Lunar New Year Lion Dancing
Chinese New Year comes early this year. And with a break in our local monsoon, it’s a great time to get out and celebrate this year of the chicken with a visit to your local library. That’s right, SF librarians will be doing the funky chicken dance through the nonfiction aisles. Okay, that’s only after closing (you have no idea what goes on after storytime). Like every year at this time, library branches all over the city play host to Chinese lion dance and martial arts performances. It’s yet another only-in-SF happenings. The first dance kicks off at the Main Library at 10:30am on Saturday, then hits the other 16 locations over the weekend and following Saturday, 1/21. Check SFPL for schedules.

SF Sketchfest
The question is, are San Franciscans funny? Doesn’t matter, since the two-week laughathon known as SF Sketchfest brings in boatloads of talented funny people to yuck it up in a long and impressive list of events in every format imaginable: Improv, sketch comedy, radio/talk shows, film/tv events, musical comedy, variety, stand-up. Local comediennes like Dhaya Lakshminaranayan will appear as well as some of the funniest people on the planet (Christopher Guest, Fred Willard), along with a slew of emerging comics. The fest kicks off Thursday, 1/12, with scheduled events all throughout the city.

FOG Design + Art 2017
Check out the contemporary art at Fort Mason where 45 galleries from around the world assemble this weekend for an annual show in support of SFMOMA’s educational programs and statewide exhibitions. A number of forums and talks are included in each day of the 4-day fest with leading Bay Area artists and designers. Thursday – Sunday, 1/12-15.

Free National Park Day
For MLK Day, every National Park in the country is free to enter, which of course includes the national parks in the Bay Area, such as Muir Woods and Alcatraz. For early risers, you can join a sunrise tour of Muir Woods on Sunday, 1/15, at 7:30.

SFJAZZ Center Anniversary Celebration
In celebration of its 5-year anniversary, SFJAZZ Center opens its doors for an MLK Day family-friendly open house. Choose one of three tour times, which includes a performance in the Miner Auditorium from the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Big Band, and the Jazz Mafia Brass Band. Monday, 1/16.