One of the best parts about living in the Bay Area? There's always a free block party happening somewhere. This weekend, the party is going down in the Mission as part of Noise Pop's annual 20th Street Block Party.
From noon to 8pm on Saturday, the street will come alive with food vendors (even legendary restaurants like Flour + Water are getting involved in the festivities with window service out of their brick-and-mortar), live music and local artisans and non-profits. This year, the festival is also rolling out some new attractions like a lip-synch battle with KQED, a pop-up Amoeba Records store, a dog park outside Noise Pop headquarters, DIY crafting workshops with Workshop SF and a performance from the cast of Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
At its heart, though, this annual party is all about the music. This year lineup (spanning three different stages—that's one more than last year) has something for everyone with headlining sets by Los Angeles singer-songwriter Empress Of and rocker Jeff Rosenstock. Look out for sets by indie-rockers The She’s, SF-based pop-punk band The Total Bettys and more.
The party is free, but a suggested $10 donation benefits the Mission Language and Vocational School (MLVS), a non-profit community education and workforce development center that provides occupational skill to underserved community members throughout the City.