San Jose’s first Entertainment Zone opening for Super Bowl weekend

For the multitudes who dreamed of sipping their beer in the open air beneath the sunny skies on San Pedro Street in downtown San Jose, your day has arrived.

OK, there actually have been lots of special events over the years when you could enjoy an alcoholic beverage in San Pedro Square, but Super Bowl weekend will usher in the first official use of the Entertainment Zone ordinance San Jose approved last year.

San Pedro SuperFest kicks off Friday at 4 p.m. and runs through Sunday, including a watch party for Super Bowl LX between the Patriots and Seahawks. It’s shaping up to have a lot of fan activities, with a 100-yard long strip of artificial turf, local bands and DJs on two stages, a culture night market and selfie spots in front of official Super Bowl LX and NBC Sports backdrops. You also can stop by the pop-up NFL shop in the former Olla Cocina space to pick up official Super Bowl gear.

I’ve also heard that Joby Aviation, the Santa Cruz-based electric air-taxi outfit, is going to have a fun display that may include a simulator, and Captain Morgan rum is docking its pirate ship outside San Pedro Square Market on St. John Street.

To encourage people to move around the area, people will get a Mardi Gras-style, football-themed bead necklace when they visit a bar or restaurant. They can trade that in outside for a scratcher card that could win them a $25 gift card plus a fancy miniature trophy. You also can enter into a contest for bigger prizes including tickets and gear from the San Jose Giants, Earthquakes and Sharks, Southwest Airlines tickets and an 88-inch big screen TV.

And somewhere in all this, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is delivering his State of the City address at noon Saturday. If he speaks from the pirate ship – dressed as a pirate – he’s got my vote for governor.

There are rules to this Entertainment Zone stuff. Fil Maresca, who has been working with the San Jose 26 team to launch San Pedro SuperFest, has been going business-to-business in San Pedro Square to make sure all the bars and restaurants are properly signed up and understand the do’s and don’ts.

For example, you can’t just BYOB and you’re not walking out of a place with a martini glass. All drinks taken outside need to be in a specific cup branded for the event. And it’s only allowed during the event times, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday – but there’s no alcohol allowed outside Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., which is being reserved for more family-friendly activities (like the State of the City).

Confusing? Fortunately, there’ll be guys dressed as referees at the event to let people know when they’re not following the rules. Apparently, they will not be throwing yellow flags at people or blowing whistles, but that would be hilarious to see.

SUPER BOWL PREDICTION: Psychic medium Patti Negri communed with the spirits at the Winchester Mystery House on Wednesday night to make a prediction on which team will win the Super Bowl on Sunday. It seems even the spirits are betting against the New England Patriots.

With a gathering of invited guests in a second-floor room of the sprawling mansion, Negri used tarot cards and dowsing rods to divine how Sunday’s game will play out. The Seattle Seahawks, she said, have a fresh and chaotic energy, while the Patriots have strength but a heaviness, that could work for or against them.

“What’s written in the stars as of right now, is it’s Seattle that’s going to win the Super Bowl,” she said.

But take heart, Patriots fans. Negri said the future is flexible and can be changed by rituals – and football traditions like tailgating, face-painting, even wearing jerseys all count as rituals – and repeated “ma” chants. I’m not sure if doing the Wave counts as a “ma chant,” but it can’t hurt.

ART AND ABOUT: If you’d like a little culture to balance out your sports this weekend, the South First Fridays art walk is happening in downtown San Jose this week. Galleries in downtown’s arty South First Area (SoFA) between San Carlos and Reed streets will be open late, with many offering receptions for their new or ongoing exhibitions. You can see the full line-up at southfirstfridays.com.

One exhibition worth checking out that’s not on South First Street is Works/San Jose’s “Super Hunger Anti-Valentine Bowl Games part LX” at Open San Jose, 38 S. Second St. This is a super-sized version of Works’ usual Anti-Valentine’s show, which features local artists displaying different aspects of love – including the painful and satirical sides. And while you’re there, you can also check out Chopsticks Alley Art’s 8th anniversary exhibition, “Bầu Cua Cá Cọp – Gourd Crab Fish Tiger,” inspired by a Vietnamese game of chance played at Tet.