FRIDAY FIVE
Here we are in 2020. The year when we’ll find out if we’ll have four more years of a Trump White House. The year when a new wave of tech IPOs could make the housing crisis in the Bay Area even worse, if that’s possible. And one year closer to catastrophic climate change predictions. (Farewell, Alameda?)
We digress. It’s the start of a new decade, after all—a time for new beginnings. So we’ll take a brighter tone. Yes, there are things to be anxious about as we enter the ’20s, but we’re also excited about a few things to come in the Bay this year. Here are our top five.
1. Pride turns 50
Pride is always incredible in San Francisco, but this year could be the best yet as the city celebrates the 50th anniversary of the celebration. The two-day festival—already the largest of its kind in the country—will take place on June 27 and 28 this year. It’s expected to bring record turnout and offer even more spectacular festivities as we mark half a century since that original parade in 1970. Get pumped; get ready.
SF Pride 2020 | June 27–28
2. Oprah in SF
We’ll forgive the Chase Center for the insane traffic it’s caused because it’s bringing Oprah to town in February as part of her cross-country “2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus” tour. What is the event exactly? It’s a little unclear, but it will obviously be inspirational. The Weight Watchers spokeswoman is partnering with the company on the tour, which she describes as an all-day party with a focus on wellness. There will even be workbook exercises to figure out how to be the best you. She’ll be bringing A-list celebrities like Lady Gaga and Michelle Obama onstage during each stop. In SF, we get Kate Hudson, which is cool we guess. Tickets are extremely expensive, starting at $231, but so is everything else in this city. If you’re out to transform into your best self in 2020, it wouldn’t help to let Oprah guide you for the day.
Oprah at the Chase Center | February 22
3. Soaking up the A’s at the Coliseum
With the Raiders about to go to Las Vegas and the Warriors having moved to San Francisco, East Bay fans (or anyone for that matter) might be even more compelled to spend next summer at what the New York Times described as “baseball’s last dive bar.” Games at the Coliseum have a gritty charm that’s worlds away from the precious (and foggy) experience of a Giants game. Since the Coliseum is set to move to a new ballpark at Howard Terminal in the next couple of years, we’re looking forward to experiencing as many classic Oakland A’s game while we still can.
Oakland A’s games | Tickets here
4. La Cocina’s marketplace
La Cocina, the San Francisco nonprofit that helps helps women, immigrants, and people of color open food businesses—including Bay Area standouts Nyum Bai and Reem’s California—is opening a food hall in the Tenderloin this year at 101 Hyde. La Cocina Municipal Marketplace is bound to be one of the most exciting openings in the area in all of 2020. It will be a one-stop shop for diverse, delicious eats, all while improving a desolate corner of the Tenderloin and supporting women-owned and immigrant-owned small businesses. The city has pledged $1.5 million while La Cocina is fundraising for the other costs.
La Cocina Municipal Marketplace | Read more on Eater
5. Getting more involved
As we mentioned before, the 2020s might seem a little, uh, daunting. Every day a new report comes out about how doomed we are because of climate change, how the homeless population in the Bay Area is growing, or how SF just plain sucks because of widening income inequality. This year, we hope we’ll all become more involved in both local and national politics. The Bay Area is home to amazing nonprofits that need volunteers year-round, and as we hone in on the 2020 election, there are endless opportunities to knock on doors or phone-bank for your candidate of choice. Let this be the year and decade that we all find a cause to devote ourselves to.
