{"id":415569,"date":"2026-07-28T19:54:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T19:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/415569\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T19:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T19:54:08","slug":"technite-adds-a-dash-of-childhood-nostalgia-to-a-grown-up-party-east-bay-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/415569\/","title":{"rendered":"Tech@Nite adds a dash of childhood nostalgia to a grown-up party \u2013 East Bay Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 28-year-old \u201cZillennial,\u201d Joanna Acevedo grew up in San Jose going to the Tech as a kid. Now, as a marketing manager for the Tech Interactive, she wanted to find a way to reconnect people her age to the downtown learning center they loved when they were younger.<\/p>\n

The answer was Tech@Nite, a series of quarterly evening parties for the 21-and-over crowd that makes them feel like they\u2019re kids again but lets them behave like adults.<\/p>\n

The Tech previously held after-hours events like Geektoberfest, but those ended with the COVID-19 pandemic. When Acevedo joined the Tech team in 2024, she saw an opportunity to fill two needs with a revival: reintroduce people to the Tech, especially during its less-utilized hours, and give people her age a new way to get together.<\/p>\n

\"JoannaJoanna Acevedo, marketing manager for The Tech Interactive, photographed on Thursday, July 23, 2026, revived the Tech@Nite event series to bring young adults back to the downtown learning center they visited as kids. (Sal Pizarro\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a new nightlife crowd, and after COVID there are so many people right now looking for ways to connect,\u201d Acevedo said, calling out the various run clubs and craft clubs that have formed since the pandemic receded. \u201cWe need to make sure the experience is unique and centers what people are looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

A key element was bringing in Universal Grammar for music and Local Color for art activities, giving attendees something to do other than enjoy a glass of wine or snack on appetizers. Those two groups know San Jose and know the audience she was trying to appeal to, Acevedo said.<\/p>\n

The theme for the next edition on Thursday night is \u201cCamp,\u201d playing on visitors\u2019 nostalgic feelings of childhood summer camp with activities like rooftop stargazing, craft activities organized by Camp Campbell, a \u201cscience of mushrooms\u201d demo by Bay Area Applied Mycology and even a s\u2019mores kit.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also an immersive \u201csound bath\u201d led by Manik Dub and a drag performance by Jackie Layshun (leaning into the other meaning of \u201ccamp.\u201d) There\u2019s even a wine and flavor lab being led by J. Lohr Winery. And, of course, the regular exhibits at the Tech are open for visitors to explore.<\/p>\n

\"VisitorsVisitors take part in activities at the Tech Interactive during the Tech@Nite \u201cLove Labs\u201d edition on Feb. 12, 2026 in downtown San Jose. (Photo by Alex Knowbody)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Attendance has steadily grown for each of the Tech@Nite events, which have included themes like \u201cSpace Out\u201d and \u201cLove Lab.\u201d The crowd has ranged from \u201cZillennials\u201d in their late 20s and early 30s to an older crowd, including parents and grandparents.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first Tech@Nite was a very nightclub heavy vibe, but as we\u2019re going more and more into themes, different people are coming out who don\u2019t want to go to the bars but they do want to be with people and want to go out,\u201d Acevedo said. And on top of just having a good night out, Tech@Nite visitors can feel content knowing that the revenue raised goes to support the Tech\u2019s education programs.<\/p>\n

After the \u201cCamp\u201d event this week, another edition of \u201cGeektoberfest\u201d will return Oct. 8, followed by another Tech@Nite \u2014 the theme is still being worked out \u2014 on Dec. 17. You can get more information and tickets at thetech.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

UNDERDOG VICTORY: The grape-stomp contest at the Italian Family Festa last weekend featured former NFL players, Silicon Valley mayors and a giant of a San Jose Giants general manager. But when all the grapeskins were smashed, the best feet standing belonged to the oldest and shortest man in the field, 66-year-old former Atherton Mayor Charles Marsala.<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Jose mayor Matt Mahan stomps grapes during the 44th annual Italian Family Festa held at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, July 25, 2026. The event is hosted by the Italian American Heritage Foundation. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"Santa<\/p>\n

Santa Clara mayor Lisa Gillmor competes in the celebrity grape stomp competition with San Jose mayor Matt Mahan and San Jose Giants president Ben Taylor during the 44th annual Italian Family Festa held at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, July 25, 2026. The event is hosted by the Italian American Heritage Foundation. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

\"San<\/p>\n

San Jose mayor Matt Mahan congratulates San Jose Giants president Ben Taylor after winning the celebrity grape stomp competition during the 44th annual Italian Family Festa held at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, July 25, 2026. The event is hosted by the Italian American Heritage Foundation. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

San Jose mayor Matt Mahan stomps grapes during the 44th annual Italian Family Festa held at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, July 25, 2026. The event is hosted by the Italian American Heritage Foundation. (Jose Carlos Fajardo\/Bay Area News Group)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

On Sunday, Marsala crushed his way into the finals by defeating San Jose Giants GM Ben Taylor and former 49ers running back Anthony Dixon and then went foot-to-foot against Santa Clara County Assessor Neysa Fligor and last year\u2019s champion, former 49ers quarterback John Paye.<\/p>\n

It may have been the upset of the century, but Marsala went into the contest well-prepared. He told my colleague Linda Zavoral that he trained some in the gym and watched Paye\u2019s \u201cgame films\u201d from last year.<\/p>\n

MORE THAN A MARKETPLACE: The Jazba Collective, a Bay Area nonprofit, is bringing the Jazba Bazaar to Santana Row on Sunday. This outdoor marketplace will feature more than 50 founder-led brands showcasing their South Asian-inspired fashions, jewelry, gourmet food, home decor items, wellness products and more from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

The event, which is free to attend, will include Bollywood music throughout the day, food samples and a fashion show at 5 p.m. Get more information at www.santanarow.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

TEEING UP A MOVIE: The next installment of the San Jose Downtown Association\u2019s Starlight Saturday series on Aug. 1 is shaping up to be pretty fun.<\/p>\n

The movie being screened that night is \u201cHappy Gilmore,\u201d and ComedySportz will get the audience into the mood with some improv games before the show and Urban Putt will have a free minigolf activity set up. Leave your driver at home, but bring a lawn chair or blanket. The fun starts at 6 p.m., and you can get more details on that and the next show in the series, \u201cBring It On\u201d on Aug. 15, at www.sjdowntown.com\/starlight-cinema<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A 28-year-old \u201cZillennial,\u201d Joanna Acevedo grew up in San Jose going to the Tech as a kid. Now,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415570,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[417,184,7,4978,967,181,23,419,88,90,89,198,200,420],"class_list":["post-415569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-jose","tag-around-town","tag-bay-area","tag-california","tag-downtown-san-jose","tag-entertainment","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news-columnists","tag-san-jose","tag-san-jose-headlines","tag-san-jose-news","tag-santa-clara-county","tag-south-bay","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}