Gwen Stefani
at HP Pavilion (8 pm) Music
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We've all had that moment when we sense that things are about to change. For Gwen Stefani that epiphany occurred as a high school senior in Orange County. She was a 17 year-old girl, in love and really excited about her future with the boy that she thought was going to be her husband. Then, she learned that she could write songs and her life changed. MORE

Aqua and Wavefest
at Red Vic Movie House (7:15 pm & 9:15 pm) Film
Aqua and Wavefest work hard to combine Horror and Surfing. See the Dead rise and charge big Pipeline in this special Halloween presentation of Surf Movie Nite. Win an Xcel wetsuit in the costume contest, and just plain prepare to be horrified and stoked at the same time. MORE

The Zine Unbound
Kults, Werewolves and Sarcastic Hippies
at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (12 pm - 5 pm) Museums
The exhibition highlights three publications nationwide as successful models of collaborative activity. In these collaborations, the artists, writers, and designers come together and provide alternative avenues to distribute their artwork. MORE

United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF)
Opening Night
at Cubberley Theater (5:30 pm) Film
Established eight years ago, at the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UNAFF celebrates the power of films and videos dealing with local and global issues. MORE

The 23rd Annual
San Francisco Jazz Festival
at Herbst Theatre (7:30pm) Festivals/Fairs
SFJAZZ continues to challenge tradition and expand its horizons this fall as the 23rd annual San Francisco Jazz Festival takes flight with an "Opening Night Concert for Hurricane Katrina Relief" starring the inimitable Abbey Lincoln. MORE

Love Like Fire, The High Violets (Portland), Azalia Snail
at Make Out Room (9 pm) Music
While most bands spent Christmas 2004 enjoying the company of friends and family, Jake Hosek (ex-Stratford 4), Andrea Caturegli (ex-Stratford 4), David Farrell (ex-Catholic Comb) and Ann Yu (ex-the disappointment) spent the evening playing music with strangers. MORE

Improv:21 with Oliver Lake
Oliver Lake of the World Saxophone Quartet
at Thick House (7:30 pm) Performance Arts
One of the true master improvisers of the last 3 decades reveals the secrets of his compositions and solo performance work and discusses his use of spoken word as an integral component of his compositions. MORE

SF Weekly 16th Annual Music Awards Party and Concert
Featuring Hieroglyphics
at SF Weekly's Warfield (8 pm) Music
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The 16th Annual SF Weekly Music Awards Concert is coming to the SF Weekly Warfield on October 20th! Performances by: Hieroglyphics, Federation, Rogue Wave, Parchman Farm, Mitch Marcus Quintet, The Animaniakz, Bing Ji Ling, and Tommy Guerrero. Partial Proceeds from the SF Weekly Music Awards 2005 will benefit Music In Schools Today. MORE

Sizzle with Sisley & SOMA
at Sisley (6:30 pm - 8:30pm) Fashion
Sisley and SOMA invite you to preview Sisley's Fall/Winter collection. Join us for an evening of fashion & fun, martinis & music while receiving an exclusive 20% off your purchases. MORE

World Saxophone Quartet plays Jimi Hendrix
featuring David Murray, Oliver Lake, Hamiet Bluiett, Bruce Williams
at Great American Music Hall (10 pm) Music
Hailed as the most original and important group to emerge since Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane redefined group improvisation in the late 1950s. MORE

Crucifixion
at New Conservatory Theatre (8 pm) Performance Arts
Crucifixion is the powerful new drama by Tony award-winning playwright Terrence McNally (Love! Valour! Compassion! and Master Class) about a high profile TV producer who is violently murdered by a Jesuit priest. MORE

True Skool 6 Year Anniversary
at DNA Lounge (10 pm - 4 am) Clubs
True Skool 6-year Anniversary! Distortion2Static Season Launch party! Featuring DJs: Apollo (Triple Threat), Mr. E (Da Joint / Papalote), Sake 1 (Local 1200), Coop D'ville (True Skool), Jah Yzer (Jah Warrior Shelter), Clockwork (True Skool), Halo (Distortion2Static), Chicken Scratch (Distortion2Static), and Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist (True Skool). MORE

Sunset Promotions presents
Grupo Fantasma, and Firme
with DJ Sep
at Elbo Room (10 pm) Music
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Culling the sounds of their native Austin, Grupo Fantasma takes reggae, funk, and rock and rolls it into a Tex-Mex burrito drenched in salsa. MORE

Govt Mule & moe.
at SF Weekly's Warfield (8 pm) Music
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moe. and Gov't Mule have a long history of great collaboration, most recently as a co-bill at Red Rocks on July 1st of this year. The closer was determined by a coin toss on Sirius Radio's Jam On program, and the show was a hit. MORE

Digging in the Dark
at Project Artaud Theater (8 pm) Performance Arts
Without losing the raw inspiration with which we first conceived this show, we have set out to demonstrate the necessary discipline in creating a more refined work - training it down, making it truly cohesive, focused, and complete. MORE

Green Gorilla & L.star Present
The All Black Party
at Supperclub (9:30 pm) Clubs
Celebrating DJ M3 CD Release "No Fucking Requests Ever" And Linda & Betsey's Birthdays + A Special Black Fashion presentation will be served at the stroke of Midnight. MORE

Who's Wearing The Pants Here?
at W Hotel (12 pm - 6 pm) Fashion
New York fashion designer Alvin Valley, "The King of Pants", announces his Fashion Bazaar at W San Francisco. Save 50%-80% on Valley's silhouette-flattering pants, jackets, skirts, tops and coats. MORE

Creature Double Feature
Opening Party
at National Product (7 pm - 10 pm) Galleries
National Product is pleased to announce "Creature Double Feature," a two person exhibition by Oakland artist John Casey and San Francisco artist Martha Sue Harris. MORE

OPEN
at Soluna (10 am - 2 pm) Clubs
Guest DJ's Vinroc (Triple Threat DJ's) & DJ Garth (Grayhound Recordings, Wicked Sound System). As always expect an eclectic array of music throughout the night. Ranging from House to Hip Hop, Soul to Reggae, Electro to Funk, Disco to Rock and beyond. MORE

Perry Mann
Exotic Erotic Ball
26th Anniversary
at Cow Palace (8 pm - 2 am) Ball/Gala
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One of San Francisco's legendary events, and the largest party of its kind in the world, Perry Mann's Exotic Erotic Ball will celebrate its 26th Anniversary at San Francisco's Cow Palace. MORE

Freestyle Olympics Final
at Club Six (9 pm - 4 am) Clubs
The top 8 MCs that advanced from the pre-lims will be judged on 3 different freestyle categories to determine who is the overall champion of the MIC. MORE

Thirst for Blood
Presented by the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls
at Dry Ice (8 pm) Games/Activities
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The San Francisco ShEvil Dead will face off against the Oakland Outlaws in the Bay Area's first all-girl, flat-track roller derby bout. Three bands, can-can dancers and male cheerleaders will provide half-time and post-game entertainment. MORE

Noe Valley Harvest Festival
Neighborhood's first in 30 years and City's last of the calendar year
at 24th Street in Noe Valley (10 am - 6 pm) Festivals/Fairs
Say Goodbye to SF's 2005 Street Fair Season at the "Noe Valley Harvest Festival" -- Targeted to dogs, kids and the parents who raise them, with loads of contests for each group. MORE

SF International Fashion Week
at Herbst Pavilion (10:30 am) Fashion
The first-of-its-kind international fashion affair in San Francisco features Spring 2006 Prêt-à-Porter collections from the industry's top international designers, an awards luncheon, top-notch entertainment & spectacular pre- & post-show events. MORE

San Francisco Trolley Dances
A freewheeling festival of modern dance in the streets of San Francisco
at McRoskey Mattress Company (6 shows daily between 11 am and 2:45 pm) Performance Arts
This October, climb aboard a historic trolley for an exciting day of modern dance in the streets of San Francisco. $1.50 in train fare is all you need to see the best show in town as Kim Epifano’s Epiphany Productions takes audiences on a creative ride with Trolley Dances. MORE

Sundance Stompede
San Francisco's Annual Country-Western Dance Weekend for the LGBT community
at Holiday Inn - Golden Gateway (All Day) GLB
Welcome Dance, the kick-off country-western dance at our wonderful new host hotel, the Golden Gateway Holiday Inn, including the opening ceremonies of the IAGLCWDC convention. MORE

Batman!!! The TV Show: The Play
at The Dark Room Theatre (7:30 pm) Performance Arts
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Impossible productions presents BATMAN!!! The TV Show: The Play, an original episode and campy tribute to Bob Cane’s suave crime fighters and the copasetic 60’s TV show that made us love them. MORE

Okay (Absolutely Kosher Records), Sleeping People
at Hemlock Tavern (9:30 pm) Music
Okay is the work of Fremont, California's Marty Anderson, a unique and incredible talent whose approach to composition is akin to a kaleidoscope run through a distortion pedal. MORE

Gyro's 3D Fear Factory
at Pier 48 (7 pm - 11 pm) Festivals/Fairs
Smell the Fear, Gyro's 3D Fear Factory is Here -- America's premier haunted house is coming to Pier 48 in San Francisco!! October 13th thru the 31st. MORE

Nike Women's Marathon
A race to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
at Union Square (7 am) Fundraisers
A beautiful race. A noble cause. A weekend to remember. From the pre-race Nike Expotique, to the on-course chocolate mile and Pedi-care station, to the elegant Finisher Necklace by Tiffany & Co. – the Nike Women’s Marathon is a special event. MORE

Heavy Trash, The Sadies, The Husbands
at Bottom of the Hill (9 pm) Music
With America's ears turned to a new frequency via the garage-rock buzz, the time's ripe for a band like The Husbands to wedge themselves into the mainstream. MORE

Zombie Honeymoon
at Red Vic Movie House (7:15, 9:15 pm) Film
"In sickness and in health, till death do us part." So vowed newlyweds Denise (Tracy Coogan) and Danny (Graham Sibley) before bounding off for an idyllic honeymoon retreat down the Jersey shore. MORE