed your situationship like that fleece you haven’t washed in months, and wish each other luck on the road to Hot Girl Summer.

Arcana is a bar you can actually talk in and where you’re likely to meet a fellow plant zaddy—the bar doubles as a greenhouse brimming with palms and alocasias. 

📍2512 Mission St. (opens in new tab), Mission

You can ring in the new year with a prospective bae to Afrobeat and hip-hop at this Oakland cocktail lounge. Here, island jams will drown out any “Do you want to meet my parents?” messiness.

📍1618 Franklin St. (opens in new tab), Downtown Oakland

If you’re a woman of color looking for another WOC with a penchant for early morning exercise, fish out your activewear from that one corner of your closet and bond over how peaceful the view from Twin Peaks is without a Waymo in sight. 

This Oakland bar known for its queer speed-dating nights (opens in new tab) will also be hosting “holigay prom” on Dec. 18. Break out the fit you feel stunning in, and muster up the courage for a slow dance. 

📍428 25th St. (opens in new tab), Uptown Oakland

Beginner-friendly salsa and bachata lessons at Space 550 are followed by a dance party that rages on into the night! Go with a group of friends, and who knows? Maybe someone will dance their way into your defrosting heart! 

📍550 Barneveld Ave. (opens in new tab), Bayview

At this bar-cafe-museum hybrid, the drinks alone—like the “Decanted Mother in Law” or the “I’ve Grown To Love Life Too Much”—are conversation-starters in and of themselves. We even got the inside scoop that the couch in the corner of the intimate bar is good for cuddling.

📍2 Marina Blvd. (opens in new tab), Fort Mason