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[Mongolian] Barbecue
A documentary on Mongolian nomads, AAPI night market, a book festival block party, and Norwegian electronic music
Mongolian horses draw their lineage back to the days of Genghis Khan. They also outnumber Mongolia’s human population. So when a business school study trip took me to the country, horseback riding was on the itinerary. Our guides handed us the reins and noted that half of the horses were crazy; they just didn’t know which ones. My friend Chaz didn’t let that dampen his riding confidence. Flash forward to Chaz getting bucked off the horse with his boot stuck in the stirrup and being dragged across the Mongolian plain. We froze in shock as he finally wriggled his foot free and, in a daze, hopped up and stuck a gymnast's landing to signal he was ok. Bless the riders ahead of us who just saw a horse gallop by with a lone boot.
Head to SF DocFest to learn about actual Mongolian horsemen, vibe at an electroacoustic music album debut, and grab your reading glasses for a book block party.
SF DocFest 2025: The Last Mongolian Horseman
Category: Film
Date: Monday, June 2nd @ 8:15pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Roxie Theater (SF)
Price Range: $16
Why I Care: The San Francisco Documentary Festival is in its 24th year of presenting films on cultures, politics, and social issues from across the world. The festival runs for 11 days across two venues, but one film in particular caught my eye: The Last Mongolian Horseman, directed by Mongolian filmmaker ALAIFU, follows one family of nomadic shepherds to paint a wider picture of a fading tradition and livelihood in Mongolia. The director considers the preservation of Mongolian culture one of his core missions, which is why he dedicated nine years of his life to bringing this film to the big screen.
Sholeh Asgary: Electroacoustic Set
Category: Music
Date: Saturday, May 31st @ 7pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: 120710 Art Gallery (East Bay)
Price Range: $30
Why I Care: Labeling performer Sholeh Asgary a musician would be a disservice to the interdisciplinary nature of her work. Asgary, a UC Berkeley lecturer, is debuting her electro-acoustic album آبـان Aban at 120710 Art Gallery and has had artist residencies at Headlands Center for the Arts, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), and MASS MoCA. آبـان Aban taps into Asgary’s Iranian heritage to explore cosmology, myth-making, and blurred lines between the living and undead. Beyond the performance, your ticket includes an open bar plus, and I quote, “a massive, beautifully curated charcuterie table.” Nothing like eating your weight in cheese on a Saturday night.
Opening Reception | Woven Narratives: Textiles as Living Archives
Category: Art
Date: Friday, May 30th @ 4pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Stanford Archaeology Center (South Bay)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Only 3% of a museum’s collection is on public display at any point in time. The Stanford University Archaeology Collection (SUAC) is weaving through its own permanent collection to display textile art from Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Thailand, Japan, and the Philippines. The exhibition is meant to share not only the aesthetic value of these works but also the histories preserved in the threads. Enjoy the opening alongside SUAC’s concurrent exhibitions of Micronesian art, Korean ceramics, and an eerily intriguing survey of dolls from around the world.
Concert | Röyksopp
Category: Music
Date: Friday, May 30th @ 10pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: The Regency Ballroom (SF)
Price Range: $62+* (sold out; official resale)
Why I Care: Ride the Bergen Wave at the Regency Ballroom. Röyksopp, the Norwegian electronic duo, emerged in the era of fellow Norwegian pair Kings of Convenience and had their 2001 debut album reach the top ten chart in the UK. I first heard Röyksopp via The Hood Internet, but you may also know their hit “Remind Me” thanks to a classic caveman GEICO commercial.
Concerned the concert is past your bedtime? Not to worry: Röyksopp brings the stage to life with beats, a light show, and dancers throughout the night.
Opening Reception | SF Camerawork’s FORECAST 2025
Category: Art
Date: Saturday, May 31st @ 6pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: SF Camerawork (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: SF Camerawork is a nonprofit institution with community roots. Those origins shine through with its annual FORECAST exhibition, which allows photographers from across the world to compete for a spot on the walls of SF Camerawork. Artists, curators, and critics are brought in as jurors and determine which photographers are at the cutting edge of contemporary. After reviewing over 140 entries, the jurors have selected Jonathan Mark Jackson, Lorena Molina, Jonah Reenders, Anna Rotty, and Brianna Tadeo as their FORECAST 2025 artists. Be on the lookout for badass SF Camerawork Executive Director Renaikha Cruz Fermin, who took the leadership reins this past year.
Bituin AAPI Night Market
Category: Art & Music
Date: Friday, May 30th @ 6pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Bituin Studio (SF)
Price Range: Free to enter
Why I Care: Bituin Studio’s Night Market celebrates the penultimate day of AAPI Heritage Month. Bituin Studio opened a mere three months ago as a Filipinx-inspired triple threat: tattoo shop, art gallery, and community space. The studio is located in SOMA Pilipinas, officially designated as San Francisco’s Filipino Cultural Heritage District and sprinkled with murals that bring the community’s richness to life. The market will include DJs, vintage goods, dancing, and true to its roots, flash tattoos.
Bay Area Book Festival: Bookworm Block Party
Category: Literary
Date: Sunday, June 1st @ 11am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza (East Bay)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Stages. Vendors. Raging fans. No, this isn’t Coachella: it’s the Bay Area Book Festival’s Bookworm Block Party. The festival engages almost 300 authors across 15 stages in this weekend-long event celebrating both local and international writers, publishers, and booksellers. The Bookworm Block Party will include community workshops, a poetry stage, family-friendly programming, and dedicated booths for small presses from across the country. Make sure to bring your sturdiest tote bag.
Next Drop: Thursday, June 5th