Berkeleyside44%
Around Berkeley: National Night Out, concert for Venezuela earthquake victims 15%
By Karen Nguyen Vo40% Andrew Gilbert40%
7/30/2026, 6:00:00 AM
Topics: National Night Out, Concert For Venezuela Earthquake Victims, Writing Workshop, Mending Lab, Latin Rock Band, New Music Summit, Play, Documentary, Malian Music, Witch Market, Ferry Proposal, Classical Music, Firefighter Visit, Tattoo Art Exhibition, Free Vaccines, Author Talk, Jazz Guitarist
BS Summary: This article contains 15 faulty reasoning types, including Biased Writer Voice, Attempt to Sell a Product or Service, and Optimism Bias, with Halo Effect as the most egregious example at 18.3% saturation with 227 hits. Analysis detected 1,026 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,241 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 25.6% and a BS Rank of 15% (22,768 of 26,728 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 85.20% of the article peer group.
Children gather and dance at the 2025 National Night Out Block Party outside of the McGee Avenue Baptist Church.
Credit: Daniel Ekonde
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🎉 National Night Out, held on the first Tuesday in August, is described as a "national community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships."
See a map of the dozens of block parties scheduled in every corner of the city.
The city is holding a “Stop the Violence National Night Out Block Party” in central Berkeley, in partnership with the McGee Avenue Baptist Church and other groups.
The event is open to all.
Expect live performances, carnival games, inflatables, informational booths and food.
Tuesday, Aug. 4, 3-7 p.m.
1640 Stuart St.
FREE
✍️ Discover how writing can be used to support your emotional well-being, creativity and intuition in a writing workshop with Susy Porter.
Thursday, July 30, 2 p.m.
2727 California St.
FREE (RSVP)
🇻🇪 A concert is being held to benefit the victims of the June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela.
The “night of hope” will feature music, culture and connection — including Venezuelan food and artisan vendors, a silent auction, the nonprofit Venezuelan cultural dance organization Dulce Tricolor, and a special musical performance by Venezuelan percussionist Lali Mejia’s talent-packed dance band Bululú and Friends.
All proceeds from the event will be donated directly to Global Empowerment Mission, FUNDANA, and Bambi Foundation.
Friday, July 31, 6 p.m.
La Peña Cultural Center.
$1-$100
👖 Learn how to mend your clothes while enjoying some tea at Blue Willow Tea Spot’s tea and mending lab.
Artist Van Tran will share basic stitches, methods to darn socks, how to use various tools and supplies and more.
Friday, July 31, 6-8 p.m.
Donations accepted for entry
🎸 Featuring original and former members of Malo and Santana, the Latin rock band Momotombo SF blends Afro-Cuban percussion, searing guitar work, and punchy horns, delivering infectious grooves for the dance floor and extended instrumental flights for jam fans.
Friday, July 31, 8 p.m.
Ashkenaz.
$25
🎶 Enjoy a wide variety of music from Bay Area-based and national artists at the 23rd annual Outsound New Music Summit.
The range of music includes experimental pop, free improvisation, microtonal composition, experimental electronics, harsh noise and more.
Friday, July 31 to Sunday, Aug.
2.
Finnish Hall.
$16-80
💵 What if you could pay your way to become a better person?
The Actors Ensemble of Berkeley presents the play “Repossessed,” where a couple gets skills, knowledge and memories implanted into their brain by the corporation “Life Enhanced” — which works until they fall behind on their payments.
Show runs on Fridays, Saturday and Sundays from July 31 to Aug.
9.
LaVal’s Subterranean Theater at La Val’s Pizza.
$15-$40
🎥 From his radical work in the fields building solidarity for the United Farm Workers movement to his pioneering Broadway production “Zoot Suit” and Hollywood hit “La Bamba,” the new documentary “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez” explores the extraordinary life and career of an artist who brought Chicano culture to the center of American culture.
The screenings include Q&As with filmmakers David Alvarado and Everett Katigbak moderated by Kristine Samuelson (Aug. 1) and Gabriela Arvizu (Aug.
2).
Saturday, Aug. 1, 4 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 2, 7 p.m.
Rialto Cinemas Elmwood.
$17
🇲🇱 Blending Malian musical traditions with the expansive energy of psychedelic rock, the powerhouse East Bay band Orchestra Gold is fronted by Malian singer Mariam Diakité, whose declamatory vocals surge over an incantatory sound rooted in the Sufi teachings of the Baye Fall tradition.
Saturday, Aug. 1, 8 p.m.
The Freight. $39-$44 ($25 livestream)
🪄 Align yourself with the cosmos at the Cosmic Witch Market, featuring crystals, divination tools, jewelry, home decor and more for sale.
Tarot readings, astrology, henna and sound healing will also be available.
Sunday, Aug. 2, noon-5 p.m.
Gilman Brewing.
FREE (RSVP)
⛴️ Learn about the history, costs and benefits of ferries in Berkeley at a Berkeley Historical Society & Museum forum examining a proposal for a new Berkeley waterfront ferry with a new version of the Berkeley Pier.
Speakers include historian Chuck Wollenberg, Councilmember Terry Taplin, and Jim McGrath, formerly of California Coastal Commission.
(The museum’s current exhibit, “On the Waterfront,” will be open for a half-hour before and after the program.)
Sunday, Aug. 2, 2:30 p.m.
Berkeley Historical Society & Museum.
FREE (donations appreciated)
🎻 The Bay Area-launched collective Classical Revolution has been celebrating its 20th anniversary with a series of performances, like this string quartet performance under a redwood canopy featuring violinists Anthony Blea and Charith Premawardhana, violist Keith Lawrence and cellist Ami Nashimoto.
Sunday, Aug. 2, 5 p.m.
1 Pinnacle Path.
$20
🔥 As the school year rushes into view kids can get a late-summer thrill meeting a genuine Berkeley firefighter complete with gear and ready answers to all questions.
A firefighter-themed storytime and song session follows.
Monday, Aug. 3, 1 p.m.
Central Library Children’s Non-Fiction Room.
FREE
🖼️ Central Library’s latest exhibition “The Books Are Open” will showcase works by artists from 13 Berkeley tattoo parlors, as well as vintage tattoo equipment and materials.
Opening reception is on Monday, Aug. 3 from 5-7 p.m.
Exhibition runs from August 3 to September 6 on the second and fifth floors.
FREE
💉 In preparation of back-to-school season, the city of Berkeley is offering free vaccines for children to meet California immunization requirements.
Clinics run from Aug. 4 through Aug. 13 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m.
1900 Sixth St.
FREE (appointments recommended)
📙 Pulitzer Prize-winning author Andrew Sean Greer will be in conversation with novelist Lucy Corin about his latest book, “Villa Coco” — where a young man takes an unspecified job with a charismatic elderly Baronessa at her crumbling villa in the Tuscan hills.
Books will be available for signing.
Tuesday, Aug. 4, 7 p.m.
Pegasus Books Downtown.
FREE
🎶 Ukrainian-born New York jazz guitarist George Grydkovets makes a rare Bay Area appearance, joined by the singular improvisational vocalist Lorin Benedict, a Lawrence Livermore Lab physicist who has become a viral force online with videos capturing his language-like approach to scat singing.
Wednesday, Aug. 5, 7 p.m.
The Back Room.
$20-$25
🗓️ See more things to do in Oakland and Richmond.
And check out our big list of affordable things to do anytime in Berkeley.
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