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The UC Aquatic Center is offering a full moon group kayak adventure at the Berkeley Marina on Wednesday, July 29. Credit: Kelly Sullivan<\/p>\nThe UC Aquatic Center is offering a full moon group kayak adventure at the Berkeley Marina on Wednesday, July 29. Credit: Kelly Sullivan<\/p>\n
Never miss local events!\u00a0Sign up for Berkeleyside\u2019s arts and culture newsletter, The Scene<\/a>. And check out our\u00a0roundup of affordable things to do anytime in Berkeley<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udf15 Experience the Berkeley Marina at night by participating in a full moon group kayaking adventure. Make sure to wear layers! Wednesday, July 29, 7-9 p.m. UC Aquatic Center at the Berkeley Marina. $30 for UC Berkeley students, $60 for non-students<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffe AileyCamp, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater\u2019s long-running youth summer program run in conjunction with Cal Performances, presents a session-ending final performance, \u201cThe Time is Now,\u201d showcasing the accomplishments of the dancers, ages 11-14. Thursday, July 23, Zellerbach Hall. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc08 Berkeley Playhouse presents their newest youth production of \u201cCats,\u201d exploring the hijinks and heart of one magical night when a tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. Show runs from July 23 to Aug. 1. $27<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc83 Every Thursday in July and August, the YWCA Berkeley\/Oakland branch hosts an Afro Dance with Karma, featuring the dance genres that Karma has studied including Afrobeats, West African, Afro-Brazilian and more. All levels are welcome to join. Next class is on Thursday, July 23, 6:30-7:30 p.m. 2600 Bancroft Way. FREE (RSVP)<\/a><\/p>\n \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25 Berkeley poet Colleen Morton Busch will be having a conversation about her latest book, \u201cSmolder\u201d \u2014 the title of which is inspired by her husband\u2019s diagnosis of the blood cancer smoldering multiple myeloma. \u201cSmolder\u201d features a collection of poems about the fires of grief, lust, loss, rage, uncertainty and acceptance in life. Thursday, July 23, 7-8:30 p.m. Mrs. Dalloway\u2019s Bookstore. FREE (RSVP)<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb7 Ace bassist Aaron Germain is one of the Bay Area\u2019s most versatile accompanists, but is making his Jupiter debut as a leader with a powerhouse quartet focusing on original compositions gleaned from his four albums (including his 2025 project \u201cOpus\u201d featuring trumpet great Randy Brecker) as well as some Brecker tunes. Friday, July 24, 7 p.m. Jupiter. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udff5\ufe0f Join a cosy craft session where you can make colorful, beaded garden stakes \u2014 all materials are provided. Saturday, July 25, 11 a.m.-noon. Claremont Library. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83e\udd73 The annual North Shattuck Block Party is back with live music, wines and craft beers to sample, local artisan vendors, and games for the whole family. Saturday, July 25, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. North Shattuck and Rose Street. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udf77 \ud83c\udf77 \ud83c\udf77 West Berkeley\u2019s Donkey & Goat Winery hosts \u201cUnfiltered: A Celebration of Wine on the Edge\u201d with 60 of the region\u2019s leading natural and low\u2011intervention winemakers, with panel discussions exploring the philosophies, challenges, and innovations shaping the future of wine, as well as tasty bites by local chefs, and many a popped cork. Saturday-Sunday, July 25-26, 1-5 p.m. Donkey & Goat Winery. $65 per day ($95 full weekend)<\/a><\/p>\n \u2702\ufe0f To celebrate International Zine Month, come make zines in community with other artists. Some materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own. Saturday, July 25, 3-5 p.m. 2727 California St. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udf75 Soak up the sun at Teance\u2019s Midsummer Bazaar, featuring local makers, food and tea, DJ sets and mahjong tables to play on. Saturday, July 25, 3:30-7:30 p.m. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfad Pearl Ong\u2019s \u201cNight Driver\u201d revisits San Francisco\u2019s free-spirited gay scene in the late 1970s from the vantage point of a Hong Kong-born cabbie with humor, rebellion, and cultural clashes, portraying one motorist who\u2019s fiercely determined to defy expectations. Saturdays through Aug. 8, 5 p.m. The Marsh. $25-$100<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb8 Berkeley jazz guitarist George Cotsirilos has thrived since retiring from his day job at UC Berkeley School of Law, where he taught courses on criminal trial practice for two decades, and he celebrates the release of his passionately lyrical new album \u201cIn The Wee Hours\u201d with his top-shelf quartet featuring pianist Keith Saunders, bassist Ravi Abcarian and drummer Ron Marabuto. Saturday, July 25, 8 p.m. The Back Room. $20<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfad Directed by Michelle Talgarow, Shotgun Players presents their first one-person performance with Gary Owen\u2019s monodrama, \u201cIphigenia in Splott,\u201d a reimagining of the Euripides tragedy set in a boozy, promiscuous present tense. Preview performances start July 25 for a three-week run. Show runs from July 25 to Aug. 23. Ashby Stage. $8-$40 for pay-what-you-can previews in July, $23-$80 for August shows<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa4 Sing your heart out at Sacred Music Fellowship\u2019s SingJam, an all-ages communal singing experience featuring rock, pop, folk, R&B, country, traditional music and more. Lyrics and chords are provided. Sunday, July 26, 10:30 a.m.-noon. 2727 California St. $15-$36<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8 In marking the first anniversary of Nina Menendez\u2019s death a group of her friends and fellow artists gather to celebrate the beloved singer and impresario, who did so much to bring flamenco to Bay Area stages. Sunday, July 26, 6:30 p.m. La Pe\u00f1a Cultural Center. $25-$30<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83c\udfb6 Not Loud Concerts presents the first of three Berkeley Summer Sessions with a blues-steeped double bill featuring Rebecca Roudman\u2019s Dirty Cello and the harmonica-powered Delta Wires. Sunday, July 26, 7 p.m. Gilman Brewing. $20<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udcda Novelist Chloe Lauter discusses her new queer vampire noir novel on Soft Skull Press, \u201cThe Flayed Man,\u201d in conversation with Eirinie Carson, author of recent gothic novel \u201cBloodfire, Baby.\u201d Tuesday, July 28, 7 p.m. Pegasus Books Downtown. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83e\udd61 The Jazzschool\u2019s weekly Brown Bag Jazz Hangs continue with veteran music journalist and KPFA DJ Derk Richardson sharing insights about the groundbreaking career of bassist Charlie Haden, who gained notoriety anchoring Ornette Coleman\u2019s epochal quartet in 1959 and went on to record dozens of albums as a leader, including the politically charged Liberation Music Orchestra. Wednesday, July 29, 12:30 p.m. The Freight. FREE<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f\u00a0See more things to do\u00a0in\u00a0Oakland<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Richmond<\/a>.\u00a0And check out our big list of\u00a0affordable things to do<\/a>\u00a0anytime in Berkeley.\u00a0Sign up for our\u00a0weekly arts and culture newsletter<\/a>, The Scene.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s an event you\u2019d like us to consider for this roundup, email us at\u00a0the-scene@berkeleyside.org<\/a>. The deadline to submit events for Around Berkeley is end-of-day Monday. If there\u2019s an event that you\u2019d like to promote on our calendar, you can use the self-submission form on our\u00a0events page<\/a>.<\/p>\n We know that most readers don’t get to the end of the article. But you did! To support our in-depth, rock-solid reporting, please consider making a donation to our nonprofit newsroom today. We rely on our readers \u2014 particularly the ones who read the whole story!<\/p>\n “*” indicates required fields<\/p>\n \t