{"id":164578,"date":"2026-02-05T03:26:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T03:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/164578\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T03:26:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T03:26:13","slug":"big-week-oakland-interfaith-gospel-choir-bondage-ball-codex-book-fair-magnolia-blooms-galore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/164578\/","title":{"rendered":"BIG WEEK: Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Bondage Ball, CODEX Book Fair, magnolia blooms galore"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to our calendar feature BIG WEEK, wherein our\u00a0expert Arts & Culture writers<\/a>\u00a0recommend the best things do.<\/p>\n

\"\"Still from Maryam Tafakory\u2019s film \u2018Nazarbazi\u2019, from \u2018Love Letters to Aliens\u2019 at SoEx.<\/p>\n

GENERAL ARTS
Caitlin Donohue<\/a>\u00a0has her eye on the situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

THROUGH MARCH 1: OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA\u2019S WHITE ELEPHANT SALE We can neither confirm nor deny this 60-year tradition\u2019s claim to being northern California\u2019s largest rummage sale, but it is undeniable that you will find in it a prime-time place to immerse yourself in secondhand good glory, all will supporting the museum with your purchase. 333 Lancaster, Oakland. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

THROUGH MARCH: MAGNOLIA SEASON And despite it all, the magnolias have budded yet again. The frothy flowers are well worth checking out for an afternoon of bold beauty. Head to Golden Gate Park\u2019s Botanical Gardens\u2014the site of the country\u2019s first exotic cup and saucer magnolia blooms!\u2014stat, where 63 species and an entire \u201cmagnolia exploration zone\u201d await. SF Botanical Gardens. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

THROUGH MAY 15: WE\u2019VE GOT SOLE Homage to the flyest among us: the SF Library has curated an expo dedicated to the way Black youth shaped sneaker culture, from the early B-boys, standout \u201970s and \u201980s NBA players, and beyond. Main Library, SF. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

WED\/4: ROSA LA ROSE FILLE PUBLIQUE This screening of a 1986 tale of Parisian sex worker Rosa\u2019s questioning of the world around her comes to us courtesy of issue #2 of Narrow Margin Quarterly<\/a>, which you would do well to peruse before this evening\u2019s cinephile gathering. Artists\u2019 Television Access, SF. More info here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

THU\/5-SAT\/7: THERE AND BACK RAWDance bets on dance audiences feeling a little off-balance this year with its three-show offering. The triad features Art is a Guarantee of Sanity, which pulls from Susannah Cahalan\u2019s memoir Brain on Fire as source material, and \u201cnavigates a path through an eerie, harrowing world in which our minds sometimes betray us\u201d, according to the company. ODC Theater, SF. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SUN\/8: ICE OUT OF THE SUPER BOWL PROTEST Community members will rally against Kristi Noem\u2019s proposed operations at Levi Stadium during the Super Bowl. Show up for your neighbors and against even the suggestion of high-profile fascist maneuvers. Surely, Bad Bunny will be there in spirit. 2800 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sponsored link<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

FRI\/6 THROUGH MARCH 14: DESIRE ON THE COUCH An exhibition exploring the impacts that psychologists and other therapists have had on our understanding of our own lust. The show features pieces from the Kinsey Institute, and even that freak Freud\u2019s letter to a worried mom with a gay son in which the psychoanalyst called homosexuality \u201cnothing to be ashamed of, no vice, no degradation; it cannot be classified as an illness.\u201d California Institute of Integral Studies, SF. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FRI\/6: SF BONDAGE BALL Thee moment to debut that little PVC number, this post-apocalyptic celebration of the beauty of bondage welcomes kinksters of any kind. Three dance floors, a squadron of comely hosts, and DJs all night long are beckoning at this so-called \u201csensory overload spectacle\u201d. DNA Lounge, SF. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SAT\/7-TUE\/10: CODEX BOOK ART FAIR During an era in which ignorance is being demanded of us, spending a few days learning of the glory of the book can\u2019t be a bad way to bolster oneself. Come through for this sprawling fair and symposium that celebrates just such literary wonders. Program highlights such as an exhibition entitled Who is America at 250?: Artists\u2019 Books on the State of Democracy will await your perusal. Speakers include IB\u00e9 Crawley, a researcher whose latest project focuses on the lives of Black women before the Civil War. Oakland Marriott City Center. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SAT\/7: LOVE LETTERS TO ALIENS Iranian curator Sholeh Asgary designed this group visual art show to consider \u201cthe notion of the alien in its most expansive sense\u2014from the extraterrestrial to the intimate\u201d, and it features work by powerful voices like Maryam Tafakory and the Bay\u2019s Xandra Ibarra. Today\u2019s closing event features a ritual entitled \u201cStanding on the Earth Beneath our Feet\u201d by Roco Cordova and prisoner letter writing workshop orchestrated by prisoner solidarity project Flying Over Walls<\/a>. Southern Exposure, SF. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MUSIC
Hit up John-Paul Shiver\u2019s\u00a0Under the Stars<\/a>\u00a0column for great tunes and shows every week.<\/p>\n

FRI\/6: GZA FEAT. PHUNKY NOMADS It\u2019s the 30th anniversary of GZA\u2019s Liquid Swords, and this show is a must-see\u2014provided everyone arrives on time and performs a proper soundcheck. Having witnessed this founding member of the legendary hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan perform his classic album at GAMH a couple of summers ago, I expect GZA to engage with the audience, rapping directly to patrons, cipher style, with complete breath control. He\u2019s touring with the Phunky Nomads band, and this concert is located at the Golden State Theater in Monterey. It is your perfect anti-Super Bowl getaway. Gas up the car. Golden State Theater, Monterey. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SAT\/7: OAKLAND INTERFAITH GOSPEL CHOIR The group celebrates its 11th Black History Month celebration at the iconic Freight in Berkeley, and the timing could not be any more on point. Its yearly presentation of dual shows on Christmas Eve at the Great American Music Hall is a San Francisco tradition and long-standing, bandwidth-widening custom for the GAMH-Slim\u2019s family. But sometimes\u2014well, almost all times\u2014we need churching up in a moment of crisis. As Minneapolis has shown the world, the Devil is always at work. This renowned performance choir, led by the upbeat Terrance Kelly, has appeared in award-winning works by Tramaine Hawkins, MC Hammer, and Linda Ronstadt, in addition to having performed at the opening of the National LGBTQ Center for the Arts. We are fortunate to have this top-notch organization, which \u201cweaves together a family of more than 55 singers from a wide range of faiths, races, and cultures,\u201d according to the group\u2019s artist bio, in our midst. With the current state of the world, there is a high demand for uplifting joy every day. The Freight, Berkeley. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Cold brew horchata at Al Pastor Papi. Photo by Tamara Palmer<\/p>\n

FOOD & DRINK
Tamara Palmer\u2019s weekly\u00a0Good Taste column<\/a>\u00a0tells you where to stick your fork.\u00a0Sign up for\u00a0the new Good Taste newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

GO ON A FUN BEV SIDE QUEST Looking for some delectable liquid nourishment? Some recommendations to wet your whistle (in a booze-free manner): Al Pastor Papi<\/a>\u2018s cold brew horchata, banana oat milk matcha latte at Dogpatch\u2019s S\u014cHN<\/a>, Grandma\u2019s molasses-black walnut iced coffee at Brenda\u2019s Meat and Three<\/a>, Rose Maiko (grenadine, rose water lemon) at Arquet<\/a>, and heytea<\/a>\u2018s Grape Boom.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u2018Join the Club\u2019 at SF Indiefest.<\/p>\n

FILM
Dennis Harvey\u2019s long-running\u00a0Screen Grabs<\/a>\u00a0has tons more flicks to recommend.<\/p>\n

NOW PLAYING: SEND HELP This tale of Rachel McAdams as a corporate wallflower marooned on a desert island with her boss cranks up familiar pulp plot elements a few notches to ends that, while occasionally squirm-inducing, are closer to cartoonish black comedy than serious thrillerdom. It is thoroughly enjoyable without ever quite touching the greatness director Sam Raimi is capable of. But why quibble: He\u2019s having fun, and so will you. Various Bay Area theaters. <\/p>\n

THU\/5-FEBRUARY 12: MOSTLY BRITISH FILM FESTIVAL Nearly two decades highlighting comparatively mainstream films from the U.K. and its erstwhile \u201cempire\u201d have passed like a flash for this fest. This year\u2019s program encompasses not just new films, but ones about to be released, like Emerald Fennell\u2019s imminent\u00a0Wuthering Heights, a few you may have missed in limited recent release such as\u00a0Don\u2019t Let\u2019s Go to the Dogs Tonight, Grand Tour, and the excellent\u00a0Urchin, and some archival golden oldies. The Vogue, SF. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

THU\/5-FEBRUARY 15: SF INDIEFEST This festival remains, as it was from the start almost three decades ago, a home for enterprising, adventurous, often highly personal projects. There are no lack of big ideas, however, starting with this year\u2019s opening night selection of Santacon, Seth Porges\u2019 documentary charting the evolution of what\u2019s now alternately embraced and abhorred as an annual \u201cBromaggedeon\u201d of public intoxication. Other standouts include Kip Andersen and Chris O\u2019Connell\u2019s\u00a0Join the Club, a stirring nonfiction flashback to the career of late SF pot dealer Dennis Peron, and Marie Losier\u2019s\u00a0Barking in the Dark, a documentary about long-running, stubbornly anonymous avant-garde \u201crock\u201d music and art collective The Residents. Roxie Theater, SF. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Nicki Jizz brings the culture with Reparaciones, Sat\/6.<\/p>\n

NIGHTLIFE
Marke B.<\/a> usually knows what\u2019s up.<\/p>\n

FRI\/6: SPACE THREE: ARTHUR ROBERT\u00a0Berlin-based, Romanian-descended Austrian DJ Arthur Robert brings heady Detroit influence and a drum and bass background to his meticulously constructed techno sets, which often lift off into hypno-psychedelic territory. The term, as they say, is \u201cquality.\u201d Local wiz Kudeki opens up at the Space Three party.\u00a09pm-3am, F8, SF.\u00a0More info here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

FRI\/6: FREE AGENTS\u00a0Turntablism legends QBert and Shortkut (who is thankfully\u00a0behind decks after suffering a debilitating stroke less than two years ago) join forces for some much needed cutting and scratching, and general musical mayhem. With JP Breganza and Starfari.\u00a09pm-2am, Public Works, SF.\u00a0More info here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SAT\/6: REPARACIONES: AN AFRO-LATINE\u00a0CELEBRATION\u00a0The (temporary!) closure of Oasis left many parties venue-less, but Nicki Jizz\u2019s perennial Best Drag Show Reparations\u2014\u201dIf you don\u2019t tip, you\u2019re racist\u201d\u2014is now getting hot at the White Horse in Oakland, joining forces with the Chillonas party for a very Bad Bunny-inappropriate Super Bowl eve hoe-down.\u00a010pm-2am, White Horse Inn, Oakland.\u00a0More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n