January 1:
The Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert brings waltzes, operettas, and orchestral music to Copley Symphony Hall.
Start the new year off with feel-good tunes from Michael Franti & Spearhead on their Stay Human Tour at Belly Up.
January 9:
Comedic play Moon Over Buffalo by Ken Ludwig promises an evening of pure mayhem at North Coast Repertory Theatre (through 2/3).
January 10:
Hear from 50 emerging artists during the three-day Springboard West Music Festival in Ocean Beach.
Springboard West Music Festival
Discover the jazz and African music of Harlem as singer Somi takes the stage at UC San Diego’s The Loft.
January 11:
Get your laugh on at Balboa Theatre with stand-up comedian Tom Segura, known for his Netflix specials Completely Normal and Mostly Stories (also 1/12).
Fans won’t be able to “fight this feeling anymore” as REO Speedwagon performs power ballads at Harrah’s Resort Southern California.
“Murderinos” unite for a live recording of cult favorite true crime podcast My Favorite Murder at Civic Theatre.
January 12:
Sample 150 craft beers from 70 breweries during San Diego Brew Festival in Liberty Station, with food trucks and music.
California Center for the Arts, Escondido shares harrowing pictures from a Japanese American internment camp in its new exhibit Manzanar: The Wartime Photographs of Ansel Adams (through 3/10).
January 15:
Tony Award winner Betty Buckley stars as the meddling matchmaker in hit Broadway musical comedy Hello, Dolly! at the Civic Theatre (through 1/20).
January 16:
Best-selling author David Sedaris signs books and puts on a humorous show at Balboa Theatre.
The true story of musical duo Marie and Rosetta plays out at Cygnet Theatre with high-voltage guitar and gospel (through 2/16).
January 17:
Head Downtown at Sundown for the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s after-hours party, featuring the San Diego Symphony and a vocal ensemble for an interactive gallery experience.
Downtown at Sundown
January 18:
Winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, comedienne Iliza Shlesinger stops at Balboa Theatre on her Elder Millennial Tour.
January 19:
Israeli American virtuoso Itzhak Perlman performs classical violin at California Center for the Arts, Escondido.
Comedian and Emmy Award winner Louie Anderson brings the laughs to Balboa Theatre.
Activists unite for Women’s March San Diego along the Pacific Coast Highway downtown.
Explore new vacation possibilities during the weekend-long Travel & Adventure Show at the San Diego Convention Center.
January 20:
Moxie Theatre stages a world premiere of Herland, about one woman’s utopian plan to avoid moving into a retirement home (through 2/17).
Score eight days’ worth of dining deals for San Diego Restaurant Week, featuring over 180 participating eateries.
San Diego Restaurant Week
January 21:
Join the multicultural Martin Luther King Day Celebration with music and dance at WorldBeat Center.
January 22:
Kris Kristofferson & The Strangers deliver a country concert at Balboa Theatre, with hits like “Me and Bobby McGee.”
January 23:
The five-day San Diego Black Film Festival spotlights African American and African diaspora cinema at venues around town.
January 24:
Hit the turf to witness the pros at Torrey Pines Golf Course during the four-day Farmers Insurance Open.
Aubergine at Lyceum Theatre explores a Korean family’s belief in the healing power of food (through 2/17).
Bring the wee ones for Disney on Ice: Dare to Dream and see the worlds of Frozen, Moana, Tangled, and more collide at Valley View Casino Center (through 1/27).
January 26:
Stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, and surf skis overtake Mission Bay as the Hanohano Huki Ocean Challenge commences for its 24th annual—and longest-running— paddlesport race.
Hanohano Huki Ocean Challenge
Wedding traditions bring cultural differences to light in Familiar, a new play at The Old Globe (through 3/3).
You’ll smell “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” during An Evening with Travis Tritt as the crooner sings a solo acoustic set at Balboa Theatre.
January 27:
Chamber music ensemble Calidore String Quartet performs intimate classics at California Center for the Arts, Escondido.
January 30:
Beijing Dance Theater presents contemporary choreography rooted in Chinese traditions at Mandeville Auditorium.
January 31:
Diversionary Theatre’s The Hour of Great Mercy follows a gay Jesuit priest’s departure from the church to make amends with his estranged brother (through 3/3).
Hello, Dolly!