7 terrific Bay Area things to do this weekend, Sept. 27-29

Great food and fun are in the offing this weekend, from fabulous food halls to maybe the best animated movie of 2024. So let’s get to it, shall we?

As always, be sure to double check event and venue websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines.

Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.

1 WATCH: Francis Ford Coppola’s labor of love

The legendary director spent some 30 years creating his dream project “Megalopolis” and now it’s here. We just saw it and we have some thoughts.

2 WATCH: A beautiful ‘Robot’

Coppola or no Coppola, the best movie out this week, and maybe the best film of 2024, is this wild and beautiful animated release from DreamWorks.

3 PLAY & TASTE: Fabulous food halls

If food halls aren’t the most wonderful things on the planet, we’d like to see what is. And these three are among our favorites.

4 SEE & HEAR: A cherished festival

The Monterey Jazz Festival, which returns this weekend, is always a highlight of the fall music season, and this year’s lineup is stacked with legends and young lions. And legendary musician and producer Don Was will be there, too.

5 DINE: The creme of the creme

Bon Appétit has released its top 20 new restaurants in the U.S., and … drumroll, please … two of them are right here in the Bay Area.

6 SEE & HEAR: Great shows are all over

From a new exhibit on Korea’s ubiquitous pop culture to potty-mouthed political humor, there is a lot to see and do in the Bay Area this weekend and beyond.

7 PLAY: Bird-watching in the Bay

Migratory birds are making their annual runs through the Bay Area. Here are five great spots to catch the splendor of it all. Heck, there are even board games for bird-lovers these days.