7 amazing Bay Area things to do this weekend, Sept. 13-15

From a glorious, ivory-tickling Golden Gate Park tradition to amazing shows and  beautiful beer gardens, we’re looking at a killer weekend. So let’s get right 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 SEE & HEAR: Great shows are all over

From a grand Golden Gate Park tradition to an amazing Britpop band and a trumpet legend jamming with Symphony San Jose, there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend.

2 SIP: Beer-garden bliss

Let’s face it, nobody waits until October to start Oktoberfesting. That’d be un-American. (Actually, Oktoberfest stars in September in Germany, too.) So here are four amazing beer gardens you should know about.

3 WATCH: One of the year’s best films

Famed Spanish director Victor Erice is back with his first film in some 30 years, and it’s destined to be a classic.

4 DINE: Celebrate an Oakland gem

If you haven’t been to Oakland’s Burdell, there’s yet another new reason to check out the soul-food hot spot.

5 SEE & HEAR: Dance season takes hold

The always-exhilarating Smuin Contemporary Ballet kicks off its new season this week, and that’s just one part of the excitement in the Bay Area dance scene.

6 MAKE & DEVOUR: Seriously good soba

This soba noodle salad with a tahini sauce is addictive — and it’s pretty darned healthy to boot.

7 SEE & HEAR: Dystopian classic becomes an opera

“The Handmaid’s Tale,” one of the spookiest novels about government repression ever, is now an opera getting its West Coast premiere in San Francisco.