The 21 best events in SF this weekend

Carl Street between Cole and Clay streets will transform with art, music, and greenery, coinciding with the Cole Valley Nights market.

Cole Valley’s last night market of the year lights up the neighborhood with local makers, food, music, and a “Gratitude in the Valley” theme. And with the area newly dubbed an Entertainment Zone, you can stroll the market with a drink in hand.

After a hit debut last month, Third Thursdays on Ellis Street returns with a street party featuring DJ Joel Corry spinning in front of John’s Grill.

After 16 years, the celebrated gallery is closing its doors. Give it a proper goodbye and take home free posters and discounted art books.

In need of a good laugh? The comedian brings his “Mister Whatever” tour to the Masonic for three nights of standup. 

Vegas is coming to SF. Step inside the big top for opening night and catch the gravity-defying acrobatics and stagecraft. The show runs through Jan. 18.

If seeing “Wicked: for Good” in theaters isn’t enough Oz for you, keep the witchy vibes going with a fusion of cosplay and drag performances.

Lace up your neon skates and get ready to party like it’s 1985 with a night of throwbacks from Madonna, Queen, Prince, and more — on ice.

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of DNA Lounge with an on-brand night of industrial beats, blood-splattered go-go dancers, and barbecue.

The SF Botanical Garden gets a winter glow-up with a maze of lights, music, and sculptures. Bundle up, grab a hot chocolate, and wander the mile-long stroll — it’s open through Jan. 4.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: SF SPCA’s holiday windows return to Union Square, showcasing puppies and kittens up for adoption. Get your cute fix through Dec. 31.

If you’re having GD60 withdrawals, get your fix with two nights of Bertha, a drag homage to the Dead.

It took 520 hours, 5,000 baked bricks, and 1,900 pounds of candy, but the famed Fairmont Gingerbread House returns this weekend. Visit the life-size creation for free, or book private dining inside (opens in new tab).

Winter is weeks away, but Cal Academy isn’t waiting. Explore the museum after hours with reindeer viewing, cookie decorating, magic shows, face painting, and crafts for all ages.

Join independent publishers, radical newspapers, print collectives, and local comic studios for a celebration of grassroots art and a “reminder that print media does in fact serve as the ultimate key for liberation.”

Remember when Outside Lands attendees literally danced a hole through the SoMa stage’s floor? That was Disco Lines playing. Expect the same energy when he takes over Bill Graham.

It’s perpetually Christmas Eve at The Great Dickens Christmas Fair. Transport yourself to Victorian-era London with interactive performers, handmade gifts, holiday snacks, and more, through Dec. 21.

Join 150 top builders for a 32-hour hackathon, hosted by Black Forest Labs, with more than $34,000 in prizes.

Ready or not, holiday shopping is here. Kick off the season of giving with a free bazaar featuring hundreds of makers and artists.

Rooted in the “principles of Black Consciousness,” this cultural, educational, and community-building show was inspired by Zumbi dos Palmares, a Brazilian symbol of Black resistance, dignity, and freedom. 

Get your head in the game and compete (or marvel) in a pie-eating contest at San Francisco’s first and only women’s sports bar. No hands, no forks — just a fundraising spectacle for Lesbian Visibility Week.

Tickets may not be available, but these great events are happening too. Congrats to all who are going!