EARTH DAY The Brower Center is hosting its first-ever Earth Day Festival, on Saturday, April 18 from noon to 6 p.m. There will be hands-on workshops, live music, family arts activities and organic food tastings, all focused on “protecting and honoring the planet we call home.” Three panels during the afternoon look at carbon farming, climate-friendly consumption and fighting climate change at the neighborhood level. The Ecology Center hosts workshops to show how to reuse common household items and there will be screenings of film shorts on carbon farming. The full schedule is here. Berkeleyside is a media sponsor of the Earth Day Festival. Admission free ($10 suggested donation), The Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way.
CAL DAY The UC Berkeley campus hosts a bewildering array of free events for the annual Cal Day, running from 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 18. At its core, Cal Day is for newly admitted students, but a majority of the activities appeal to the broader community. Among the highlights this year are performances by San Francisco-based vertical dance company Bandaloop to celebrate the centennial of the Campanile at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. (you can go up the Campanile for free until noon), a conversation between Berkeley author and journalist Michael Lewis and UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks at 5 p.m. in Zellerbach Hall, a bear-mask making workshop at the Pacific Film Archive Theater from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and more lectures and demonstrations than you can imagine. The full program runs 68 pages, but events that are child-friendly are helpfully marked with (of course) a bear.
WORLD FAIRS The Berkeley Historical Society will be opening its exhibition Berkeley Goes to the Fair! on Sunday, April 19 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Berkeley History Center in the Veterans Memorial Building. The exhibition looks at the Berkeley connection to two great fairs: the Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), which is celebrating its centennial, and the Golden Gate International Exposition, which was on Treasure Island 75 years ago. At Sunday’s opening, historian and curator Steve Finacom will give an illustrated talk starting at 2 p.m., and some one-of-a-kind items from the PPIE that are too fragile for the ongoing display will be shown. Berkeley Historical Society, 1931 Center St.
YOU CAN GET ANYTHING YOU WANT Can you believe it’s the 50th anniversary of Alice’s Restaurant? If you’re of the right age, it’s guaranteed that mention of the song will start an earworm of exceptional length. Singer Arlo Guthrie will be performing as part of his golden anniversary tour at Cal Performances in Zellerbach Hall at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 17. Guthrie first performed the song at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. It went on to become a huge hit and then a not very memorable movie. Just remember: You can get anything you want — excepting Alice — at Alice’s Restaurant. Tickets from $22 available through Cal Performances.
ULTIMATE FRISBEE Sunday is your chance to see Berkeley’s very own semi-pro Ultimate frisbee team in action, at Berkeley High School’s Yellowjacket Stadium: Local stars San Francisco Dogfish take on the Vancouver Nighthawks at 2 p.m. The Dogfish invite fans to join them before or after the game at BurgerMeister (is that good training?), 2237 Shattuck Ave. Newly refurbished Yellowjacket Stadium is the new home of the Dogfish. San Francisco Dogfish versus Vancouver Nighthawks, 2 p.m., Yellowjacket Stadium, Milvia Street and Bancroft Way, tickets $15 online or at the door, children 6 and under free.
Don’t miss these other events featured on Berkeleyside:
‘Talley’s Folly’ is terrific at Aurora Theatre’s Harry Upstage
‘Cheatin” showcases remarkable animation of Bill Plympton
For more events in and around Berkeley, check out Berkeleyside’s Events Calendar. And submit your own events there — the calendar is free and self-serve.
