Guerilla art afoot at the Night Market

Last night, a friend and I were searching an industrial neighborhood in San Francisco for something called the Guerilla Night Market. I felt a bit like Harry Potter, looking for train platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station. But there, between the fog and the warehouses, dozens of moving vans had rolled in for the evening.

Each van had a different offering: an upside-down ball pit (a moving van loaded with helium balloons, crowded with people, creating the effect of actually being upside down in a ball pit, an uncomfortable sensation), the Dream Library (where you could deposit or check out dreams, as you wish), the Grope a Clown truck ('nuff said), the bowling van (hands down the coolest one to stand next to and listen to: rooooooolll, boom!), the Mac-n-Tude truck (set up like a Jersey Diner, with gum chewing waitresses fully in role, serving - yes - Mac-n-Cheese), and even a fine dining truck (3 course meal with wine pairings, white tablecloth and all).

There was a moving van converted into a bar, serving cheap, peaty Scotch while a gaunt woman half-heartedly swung on a dancing pole, and then there was the van with the live punky jugband-inspired music including a raunchy accordian player, a woman with prominent piercings bowing a saw, a hipster lanquidly playing a washtub bass, another girl clacking away with spoons. There were a few cushy chairs for listeners, and empty bottles and cans of PBR littered the space.  I caught them on video and posted it on YouTube here. 

The Night Market isn't an SF original idea. As I understand it, the first one took place in Brooklyn, but this was the SF premiere. It kind of devolved into a Burning Man hipster block party at some point, after visiting many of the trucks, or deciding the lines were too long to wait. But it was inspiring, I have to admit, as guerilla artwork often is.

This is the kind of cultural movement, though, that I admire. Good job, to everyone who made it happen.

Dickens Fair gets all steampunky

I am a fan of the Dickens Fair. It could be because I have spent countless hours escaping into Victorian novels, or that I love dressing up, but whatever it is, the Dickens Fair calls me back every year.

If you don't already know about the Dickens Fair, well, it's like a Renaissance Fair, only the setting is Victorian London, and the characters roaming the "streets" (created inside the Cow Palace with false storefronts, bars, dramatic stages, etc.) are literally characters from Dickens' novels, with a few from Jules Verne tossed in for good measure. It takes place every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it's great fun for children and adults alike.

Last year, I was lucky enough to show up on the official Steampunk day. I had to pick my jaw off the floor, some of the costumes were so incredible. Elaborate gadgets, funky Victorian style. I was in heaven, but I was also in lust. I wanted a cool steampunk costume, too!  Well, I haven't made it yet, but it's in the works. Unfortunately, it won't be done in time for this year's steampunk day, which is taking place this Saturday, Dec. 11. But I'll be there with my girlfriends to oogle away.

Here's my tip on things not to miss: the living mannequins in the window of the Dark Garden corset shop, the safari carousel for children (a gorgeous, safari animal mechanical carousel - no electricity! - operated by a charming story-teller), and the Adventurer's Club. 

If you want to check out the Dickens Fair, go to the Cow Palace any Saturday or Sunday before Christmas. It's open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., but be sure to bring plenty of money. Admission is $25, parking is another $10, and the Artful Dodger's spirit is alive and well among the various food, drink, clothing, and random Christmas kitsch purveyors inside.

For more info, visit the website: www.dickensfair.com