Spring is just around the corner and this weekend’s events reflect the changing of the season with gorgeous flowers, copious beer, flying oysters, a “beach party” high up in the Sierra and more!
The 10th annual Capitol Beer Fest is set to take over the Capitol Mall on Saturday. Literally hundreds of different kinds of beers will be flowing as beer enthusiasts from all over descend on Sacramento. There will also be live musical acts and hella food trucks attending, too!
Also this weekend in downtown Sacramento, FREE oysters will be flying at Shuck Off Sacramento – an oyster shucking competition at Top Ten Room! Almost at the same time, the Kings will be in a competition of their own against the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors at Golden 1 Center.
Another free, family-friendly event happening in the Valley this weekend is the lowrider car show in Modesto. With eight competing categories, live music and food, this is a great event the whole family can enjoy on a Sunday.
As we spring forward from Saturday into Sunday (don’t forget to set your clocks!), why not welcome the spring season by gathering up your own FREE bouquet of tulips at Flower Bulb Day in San Francisco’s Union Square? More than 100,000 colorful flowers will take over the square, and they’re all free to whoever wants to come and pick them.
Those are just a few of the awesome things happening this weekend in Northern California. Keep scrolling to see what else is going down and maybe you’ll find something to do!
Do you have an event idea? Send your suggestions to mnuttle@tegna.com
When: March 7 | 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Capitol Mall, Sacramento
The Capitol Beer Fest is back for its 10th anniversary on the Capitol Mall, Saturday.
More than 125 amazing local and national brewers will be on hand pouring more than 300 delicious and inventive beers to enthusiasts from all over.
No fewer than 20 food trucks and food vendors have also signed up to attend, giving tasters plenty of options to gather their second wind before diving back in! The Top Shelf Band, a party cover band from Northern California, is also set to perform. Three DJs, DJ Veyn, DJ Chris, and DJ Eddie from the Sacramento Kings, will be performing, tool.
All proceeds from the festival go to the Runnin’ for Rhett Youth Fitness Program.
Admission:
- $45 – General admission, includes entry from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., token-less beer tasting from all brewers, and a collectible tasting glass.
- $75 – VIP admission, includes entry from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. (including a special VIP tasting hour from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.), token-less beer tasting from all brewers, and a collectible tasting glass.
- $15 – Designated driver admission includes complimentary water, must be 21-years-old and up.
When: March 8 | 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: Ten Ten Room, 1010 10th Street, Sacramento
Sacramento chefs are set to go head-to-head in a heart-pounding competition to see who is the fastest oyster shucker! You read the right. A speed oyster-shucking competition!
Besides the overall bragging rights and a $200 cash prize to the winning chef, the guests probably benefit the most from this ridiculous contest. That’s because guests get to eat FREE oysters (that were shucked in the competition) with the purchase of a Ford’s Gin cocktail at the Top Ten Room.
The pop-up shop “Sacramento Hates You, Too” is set to attend to sell their fun wears in defense of the City of Trees. And Busy Gillespie will be there, too, “supplying the perfect Sunday Funday playlist, organizers say.
Admission:
- FREE!
When: March 8 | Tipoff at 6 p.m.
Where: Golden 1 Center, 500 David J. Stern Walk, Sacramento
The Sacramento Kings are looking to keep their recent hot streak alive when the Toronto Raptors come to the Golden 1 Center on Sunday.
This is the second game of a back-to-back for Kings, following their game in Portland against the Trailblazers on Saturday. The Raptors are coming to Sacramento on a bit of a skid, having lost three in a row to end the month of February.
Despite how the season started for the Kings, an eight seed playoff berth is not completely out of the question anymore after the team went seven out of their last 10 games before facing Philadelphia on Thursday.
They now only find themselves 3.5 games back, and appear to be hitting stride at just the right time. Well, maybe not the “right” time, but better late than never!
Admission:
- Ticket prices vary. Tap here for more information.
When: March 7 | 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Where: Land Park, East Park Road, Sacramento
Eat some donuts, run (or walk), and raise money for the kids at some area hospitals, that is the goal of the Donut Dash in Land Park this Saturday!
Participants in this race start at East Park Road and head toward Land Park staple Marie’s Donuts on Freeport Boulevard two miles away. At the bakery, racers will consume donut holes or whole donuts (depending on which race you’ve signed up for, and then head back two miles the way they came. Racers can also signup to run and not eat the donuts.
Those who register will get a special themed T-shirt, a finisher’s award, and, of course, donuts!
Proceeds from this event will go to the Child Life Programs at Sutter Children’s Center and UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
Admission:
- $40 – Adult runner (18+) eating six donut holes, includes themed T-shirt, and a one-of-a-kind finisher’s award.
- $40 – Adult runner (18+) eating nothing at all, includes themed T-shirt, and a one-of-a-kind finisher’s award.
- $20 – Admission for runners age 17 and younger eating six donut holes, includes themed T-shirt, and a one-of-a-kind finisher’s award.
- $20 – Admission for runners age 17 and younger eating nothing at all, includes themed T-shirt, and a one-of-a-kind finisher’s award.
- $20 – Adult runner eating three donut holes (non-competitive), includes themed T-shirt, and a one-of-a-kind finisher’s award.
When: March 7 | 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Stockton 99 Speed Way, 4105 North Wilson Way, Stockton
If you’re an adrenaline junkie fan of horsepower, pistons, and burnt rubber, then you’ll want to swing by the Stockton 99 Speedway this Saturday.
This weekend the Speedway plays host to an invitational, non-points race featuring Stockton Late Models, Stockton Grand American Modifieds, Bombers, B4 Cylinders, Mini Cups, & Bandolero's.
Pit gates open at noon, main gates and ticket gates open at 4 p.m., and the racing starts at 5 p.m.
Admission:
- $20 – Adult admission (ages 16+).
- $15 – Junior admission (ages 11-15).
- $15 – Military with ID admission.
- $55 – Family pack general admission (includes two adult and two junior tickets).
When: March 8 | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: The Seasons Catering at McHenry Event Center, 945 McHenry Avenue, Modesto
Head to the McHenry Event Center in Modesto this weekend for a day filled with awesome lowrider cars, friendly competition, and live musical performances that is fun for the entire family! And it’s all FREE to enjoy.
The Valley Lowrider car show is part of the 5-year anniversary celebration of Modesto’s DJ Light Shop. Anyone can enter their vehicle in the competition. Preregister for a cost of $25 or register on the day of the event for $30.
Categories include convertible, truck, bomb, car, bike, motorcycle, hop street and hop radical. East category will feature a first, second, and third-place winner. A best in show trophy will be awarded as well as a cash prize.
Musical guests include Real 1, Doonworth, Jalen Rose and Nazty Nas, and Big Yogz. There are also four DJs scheduled to perform: DJ Hocus, DJ Frank Beats, DJ Angelo, and DJ Harvard.
Other highlights include a car part vendors, food and drink vendors, a kids’ zone, and more!
Admission:
- FREE!
When: March 7 | 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Where: Rojo's Tavern, 3091 Harrison Avenue, South Lake Tahoe
Get ready to dance the night away at the Black Diamond Disco in South Lake Tahoe this Saturday night.
Held at Rojo’s Tavern on Harrison Avenue, the Black Diamond Disco features music from Funky Astronauts, DJ Kincaid, Tokita, Deon Pearson, and emcee M3. Organizers describe the collection of musical stylings as “deep, soulful, tribal, funky, jackin, disco, and sexy.”
This is event is presented by 4cast: Custom Arranged Snowboarding Tunes and Left Coast Collective.
Admission:
- $5 entry at the door
When: March 7 | 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Tahoe Donner Downhill Ski Resort, 11509 Northwoods Boulevard, Truckee
The beach is coming to Truckee this Saturday with a fun, family-friendly at Tahoe Donner Downhill Ski Resort.
Everyone is invited to the FREE Winter Beach Party with plenty of tropical fun. Guests can expect food specials, a snow sculpture contest, games, and more! Live music will be provided by the Buddy Emmer Band.
Guests are encouraged to don their best Hawaiian T-shirt to add to the atmosphere.
Admission:
- FREE!
When: March | 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: Union Square, 333 Post Street, San Francisco
Flowers are taking over Union Square in San Francisco this weekend, with more than 100,000 American-produced tulips grown from European bulbs.
Anyone and everyone is encouraged to come down to the square and pick their own bouquet of tulips to welcome the beginning of spring – and it’s all FREE Tulips of many colors and varieties will be available, so you don’t want to miss this unique event.
Flower Bulb Day is a celebration of the beauty of classic, cheerful European flower bulbs.
Organizers anticipate a record crowd at this year’s event, based on the turnout from year’s prior. This event is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will last until 4:30 p.m.
Admission:
- FREE!
When: March 7-8 | 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Address given the day before upon ticket purchase/RSVP! Tap here to learn more.
How is this for unique, this weekend the Bay Area plays host to the “do-it-yourself” music and arts festival Twin Shrieks.
According to organizers, Twin Shrieks will include a bulk of local and touring musical acts, stemming from fully amplified hard punk and emo rock on day one (in Oakland), and dreamy acoustic sets on the stoic Twin Peaks Sessions rooftop on day two (in San Francisco).
The locations of these events will only be revealed *after* guests purchase their tickets. The premise is to keep capacity low and for locales to be fully prepared for what to expect.
The music lineup in Oakland includes a local SF/East Bay acts including Slumped, Sarchasm, and the Sacramento pop-punk band Danger Inc. Some of the touring acts include popular emo-rock outfit I'm Glad It's You from the Inland Empire, and two Arizona based fast pop-rock bands No Lungs and Sore Eyes.
Organizers say music for the San Francisco event takes away the amps, the drums, and the PA system and winds down with solo acoustic acts from five artists.
Admission:
- $17 – 2-day pass
- $12 – Saturday pass for Oakland
- $8 – Sunday pass
Do you have an event idea? Send your suggestions to mnuttle@tegna.com
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