This weekend’s slate of events includes enchanting concerts, championship sports tournaments, and lots and lots of lemons. Live music fans can catch the mesmerizing spectacle of Auraforms (Friday), the culinary-minded concerto of Tasting Notes (Thursday), and the spellbinding sounds of Cynthia Erivo and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra at The Rady Shell (Sunday). Weekend visitors to Oceanside Pier can watch the World Bodysurfing Championships, while Major League Pickleball makes its first-ever stop in SD Friday through Sunday at Barnes Tennis Center. Plus, the Chula Vista Lemon Festival will make its annual appearance on Third Avenue this Saturday with an afternoon of fruit-filled fun.
Food & Drink | Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do
Food & Drink Events in San Diego This Weekend
Radical ’80s Dinner at ARLO
August 14
Town and Country Resort’s ARLO is throwing it back to the age of MTV, shopping malls, and permed hairstyles at its upcoming Radical ’80s dinner this Thursday evening. Guests can don their neon best and enjoy a live DJ, specialty cocktails, and a four-course meal with entrée choices like beef wellington, chicken kiev, and crab-stuffing-crusted salmon. The prix fixe menu for the Radical ’80s Dinner is $75 (or $120 with cocktail pairings). Reservations can be made here, with seatings every 15 minutes from 5 to 9:30 p.m.
500 Hotel Circle North, Mission Valley
Tasting Notes at The Conrad La Jolla
August 14
This Thursday at 7 p.m. on the stage of the Baker-Baum Concert Hall, chef J. Kenji López-Alt will conduct a live dish demonstration, featuring chefs Claudette Zepeda, Sean Sherman, and Kelly Van Arsdale and a guest from Café Coyote, alongside an orchestral performance of Antonin Dvořák’s Piano Quartet. This intimate performance, Tasting Notes, is part of La Jolla Music Society’s Synergy Series. Tickets are $118.
7600 Fay Avenue, La Jolla
Chula Vista Lemon Festival
August 16
Every year, Chula Vista connects with the area’s citrus roots through its beloved Lemon Festival. The community block party returns to Third Avenue this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., featuring live music; a dance stage; photo ops; a Lil’ Lemons kids’ zone; arts and craft vendors; and, of course, an appearance by Tarty the Lemon. Plus, anyone looking to prove their lemon love may sign up for the Best Dressed of the Lemon Fest and the new lemon pie–eating contest.
Third Avenue, Chula Vista
Cynthia Erivo
Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend
Auraforms at Quartyard
August 15
A trio of local artists—singer Jesus Gonzalez, drummer Julien Cantelm, and guitarist Aaron Bowen—teams up for Auraforms, a concert this Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Quartyard. A series of curated visuals will accompany Gonzalez’s larger-than-life voice and the warm jazz and psychedelic stylings of Cantelm and Bowen, with groovy artist Devvlov opening. Tickets are $24 and can be purchased here.
1301 Market Street, East Village
Ginuwine at SeaWorld San Diego
August 16
The penultimate performance in SeaWorld San Diego’s Summer Spectacular Concert Series will come from R&B legend Ginuwine this Saturday at 6 p.m. This concert is included with Saturday’s park admission, but those looking for a more deluxe experience at Bayside Amphitheater can explore the reserved seating ($50) and VIP seating ($75) options available.
500 SeaWorld Drive, Mission Bay
Michael Franti & Spearhead at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
August 16
For just over three decades, Bay Area alternative band Michael Franti & Spearhead have mixed hip hop, funk, and reggae to create a sound uniquely their own. See them perform old favorites and fresh hits from their most recent album Welcome to the Family at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, with New Orleans soul group Tank and the Bangas opening. Tickets start at $42 for Saturday’s concert at 7:15 p.m.
5500 Campanile Drive, Rolando
An Evening with Cynthia Erivo & the San Diego Symphony Orchestra at The Rady Shell
August 17
This Sunday (7:30 p.m.) at The Rady Shell, the legendary Cynthia Erivo will pair up with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra for a classical music–infused concert. Though single tickets for Sunday’s show are sold out, you can still purchase concert admission through the Broadway Stars package, which includes entry to Erivo’s performance and the Lea Salonga concert on Nov. 15 (starting at $114).
222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero
Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Weekend
Head Over Heels at Coronado Playhouse
Through August 31
Head Over Heels is a delightful mish-mash of vastly different eras, combining an ’80s new wave soundtrack by The Go-Go’s with a Middle Ages romance drawn from the 16th-century novel The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia. Set in the fantasy world of Arcadia, Head Over Heels tells the story of a royal family’s journey to save their beloved kingdom and ensure that they’ve still got “the beat.” There will be five performances this week, with shows Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $27 for Head Over Heels.
1835 Strand Way, Coronado
Shucked at the Civic Theatre
August 12–17
One of Broadway’s biggest successes of the decade has been the small-town tale of Shucked, a plucky musical comedy with an a-maizing sense of humor. In Shucked, the corn-obsessed citizens of Cob County desperately search for a cure when their favorite veggie starts unexpectedly dying off. But when a swindler tries to scam the town and a surprise wedding is scheduled, an unlikely couple must find if there’s any kernel of truth in their romance. Tickets start at $40 for Shucked, with eight performances this week at the Civic Theatre.
1100 Third Avenue, Gaslamp
Madama Butterfly at Star Theatre
August 16 & 17
See a ballet spin on the popular Italian opera Madama Butterfly. This dreamy adaptation from Cinballera Entertainment, sung in Italian with English translation, follows the story of a young Japanese girl wrapped up in a tragic and fleeting romance with an American naval officer. There will be performances of Madama Butterfly Saturday night (7 p.m.) and Sunday afternoon (3 p.m.) at Star Theatre. General admission is $37 for this production.
402 North Coast Highway, Oceanside
Las Hermanas Iglesias: wontloversrevoltnow at ICA North
August 16–December 27
Sisters Lisa and Janelle Iglesias bring their newest exhibition, wontloversrevoltnow, to the ICA North campus, exploring community care in a stressful time. The exhibition will open with a free reception this Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. during ICA’s monthly C You Saturday! event; RSVP here.
1550 South El Camino Real, Encinitas
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend
Clue: The Movie & Conversation with Lesley Ann Warren at Epstein Family Amphitheater
August 15
Was it Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with the knife? Professor Plum in the study with the wrench? Ms. Peacock in the dining room with the candlestick? Solve the murder mystery for yourself at Epstein Family Amphitheater’s 40th anniversary screening of Clue this Friday at 7:30 p.m. Before the movie begins, filmgoers can witness a conversation with Lesley Ann Warren—who played the role of Miss Scarlett—where she’ll divulge all the details from her experience on the film. Tickets range from $25 to $160 for this special screening.
9480 Innovation Lane, La Jolla
Toray MLP Playoffs, San Diego
August 15–17
For the first stage of its two-week playoffs, Major League Pickleball will make its San Diego debut this Friday through Sunday at Barnes Tennis Center. The league’s top ten Premier Level teams and all six Challenger Level squads will compete for spots in the MLP finals next weekend in NYC. Crowds can also watch a number of amateur matches featuring aspiring players. Single-day grounds, courtside, and VIP tickets (starting at $32) or three-day tournament passes (starting at $92) can be purchased here.
4490 West Point Loma Boulevard, La Jolla
World Bodysurfing Championships
August 16–17
Competitors will attempt to ride the Pacific Ocean sans surfboard in the 48th annual World Bodysurfing Championships at Oceanside Pier. This weekend, over 350 of the world’s best bodysurfers will enter the waters with just a pair of swim fins, continuing a wave-riding tradition that can be traced back to ancient Hawaii. The tournament will kick off with preliminary rounds on Saturday, with semifinals and finals slated for Sunday. Beach visitors can cheer on the athletes for free. Each day of the competition is projected to begin bright and early at 6:30 a.m.
301 The Strand North, Oceanside
America’s Finest City Half Marathon & 5K
August 17
See San Diego’s best sights—and earn some running bragging rights—in the America’s Finest City Half Marathon & 5K. Sunday’s 5K, beginning at 6:10 a.m., will start and finish in Balboa Park, while the half-marathon racers will kick off their 13.1 mile journey at 6:15 a.m. at Cabrillo National Monument and traverse through the bay, downtown, and more before crossing the finish line in Balboa Park. Participants will receive a finisher medal, shirt, reusable grocery bag, finish line food bag, and complimentary beer in the beer garden (for those who are 21 or older). Registration is $62 for the 5K and $168 for the half marathon, with the option of participating virtually as well.
Citywide
