Goin’ Chico: Nightlife/Entertainment

26. Pizza in the pit

Cynics have been proclaiming the death of punk rock since the day it was born. They could benefit from heading down to Monstros Pizza for one of the delightfully raucous punk shows hosted by the Chico Area Punks (www.facebook.com/chicoareapunks). It's the only local venue where you can feast on some of Chico's best pizza, enjoy a Schlitz or a soda, and dance around on a sawdust floor to some killer tour ing and local bands with Chico's friendliest all-ages audience. 628 W. Sacramento Ave.

In Chico, there is a stage for everyone, amateurs and pros alike. There are open mics in the area nearly every night of the week, including Tuesdays, 6 p.m., at Gogi's Cafe (230 Salem St.), Wednesdays, 6 p.m., at the Maltese (1600 Park Ave.), and Thursdays, 7 p.m., at the very popular granddaddy of local open mics at Has Beans Coffee & Tea (501 Main St.). All of those cater mostly to musicians (and some, to poets, too), but if you think you have what it takes to make people laugh, or maybe just squirm uncomfortably, hit up the comedy open mics at the Maltese (Mondays, 9 p.m.) and Studio Inn (Wednesdays, 9 p.m., 2582 Esplanade).

Sept. 10, Chico State kicks off the school year with one of the best, most eclectic music events of the year. And it's free! The Chico World Music Festival takes over the campus core to showcase music from around the world on four stages—including two outdoors. While musicians from West Africa to South America perform, local arts and culture groups host activities while food trucks and vendors sell their wares. www.chicoperformances.com

Downtown Chico maintains a solid G-rating during daylight hours on All Hallows' Eve, as children scurry about the storefronts in search of sweets at a family-friendly event called Treat Street. But come nightfall, all censors are dropped as the streets are overrun by horrifically, comically and/or scantily costumed young people in search of something other than candy. Those seeking to observe—or jump into—the paganistic, drunken revelry should find ample opportunity anywhere near campus, including downtown.

Porch parties are a staple of Chico's south campus neighborhood, and with our area's especially long summers, there is plenty of opportunity for taking the festivities and friends outside. Put out a cooler full of ice, pump up your party playlist, fire up the grill (or just hit up the closest taco truck) and send a blast to your friends to come over and put on a day-long show for the whole block. (Just don't dare set a couch on that porch—we wouldn't want it to spontaneously catch fire.)

Everyone needs a cool uncle, someone to introduce you to good music and show you the ways of the world. While the members of the Uncle Dad's Art Collective could probably dish out some solid advice, the troupe of local musicians, actors, artists and dancers can certainly steer you toward some of the cooler happenings in Chico. If the future is like the past—which has included original musical-theater productions and a huge-scale multimedia tribute to Queen's A Night at the Opera—there will be some ambitious and exciting new productions and collaborations on the schedule for the new school year. www.facebook.com/UncleDadChico

If you're not yet of legal drinking age, it can be a bummer to watch your older friends go out to the bars while you stay at home. So, don't. Several of Chico's fun establishments—Madison Bear Garden (316 W. Second St.), the Tackle Box (379 E. Park Ave.), Oasis (1007 W. First St.), DownLo (319 Main St.)—are open to all ages (usually all day until 10 p.m.). So go out, challenge your buds to some pool or darts, watch your team on TV and enjoy a cold soft drink and some killer bar food.

Like the Chico News & Review coming out on Thursdays and the farmers' market on Saturdays, the Friday happy hour at Duffy's Tavern—featuring the traditional Irish music of the Pub Scouts—is a weekly tradition that defines Chico. Only $1 gets you music and snacks. Local tip: Keep your very busy bartenders happy and just order a pint and nod along to the reels. Save the Bloody Marys for the next morning.

Get freaky with the bass music on Fridays at Peking Chinese Restaurant. 243 W. Second St., www.facebook.com/ChicoBassMint

Like any self-respecting liberal college town this close to Nevada, Chico has its share of Burners, and one of the more visible of local Black Rock regulars is the Camp Upsie Dasium crew, with its soundtrack provided by those funky brothers of invention, GravyBrain. Each year in March, at the midpoint between Burns, Upsie Dasium hosts the Burnal Chiquinox party featuring an eclectic array of performers at the Habitat Lab art space (199 E. 13th St.). Follow the pink elephant.

Fill in the blank for these lyrics for Manfred Mann's Earth Band's 1971 cover version of Bruce Springsteen's “Blinded by the Light”: “Blinded by the light, ___________” Answer: A. “read up on the news”; B. “wrapped up like a douche”; C. “revved up like a deuce”; D. “rack up like you do.” If this was Wednesday night trivia at Woodstock's Pizza, you wouldn't be allowed to look it up on your smart phone like you're probably doing right now. But it's way more fun figuring it out with a team of your smartest friends. Every Wednesday at 8 p.m. 166 E. Second St., www.facebook.com/woodstockschico