What’s up, South Bay?

Lots going on heading into the Memorial Day Weekend — including free concerts, night markets… and a SHREK RAVE? You heard right. Check out the list below, and look forward to additional posts about things happening on Memorial Day Monday, 5/27 on IG.

This week… a street in San Jose is about to get a lot more colorful, certain other streets are about to slow way, way down… and a new watering hole in the South Bay needs your help. It’s all in the brand new Newsybits section below.

Have an event you’d like to share, or a news scoop you’d like me to look into? Let me know, and I’ll add it to the next Newsletter.

Wednesday, 5/22

• Santana Row Farmer’s Market | Santana row (Between Olin Ave., and Olsen Dr.) | 4-8 p.m. | FREE | Check out veggies, treats, fresh fruits, and other produce from Gilroy, Hollister, Watsonville, and Santa Cruz.

• Tully Night Market | Tully Community Ball Fields (880 Tully Rd., San Jose) | 5:30-8:30 p.m. | FREE | Check out local creators, makers, and more, along with music from School of Rock House Band.

• San Jose Shakeout Series | Creekside Socials (56 Barack Obama Blvd., San Jose) | 6-8 p.m. | FREE | The fourth weekly version of this all-ages and abilities running event features music from Bloco do Sol and DJ Jay Sumabat, and food from Fire & Rice + Churros el Guero.

• Tsunami Bomb | The Ritz (400 S. First St., San Jose) | 7 p.m. | $17 Advance, $20 Day of Show | Petaluma Punk Rockers return to San Jose with Los Angeles punks The Hellflowers and SF’s Tess & the Details.

• What the Blank?! Trivia | Renegades Bar (501 W. Taylor St., San Jose) | 8 p.m. | FREE | Local drag artist Fullout Fritzie leads this week’s trivia contest with awesome prizes and drag performances.

• Pandora y Flans | San Jose Civic (135 W. San Carlos St., San Jose) | 8 p.m. | $61.99-$181.99 | Two legendary all-female Mexican groups join together for their “Inesperado” tour.

• The Caravan Lounge Comedy Show | Caravan Lounge (98 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose) | 10 p.m. | FREE | Join host “Mighty” Mike McGee for a night of local comedy, or step up to the mic yourself at this weekly showcase of San Jose’s up-and-coming comedy.

Thursday, 5/23

• Senior Safari | Happy Hollow Park and Zoo (748 Story Rd., San Jose) | 8:30 a.m. | FREE | The kickoff to this community partnership between the park and the Happy Hollow Foundation features activity areas, fun rides, and visits with animals for seniors 50+. (Runs through 10/23/24)

• Night Market: Bacon Night | Gordon Biersch Brewery (357 E. Taylor St., San Jose) | 5-9 p.m. | FREE | Does bacon make everything better? The short answer is yes. The long answer is you can find out at the second of this weekly market series — which features brews, family friendly games, live music courtesy Tracy Cruz and the San Jose Jazz Boombox Truck, Off the Grid SF food truck, and all of the bacon you could possibly eat. 

• World Turtle Day Run | Out of the Barrel (1875 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell) | 6 p.m. | FREE | Don your turtlest green and break out of your running shell to go at your own pace at this evening run through Campbell (blue shells not included). 

• Piano Karaoke | Caravan Lounge (98 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose) | 9 p.m. | FREE | Sing your heart out along with pianist Dave Coldren. 

Friday, 5/24

• Upshift Cycles Bikepacking Ride | Upshift Cycles (1280 The Alameda, San Jose) | 2:30 p.m. | $100 | Bring your gear to this monthly series and camp while you bike through the beautiful Uvas Canyon County Park with other biking enthusiasts. Meals, drinks, campsite, sag, and first-aid trained ride-guides are all included in the cost. (Runs through 10/25)

• Pop Up SJ Vintage Market | Garden at the Flea (1590 Berryessa Rd., San Jose) | Fri. 4-9 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | FREE | Get your shopping fix or find your next local fit, and enjoy brews, lawn games, and select food trucks at this popular vintage market. (Runs through 7/13) 

• Bay FC vs NY Gotham FC | PayPal Park (1123 Coleman Ave., San Jose) | 7 p.m. | $18-$175 | Our “B Legendary” crew hopes to keep the momentum going after a phenomenal win over San Diego last week.

• Catinni P Vandon Presents: Serve | Splash Video Dance Bar (65 Post St., San Jose) | 8 p.m. | $10 Cover | Local drag artists Tori Tia, Tripp, and Jah Jah Feel perform to the tunes of @tv.jonathan.tv and @atmos, following a “Ru Paul’s Drag Race: All Stars” viewing party.

• LOVELINE | The Rec Room (1 E. San Fernando St., San Jose) | 9 p.m. | FREE RSVP, $10 Day of Show (before 10 p.m.) | Enjoy a night of RNB featuring tunes spun by The Whooligan, Rcade, Aux Cord, Yurimagination, Gulu, and other guests. 

• Shrek Rave | The Ritz (400 S. First St., San Jose) | 9 p.m. | $15 Advance, $20-$30 Day of Show | Hey now, you’re an All Star, get your Rave on, get paid. Hey now, you’re a rockstar, cool is dead now, get rave. 

• Howan + The Blue City | Art Boutiki (44 Race St., San Jose) | 8 p.m. | $15-$20 | Bay Area indie rockers collide in this mix of Midwest emo and math rock.

Saturday, 5/25

• FanimeCon | San Jose McEnery Convention Center (150 W. San Carlos St., San Jose) | Times vary | $70 Friday, $75 Saturday + Sunday, $65 Monday, $105 Full Weekend | The 30th Anniversary Fan Prix kicks off with music from Survive Said the Prophet (“found & lost” from Banana Fish season 1, “RED” from season 2), Hirokatsu Kihara (from Studio Ghibli), Casey Mongillo (Angel Devil in “Chainsaw Man,” + Emporio in “JoJo”), and all of the fan merch + art you could shake a keyblade at.

• Building Bridges Resource Fair | San Jose Peace & Justice Center (48 S. Seventh St., Ste. 101, San Jose) | Noon-2 p.m. | FREE | Find housing resources, help assemble homeless prevention kits, and connect with other community organizers to support our friends and neighbors struggling with housing insecurity.

• UGWA: Splash-a-Palooza | Narrative Fermentations (101 E. Alma Ave., San Jose) | 6 p.m. | $17 Advance, $25 Day of Show | Taniya returns to the ring to face Graveyard Shift’s Gin Sevani in a one-on-one singles match, while Zara Zakher joins Chris Nastyy, 24K Midas Kreed, and Vinny Pacifico for a 4-way brawl. All Ages, but parental discretion advised. 

• San Jose Earthquakes vs. Austin FC | PayPal Park (1123 Coleman Ave., San Jose) | 7:30 p.m. | $23-$185 | Join the Quakes for a pre-game Summer fest, featuring live music, bungee, rock wall climbing, and Beerfest brews (for an extra $15-$20 add-on).

• Senpai Squad: Paradise Anime Rave | The Ritz (400 S. First St., San Jose) | 8 p.m. | $20-$30 Advance, $30 Day of Show | Close out your FanimeCon weekend with this nerdy EDM rave featuring Find the Rabbit, Kyon, and Problematic. 

• Cumbia Night | Art Boutiki (44 Race St., San Jose) | 8 p.m. | $5 Day of Show | Dance along to an all-vinyl DJ sets by Baila Conmigo, Crystal Chains, and more.

• Harbhajan Mann | Montgomery Theater (271 S. Market St., San Jose) | 8:30 p.m. | $75+ (they want you to call to book tickets) | You may know this Punjabi singer + actor from films such as “Jee Aayan Nu,” “Asa Nu Maan Watna Da,” or “Jag Jeondeyan De Mele.”

• All Shall Burn + Diminished 5th + Free Jazz House Party | Caravan Lounge (98 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose) | 10 p.m. | FREE | Free night of Jazz? Hell yeah. Buy a drink to support the bar and jam out to tunes by these local favorites. 

Sunday, 5/26

• Alum Rock Village Farmer’s Market | James Lick High School (23 N. White Rd., San Jose) | 8 a.m.-Noon | From honey to baked goods, flowers to spring onions, get your grocery shopping done locally.

• Evergreen Farmers Market | Evergreen Village Square (4055 Evergreen Village Sq., San Jose) | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | FREE | Stock up on berries, summer squash, leafy greens, and all manner of delicious local baked goods + groceries. 

• Amayo + Openers Royal Group + Big Klef | St. James Park (N. Second and E. St. James streets, San Jose) | 3:30-7 p.m. | FREE | Celebrate Africa day with food, beer + wine, and kids activities for the first of many Levitt Foundation summer concerts. 

• Caravan Mixed Open Mic | Caravan Lounge (98 S. Almaden Ave., San Jose) | 8 p.m. | FREE | Join host Ben Jaramillo for a night of local talent.

Newsybits

• San Pedro Square is going to get beatified all next week. San Jose Downtown Association, in collaboration with Local Color + Adobe, will be painting a 12,000 sqft mural along the pedestrian corridor. You can volunteer to help out from 5/27 thru 5/31 for sweet discounts.

• Pump the breaks. Back in 2023, California passed Assembly Bill 645, allowing certain cities to implement speed camera pilot programs — including San Jose. Pieces are now starting to fall in place for the city to install 33 new speed cameras in areas with high accident rates. If you want to guess where, check out Vision Zero’s “Safety Corridor” data (Hint: they’re primarily going to be installed in South and East San Jose).

• San Jose’s best (and only) Star Wars bar finally strikes back! 7 Stars Bar & Grill will be opening their doors at a new location in Downtown Campbell (400 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell). But there’s a bit of a catch. They’ve been out of business for the past 2.5 years, and the cost to get the beloved space off the ground is quite substantial. If you have the means, consider donating to their kickstarter.

Thanks so much for reading!

This is more of a national story, but those who know me know I’m absolutely obsessed with San Jose native, Charles Entertainment Cheese.

So imagine my surprise when the Pizza Rat Company announced they would be discontinuing animatronics in the vast majority of their restaurants (only one Pizza Time Theater, in Northridge in Southern California will keep the band alive).

As a native San Josean who grew up in the OG Rathouse on Winchester Blvd., let me be the first to say: CEC Entertainment, you’re making a huge mistake. Yes, I know FNAF created a sour taste for animatronics worldwide. And yes, I blame Scott Cawthon.

But the one thing that made your Pizza Time Theater unique was the utter grimy-ness of the venue. The dark lighting, the greasy machines, the surprisingly tasty pizza, the inexplicable New Jersey accent on Chuck + his cigar, and the unfathomably catchy tunes… all of these things are what Millennials, Gen Xers, and older Gen Z remember fondly.

The new, exceptionally bland + mediocre white walls and sterile tabletops are a dime a dozen the world over, and will become a forgotten footnote in the history of children’s entertainment restaurants.

So, get out there, friends. Go take a selfie in front of the ginormous statue of Chuck off Tully Road (which, by the way, is the world’s largest statue of a rat), and revel in the good times before they’re gone.

Au revoir, Munch’s Make Believe Band. You shall not be forgotten.

Until next week,

— Gregg

P.S. If anyone knows whether or not they’re getting rid of the statue let a brother know because I plan to one day own a home with room large enough to accommodate a shrine to our Pizza Lord and Savior #kidding #definitelynotkidding #forlegalpurposesiamkidding