By Randy McMullen
Whether you want take part in the many varied Independence Day celebrations going on in the Bay Area, or just indulge in the Great American pastime of doing as little as possible, we are here for you with some great ideas for the weekend.
So let鈥檚 get to it, shall we?
(As always, be sure to double check event and venue websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines or other details.)
Meanwhile, if you鈥檇 like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.
1 SEE, HEAR & DO: It鈥檚 Independence Day!
July 4th tends to be one of those holidays that everyone approaches in their own way, whether it鈥檚 fireworks and parades or bingeing on Hallmark Channel rom-coms. We don鈥檛 judge here. But if you鈥檙e looking for a fun public event, from fireworks to parades and more, the Bay Area has a ton of them.
2 SEE & HEAR: Great shows are all over
From R&B star The Weeknd to the S.F. Mime Troupe and more, there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond.
3 MAKE & DEVOUR: Fabulous figs
The exotically delicious fruit is in season, which makes it a perfect time to make this heavenly arugula, farro and fig salad.
4 WATCH: The dinos are back
C鈥檓on, you didn鈥檛 really think the prehistoric behemoths of the beloved Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movies had munched on their last humans, did you? The franchise is back with 鈥淛urassic World Rebirth,鈥 and we have some thoughts.
5 WATCH: Shakespeare meets Max Martin
鈥& Juliet,鈥 the hit musical marrying the songs of Martin, one of pop music鈥檚 best songwriters, with a revisionist story about the beloved Shakespeare character, is now playing in San Francisco. Here鈥檚 what you should know.
6 SIP & PLAY: Paso Robles beer run
The charming town in San Luis Obispo County is known more as a wine-lovers destination, but it makes a great day or weekend destination for beer aficionados as well.
7 WATCH: One of the best movies of the year
鈥淪orry, Baby,鈥 the debut feature film by Eva Victor, a onetime Bay Area resident, is a beautiful, sad and darkly funny look at friendship and trauma. It tops our roundup of what you should be watching this weekend.