From the Academy Awards to Cinequest to great Irish bars and music, there is a lot of fun and deliciousness to be had this weekend, so let’s get to it, shall we?
As always, be sure to double check event and venue websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d 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 WATCH: It’s the Oscars
Will “Oppenheimer” have the big night on Sunday that everyone is expecting, or will that scenario, ahem, blow up? Here are our predictions for how the always-much-debated awards show and “Hollywood’s biggest night” will pan out.
2 PLAY: Doing Dublin
One of the Bay Area’s fastest-growing cities is also a pretty darned fun place to hang out, if South Korean street food, bowling and a museum recounting secret radiation experiments are your thing.
A robotic waiter moves through the dining room at Dublin’s Egg Happiness breakfast eatery. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
3 PLAY & WATCH: Cinequest beckons
San Jose’s delightful annual film festival is back and big as ever, with Matthew Modine as a guest of honor and more than 250 movie screenings, including 66 world premieres. That’s a lot of movies, but here are 10 we highly recommend.
4 SIP & PLAY: Luck of the Irish
One of the best things about St. Patrick’s Day is there are no penalties for getting a head start on the fun. Here are 13 great Bay Area Irish bars to help you do just that. And there’s some great Irish music going on, too.
Irish dance night draws the crowds at Berkeley’s The Starry Plough Pub. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
5 MAKE AND SCARF: Creamy pepper heaven
This incredibly easy to make Spanish-style bocadillo with blistered peppers and creamy farmer cheese is a marvel of culinary simplicity.
6 WATCH: Tip your hat to ‘The Gentlemen’
Say one thing about director Guy Ritchie, his works are never boring. His new crime caper series “The Gentlemen” — one of his better efforts — tops our roundup of shows and movies to watch this week.
7 SEE & HEAR: Great shows are all over
From large robotic insects in Golden Gate Park to the iconic Bay Area glam rock band The Tubes, there are a ton of great shows, exhibits and concerts to catch in the Bay Area this week.
