BAYarts' fun-raisers for grown-ups mix it up

BAYarts' ART-oberfest has become an annual October event. Photo by Erin Stack

BAYarts' Moondance fundraiser is such a big event each year that the BAYarts event team answered the call for more, smaller nights out that take advantage of the park ambience and the handmade rustic furniture already in place. So they created a series of intimate events (100-150 guests as opposed to over 1,000 for Moondance) that will take place about once a month.

Tickets for the "fun-raisers" cost about the same as a casual night out downtown. With great food, local brews, wines, bonfires and music, why do anything else? 

"We have the perfect locale for adults to go out with neighbors, spouses or girlfriends, right here in their backyard," said Pam Mills, BAYarts' resident foodie and farm market manager. "We joke and say these events are really for all of us at BAYarts, because they are so fun to plan and we have such a blast along with our guests."

Coming up is the annual ART-oberfest this Friday with live music, hearty comfort food by (British chef) Mills and live music by the Westlake band Haywire. Rain or shine, what else could be better on an autumn night? In December, "A Dickens of a Holiday Party" includes a murder-mystery challenge with actors in the roles of the suspects; and in January the popular Bingo, Brats and Brews, a sellout last year, returns with lots of prizes.

It's hard to believe that such fun nights out are actually fundraisers that support all the free events that happen throughout the year. More information on the events and tickets are available at bayarts.net.