Thursday, November 26, 2026

Stopgap | San Francisco

Doors at 3 PM | Dinner at 5 PM | Dessert at 8 PM

Hosted by AfterDark and Amande in partnership at Stopgap

We're bringing back A Table for All, our Thanksgiving community potluck at Stopgap!

Thanksgiving can be complicated. There's the history of the holiday itself, and then there's everything that comes with family, traditions, and expectations. For some people it's a favorite holiday. For others, it's a day they'd rather skip altogether.

We love the idea of taking this day and making it about something everyone can appreciate: good food, good company, and spending time with people we care about.

Last year's gathering was lovely and well-attended with lots of delicious potluck contributions, and we’re looking forward to doing it again. Whether you're spending the holiday with chosen family, don't have other plans, or just want to come share a meal, we'd love to see you there.

The Schedule

3:00 PM: Doors open. Come early, hang out, and help us get things ready.

5:00 PM: Dinner!

8:00 PM: Dessert.

You're welcome to stick around after dinner. Play board games, bring crafts, or whatever else you'd enjoy doing with friends. There's no formal programming planned. Just an afternoon and evening together.

The Food

AfterDark will provide and Amande will coordinate the turkeys, potluck and volunteers. AfterDark will open up Stopgap for this event.

This is a potluck, so we're asking everyone who can to bring something to share. It can be a traditional Thanksgiving dish, something from your own family or cultural traditions, or just something you enjoy making or eating.

Need some inspiration? Here are a few ideas!

Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, potato gratin, pierogi, stuffing, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, roasted vegetables, chakalaka, or cranberry sauce. Jollof rice, fried rice, arroz con gandules, biryani, pancit, or japchae. Tamales, empanadas, lumpia, samosas, spring rolls, dumplings, pupusas, arepas, spanakopita, quiche, or bobotie. Dal, cornbread, dinner rolls, or pão de queijo. And for dessert, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie, tres leches cake, or malva pudding.

Or bring something completely different! We’d love to have a table full of food from the different families, cultures, and traditions that make up our community. If there's a dish that reminds you of home, we'd love for you to share it.

Homemade is great, but store-bought is perfectly fine too.

These are just suggestions! We'd especially love to see dishes that are meaningful to you, whether that's something your grandmother made, a holiday tradition from your childhood, or something you've been wanting an excuse to cook.

Potluck signup link

Please sign up so we can get a sense of what people are bringing and avoid ending up with 15 green bean casseroles and no mashed potatoes.

If you're bringing food, please include a list of ingredients so folks with allergies and dietary restrictions know what they can eat.

And if bringing something isn't possible for you, that's okay. Please come anyway. There will be plenty of food.

Admission

• Bringing a dish to share: minimum $5 and up.
• Not bringing a dish: minimum $10 and up.

Please contribute what you can afford above the minimum. Contributions help cover the costs of putting this together. If $5 is still a barrier, please consider signing up for a volunteer shift, or email us at info@afterdark-events.com to discuss.

A Few Other Details

This is a social gathering, not a play party. Dress comfortably, bring your appetite, and plan to spend some time with friends, old and new.

You don't need to know anyone to attend. If this is your first time at Stopgap or your first time joining one of our community gatherings, you're just as welcome as the folks who've been coming for years.

We're looking forward to seeing everyone and sharing another Thanksgiving together.

Bring Your Shenanigans!

Food isn't the only thing you can bring to a potluck!

Have a favorite board game? Want to organize a trivia game, a sing-along, or some ridiculous activity? We'd love for people to bring their ideas and share something fun with the group.

If you've got something in mind that takes a little planning or space, reach out and let's figure it out.

We’re excited to see you all there!