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San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bay Area summer 2025: Beat the heat with cool events and activities
Though the temps in the city and areas prone to routine seasonal fog are keeping their cool, this summer around the Bay Area is shaping up to be a scorcher. Find relief with foggy local beaches. Hike a favorite trail to a grassy knoll for a picnic lunch, visit a museum or see a movie. Dive into local pools and water parks like Hurricane Harbor in Concord, the Dublin Wave or South Bay Shores at California's Great America. And don't miss the opportunity to go out after sunset, with cool night markets, movies in the park and more offering a welcome respite from the daytime heat. Check out the Chronicle's guide to beating the heat with cool indoor and outdoor events and activities: Enjoy the ocean's cool influence at the weekly after-hours event at the zoo with live music, family-friendly activities, outdoor bars for adults over 21, animal interactions and more. Daytime zoo visitors may stay and attend at no additional charge. 5-7 p.m. Friday, July 18. Through Aug. 29. $14, under 12 free. Playfield Lawn, Sloat Blvd. at the Great Hwy., S.F. Zoo, S.F. 415-753-7080. Summer of Music SF Sponsored by Civic Joy Fund and produced in partnership with Noise Pop, this free series offers a full lineup of live, local bands performing alongside the food, artisan vendors, family-friendly fun and chill energy of San Francisco's monthly Castro, Chinatown, Glen Park, Noe Valley, North Beach, Richmond, Valencia and SOMA neighborhood night market events. 4-8 and 5-10 p.m. on select Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Free. See website for schedule. Various locations throughout San Francisco. San Anselmo Live on the Avenue The small North Bay town goes big every weekend with a downtown event featuring two stages of live music, closed streets, children's activities, late shopping and dining. Scheduled performances include Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Brian Melvin, the Wreckless Strangers, Shana Morrison, Scott Amendola Trio, Sgt. Splendor with Eric McFadden, Sun Ra cellist Kash Killion, Jinx Jones, Pride and Joy, El Radio Fantastique, Super Diamond and others. National Carousel Day: 'A Spin Around the World' Head over to the Creativity Museum (adjacent to Yerba Buena Gardens) to enjoy free rides on the 1906 Le Roy Carousel, carousel-themed workshops from the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Mexican Museum and American Bookbinders Museum, live music from René y Familia, shaved ice, games and more. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, July 19. Free. Le Roy Carousel, Creativity Museum, 221 Fourth St., S.F. 415-820-3320. Blankets & Blockbusters at Thrive City Explore an interactive kids zone or a couples arts and crafts station. Spread out a blanket and get some snacks to enjoy during outdoor screenings of 'Wicked' in July and '10 Things I Hate About You' in August. Enjoy classic boardwalk amusements, then rock out to live music and entertainment as local bands, DJs, magicians and acrobats perform on Saturday-Thursday evenings on the beachfront stage throughout summer. Settle in with fresh saltwater taffy, corn dogs and other boardwalk snacks for family-friendly movies every Friday night on a shoreside big screen in front of the colonnade. Bring a beach blanket or low-back chair for seating. Magicians and Acrobats 8:30-9:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; Live music 8:30 p.m. Thursday; Movies 9 p.m. Friday; DJ dance parties 8:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Through Aug. 7. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz. 831-423-5590. 626 Night Market The sprawling food festival is set to include more than 200 diverse food and merchandise vendors, games, live music and entertainment for all ages. 3-11 p.m. Friday, July 25; 1-11 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, July 26-27. $5-$25. Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton. Summer Stride at the San Francisco Botanical Garden Celebrate summer with San Francisco Public Library at an afternoon event featuring live drumming and dance workshops with Duniya Drum and Dance Company, storytelling from children's authors Monica Wesolowska and author-illustrator Kenard Pak, hands-on screen-printing with Haight Street Art Center, collaborative art activities, nature play, STEM activities, button-making and an all-ages book giveaway. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, July 26. Free. Terrace Lawn, San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, 100 John F. Kennedy Dr., S.F. 415-661-1316. Oakland Ice Center Indoor skating is available year-round at this rink, owned and operated by the parent company of the San Jose Sharks. $11-$23; see website for daily public skate schedule. 519 18th St., Oakland. 510-268-9000. Summer at Snoopy's Home Ice The cool and spacious ice rink, located in Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz's hometown, offers year-round ice skating with campy Swiss chalet vibes. A robust summer schedule includes drop-in classes, camps, public skates, a toddlers-on-ice program, team and pickup hockey games, night skate events and more. The onsite Warm Puppy Cafe offers refreshments. See website for schedule. Free-$20. Snoopy's Home Ice, 1667 W. Steele Lane, Santa Rosa. 707-546-7147. Yerba Buena Skate The downtown skating rink on the Yerba Buena Gardens campus offers daily public skate hours year-round. World Dog Surfing Championships Hang ten with man's best friend. Scheduled activities include a dog surfing competition, informational tents, activities and more. Participants will receive a goodie bag with treats for pups. 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2. Free admission. Linda Mar Beach, 5000 Pacific Coast Hwy., Pacifica. Cat Video Fest 2025 All hail our fuzzy overlords. Cool cats are featured on the big screen in the air-conditioned North Bay theater as part of a curated compilation of short films. A portion of proceeds from the Smith Rafael Film Center screenings will benefit Jake's Place Cat Rescue. 4:15 p.m. Aug. 2; 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 3-4. $14.50. Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. 415-454-5813. San Jose Jazz Summer Fest Keep cool at a three-day festival featuring high-caliber jazz performances on multiple indoor and outdoor stages. Proceeds will benefit the music nonprofit's educational programming and year-round concerts and festivals. This year's stellar lineup includes Ghost-Note, Dave Binney Action Trio, Louis Cole, Common, Malo, Carl Allen, Butcher Brown, Mary Stallings, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, John Pizzarelli, Tyreek McDole, Marina Crouse, Lalah Hathaway, Femi Kuti, Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca, Ray Obiedo, Lilan Kane, Mavis Staples, Stella Cole and many others. 4-9:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8; 10 a.m.- 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10. $30-$680. Plaza de César Chavez Park, 194 S Market St., San Jose. Blue Muse and the Celestial Voice Sound Bath Experience Release anxiety and chill out while soaking up sympathetic vibrations from crystal singing bowls, gongs, chimes and more, amidst the florid tranquility of the Conservatory of Flowers' Orchid Pavilion. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24. $48. Orchid Pavilion, Conservatory of Flowers, 100 John F. Kennedy Dr., S.F. 415-661-1316.
The Independent
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Race Across the World locations: Where was the 2025 series filmed?
Race Across the World has wrapped up for another year, with Wednesday's final episode concluding with four teams competing to be the first to reach the southernmost tip of India. Over the past eight weeks, the teams navigated themselves through a line-up of destinations from China to India, trekking across the foothills of the Himalayas, stopping in bustling cities like Shangri-La, Delhi and Mumbai, as well as ticking off two wonders of the modern world at the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal. The first episode, which aired on 23 April, introduced us to five intrepid duos who set off on the 14,000km race that took 51 days to complete. Among the teams are brothers Brian and Melvin, mother and son Caroline and Tom, sisters Elizabeth and Letitia, young Welsh couple Fin and Sioned and the unlikely duo of previously married couple-turned-friends Yin and Gaz. This year, the teams trekked across China, Nepal and India. The pairs travelled through towns, cities and rural areas with a limited budget and resources carried in backpacks, making decisions as to what transport they would use, which route to take, where they would sleep and how much to spend. After launching the race at the Great Wall of China, the teams ticked off seven checkpoints, before setting their sights on being the first to reach the final destination at Kanniyakumari in India. While we will have to wait another year for the next season of Race Across the World, here's a summary of the locations our teams navigated as we look back on the colossal journey undertaken. The start The Great Wall of China The race began at the Great Wall of China, overlooking the village of Huanghuacheng, around 80km north of China's capital, Beijing. A fitting start for such a long trek, the walk across the entire Great Wall would certainly compete for an extensive journey in itself, stretching over 21,000km. One of the new seven wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China, is the largest manmade project that represents over two thousand years of Chinese history. The series of fortifications starts in the east at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu province to the west. Checkpoint one Huangling, China Around 2,000km to the south of the Great Wall is the first checkpoint, Huangling in the Jiangxi province, which has nestled on the slopes of Huayi Mountains for over 500 years. This community is famous for its Hui-style architecture and drying chillies on rooftops, creating a colourful bird's-eye view. This picturesque village, dotted with historical buildings and ancient sites, is surrounded by a scenic spread of lush greenery across the mountain slopes. The town is six centuries old, but lay in a dilapidated state until 16 years ago, when it transformed into a rural tourist hotspot. The teams were told to reach Huangling via cable car, then alight to cross the Leixin Suspension Bridge before finally checking into the Huangling Shaiqiu Hotel. Checkpoint two Sanya, China In the second episode, the five teams prepare to leave Huangling for a 2,700km journey to the city of Sanya, on the southern tip of Hainan Island. Along the way, the teams stopped at different places from glitzy cities to deep rural gems, including the cosmopolitan city of Xiamen on the coast, the Longji Rice Terraces near Guilin, and the ancient town of Fenghuang. After traversing much of southeastern China, the leg ends with Sanya, one of China's most southerly cities. Sanya attracts much of the wealthy elite in China due to its tropical climate, but as a result of this weather, it is also prone to monsoon storms. The city has several beaches along its coastal areas, including Dadonghai Bay and Yalong Bay, while one of its most impressive cultural landmarks is the Nanshan Temple. The temple is dominated by a statue of Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of compassion and stands taller than the Statue of Liberty, as its three connected portraits look out while standing on an artificial islet. The Yazhou Ancient City, Yalong Tropical Paradise Forest Park and Wuzhizhou are also among other popular places to visit in Sanya. Checkpoint three Shangri-La, China Departing Sanya, the teams this week travelled through southwest China, stopping in key transport hubs such as Kunming and Nanning, spotting monkeys in Guizhou, and visiting the world's largest musical fountain in the sustainability-driven city of Liuzhou. The goal is to reach Shangri-La, a city on the edge of the Tibetan plateau in the heart of the Hengduan mountain range. The city was known for centuries as Zhongdian, but in 2001 it was renamed after the fictional utopia described in James Hilton's Lost Horizon in an effort to entice more tourists. The city has a cultural heritage that blends Chinese and Tibetan, as seen through its architecture, such as Yunnan's largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery, Songzanlin Monastery, and its mix of vibrant courtyard-style homes and temples. Shangri-La also attracts visitors each year to its annual horse racing festival, usually held in June. Checkpoint four Varanasi, India As the Himalayas separating Shangri-La from India present a gargantuan challenge capable of humbling even the world's most fearless adventurers, the remaining four teams were flown to the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu to restart their race. Set in a valley surrounded by mountains, this bustling city is home to traffic-jammed alleyways, historic cultural sites, seven Unesco World Heritage Sites and the picturesque and peaceful Garden of Dreams. Checkpoint four is Varanasi, one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities and a site of profound spiritual importance. Situated on the banks of the Ganges River in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, it's a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, as well as Buddhists and Jains. Home to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the most sacred Hindu sites in India and the Manikarnika Ghat, one of the holiest cremation grounds among the sacred riverfront ghats, Varanasi is a frenetic and unforgettable city that marks our intrepid travellers' fourth checkpoint. Checkpoint five McLeod Ganj, India After reaching Varanasi, India's spiritual capital, the racers discovered their next checkpoint would be McCleod Ganj, a journey that would take them 1,500km northwest. The highly elevated town, known as a hill station, is home to the 14th Dalai Lama and has a large Tibetan community after he and many others sought refuge here in 1959 after an uprising against the Chinese in Tibet. This story is told in the Tibet Museum in McLeod Ganj, which puts on exhibitions showcasing Tibet's history, culture and situation in the present in exile. The town also draws thousands of visitors coming in search of blessings and Buddhist wisdom, as well as domestic travellers looking to avoid soaring temperatures. To get there, the Race Across the World teams needed to traverse one of the most populated areas on Earth, before climbing nearly 7,000 feet into the foothills of the Himalayas within the district of Himachal Pradesh. The area was named after Donald Friell McLeod, who was a Lieutenant Governor during British colonial rule in India. The Himalayan town has lots of scenic viewpoints over the foothills, including areas such as Triund and the Naddi View Point, while colourful houses, monasteries and temples are dotted across the hillside. Checkpoint six Sasan Gir, India The sixth checkpoint saw teams travelling a colossal 1,900km to the south of India, heading through the country's largest state, Rajasthan, the Great Indian Desert and colourful cities such as Amritsar, Jodhpur and Pushkar. The teams were aiming for Sasan Gir, gateway to the Gir National Park, a wildlife destination with large stretches of grassland and the last remaining natural habitat of the endangered Asiatic lion. The park is also home to 40 species of mammals and 425 bird species, with crocodiles, jackals, eagles and owls often seen roaming. However, the park mainly attracts visitors from all over the world to spot the lions on their safari and tour packages. This is due to Gir National Park in Gujarat being the only place in the world, aside from Africa, where you can spot lions roaming free in the wild. The small Sasan Gir village, home to the Maldhari and Siddi communities, also has plenty of hotels and resorts to stay in near the national park. The park has 1,412 square metres of dry deciduous forest, and stays very hot all year round, with its lowest temperature 28C in the winter, and highs of 39C in the summer. Checkpoint seven Panaji For the penultimate checkpoint, the teams trekked 1,500km south of Sasan Gir to Panaji, the capital of India's smallest state, Goa. After passing through destinations such as Vadodara, vineyards in Igatpuri and the country's largest city, Mumbai, the pairs reached the coastal city made up of palm-fringed beaches and colourful streets. Until 1961, the city was under Portuguese colonial rule, with echoes of this heritage still woven through its red-tiled roof buildings, baroque architecture and Goan-Portuguese bakeries selling custard tarts. One notable baroque construction is the towering Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception church, with its bright white facade standing out in a sea of bold buildings and vibrant street art. The city now attracts millions of tourists each year, drawing a young crowd to Goa's relaxed beach scene and creatives to its public art, collectives, art festivals and galleries. Panaji also sits on the banks of the Mandovi River, which flows out into the Arabian Sea and has coastal hotspots such as Bamolim Bay and Miramar, attracting beachgoers. The small Olive Ridley sea turtle has been seen nesting at Panaji's beaches, and Galgibaga, further down the coast, has a protected area to help the nesting turtles. The end Kanniyakumari, India To become Race Across the World champions and win a prize of £20,000, the teams had to reach the town of Kanniyakumari first. Located on the southernmost tip of India and a popular pilgrimage point, Kanniyakumari sits at the converging point of three major bodies of water, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Alongside its sublime coastal views, the town is filled with historic monuments, such as the 95-foot-tall Thiruvalluvar Statue, as well as temples, churches and waterfalls. However, one of its major pulls is being the location for some of the best sunrise and sunset spectacles in the country, as its geography allows for witnessing both, appearing as if the Sun rises and then drops back below the horizon line.
