The San Diego Food + Wine Festival takes over the Embarcadero waterfront this weekend. (Photo courtesy of SDFW)
The end of daylight saving time can sure be a shock to the system, but San Diego’s weekend lineup offers the perfect remedy. Whether you’re craving a celebration of hospitality, stargazing under the supermoon or painting a community mural, there’s no shortage of ways to recalibrate.
Get ready to sip and savor as the San Diego Food + Wine Festival takes over the Embarcadero waterfront for three days of tastings and talent. Attendees can sample wines, craft beers and gourmet bites while mingling with some of the industry’s most celebrated culinary figures, including two-time James Beard Award finalist Tara Monsod of Animae and La Coq and Michelin-starred chef Roberto Alcocer of Valle. With a variety of events ranging from intimate chef dinners to grand tasting experiences, there’s something for every palate. Tickets and packages range from $158 to $859.
Snow season’s almost here and SnowJam is back at Del Mar Fairgrounds with a winter wonderland of alpine skis, snowboards, boots, bindings and gear. Shop til you drop, get boot fittings and score factory-warrantied equipment at competitive prices. General admission is $17, or grab a $25 SnowJam membership for free and discounted lift tickets good for the 2025-26 season. Kids 13 and under get free admission to the expo with a paid adult. Hours are 4-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Parking is $10 per car.
Help bring a new mural to life with artist Mischka Ippolita at Community Painting Day in Arts District Liberty Station from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Join Ippolita in creating “Vitral Sunset: A Marine Perspective Across the Border,” a multi-wall mural. No painting experience needed – just wear clothes you don’t mind getting a little colorful. Participants 10 and older are welcome, with a signed waiver required. Enjoy 30% off select wines by the glass or bottle at Carruth Cellars during a special happy hour for attendees.
San Diego City College presents a bold reimagining of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew with a gender-flipped cast. The story follows Petruchio’s questionable tactics to mold headstrong Katherine into an obedient wife so her younger sister Bianca can marry. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Saville Theatre, 14th and C streets in East Village. Tickets are $5-$18. Free parking in Lot 8.
San Diego has a double feature of film festivals this weekend. The San Diego Asian Film Festival returns for its 26th year, running through Nov. 15 with more than 150 films from over 30 countries. Screenings take place at venues across the county such as UltraStar Cinemas Mission Valley and the Southwestern College Performing Arts Center in Chula Vista. Tickets start at $15 ($12 for Pacific Arts Movement members), but you can catch free weekday 4 p.m. screenings and a free “Shorts for Shorties” program for kids Saturday at 11 a.m. The festival offers discounts for students, seniors and San Diego Public Library cardholders, plus free admission for high school-aged youth and younger.
Meanwhile, the Coronado Island Film Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary this weekend. The festival includes a local shorts showcase, cinematic tribute to the Beatles’ 1965 show at Balboa Stadium in San Diego and closing night screening of the drama Sentimental Value. Events take place throughout Coronado at locations such as the Hotel del Coronado, Village Theatre and Coronado Performing Arts Center. Tickets start around $15 for a single film screening.
SeaWorld San Diego is partnering with Navy Federal Credit Union this Veterans Day weekend for its annual Red, White and Blue Salute, honoring U.S. Armed Forces. From Saturday through Monday, there will be daily flag ceremonies, a Field of Honor with 1,000 flags to dedicate to heroes and nightly patriotic fireworks. New this year: a community pop-up at Orca Encounter with local nonprofits supporting veterans and their families. Veterans, active-duty members and up to three family members get free admission through the Waves of Honor program. The park also offers former military personnel a Military Silver Pass for $113, giving a year of unlimited admission, free parking, guest tickets and discounts.
Anthropologist, art historian and photographer Stephen Huyler will discuss his memoir “Transformed by India: A Life” – with a foreword by the Dalai Lama – at Mingei International Museum’s La Atalaya Foundation Theater Saturday from 10:30-11:30 a.m. as part of the Coffee and Conversations series. The book chronicles Huyler’s five decades of immersion in Indian culture, from his first journey by bicycle rickshaw in 1971 to encounters with maharajahs, musicians, politicians and potters, blending humor, pathos and the sacred with the secular. Tickets are $12 for members, $20 for nonmembers.
If the Beaver Moon got you starstruck, keep the excitement going this Saturday at Oakoasis County Preserve in Lakeside. From 4:30-6 p.m., join astronomers from the San Diego Astronomy Association for a star party. Start with a short ranger-led hike, then gaze at the night sky through large telescopes while enjoying refreshments. Tips: arrive early for parking, dress warmly, bring a flashlight and park with the headlights facing away from the telescopes. Free admission and parking. Meet at 12620 Wildcat Canyon Road.
Ready or not, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The Old Globe returns with its beloved Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas for the 28th year, running through Dec. 31. Shows are Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 4:30 p.m. The family-friendly musical transforms the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage into snowy Whoville, featuring songs from the classic animated special such as “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” Regular tickets start at $43, with children’s tickets (ages 17 and under) $34.
San Diego makes history as the first major U.S. city to host Slow Fashion Day, a free community festival transforming textile waste into wearable art, from 2-9 p.m. Sunday at The Lane in the Embarcadero. The family-friendly event offers free hands-on workshops teaching sewing and mending skills with all materials provided, t-shirt-to-tote-bag stations, live music, tacos and agua frescas, an embroidery lounge, textile art installations and a panel on sustainable fashion. The day ends with the “Sew Homegrown” fashion show at 7 p.m., showcasing 100% upcycled collections. Admission is free thanks to sponsorship from the Conrad Prebys Foundation.
The Pacifica Quartet marks America’s upcoming 250th anniversary with a musical journey through works inspired by the American experience. The program includes Charles Ives’s hymn-infused First Quartet, Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s cinematic String Quartet No. 3 and Antonín Dvořák’s beloved “American” Quartet. The concert is 2 p.m. Sunday at UC San Diego’s Conrad Prebys Concert Hall, with an artist talk at 1 p.m. Tickets are $50-$65 and UCSD students can get free tickets through the Student Success Office.
Playoffs again? You bet. San Diego Wave FC is playoff-bound for the third time in four seasons. The sixth-seeded Wave face third-seeded Portland Thorns FC in the NWSL Playoffs Quarterfinals noon Sunday on ABC. Fans can gather at three official watch parties aross San Diego County including Novo Brazil Brewing locations in Mission Valley and the Otay Ranch Mall in Chula Vista or Enzo’s BBQ Ale House in Encinitas. The club will cover the first 50 drinks at each location and offer giveaways and an in-person raffle where one lucky winner at each venue will receive two roundtrip flights from Alaska Airlines. Seating is first come, first served.
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