The Fillmore After Dark format is designed to run through the summer, so this kickoff is the one to show up for before the crowds figure out the layout. The blues lineup pulls from the neighborhood's actual musical history rather than booking generic cover acts — that's the pitch, anyway — and the food situation skews toward local vendors rather than food truck regulars you've seen at every other market. Boutique Bingo is genuinely new; it's essentially a vendor passport with prizes, which gives you a reason to walk the whole market instead of camping at the first good food stall.

Parking on Fillmore itself will be gone by 7pm. The garage on Post at Fillmore is your best option; skip driving north of California entirely. The 22 drops you at the heart of it.

If you only have two hours: eat first, then find the blues stage, then do one Bingo loop before you lose the light.