This weekend, San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood plays host to Mandala SF, a party to unite San Franciscoโs teeming underbelly of coffee, tech, and art. Hosted by Blossom and Rip van Wafels, your Sprudge.com Editors will be appearing live and in full effect, making the whole room get wiggly to a DJ set of lost disco gems and 80s dance fantasia.
We took the time to get to know some of the attendees to get their reaction to this event, because frankly, this event is all about the wide, wacky swath of people attending – close to 400 have already RSVP’s on EventBrite! It’s going to an innovative combination of worlds, rubbin’ up next to each other, coming together for one night of coffee, dancing, wafels, cocktails, music, and art.
“I’m a performance artist and found out about this event, naturally, while sipping a latte,” Beverly, 34, told Your Sprudge Editors. Beverly performs mixed-media art around the San Francisco Bay Area, projecting live images of underwater birthing on her naked, painted body. “I’ve never seen this kind of event before and I don’t know what to expect but I know I’ll have a good time. Bev knows how to get down!”
Registration is still open and it’s absolutely free to attend.
We also spoke with an attendee from the tech world, John, 32, who expressed excitement over the cross-pollination of passionate folks from the arts, coffee, and tech communities. “This city is overflowing with talented people and it’s about time there was an event that brought those worlds together.”
John tells us, “You know, before I get on the Google bus in the morning I always get a coffee somewhere. While I’m getting coffee, I listen to the music, and I look at the art on the walls. Now, I feel like I can go somewhere and meet the people behind the scenes.”
Florence, 27, a barista in Oakland, tells Sprudge, “I see people from the tech industry all the time coming through my cafe, having meetings, talking about the next great app. I’m sure I’ll see a bunch of familiar faces at Mandala!” What is Flo looking forward to the most? “The stroopwafels!”
Here’s some of what you can expect:
Coffee – Coffee service begins with Equator Coffees and Teas at 7:30pm, transitioning into Blue Bottle from 8:30 to 9:30, and closing off with coffees from Mr. Espresso beginning at 9:30.
Art – Artists exhibiting at Mandala include fashion photographer Iann Ivy, painter/dancer Kasia Krasnopolska (KK), the urban landscape photography of Artem Kevorkov, noted modern logoist Kurt Texter, and Amir Hirsch, whose website will spin your brain.
Cocktails – Coffee industry bad-boys with a heart of gold, the boys at Slate Coffee Roasters are on barkeep duties throughout this event. Expect wafel & cocktail pairings, mezcal, and a generous pour.
Mandala SF is sponsored by UNIC USA, Mr. Espresso, Blue Bottle Coffee, TheFingo, Equator Coffees & Teas, Slate Coffee Roasters, Sourcery, La Colombe Torrefaction, the Bay Area Coffee Community, and us here at Sprudge.com.
You can still register here – and yes – it’s absolutely free!ย Mandala SF goes down on Saturday, March 30th atย 210 Clara Street. Doors kick open at 7pm and the party goes until the breaka-breaka.
