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Features AUGUST 27, 2014

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

The new San Diego Central Library provides the perfect backdrop for fall's hottest looks.

This season, the coats and sweaters are chunky and oversized, metallics and shades of gray are still a major trend, and when it doubt, embellish—with beading and fur.

Photography by Josh Green | Styling by Kristi Brooks

Hair & Makeup: Melissa Rae & Co. | Model: Olivia Jordan, Industry Group L.A. | Edited by Kimberly Cunningham

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Oversized and Embellished

Parker beaded top, $319, Maje knit coat, $735, Alice + Olivia metallic skirt, $395, Diane Von Furstenberg handbag, $295, Bloomingdale’s Fashion Valley; Oscar de la Renta earrings, $390, Stuart Weitzman heels, $365, Neiman Marcus Fashion Valley

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Sixties Mod

Miu Miu coat, $2,130, Mongolia fur collar, $685, jacquard skirt, $640, all available at Miu Miu South Coast Plaza

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Fur-tastic

Max Mara dress, $835, and mink, $8,750, Max Mara South Coast Plaza; Gucci heels, $695, and Alexis Bittar necklace, $375, Neiman Marcus Fashion Valley

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Ultra-feminine Bold Prints

Ted Baker blouse, $170, skirt, $248, and clutch, $125, Ted Baker Fashion Valley; Alexis Bittar earrings, $125, Rebecca Minkoff booties, $275, Neiman Marcus Fashion Valley

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Gray is Still the New Black

Porsche Design knit turtleneck and pants, price upon request, Porsche Design South Coast Plaza; Dina Mackney earrings, $250, Neiman Marcus Fashion Valley

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Fit and Flare

RED Valentino dress, $695, and coat, $995, Alexis Bittar ring, $275, and earrings, $345, Pour la Victorie heels, $275, all available at Neiman Marcus Fashion Valley

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Going Green

Barbara Bui wool coat, $1,930, crêpe de chine blouse, $795, leather pants, $1,390, all available at

Barbara Bui South Coast Plaza; KBL Five to Get Ready frames, $240, available at Daas Optique by Alexander Daas, 431 J Street, Gaslamp

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

Fall Fashion: Dressed up in Downtown

JoshuaAllenGreen.com

Dressed for Success

Lanvin draped dress, $1,495, gold heels, $925, and ring, $795, available at Lanvin South Coast Plaza; raw diamond necklace, $3,200, DForsythe Jewels, 1136 Loma Avenue, Coronado

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Arts & Culture AUGUST 27, 2026

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: September 2026

Whether you’re ready to lean into fall or determined to keep summer going, here are all the best things to do this month

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: September 2026
Courtesy of Oceanside Museum of Art

September is San Diego’s unofficial second summer—the crowds thin, the weather stays warm, and the city’s calendar somehow gets even busier. This month brings stadium-sized rock shows, Broadway’s buzziest comedy, a new anime convention, world-premiere theater, gallery openings, food festivals, and the first signs of spooky season. Whether you’re ready to lean into fall or determined to keep summer going, here are the best things to do in San Diego this September.

Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do

Courtesy of Kehlani

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Month

9/2 

As Guns N’ Roses storm into decade five, their appetite for destruction persists. During their Snapdragon Stadium concert, hear the hard rock anthems, new material and a set from The Black Crowes.

9/23

Kehlani is proof that the romance and earnest sensuality of old-school R&B will never go out of style. Hear her take it back to the aughts at Viejas Arena.

Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Month

9/6-10/11

From the silver screen to The Old Globe stage, John Carney will Begin Again (again) with a world premiere musical adaptation featuring new songs—courtesy of Train—and a story overflowing with hope. 

9/12-10/17 

The concept of work is a guiding principle for San Diego native and multidisciplinary creative noé olivas. Observe his community-informed approach via Tierra y Cielo (Earth and Sky) at Best Practice Gallery. 

9/18-10/25 

Two workers grapple with the weight of their roles at a temporary migrant shelter in Mario Vega’s world premiere play Our Lady of the San Diego Convention Center, set for citywide performances. 

9/26-2/28/2027

Luminous visions of peace and the Punjabi-American roots of Rupinder Kaloti inform The Gathering, a wondrous unification of family foretold via paintings at Oceanside Museum of Art. 

9/29-10/4 

It’s Mary Todd Lincoln’s world and we’re just living in it. See the presidential paramour barrel to her way to stardom at the Civic Theatre during Oh, Mary!, Cole Escola’s political spoof. 

Courtesy of SeaWorld

More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month

9/5 & 9/6

Pros and Con(vention)s: Anime San Diego will debut at the San Diego Convention Center with cosplayers, panels and more than 400 vendors well-versed in Japanese animation.

9/11-10/31 

Scaredy cats beware: SeaWorld San Diego’s Howl-O-Scream embraces frights forged in darkness. Enjoy an ominous lineup of live shows, scare zones and bloody bars ahead of Halloween. 

9/12

The best parts of Artivál and the Alley Cat Art Walk have united for the free Alley Cat Art Fest, an all-day outing for live music and immersive artwork in Downtown El Cajon.

9/12 & 9/13 

Take a Grecian vacation for a fraction of the price during the annual Cardiff Greek Festival, two days of immersive cuisine and culture—with plenty of dancing—on the Encinitas coast.

9/13-9/20

Step away from the stove! The California Restaurant Association has eight days of eating experiences with your name on it. During San Diego Restaurant Week, explore by meal, neighborhood or cuisine for your personal dining plan. 

9/16 

Nourish yourself with an all-inclusive spread of Pacific Beach eats and locally-crafted artwork during the HeArt of PB Restaurant Walk on Garnet Avenue.

9/19 

When it comes to stand-up comedy, Chelsea Handler is always ready to roast. See Handler tell anecdotes and skewer an assemblage of victims during her Balboa Theatre performance. 

Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.

Arts & Culture AUGUST 26, 2026

Best Annual Events in San Diego, 2026

Boredom's not an option. These are a few of the top events in the city each year, including a rodeo, free summertime music festival, and a chili cook-off

Best Annual Events in San Diego, 2026
Photo Credit: Dave McKissick Photography

Ramona Rodeo

Meet some rodeo queens (or be crowned as one yourself) in R-Town’s annual celebration of the Wild West. Three days of mutton bustin’, tie-down roping, and barrel racing are all doing the community some good: Proceeds from the event funnel into local organizations like Ramona Town Hall and the Guy B. Woodward Museum. This month marks the 45th annual Ramona Rodeo, which takes place in the Fred Grand Arena and draws more than 12,000 attendees each year.

Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off

For nearly half a century, OB has hosted a chili cooking competition that has drawn thousands of hungry locals. (Buzz Cannabis presented this year’s event, so taste testers could have been under the influence of munchies-enhancing drugs.) Non-chili-related street fair festivities include beachfront live music, Fun Zone family-friendly play areas, and a Dirty Birds wing-eating contest.

Photo Credit: Cole Novak

Chicano Park Day

In 1970, Chicano Park was set to become a California Highway Patrol station. The problem: The city had promised a community park in that area. After decades of development fractured Barrio Logan and displaced thousands of families, Chicano locals were tapped out. So, for 12 days, locals occupied the area under the Coronado Bridge, blocking bulldozers and planting cacti. It worked. Construction stopped, and that area is now Chicano Park. Each year, locals celebrate the successful preservation of Chicano Park and the resilience of the Chicano Movement.

Fiesta del Sol

Solana Beach gathers at Fletcher Cove Park at the start of each summer for two days of live music ranging from country to pop to Chicano rock, plus an arts and crafts fair, an international food court, a beer and wine garden, and the Solana Beach Firefighters Association’s pancake breakfast. The event is free, but if you want an elevated experience, grab Seaside Pavilion ($75) or VIP Deck ($160) tickets for reserved seating, private cash bars, exclusive restrooms, and discounted swag.

Courtesy of North Park Music Fest

North Park Music Fest

The entire North Park neighborhood hosts an annual music festival, meaning a dozen venues—from Queen Bee’s to Bacari to North Park Community Park—become live music spaces each June. Some locations are open to the public, but if you’d prefer lounge access at Granada House and line-skipping privileges, check out the $65 VIP passes. General admission otherwise starts at $25.

Lemon Festival

It’s weird if you don’t wear a lemon-themed outfit at Chula Vista’s annual Lemon Festival. For one day each August, Third Avenue pays tribute to the city’s former “Lemon Capital of the World” status with live music, citrus-themed photo ops, arts and crafts vendors, a lemon cook-off competition, and plenty of other food that doesn’t include the famed hesperidium. But who would want that at Lemon Fest?

Music AUGUST 25, 2026

16 Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend: August 27-30

See four new Latinx musicals, experience Cabrillo Under the Stars, and saunter through the LeucadiART Walk

16 Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend: August 27-30
Courtesy of The Latinx Theatre Commons

We’re officially in the heat wave portion of the summer, meaning evening outings, museum trips, and time spent along the coast will all come in handy this week. Free outdoor activities throughout SD include the 20th annual LeucadiART Walk as well as the first-ever Little Saigon Night Market. Admirers of live music and musical theater can check out concerts at The Conrad, The Rady Shell, Petco Park, and more, along with the Carnaval of New Latinx Musicals. Plus, soccer fans can see games featuring the San Diego Wave and San Diego FC.

JUMP TO: Food & Drink | Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do

Courtesy of Cabrillo Under the Stars

Food & Drink Events in San Diego This Weekend

Little Saigon Night Market

August 29

This Saturday from 5-10 p.m. at Pop-Up Winona, Nhu Y Restaurant and the El Cajon Boulevard BIA invite all to enjoy live music, indulge in cold drinks and sizzling hot entrees, and kick off the inaugural Little Saigon Night Market. During this free event, attendees can purchase a range of Vietnamese culinary specialties, such as iced Vietnamese coffee, sugarcane juice, and shrimp, beef, pork, and squid straight off the fire.

4951 El Cajon Boulevard, City Heights

Cabrillo Under the Stars

August 29

Head to the southernmost edge of Point Loma and wear your best ‘60s/’70s attire during Cabrillo Under the Stars. This year marks seven decades since the Cabrillo National Monument Foundation’s advocacy began, with this 21-plus fundraiser serving as its annual cornerstone event. This Saturday from 6:30-9 p.m., guests can contribute to Cabrillo’s ongoing landmark legacy, enjoy live music from That Beatles Cover Band, and sample food, beer, wine, and mocktail tastings from 15 local purveyors. Ticket options include general admission ($170) and premium seating ($500), which comes with exclusive seating and complimentary goodies.

1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive, Point Loma

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend

SummerFest Closing Weekend

August 27-29

The La Jolla Music Society’s 40th annual SummerFest will conclude with a piano tribute, famed composer selections and a trio-filled finale. This Thursday (7 p.m.), pianist Brad Mehldau and a talented ensemble will perform his Ride into the Sun album, paying homage to folk legend Elliott Smith; tickets start at $65. Then, on Friday (7 p.m.), musicians will engage with works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Vaughan Williams and more during Conversation Across Centuries; tickets range from $40-$99. Finally, SummerFest will take one last bow on Saturday (7 p.m.) with Finale: Rule of Three, a nod to the power of musical trios; tickets range from $90-$125.

Balboa Theatre: 868 Fourth Avenue, Gaslamp | The Conrad: 7600 Fay Avenue, La Jolla

San Diego Symphony Orchestra Concerts at The Rady Shell

August 28 & 30

This weekend, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra will anchor a pair of visually and audibly stimulating performances at The Rady Shell. On Friday (7:30 p.m.), audiences can watch Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl with a live rendition of Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer’s adventurous score, including its ultra-triumphant theme; tickets range from $57-$124 for this performance. The orchestra will finish off the weekend with a firework-laden tribute to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, featuring pianist Joyce Yang, on Sunday (7:30 p.m.); tickets range from $45-$129 for the annual Tchaikovsky Spectacular.

222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero

Muse at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

August 29

For British alternative rock trio Muse, outer space has been a longtime area of fascination, most notably on their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations. But their newest project, June’s The Wow! Signal, was not just an excuse to sing about aliens, galaxies, and futurist anxieties, it was also a form of “catharsis” for lead singer/guitarist Matt Bellamy, who wrote the album in the aftermath of his divorce. This Saturday (7 p.m.), Muse will headline an evening of alternative rock at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, with Portugal. The Man and The Temper Trap as opening acts. Tickets start at $70 for this concert.

2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista

My Chemical Romance at Petco Park

August 30

On their legendary 2006 album The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance found jubilant irony in painful death. Twenty years on, they’ve reimagined the album’s concept, with its bleak pop-punk sound now accompanying a defiant story set under the fictional authoritarian regime of Draag. The whole atmosphere is completed with costumes, lyrical alterations, a detailed narrative, and seismic performances of the full album, along with an assortment of other hits. This Sunday (7 p.m.), the band’s Long Live the Black Parade tour will head to Petco Park with kawaii metal trio Babymetal as special guests. Tickets start at $74 for this concert.

100 Park Boulevard, Downtown

Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.

Studio S AUGUST 10, 2026

The Secret to a Home That Feels Just Right

Behind every beautiful space is a thoughtful process, and ASID San Diego is helping homeowners understand the value of professional design.

The Secret to a Home That Feels Just Right
Courtesy of ASID

A perfectly designed home rarely happens by accident. Those kitchens that feel effortless and rooms that seem to tell a story the second you walk in? They’re usually the work of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.

It’s knowing which ideas will actually work, which materials will hold up over time, and how to turn a collection of choices into a space that feels intentional. That’s where a professional interior designer comes in.

For the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) California San Diego Chapter, the goal is to help people see interior design as more than just the finished look. Behind every well-designed space is a process built on technical expertise. Designers are educated in everything from professional software and construction details to building codes, space planning, materials, and functionality.

Courtesy of ASID

“People don’t always realize how much goes on behind the scenes,” Kirsten Recce , current president of the ASID California San Diego Chapter, says. “Our designers are not just doing furniture placement and color selection and picking out new fluffy pillows. That’s not what they’re trained for.”

ASID members bring formal education, continued learning, and industry knowledge to their projects, helping create spaces that are not only beautiful, but designed to work. A paint color that changes completely depending on the lighting. A material that looks beautiful in a showroom but doesn’t make sense for everyday life. A layout that photographs well but doesn’t function for the people living there. These are the details where professional guidance can make all the difference.

Still, one of the biggest misconceptions about hiring an interior designer is that it’s reserved for massive renovations, luxury homes, or people who already know exactly what they want. The process can feel intimidating. Where do you begin? Is a designer worth the investment? What if you only need help with one room?

ASID’s answer: start with one hour.

ASID’s Spruce Up events break down one of the biggest barriers between homeowners and professional design: knowing where to begin. Held twice a year, the community program gives homeowners the chance to work directly with an ASID designer through a one-hour, $125 consultation in their own home. Whether you’re looking for advice on furniture placement, window treatments, kitchen and bath updates, remodeling ideas, vacation rentals, color selections or something else entirely, the upcoming September 2026 event offers an approachable way to get expert guidance before committing to a full project. Signups are open through Sept. 7, with consultations taking place Sept. 21 through Oct. 31. Proceeds benefit ASID San Diego’s educational and community programs. Register here!

Courtesy of ASID

“It’s a great opportunity for people who are in that exploratory phase,” Recce says. “Maybe they’re not sure they want to hire an interior designer yet, or they think it sounds daunting or expensive. This gives them a chance to discover what working with a designer is actually like.”

Design is personal. A good designer isn’t just creating a beautiful room; they’re helping create a space that fits the way someone lives.

“We’re a resource to all of San Diego County,” Recce says. “It doesn’t cost anything to pick up the phone and call and ask. We’ll answer.”

Follow ASID San Diego on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook for updates on upcoming events, or connect with the chapter directly at [email protected] or 619-548-8847.

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Charitable SD AUGUST 19, 2026

13 Charitable Events to Attend in September 

Here’s where to celebrate, connect, give back, and make a difference this month

13 Charitable Events to Attend in September 
Courtesy of Girl Scouts of San Diego | Photo Credit: Sam Hodgson / Uptown 11 Studios

September 4: Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter Day of Service

Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter will honor the legacy of the late Jimmy Buffet with a fundraiser for the San Diego Music Foundation. Its Day of Service at its rooftop bar will feature a performance by The Buffett Band, a travel and experience themed silent auction, and interactive entertainment. 

September 5: McAlister Institute Walk for Sobriety

Hundreds of San Diegans will gather at NTC Park at Liberty Station for the McAlister Institute’s 14th Annual Walk for Sobriety. In addition to the walk, the event will include a resource fair with more than 35 nonprofits, healthcare providers, and community organizations that are part of a network of support for those in recovery. 

September 14: Promises2Kids Dream On Concert Gala 

Foreigner will take the stage to benefit Promises2Kids at its Dream On Concert Gala at a private home in La Jolla. Proceeds from the exclusive event will help Promises2Kids create a brighter future for local foster kids. 

September 17: Lucky Duck Foundation 2026 Showcase Soirée

The Lucky Duck Foundation will host its annual Showcase Soirée at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa. Proceeds from the event will support the nonprofit’s mission to prevent and alleviate the suffering of homelessness throughout San Diego County. 

September 17: Emilio Nares Foundation Harvest for Hope

Show your support for families of local children with life-threatening diseases at the Emilio Nares Foundation’s Harvest for Hope at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar. Funds raised will benefit programs like Ride With Emilio, which provides no-cost transportation for families seeking medical treatment, and Healing Through Nature activities for kids in recent cancer remission. 

September 18: Girl Scouts San Diego Urban Campout 2026

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Girl Scouts San Diego’s Camp Winacka, the organization will host a nostalgic evening under the stars. This year’s Urban Campout: Ignite the Possibilities at Girl Scouts San Diego’s Balboa Campus will feature camp-inspired cuisine, cocktails, and activities. 

September 19: Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego’s An Evening of Changing Lives

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego will celebrate its impact on local youth at its 13th annual An Evening of Changing Lives. Proceeds from the gala at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina support programs that promote academic success, character development, and healthy lifestyles.

September 19: Youth Tennis San Diego Annual Gala 

Youth Tennis San Diego will honor the sport’s American icons at its annual gala at the Barnes Tennis Center. An Evening Celebrating Tennis Heritage & Legends will help the nonprofit make tennis accessible to all youth in San Diego, regardless of background or skill level. 

September 19: Serving Seniors Sunshine Gala 

Serving Seniors will produce a Jukebox Broadway-style show for its highly anticipated Sunshine Gala. The evening at the Hilton San Diego/Del Mar will support Serving Seniors’ compassionate and life-changing services for seniors in need throughout San Diego. 

September 25: Swing Fore Our Heroes Charity Golf Tournament

Support the Enlisted Project (STEP) will host an 18-hole golf tournament on the South Course at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa to raise money for its financial wellness program. Proceeds from STEP’s Swing Fore Our Heroes Charity Golf Tournament will help connect military families and veterans in need with financial social workers, emergency relief, and other tools.

September 26: Doors of Change 2026 Concert of Hope

Tom Petty Tribute Band, PettyBreakers, will take the stage at the Doors of Change 2026 Concert of Hope at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. This year, the nonprofit will celebrate its 25th year of transforming the lives of unhoused youth. 

September 26: Boys to Men Mentoring 100 Wave Challenge

Boys to Men Mentoring will celebrate 30 years of service this year at its annual 100 Wave Challenge. The annual surf-a-thon event welcomes hundreds of surfers who attempt to catch 100 waves in one day and raise $1,000 or more to support Boys to Men Mentoring.

September 26: The Party in the Park

The San Diego Automotive Museum will host The Party in the Park to raise money for the museum and programs that equip youth for careers in the automotive industry. The Roaring 20s-themed event at the Balboa Park institution will feature live jazz and an exhibit of 1920s automobiles. 

Sarah Sapeda

About Sarah Sapeda

Sarah Sapeda is San Diego Magazine’s Custom Content Editor. In her 15 years in San Diego journalism, she has covered charitable events, health care, education, crime, current events, and more.

Everything SD AUGUST 10, 2026

San Diego’s Zine Scene Has No Rules

No gatekeepers, no creative rules, no perfect definition—the city’s DIY publishing scene makes room for anyone with something to say.

San Diego’s Zine Scene Has No Rules
Courtesy of Duophobia

If magazines are like the adultier eldest daughters who know exactly how much anarchy they can get away with, zines are the far less predictable younger siblings going on whim and instinct. Those who draw on the walls around the house, DIY their own piercings, and experiment with different emo/straight-edge/back to emo phases (or not-phases). Boundaries and routines are what zines were created to rail against.

Walk into Verbatim Books’ zine corner, and this rebellion is immediately clear. Zines have no singular form, no clean category or definition. Vintage magazine scraps are collaged into new meaning alongside mini fandom zines. Single sheets of plain white printer paper are covered in nothing but black ballpoint pen. Repurposed hardback book covers are folded into something entirely new. Some are duct-taped together, others stapled. Some glossy, others matte. There are guides to anything and everything, comic panels, photography, hand-drawn cartoons, poetry, recipes, diaries, and ramblings that only make sense to the person who made them—and that’s on purpose.

Zines are creative magic. And with no rules, they’re incredibly accessible. Anyone can zine and have a voice, regardless of artistic training or work life experience.

You are your own Anna Wintour, Graydon Carter, Ruth Whitney.

San Diego–based zine creator Lyssette Williams specializes in mini zines—often limited to eight pages, they’re meditations in abbreviation. Outlining, thumbnailing, and revision all move quickly from idea to page. Larger projects, including Williams’ long-form graphic novel thesis, move at a slower pace. For those, she often returns to pen and ink, a choice that resists the over-editability of digital work.

Raised by a single mother and navigating mixed-race identity in a predominantly white town, she finds a home for processing it all in zines. Her work deals in identity, belonging, self-definition, and punk-rock childhood. But it isn’t always heavy; Williams creates a mini duck-themed zine called Backyard Duck Propaganda that’s hard not to love. “When I create, I think about what would have helped me find the words back then, what my younger self would’ve needed,” Williams says. “[Zines] put the tools in your hands and democratize art. They’re translations of memories and identities.”

Courtesy of Lyssette Williams

For Williams, a big reason she keeps creating is being surrounded by other creatives—a scene that extends across the border. She points to Verbatim and Comicbook Artists of San Diego, plus events like Zine Fest (October 17–18 this year at Woo in Barrio Logan) and Black Comix Day at the WorldBeat Cultural Center.

Zines have always been a road for subcultures. During the Harlem Renaissance, Black creatives like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston self-published one issue of Fire!!, which inspired other Black authors. In the 1930s, zines (then called fanzines) were hubs for sci-fi nerds to write fanfiction, address the fandom, and create new characters. Superman actually made his public debut in a fanzine called Science Fiction (he was originally cast as a villain with a fully receded hairline). A couple decades later, zines about feminism and riot grrrl became subculture de rigueur.

The internet nearly killed zines, of course. But now, people tired of the algorithm’s firehose are finding comfort and renewed inspiration in analog. Zines, a salve for digital fatigue.

Courtesy of Duophobia

A giant figure in San Diego zine culture is Burn All Books. Founded by Amanda and Nick Bernal, BAB started as a risograph (digital screen printing) studio and turned into one of those places that keeps expanding the whole scene around it, even forming its own archive group, SCANNNERS. Since opening in January 2023, it has published over 35 works and collaborated with more than 100 artists, writers, and zinesters.

For Duophobia, the pseudonym for local twin sisters Alora and Kiani Dotson (affectionately known as the “possum twins”), zines make room for experimentation and play that doesn’t fit anywhere else. Room for eclectic cartoons and dirty jokes. For sticker-covered sketchbooks.

It’s that same brand of nostalgia you might feel when, say, you walk past the carcass of an abandoned mall and see a faded cartoon mural. Their work lives somewhere between childhood and adulthood, where being unserious is taken very, very seriously.

“We’re born and raised in San Diego, and the community of artists here is a main reason we started publishing,” Kiani Dotson says. “There are people here like Trixxie Land who run open art gatherings. Show up, and you’re part of it.”

Land, a zinester herself (she made 250 single-page zines during 2020’s lockdown), is all about storytelling over hierarchy. Art shouldn’t be about gatekeeping or intimidation, she says. So she holds open-invite arts shows at Subterranean Coffee.

Courtesy of Lyssette Williams

Duophobia regularly share their work at local galleries like Subterranean, filling that lowbrow space with pieces that answer: “What would’ve made us laugh as kids?” Children are often the first to pick up their zines, unfolding them in every direction while parents briefly panic at the impulsive destruction. The twins always step in. “No, no, it’s okay,” they say, before showing how one sheet of paper folds into an entire little book. “It’s like magic.” More often than not, the kids leave with a tiny zine tucked under a tiny arm, future San Diego zinesters in the making.

When asked what a zine really is, Alora Dotson’s response was simple: “It’s anything. Literally anything. The more genuine you are, the more people are going to hear what you have to say. Your voice matters, even if it’s just a silly joke or story. People want to hear about it.”

Not a perfect definition? Exactly. Zines inherently resist categories. Want to turn a single playing card into a storybook? Do it. What about your favorite graffiti artist’s signature tag at Prince Memorial Skatepark? Turn it into a zine.

Everything’s a zine.

Isabella Dallas is a freelance writer for San Diego Magazine and the Arts and Culture Editor at The Daily Aztec in her final year at San Diego State University. She previously worked as an editorial intern for SDM, but when she’s not writing, you can find her trying the best coffee spots in SD, devouring the latest rom-coms, and indulging in anything and everything pop culture.

Partner Content AUGUST 21, 2026

This Scripps Clinic Physician is Serving Up Care

Laika Nur, MD, takes her love of volleyball from the court to the clinic as team physician for the San Diego Mojo

This Scripps Clinic Physician is Serving Up Care
Courtesy of Scripps Health

Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff  for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice. 

For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.

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