All the parties, shows and events you need to know about this month.
San Francisco Comic Con
Nerds of all types will want to get tickets to SF Comic Con this year to see headliners Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings), Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek) and Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride).
◊ Moscone Center, 800 Howard St (sanfrancomiccon.com). Sept 1 noon–11pm, Sept 2 10am–11pm, Sept 3 10am–5pm; $30–$80.
Big Book Sale
San Francisco Public Library hosts the largest used book sale on the West Coast, featuring more than 500,000 publications for $3 or less. Bibliophiles, go nuts.
◊ Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd (415-477-5231, friendssfpl.org). Sept 2, 21 10am–6pm; free.
Sausalito Art Festival
Browse arts and crafts from local artists set before a beautiful view of the San Francisco Bay during this yearly art festival in picturesque Marin County.
◊ Marinship Park, 400 Bridgeway, Sausalito (415-332-3555, sausalitoartfestival.org). Sept 2, 3 10am–7pm, Sept 4 10am–5pm; $25–$100.
Luckyrice Grand Feast
An ode to all forms of Asian cuisine, Luckyrice’s annual feast features some of the best dishes in the city, including Chinatown’s historic dumplings and eats from the city’s many new high-end Indian restaurants.
◊ Bentley Reserve, 301 Battery St (luckyrice.com). Sept 8 8–10pm; $88–$150.
'70s Roller Disco Party
Roll it back to the era of bell-bottoms with a disco party on the pier. BYOS (bring your own skates) or rent a pair for free, and cruise along to musical hits from the decade.
◊ Pier 39, Beach St at Embarcadero (415-705-5500, pier39.com). Sept 8 at 6pm; free.
Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival
Ghiradelli pairs its world-famous cacao beans with wine, ice cream and tons of other tasty desserts at this sugary fest. Indulge guilt-free knowing that 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to local nonprofit Project Open Hand.
◊ Ghirardelli Square, Larkin and Polk Sts (ghirardelli.com). Sept 9, 10 noon–5pm.
J-Pop Summit
At this weekend-long frenzy of music, art, film, fashion and technology fresh from Japan, look for events like movie screenings and ramen pop-ups.
◊ Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd (j-pop.com). Sept 9, 10 at various times; $35–$150.
Vintage Paper Fair
Head to Golden Gate Park to peruse the West Coast’s largest selection of vintage postcards, photographs, sports memorabilia and all sorts of interesting paper. It’s way cooler than it sounds, we promise.
◊ San Francisco County Fair Building, Hall of Flowers, 1199 Ninth Ave (415-831-5500, vintagepaperfair.com). Sept 9 10am–6pm, Sept 10 11am–5pm; free.
Hella Gay 5K
Slay this 5K with more than 1,000 other LGBTQ folk in the Bay Area. Once you cross the finish line, grab a free cider-mosa and get ready to vogue at the after-party mixer with DJs Mackswell and JustINtertainment.
◊ Pergola at Lake Merritt, 599 El Embarcadero, Oakland (eventbrite.com). Sept 9 8:30–11:30am; free–$30.
Oakland Pride
Oakland Pride is filled with family-friendly activities. Look for live music and performances, a children’s garden filled with attractions and, of course, the parade, which marches up Broadway starting at 11am.
◊ Various locations, Oakland (oaklandpride.org). Sept 10 11am–7pm; free–$10.
Jim Gaffigan
The comedian's new show, Noble Ape, delves into many of his favorite topics: family, life, Catholicism and battles with food (Hot Pockets, beware!).
◊ Shoreline Amphitheater, 1 Amphitheater Pkwy, Mountain View (mountainviewamphitheater.com). Sept 17 at 7:30pm; $20.
Glass Animals
Get ready to dance along to Glass Animals' infectious and fun pop songs. Prepare your body—there will be crowd surfing.
◊ The Greek Theater, 2001 Gayley Rd, Berkeley (510-548-3010, thegreekberkeley.com). Sept 22 at 7pm; $43.50.
Northern California International Dragon Boat Festival
Nearly 100 dragon-boat teams and 2,500 paddlers from across North America race the 500-meter course on Lake Merritt, followed by a festival filled with traditional dancing, music and delicious food.
◊ Lake Merritt Boating Center, 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland (sfdragonboat.com). Sept 23, 24 10am–5pm; free.
Oktoberfest by the Bay
Celebrate Oktoberfest in the true tradition of Munich with nonstop drinking, dancing, singing, eating and dancing.
◊ Pier 48, enter at 3rd and Channel Sts (oktoberfestbythebay.com). Sept 22 5pm–midnight, Sept 23 11am–5pm, 6pm–midnight, Sept 24 11am–6pm.
Free National Parks Day
This nationwide movement lets you take advantage of free admission at the country’s top parks, including Muir Woods National Monument. A morning hike is just what you need to recharge this summer.
◊ 1 Muir Woods Rd, Mill Valley (415-388-2595, nps.gov/muwo/index.htm). Sept 30 8am–sunset; free.
The Shins + Spoon
This show at the Greek kicks off a four-date-only tour featuring these two indie darlings.
◊ The Greek Theater, 2001 Gayley Rd, Berkeley (510-548-3010, thegreekberkeley.com). Sept 30 at 6:30pm; $55.