Quirkeley knows one of the best ways to ring in the New Year is close to home. Whether you’re with a tribe or flying solo, here’s your last-minute guide to local parties and a daytime balloon drop for the kid in you.

Cheers to turning the page. Peace out 2017. Do better 2018.

All event descriptions are from the event’s website. Links to NYE dinners and bars are also listed below.

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Triple Rock Brewery 1920 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley

Tickets $40

Get your groove on for a 90s New Year’s Prom at Triple Rock! We’re turning our Richter Room into a swanky school gym to say goodbye to 2017 with all the nostalgic throwback goodness you could hope for.

Your ticket is unlimited and all-inclusive, including:

• Hosted bar + free appetizers until midnight
• Dance floor + retro music
• Midnight champagne toast
• Not having to deal with the Bay Bridge

Dress up or dress down, this prom is for everyone. Save $10 off the door price by pre-purchasing your ticket online at triplerock-prom.eventbrite.com

Must be 21+ to attend. IDs will be checked at the door.

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Jupiter 2181 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley

No Cover

New Year’s Eve with Sueños

Hip-Hop drum grooves, gospel harmonies, acoustic bass lines, bebop-tinged horns, and electronics define their sound, performing original music as well as covering music by artists like Roy Hargrove, Christian Scott, Kanye West, and J Dilla.  Party favors and champagne toast at midnight!
http://www.suenosjazz.com

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Spats 1974 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley

No Cover

This is a “FREE” event for the community, surrounding city’s and everyone else who wants to join in on all the fun without spending all your funds.

6pm Live Music by AMPM featuring Kalin Joshua Freeman Neo-Soul, Funk, RnB.

9pm-1am Karaoke hosted by Alphonso Brown aka Dj Zo

10pm-2am Dj’s on deck @Dj O’Aces & DJ Guru G of the Mixologist

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La Peña 3105 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley

Tickets: $10 – $50

New Year’s Eve Party with Orquesta La Moderna Tradición & DJ José Ruíz

Enjoy New Year’s Eve with the timeless Afro-Cuban rhythms of Orquesta La Moderna Tradición! Orquesta La Moderna Tradición is rooted in traditional Cuban dance music of the 19th century (danzon), while also performing passionate boleros, surging salsa, and fierce timba grooves of recent decades.

Advance Tickets:
$35 – Standing Room Ticket “Advance Ticket” available between Dec. 26 – Dec. 31
$50 – Seated Ticket (seated with complimentary coat check) Limited tickets available.

At the Door:
$40 – Standing Room Ticket at the door
$10 – Late night entry fee at the door after midnight

*Please note there is extremely limited seating to make room for the dance floor. If you would like a guaranteed seat, Seated Tickets are available for purchase in advance.*

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Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Avenue

Annual New Year’s Eve Balkan Bash: Édessa, Drómeno & more!

Tickets $25

Doors at 7:30 pm; Show at 8:00 pm

For many years one of the Bay Area’s premier Balkan dance bands, Édessa is comprised of musicians who have devoted decades to the study and performance of the rich cultural expressions of the southern Balkans.

Seattle’s exuberant band Drómeno plays dance music from all over the Balkans, including the driving brass band music from the border of Greece and the former Yugoslavia, the mournful clarinet tunes from Ipiros and Albania, the energetic dance tunes from Greek and Bulgarian Thrace.

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Lawrence Hall of Science 1 Centennial Drive, Berkeley

A ticketed event, but free with paid admission for guests.

The Annual New Year’s Eve Balloon Drop – A kid-friendly New Year’s celebration.

Advanced registration is highly recommended for this popular event.

Timed drops at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm

Members are free. Registration required. There may be a limited number of tickets still available on the day of the event, though not guaranteed. Please register for only one timed drop.

Register Now

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New Year’s Eve dinners

• Ajanta
• Cesar’s
• Corso
• Donato & Co
• Eureka!
• Gather
• Lalime’s
• La Marcha
• Les Arceaux
• Longbranch
• Pompette

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Drinks

• Acme Bar & Company
• The Albatross
• Au Coquelet
• Bobby G’s – closes at 11pm
• East Bay Spice Company
• Eureka!
• Field Work Brewing – regular hours/closes at 10pm
• Longbranch
• Melo Melo Kava Bar
• Missouri Lounge –  DJ’s Jelplo and Steve Jeloki
• Nick’s Lounge – karaoke
• The Starry Plough Pub – free live music

Enjoy an evening of live music, an exciting auction and delicious food and drink at the 29th Annual Chance for a Change benefit  for the Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center, Saturday June 3rd, 6:30pm, at the Berkeley Yacht Club. 1 Seawall Drive, Berkeley.

Tickets are $40 advance / $50 at the door and $25 for students and volunteers.

Click here to purchase tickets or make a donation.

The Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center offers free services to any homeless woman and her children. Women can access WDDC services by dropping in Monday through Friday between the hours of 8am and 4pm.

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Like WDDC on Facebook and Follow WDDC on Instagram

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The Women’s Daytime Drop-In Center (WDDC) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit program, in the San Francisco Bay Area, empowering women and children to move from the streets to a home by providing ongoing and intensive counseling, case management services, daily support groups, a comprehensive children’s program, a variety of referral services, and a transitional housing program for four single parent families.

The WDDC has evolved from its original mission of providing emergency and crisis response to a program of on-going support services. The WDDC serves an average of 150 women and children each month in a nurturing, home-like environment. Services are available at no fee to any homeless woman or child.

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Chance for a Change benefit: Saturday June 3rd, 6:30pm – 9:30pm 

Quirkeley is a proud supporter of the Women’s Daytime Drop in Center.

New Mo’ Cut is in the Valley of the Docs program, Sunday October 9th at 8pm, Monday the 10th at 5:45pm and Tuesday the 11th at 10am. Purchase Tickets.

Listed by Screen International as one of the ‘top 10’ Festivals in the United States, the Mill Valley Film Festival is California’s longest-running fall festival. Mark Fishkin started the 3-day showcase in 1977 and turned it into a world-renowned, eleven-day celebration of new and independent films, world cinema, documentaries, active cinema, educational and music programs. Each year the festival welcomes more than 200 filmmakers, representing more than 50 countries.

We couldn’t be happier they’ve invited Mo’ to join Amy Adams, Emma Stone, Nicole Kidman, Gael García Bernal and many more artists to be in one of the most anticipated film festivals of the year. If you haven’t had a chance to see the film yet – this is the screening to catch! Thanks to our Kickstarter backers who made all this possible!

Local history buffs are in for a treat. New Mo’ Cut precedes the world premiere of Circus Kid,directed by Lorenzo Pisoni.

Who remembers going to the Pickle Family Circus? I do!

Circus Kid is an intimate portrait of San Francisco’s famed Pickle Family Circus and of its mercurial founder, Larry Pisoni. Started in the 1970s, the one-ring circus entertained with dazzling acrobatics, juggling, and often-subversive clowning—a direct precursor of Cirque du Soleil. Born into this milieu, Lorenzo was six when he donned matching greasepaint and baggy pants to join Larry in a brilliant father-son act. Exhaustion and personal demons eventually drove Larry to abandon the troupe and his family. With Circus Kid, Lorenzo seeks to reconstruct what happened and reconcile with his father’s complex legacy. Including vintage footage and interviews with legendary performers Bill Irwin and Geoff Hoyle, this unique glimpse of clown life shouldn’t be missed.

A sampling of films I’m looking forward to:

California Typewriter Directed by Doug Nichol

Weaving three stories—of a Berkeley repair business, a Canadian collector, and a Bay Area artist—and including interviews with famous typewriter devotees like Tom Hanks, Sam Shepard, and David McCullough, this documentary celebrates the creative virtues and tactile joys of the typewriter. But rather than a eulogy for yet another mechanical device tossed on the slag heap of obsolete technology—joining the Polaroid, the album, and sprocketed film—this microhistory is both a love letter to this humble tool and a pointed critique of our digital age. For some, the typewriter’s limits are benefits, even a state of mind. Ultimately, the film suggests we move past that modern technological conundrum—analog or digital?—and simply embrace both.

Company Town Directed by Deborah Kaufman & Alan Snitow

Few American cities have experienced the upheaval of San Francisco in the Internet Age. The influx of highly paid tech workers, and the decampment of artists and bohemians to remote locales, is a sign o’ the times. Another is the aggressive advancement of the “sharing economy” and its impact on affordable housing and the city’s character. The focus throughout Company Town is on individuals, underscoring that a city’s strength isn’t its power brokers but its residents.

Fire at Sea (Fuocoammare) Directed by Gianfranco Rosi

Samuele, an anxious young boy and slingshot aficionado with a lazy eye, is among the locals who takes a turn in the spotlight alongside migrants in Gianfranco Rosi’s beautiful and moving neorealist documentary. For the director, the small Sicilian island of Lampedusa acts as a focal point to address the European refugee crisis, a rocky and barren place that has become a primary entry for those fleeing war and other ravages in Africa. Fire at Sea shows the perils of these journeys—overcrowding, dehydration, and death—while avoiding emotional grandstanding or partisan politics. No hyperbolic voiceover or intrusive score here; just the undeniable, heart-wrenching facts of the situation. Fire at Sea, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, brilliantly juxtaposes the side-by-side relationship of Lampedusa’s residents with the desperate people trying to reach her shores and leaves the viewer to make the subtle connections between the two.

Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent Directed by Lydia Tenaglia 

Was visionary chef Jeremiah Tower’s name a sign of destiny, or mere prescience? Because this father of California cuisine has a legacy that looms over the culinary landscape, as told in this savory documentary. Featuring wonderful archival footage and a who’s who of household names in all things gastronomic, Lydia Tenaglia’s delicious cinematic treat examines Tower’s early days at Berkeley’s Chez Panisse, his creation of San Francisco’s revolutionary Stars restaurant—and then his sudden prolonged period of self-exile. But like peeling an onion, we slowly learn more about his contradictions—the generous control freak, the elusive social dandy—and his overriding passion: Not only to serve great food, but also to create a universe of experience around a simple dinner plate.

Loving Directed by Jeff Nichols

Based on real events, Jeff Nichols’ extraordinary film has a lyrical eloquence that honors the heart of the story of Richard and Mildred Loving (played with understated brilliance by Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga), the interracial couple whose quiet courage helped change the face of the law of marriage in the US.

Maya Angelou and Still I Rise Directed by Bob Hercules Rita Coburn Whack

This premier documentary unearths rare archival material to illuminate the life of Dr. Maya Angelou, American poet and performer. James Baldwin, Oprah Winfrey, Alfre Woodard, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Cicely Tyson, Angelou’s son Guy Johnson, and others offer deep insights into this phenomenal woman and the power of her liberated voice. Rooted in humble beginnings and an adventurous creative life, Angelou rose to international prominence with her acclaimed autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an account of how childhood trauma made her mute and how poetry and individual expression led her out to the wider world where her indomitable spirit could shine.

My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond Directed by Catherine Ryan Gary Weimberg

Meet Dr. Marian Diamond as she pulls a human brain out of a hatbox and lovingly enumerates its astonishing qualities. A mad scientist? Quite the opposite. In this energetic documentary, Dr. Diamond is revealed as one of the great minds—one of the founders, in fact—of modern neuroscience. If her name isn’t yet as familiar as that of Marie Curie, it will be: Dr. Diamond’s unprecedented work includes theorizing and proving previously unimagined brain capabilities, analyzing Albert Einstein’s preserved brain, and building a scientific and academic career that broke barriers for women in science. Watch this to learn about an amazing woman, a brilliant scientist, a fascinating branch of scientific research, and about the core element that fuels great achievement in all endeavors: love.

Tower Directed by Keith Maitland

Director Keith Maitland transforms tragedy into art in this mesmerizing and inventive documentary. In 1966, a sniper terrorized the University of Texas-Austin campus, shooting from its clock tower for 96 minutes of random killing and wounding. The film revisits that day, seamlessly combining live-action modeled animation, archival footage, and present-day interviews. The movie is a mosaic of interwoven narratives, at times a suspenseful thriller or unconventional love story. Ultimately, Maitland is interested less in the sniper than in how ordinary people reacted to the unfolding horror. The film is an unexpectedly invigorating and layered portrait of the human response to inhuman violence.

Visitor’s Day (Día de Visita) Directed by Nicole Opper

Three hours from Mexico City, at-risk boys thrive in a rural group home that offers counseling, job training, and perhaps most importantly, hope, something that few of the young residents have ever experienced. The title of this quietly observant documentary from Oakland filmmaker Nicole Opper refers to the most anticipated day at the facility—or the most heartbreaking, as in the case of lonely teenager Juan Carlos, a runaway who longs to reconnect with the father who abandoned him years ago.

You’re Killing Me, Susana (Me estas matando Susana) Directed by Roberto Sneider

A young couple from Mexico City discovers that an Iowa college campus is an unlikely but idyllic place to save their troubled marriage after philandering actor Eligio (Gael García Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle; Y Tu Mamá También; Neruda, MVFF 2016) follows wife Susana (Verónica Echegui, Hunter’s Prayer) to a writers’ workshop in the United States.

For complete festival schedule and events visit mvff.com

*film descriptions are from mvff.com 

It’s CalDay! – one of our favorite days of the year in Berkeley when the University opens its doors to the public with hundreds of activities, free tours and admission to museums, campus labs and classrooms.

Tweet and Instagram #sharecalday and see your posts appear on the”live” Cal Day site.

Here’s our top picks for Cal Day fun.

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Virtual Reality at Cal!

There’s four different places to experience virtual reality from the University’s virtual reality student group!

Sproul Plaza: AR Pop-up Textbooks

Bechtel Engineering Center: Landships! (VR Tank Game), HTC Vive Demos (TBD)

Engineering Student Services (ESS) Patio: Virtual Campanile

Jacobs Hall Open House (12-3pm): T1-M’s Collection (VR Animated Short), Immersive Storytelling

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Doe Library $1 Book Sale 9:00 am-3:00 pm
303 Doe Library

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T. rex and Friends 9:00 am-4:00 pm

Wallace Atrium, 1st floor Valley Life Sciences Building

Say hello to our resident T. rex and Pteranodon in Wallace Atrium in front of the Museum of Paleontology. Get your picture taken, pick up a T-shirt or tote bag, and score a highly coveted ticket for our museum tour! Get your Science@Cal Passport stamped here.

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The Babylonian Night Sky 10:00-10:30 am

126 Barrows Hall

This talk explores the roles of science and magic in order to understand the various ways in which Babylonians of ancient Iraq examined the night sky.
Eduardo Escobar, Ph.D. Candidate in Cuneiform Studies

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What Does the Internet Know About You? An Interactive Lab 10:00 am-12:00 pm

380 Soda Hall

Find out what the Internet knows about you, how it knows it, and why it all matters! Then learn some techniques to protect yourself–and your friends–from sharing more than you want to. Gerald Friedland, Lecturer

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Robot Learning Lab: A Robot that Folds Laundry, Gives a High Five, and Hugs! 10:00 am-1:00 pm

Kvamme Atrium, 3rd floor Sutardja Dai Hall

The Robot Learning Lab conducts research on artificial intelligence techniques to make robots perform challenging tasks. Come meet the first general-purpose robot able to fold laundry and give you a hug, as well!

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Cal Band Performances

10:00-11:00 am Sather Gate 

12:00-1:00 pm Rally! Sproul Plaza, Mario Savio Steps 

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Strawberry Creek and Natural Landscape Campus Tree Tour 12:00-1:00 pm

Genetics & Plant Biology Lawn 

Learn more about UC Berkeley’s natural landscape with a tour of Strawberry Creek and campus trees! The Forestry Club and the Strawberry Creek Restoration Project lead this guided one-hour tour beginning at noon. To take the tour on your own, the College of Natural Resources offers a smartphone audio tour (see instructions for downloading at http://goo.gl/CNYQzf).

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PiE Robotics Demonstration 12:00-2:00 pm

247 Cory Hall

Pioneers in Engineering (PiE) is a non-profit organization that provides a quality STEM learning experience for students in underserved Bay Area high schools. We run a year-long intensive mentoring program and an annual eight-week robotics competition.

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Explore the Universe  12:00-4:00 pm

Lawrence Hall of Science (take Hill Shuttle from Evans Hall east entrance) 

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BAMPFA Building Tour  12:30-1:15 pm

2155 Center St., BAMPFA

Architecture of Life Tour  1:00-2:00 pm

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Traffic in the Sky: Smart Drones 1:30-3:00 pm
Davis Hall, 3rd floor terrace

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Berkeley Talks: Jaron Lanier in Conversation with Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks 3:00-4:30 pm

Wheeler Auditorium

Composer, philosopher and computer scientist Jaron Lanier, a pioneer in the field of virtual reality, discusses what is was like to be on the leading edge of breakthrough technology and the experience of shaping the future on a global scale. In an ever-advancing world reliant on technology, he’ll also help us answer the question, What will be the direction of our digital future?

Tickets for this event will be available for pick up on April 16 beginning at 1 pm at Wheeler Auditorium. First-come, first served, subject to availability. One ticket per person only.

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Getting around campus

See the campus map for routes and stops.

Cable Cars
Make a 30-minute loop around campus on a motorized cable car, running 8 am–4 pm. Hop on or off at any stop.

Campus Perimeter Buses
Catch a ride around the campus, with routes past the residence halls and Clark Kerr Campus. Buses run 8 am–6 pm.

Hill Shuttle 
Zip into the hills above campus—to see the Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Botanical Garden, Space Sciences Laboratory, and Strawberry Canyon Recreation Area. The shuttle leaves every 15 minutes, 8:30 am–6 pm, from the east entrance of Evans Hall. Buses and shuttles are wheelchair-accessible; cable cars are not.

 

Whether you’re glad to see 2015 go or you’re reflecting on the year with fondness, Berkeley has a party for you to celebrate its departure and the arrival of 2016. Here’s a quick, Downtown-heavy sampling of New Year’s Eve parties but you better get your tickets and reservations before they sell out!

Links to NYE dinners and bars are also listed below.

Quirkeley can’t wait to see what 2016 has in store. May the year ahead bring you wonderful new adventures and opportunities. Party on.

All event descriptions are from the event’s website. Updated Dec. 28th, 11:15pm

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Victory Point Cafe – Reservations highly recommended

The Bay Area’s first board game cafe will be open from 9am till midnight.

Founders Derek DeSantis and Areg Maghakian share a passion for board gaming, community-building, coffee and beer. So we combined all of those things to bring you Victory Point, the Bay Area’s first board game cafe. The concept is simple: pay $5 to access our collection of ~800 board games, stay as long as you’d like, and enjoy our selection of locally roasted coffee, craft beers, sandwiches and snacks. We love board games because they bring people together, and we’re so excited to share the love with you, Berkeley.

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Nick’s Lounge No Cover! Reserve a table

Karaoke and Bubbles. Reader’s Choice Winner, Best Karaoke, East Bay Express

 

 

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Jupiter – $10

Ring in the New Year at Jupiter with party favors, champagne toast at midnight and local funk soul legend, dance music with soul featuring band leader, bassist, and vocalist Jerry Kennedy!  J-Soul is comprised of some of the most entertaining and talented musicians from the Bay Area.

 

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Tupper & Reed $20 / $100  Purchase Tickets

Doors 7pm /9pm party

Live Music. Bites from Handlebar Berkeley. $20 General admission includes, 1 complementory punch cup upon arrival and small bites.

$100 Booth reservation for up to 6 people which will include, formal table side service (starting at 9pm) a complimentory muse cocktail, and a bottle of sparkling wine for the midnight toast.

 

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The Starry Plough $30  Purchase Tickets

Doors 8pm / 9pm show

NYE Bash! W/ Chuck Prophet and the Mission Express + Harold Ray

The Starry Plough is an Irish pub, legendary live music venue and kitchen that offers delicious, locally sourced comfort food. It’s been a staple of the East Bay scene since 1973. With deep roots as an Irish Revolutionary watering hole, the history of protest runs as deep today as it did when we opened four decades ago.

We have entertainment 7 days a week and feature truly talented, interesting and inspiring artists from the Bay Area and beyond.

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La Peña $30 advance / $35 door Purchase Tickets

Celebrate New Year’s Eve in style at La Peña with Orquesta La Moderna Tradición!

Orquesta La Moderna Tradición bursts with the sweet yet powerful sound of the Afro-Cuban charanga orchestra, which features violins and woodwinds interlocking with driving afro-Cuban rhythms.

Since 1996, the 11-piece group has thrilled audiences across the country with a mix of contemporary timba-infused arrangements guaranteed to get you on your feet and traditional danzónes that transport you back to the Havana social clubs of the 1950s.

La Moderna Tradición has performed at Lincoln Center in New York, the Smithsonian Institution, The San Francisco Jazz Festival, the Telluride Jazz Festival, and many others — their tours have taken them from Alaska to El Paso and abroad.

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Comal $45 Purchase Tickets – will sell out!

Doors 9pm

This New Year’s Eve, Comal will once again usher in the new year by clearing out the tables, turning up the volume on our state-of-the-art Meyer sound system and transforming into a funky dancehall.

Legendary Bay Area DJ Jose Ruiz (KPFA, KPOO), who has an ongoing residency at Comal on Thursday nights, will spin his infectious mix of Latin and funk into the wee hours.

All food offerings are included in ticket purchase. All previous parties have sold out, so advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended.

Please make special note: BART runs until 3am on NYE and Comal is less than a block from the Downtown Berkeley BART station. Also, Comal’s large beer garden is uncovered, so use of this space is weather dependent. Additional tickets may be released December 30th if weather permits the use of the beer garden for the occasion.

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Bistro Liaison $62 – $72 reservations*

New Year’s Eve Dinner. Live Music from 8:00 to midnight, party favors & champagne toast at midnight!

Gear up Thursday December 3rd, 6-9pm for Off Planet VR,
an evening exploring the Metaverse.

With VR and Augmented Reality projected to hit $150 billion in revenue by 2020, emerging Bay Area companies are at the forefront of building the Metaverse: a new form of presence.

On Thursday Dec 3rd, from 6-9pm Quirkeley invites you to connect with scores of Bay Area VR pioneers, developers and UC Berkeley students for a night of virtual fun and games in the heart of Downtown Berkeley at NextSpace, 2081 Center Street. Discover your next adventure. #OffPlanet

Off Planet VR is a free 3-hour exploration of virtual reality and 360 experiences from the architects, developers and dreamers of this radical new territory. Off Planet is produced by Quirkeley’s Executive Producer, Siciliana Trevino and sponsored by the Berkeley Startup Cluster.

Trevino, who’ll be showing her first VR project for Oculus Rift, Berkeley in 360, says, “It’s going to be breathtaking. Off Planet VR is a first-of-its-kind event in Downtown Berkeley where future-minded developers, creatives and VR pioneers can experience some of the most compelling new platforms and projects happening in VR today. Berkeley is an ideal launchpad to explore the out-of-this-world potential of VR.”

To that end special guests include SpaceVR CEO, Ryan Holmes, fresh from a successful Kickstarter campaign to bring a VR camera to the International Space Station to allow anyone to experience space on any mobile, desktop or VR device. Check out their mission to change the world on YouTube:

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Thursday Dec. 3rd explore experiences from:

High Fidelity – Open source software for shared Virtual Reality

SpaceVR – Virtual Reality Space Exploration

LucidCam – World’s first Virtual Reality consumer camera

Borrowed Light Studios – The Night Cafe, step into a Vincent Van Gogh painting

Quirkeley – Berkeley in 360 

and more to be announced!

RSVP at offplanetvr.splashthat.com. Attendees must be 18 and over.

Off Planet VR is produced by Quirkeley, Berkeley’s fresh, local and organic video source and Griffo Project Productions. Sponsored by Berkeley Startup Cluster.

Subscribe to Quirkeley on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

Berkeley is never short on quirky tricks and treats especially on Halloween. Our event guide has something fun for costumed kids at heart and their little dogs too! So grab your undead friends and fiends for a day and night of spooktacular proportions in Berkeley. Happy Halloween!

Subscribe to Quirkeley on YouTube for fresh, local and organic videos about Berkeley, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. 

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Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest
& Dog Costume Contest 

11am Fieldwork Brewing Company – Free 
1160 6th St, Berkeley

Gilman District’s Fieldwork Brewing Company (or should we say Booing Company) will celebrate All Hallows Eve with beer, a dog costume competition, and a little old fashioned pumpkin carving party. Carving stations will be outfitted with everything you need to make your jack-o-lantern masterpiece – including the pumpkin!

Pumpkin Carving Party, 11am -2pm
***Updated Time For The Dog Costume Contest***
Dog Costume Party Judging, 2pm – 4pm
Winner Announcement, 4:30pm

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Juggoween hosted by Jugger California

 3pm Codornices Park – Free
1201 Euclid Ave, Berkeley

Jugger is the post-apocalyptic capture the flag like game from the film Blood of Heroes, written and directed by Berkeley-based screenwriter David Webb Peoples that’s now played around the world and right here at Cordonices Park on Saturdays.

Costumes are encouraged for this match up of weapon wielding teams in a race to capture glory and the prized (fabricated) animal skull. Beginners welcome.

To find out more about Jugger California and their team the Berkeley Riot check them out on #Berkeley.

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9th Annual BCM Creepy Horror Film Festival
6pm Berkeley Community Media $10 – $5 w/costume
ALL AGES
2239 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley

Join Berkeley Community Media for a night of thrills, chills and spills at their newly remodeled studios in the heart of Downtown Berkeley. Audience members are encouraged to dress up to enter the costume contest to win prizes.

Filmmaker prizes for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Horror Plot, and Audience Choice Award.

Doors, 6 pm
Films, costume contest and dancing, 7-10 pm

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Gilman Halloween 
8pm 924 Gilman $7 – $5 in costume
ALL AGES
924 Gilman, Berkeley

Isn’t everyday Halloween at iconic 924 Gilman? Halloween features a special  mixed bill for all ages! $7 OR $5 in costume! Lineup:

Hit me
Harold and the chili banditos
Cash Cow
Ghost Town Gospel

load in: 7:00
Doors: 8:00
Music: 8:30

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2nd Annual DIA de los MUERTOS / Halloween Party
9pm La Botella Republic $10
2055 Center St, Ste D, Berkeley

Celebrate Dia de los Muertos – the Mexican Day of the Dead tradition at Downtown Berkeley’s only wine bar and bottle shop, La Botella Republic.

Drink Specials all night! Costume Contest and special midnight performance. Boo la la!

 

 

 

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                               BONUS EVENT!

MONDAY, November 2^nd

Dia De Los Muertos 
North Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto  Free
ALL AGES
Shattuck Ave at Vine St, Berkeley

Celebrate the Mexican tradition of Dia De Los Muertos / Day of the Dead and honor loved ones who have passed on to the other side.

Local artists install altars or you may help create a community ofrenda by bringing photos, candles, breads, or flowers to add to the altar. Hauntingly beautiful violin music by Kippy Marks, Aztec dancers and drummers lead a candle light procession through the district. Food trucks, craft booths, wine & beer, free skeletal face painting, and DIY art projects. Costumes and papier maché giant heads are encouraged.

Gear up Thursday December 3rd, 6-9pm for

Off Planet, an evening exploring the Metaverse. 

Off Planet VR is a 3-hour showcase of virtual reality and 360 video experiences from the architects, developers and dreamers who are charting this radical new territory.

Connect with dozens of Bay Area VR pioneers, evangelists and UC Berkeley students for a night of virtual fun and games in the heart of Downtown Berkeley at NextSpace, 2081 Center Street. Discover your next adventure. #OffPlanet.

CALL FOR ENTRIES!
Demo your VR platform, game, experience or gear at Off Planet. Deadline – extended to November 6th, 5pm

Confirmed demos:

• High Fidelity – open source software for shared Virtual Reality
• LucidCam – world’s first consumer VR camera
• Grizzly Peak 3D – local landmark recreations

Final program announced mid-November. Click here to submit your request for space or to RSVP.

Off Planet is produced by Quirkeley and Griffo Project Productions and is sponsored by the Berkeley Startup Cluster