No matter your niche, hobby or utmost passion, there are many worthwhile events to check out this weekend. Those opting for time inside can explore local cinema, such as a Say Anything screening and Q&A with John Cusack or the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival. Art and history will collide in Balboa Park for the Timken Museum’s Renaissance-focused Art in the Evening lecture, along with the premiere of three exhibitions at the San Diego Museum of Art to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Plus, save room for Visit Oceanside’s second annual Swell Plates Series and the return of San Diego Restaurant Week.
Food & Drink | Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do
Food & Drink Events in San Diego This Weekend
Swell Plates Series
Through February 11
Sample the best of Oceanside cuisine through the 2nd annual Swell Plates Series, with 17 participating eateries offering limited-time menu items including Dija Mara’s seasonal persimmon dessert, The Plot’s banana peel torta, the espresso martini with smoked sea salt at Frankie’s, and Wrench & Rodent’s weekly catch. This year’s series will also feature weekend food tours, which come with four Swell Plates and the chance to converse with participating chefs. Tour reservations are $99 per person. Plus, most locations will also allow diners to round up or donate $1 per Swell Plate to local environmental nonprofit Wildcoast.
Oceanside
San Diego Restaurant Week
January 25 – February 1
Take your taste buds on a trip around San Diego County, with over 100 participating restaurants offering seasonal dishes, limited-edition drinks or multi-course menus as part of San Diego Restaurant Week. Beginning this Sunday, patrons are invited to peruse a wide range of culinary deals across this eight-day event. Search by neighborhood, price or cuisine, browse at random, or see what your local faves have in store, then dine to your heart’s desire. As always, reservations are highly encouraged to ensure a seat at the table of your choosing.
Citywide
Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend
Goddess Groove: A Night of Music, Art & Feminine Power at Quartyard
January 23
Vibe to the dreamy tunes of Nubella Honey and Swooon during Goddess Groove: A Night of Music, Art & Feminine Power this Friday from 6-9 p.m. at Quartyard. Nubella Honey, a North Carolina native, has a warm and inviting voice that glides through rock, funk and the blues, with her full-length debut, Sagittarius, a wonderful showcase of her abilities. Meanwhile, the music of Swooon, a melodious trio consisting of musicians Helena Holleran, Divina Jasso and Jasmine Bailey, blends its members’ voices to create a harmoniously lush sound. Tickets are $19.
1301 Market Street, East Village
The Silo Room One-Year Anniversary
January 24
Since January 2025, local music fans have entered through the alley of Bread & Salt and into The Silo Room once a month for secret concerts. After a year full of experimental shows, the Logan Heights venue will embark on Trip 13 this Saturday at 7 p.m., a one-year anniversary celebration and retrospective highlighting a few previously featured artists. Expect a DJ set from Preston Swirnoff, as well as performances from ethereal electronic artist Irwin and Floodflower, who headlined The Silo Room’s inaugural show. Tickets are $23.
1955 Julian Avenue, Logan Heights
Camarada: Creativity & Madness at The Conrad
January 24
Chamber music ensemble Camarada continues its 2025-26 residency season at The Conrad with Creativity & Madness this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. This concert will feature a harmonious array of instruments, with musicians playing the marimba, flute, cajón, piano, guitar and more whilst performing famous Baroque pieces. These enduring works will be paired with narration from Robert John Hughes and three contemporary selections, including composer Jordan Kuspa’s biodiversity-inspired Breath of the Ocean. Tickets range from $28 to $98.
7600 Fay Avenue, La Jolla
San Diego International Jewish Film Festival
January 24 – February 4
See global cinematic perspectives throughout the 36th annual San Diego International Jewish Film Festival at Lawrence Family JCC. The festivities will include dozens of feature film screenings, plus short film programs, guest speakers and community engagement events, including receptions and a Holocaust Remembrance Day reading. This Saturday, the festival will kick off with The Joyce Short Film Series Program 1 (free) at 4 p.m. and the opening night film Once Upon My Mother ($22) at 7 p.m. Explore the screening schedule at David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre for individual tickets (some are complimentary, and most are $22 per person).
4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla
Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Weekend
Dead Moose at Sunshine Brooks Theater
January 23 – February 1
Saturday marks the opening of Dead Moose, a new musical written and directed by San Diego’s Tyler Tafolla. This production has been in the works since 2018, and will have its world premiere as part of the Oceanside Theatre Company’s 2026 season at Sunshine Brooks Theater. In this dark comedy, 18-year-old Job confronts his complicated feelings on mortality as he recovers from a gruesome car crash with a moose. Tickets are $43 for Saturday’s opening night (8 p.m.) and $33 for Sunday’s afternoon performance (3 p.m.) and all successive shows.
217 North Coast Highway, Oceanside
Donna Orbits the Moon at Scripps Ranch Theatre
January 23 – February 15
Ian August’s one-woman show Donna Orbits the Moon is an astronomical blend of the ordinary and extraordinary. In this production at Scripps Ranch Theatre—starring Susan Clauson and directed by Kandace Crystal—mother, wife and bake sale extraordinaire Donna looks above for a solution to her unresolved trauma, and finds an unexpected ally along the way. Tickets range from $27 to $38 for Friday’s preview performance (7:30 p.m.), and $30 to $52 for Saturday’s opening night (7:30 p.m.) as well as Sunday’s matinee (2 p.m.) and all successive shows.
9783 Avenue of Nations, Scripps Ranch
The Apiary at New Village Arts
January 23 – February 22
While some may see bees as mere pests, they are incredibly essential to life as we know it. Many have sounded the alarm about the consequential loss of honey bees, but Kate Douglas’ The Apiary takes this concept to the next level. Set 20 years in the future, four women at a synthetic laboratory work to save the species’ sparse population and are forced to reckon with how far they will go to save the bees. The Apiary will officially open next Saturday, Jan. 31 (7:30 p.m.) at New Village Arts following five preview performances, including three this week: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $35 for previews of The Apiary.
2787 State Street, Carlsbad
Centennial Exhibitions at San Diego Museum of Art
Opening January 24
The San Diego Museum of Art kicks off its 100th anniversary celebrations this Saturday with a trio of new exhibitions that dive into the past, present and future of the artistic institution. First, SDMA 100 Years (through Feb. 7, 2027) traces significant moments in SDMA’s history, from the museum’s origins as the Fine Arts Gallery to what still lies ahead. Then, there is Local Visions: Reimagining the Façade(through July 26), which features 10 San Diego artists assigned with reimagining the museum’s exterior with a modern eye. Plus, over at the Museum of Photographic Arts, Museum Suite: A Collection Performed in Nine Movements (through July 12) combines the talents of photographer Douglas McMinimy and several dancers to create visual performance art.
SDMA: 1450 El Prado Balboa Park, | MOPA@SDMA: 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park
Border Ecologies: Between Water and Land at The Front Gallery
January 24-31
The conservational focus of The Front Gallery’s newest exhibition is the evolving terrain of the U.S. Mexico border, told via drawings, designs, landscape archives and student perspectives. Presented by University of San Diego’s Border Design Lab and Promotora de las Bellas Artes, Border Ecologies: Between Water and Land guides viewers through the environmental layout of the border region and community-focused ideas for the future. Border Ecologies will have an opening reception this Saturday from 4-6 p.m. and remain on display for one week.
147 West San Ysidro Boulevard, San Ysidro
Art in the Evening: Sofonisba Anguissola, Portraiture, and the Art of the Gesture at Timken Museum of Art
January 25
Learn about the integral women painters of Renaissance expression through Art in the Evening: Sofonisba Anguissola, Portraiture, and the Art of the Gesture at Timken Museum of Art. This Saturday from 4:30-6:30 p.m., attendees can enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres, an informative lecture from UCLA art history professor Bronwen Wilson, a post-lecture Q&A and the chance to explore the exhibition Poetic Portraits: Identity and Allegory in 16th-Century Europe after hours. Admission is $50 for Timken members and $65 for non-members.
1500 El Prado, Balboa Park
Spamilton: An American Parody at Balboa Theatre
January 25
Musical theater nerds and newbies are invited to poke fun at the genre during Spamilton: An American Parody this Sunday at 7 p.m. at Balboa Theatre. This production is the brainchild of Gerard Allessandrini, creator of the Forbidden Broadway parody revue, and performed with a cast of eight actors. Though Spamilton does set its sights on Lin Manuel-Miranda’s massive hit, it’s a send-up of musical theater as a whole that lampoons popular songs, modern productions and Broadway’s biggest stars, all with a vast appreciation for the art form. Tickets start at $50.
868 Fourth Avenue, Gaslamp
More Fun Things To Do
For Your Consideration series at Digital Gym Cinema
January 20-25
Start studying for this year’s Academy Awards by screening a whole slew of Oscar contenders at Digital Gym Cinema, courtesy of the theater’s For Your Consideration series. This week’s selections include the Brazilian political thriller The Secret Agent (Tuesday & Wednesday), the Shakespearean tragedy Hamnet (Friday & Saturday) and the docudrama The Voice of Hind Rajab (Friday-Sunday). As the Oscars draw closer, local cinephiles will also be able to catch screenings of the ping pong drama Marty Supreme, the Korean black comedy No Other Choice and the Mary Brownstein dramedy If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Screening tickets are $13 for adults.
1100 Market Street, East Village
Matthew Quirk Book Signing at Warwick’s
January 21
On Wednesday night, local author Matthew Quirk will be at Warwick’s in La Jolla to discuss his new book The Method. The New York Times bestselling author is known for Inside Threat, Red Warning, Hour of the Assassin, Dead Man Switch, Cold Barrel Zero, The Directive, and The 500. And most notably, The Night Agent, which was adapted for television for Netflix and released in March 2023. Quirk will speak about his latest thriller and will conclude with a book signing. Reserved seating tickets can be purchased for $32.
Men’s Volleyball: UC San Diego Tritons vs. UCLA Bruins at LionTree Arena
January 23
Southern California is a hotbed for men’s collegiate volleyball, with eight teams in the region ranked among the sport’s top 20. This esteemed list includes local powerhouse UC San Diego, who now sit 11th in the country after suffering consecutive road losses against the #8 BYU Cougars. Fortunately, the Tritons have a chance to rebound from their deflating Utah road trip and make a big statement this Friday (7 p.m.) at LionTree Arena when they host the nation’s top team, the undefeated UCLA Bruins. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for youth/seniors/military.
9730 Hopkins Drive, La Jolla
John Cusack’s “Say Anything” at The Magnolia
January 23
Actor John Cusack has played many beloved characters over the years, but few are as iconic as his turn as the boombox-lifting Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything, Cameron Crowe’s 1989 directorial debut. Recently, Cusack has been traveling the country to revisit of his most memorable films, and This Friday at 7 p.m., Cusack will host a special screening of Say Anything at The Magnolia, followed by a Q&A where he’ll reflect on his career and the film’s legacy. Tickets start at $53 for this event.
PARTNER CONTENT
210 East Main Street, El Cajon
