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16 Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend: April 1-5

Shop the Makers Arcade Spring Fair, see a new production of Fences and sample local brews at the North Park Festival of Beers
Courtesy of ARLO

Hop all over San Diego this weekend for sports, live music and egg-stravagant Easter events. San Diegans can cheer on both the Gulls and the Mojo as they make their respective playoff pushes. Local concerts include the improvisational Reggie Watts at the Epstein Family Amphitheater and a tribute performance of the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out at Jacobs Music Center. And when Easter Sunday comes around, families can celebrate the holiday by exploring the Makers Arcade Spring Fair or dining at Arlo’s Easter Golden Egg Buffet Brunch. 

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

Food & Drink Events in San Diego This Weekend

Chef’s Dinner: The Study of Peas + Fava at The Kitchen at MCASD

April 2

For its first Chef’s Dinner of 2026, The Kitchen at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego is looking to the legume family for its star ingredients. The four-course prix fixe menu will include optional wine pairings and a welcome bite, plus dishes like olive oil poached halibut with pea and artichoke barigoule, as well as angel food cake with sweet pea mint ice cream, and white chocolate and lemon verbena curd for dessert. Indoor and outdoor seatings for The Study of Peas + Fava dinner are available this Thursday from 5-8 p.m. Reservations are $95 per person online.

700 Prospect Street, La Jolla 

North Park Festival of Beers

April 4

Sip from a selection of over 80 locally crafted brews while taking in live musical performances during the 16th annual North Park Festival of Beers. This Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., hang out in front of the LaFayette Hotel and enjoy food vendors, sets from Louis XIV and The Film Company, and unlimited two ounce beer tasters. Ticket options include $56 for general admission (entry at 1 p.m.), $41 for designated driver entry and $72 for VIP passes, which come with special beer sampling from noon to 1 p.m. As always, a portion of event proceeds will go toward the San Diego Music Foundation’s Taylor Guitars in Schools program.

2223 El Cajon Boulevard, North Park

Easter Golden Egg Buffet Brunch at Arlo 

April 5

Dine out with the whole family this Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Arlo’s Easter Golden Egg Buffet Brunch. The holiday spread will include a seafood station, themed cocktails and sweet and savory breakfast classics, as well as a live DJ, pop-up jewelry shopping from Kendra Scott and an appearance from the Easter Bunny. Reservations (not including tax and gratuity) are $99 per adult—and include a complimentary glass of sparkling wine—$40 for kids ages 5-12 and free for kids ages 4 and under. Families are also welcome to bring baskets so their young ones can take part in one of Town and Country’s easter egg hunts on Martini Lawn. 

500 Hotel Circle North, Mission Valley

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend

Calum Scott at The Observatory North Park

April 1

April 2026 marks 11 years since Calum Scott’s solemn cover of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” that took him from the stage of Britain’s Got Talent to viral chart success worldwide. Since then, he’s released three albums, the most recent being the nostalgic Avenoir, released last October. Now on the West Coast leg of his international tour, Scott is stopping by The Observatory North Park this Wednesday (7 p.m.) with indie pop artist Ber, whose debut album Good, Like It Should Be drops this Friday. Tickets range from $50 to $87 for this concert.  

2891 University Avenue, North Park 

Acoustic Evenings Series at The Athenaeum

Fridays from April 3-24

Every Friday night in April (7:30 p.m.), the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library will present an unplugged concert as part of its Acoustic Evenings series. Up first this Friday is independent rapper and former MacGregor frontman Wax. Also on the bill are a pair of duos: Lisa Sanders and Karen “Brown Sugar” Hayes, players of intimate folk, rock, gospel and more, and Jimmy and Enrique, comprising the world music stylings of guitarist Jimmy Patton and percussionist Enrique Platas. Tickets are $19 for Athenaeum members and $24 for non-members. 

1008 Wall Street, La Jolla

Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out at Jacobs Music Center

April 4 

Released in 1959, Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet was a milestone release, with the only thing more pleasingly irregular than its time signatures being its honor as the first jazz album to sell one million records. As part of the Jazz @ The Jacobs Series, a quartet of modern-day jazz musicians will once again perform Time Out in full this Friday at Jacobs Music Center. Following a pre-show set from Gilbert Castellanos’ Young Lions Jazz Conservatory at 6:30 p.m., pianist Josh Nelson, alto saxophonist Nicole McCabe, bassist Luca Alemanno and drummer Joe LaBarbera will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $63 to $80 for this concert. 

1245 Seventh Avenue, Downtown

Reggie Watts at Epstein Family Amphitheater

April 4

With his musical acumen, improvisation skills and comfort with catching audiences off-guard and bewildered, Reggie Watts has all the marks of a live comedy dynamo. Despite being known for his time as an eccentric sidekick for Comedy Bang! Bang! and The Late Late Show with James Corden, Watts’ absurdist talents are on best display when he’s the center of attention. Watts’ performance this Saturday (8 p.m.) at Epstein Family Amphitheater will feature multi-instrumentalist Salami Rose Joe Louis as a special guest. Tickets range from $30 to $50 for this concert. 

9480 Innovation Lane, La Jolla

Courtesy of Trinity Theater Company

Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Weekend

Strange Snow at PowPac 

Through April 19

Prior to the Vietnam War, the concept of American soldiers returning home from battle with post-traumatic stress disorder was not yet accepted. The subsequent struggle for many veterans to reacclimate is where PowPac’s adaptation of Strange Snow finds its central conflict. In Stephen Metcalfe’s stage drama, outgoing Vietnam vet Megs attempts to lift the spirits of David, his struggling old comrade in arms, with the help of David’s sister Martha. General admission is $27, with performances this Friday (7:30 p.m.), Saturday (2 and 7:30 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.).

13250 Poway Road, Poway

New La Jolla Art Exhibition Openings 

April 3

Two intriguing exhibitions will premiere just steps away from each other during La Jolla’s monthly First Friday Art Walk. Typically a platform for local artists to flaunt their unique eccentricities, Thumbprint Gallery is opening its doors to 13 visiting creatives for its upcoming group exhibition Out-of Towners (on display through April 25); its opening reception will take place Friday from 4-9 p.m.Around the corner, the showroom of Unscripted Spaces will host In Situ: La Jolla, opening Friday from 4:30-7 p.m., a melding of interior design and diverse artwork for Activated Spaces (on display through September); RSVP for its reception here.

Thumbprint: 920 Kline Street, La Jolla | Unscripted Spaces: 7730 Girard Avenue, La Jolla

True Shot Jean at Trinity Theater Company

April 3 & 4

A young girl’s audacious cross-country journey, set amidst the burgeoning California Gold Rush, is the focus of Aaron Fields’ new musical comedy True Shot Jean. When word of an injury to her mine-worker father reaches Liza Jean’s family, her brothers resolve to find him, while Liza Jean is tasked with staying behind. When Liza decides to head West on her own, she navigates unexpected troubles and colorful characters in pursuit of family reconciliation. Tickets are $20, with performances this Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (2 & 7 p.m.) at Trinity Theater Company. 

1640 Camino Del Rio North, Mission Valley

Kahlo, Dali & Freud present: Your Unconscious Mind at CCAE’s Studio One 

April 3-19

Though they all occupied space within the Surrealism movement, the paths of Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali and Sigmund Freud never converged all at once, until now. During Your Unconscious Mind, Brilliant Spectrum Art invites audiences to dress in pajamas, partake in collective art-making, and even receive a few creative pointers from the trio within an immersive classroom setting inside the Studio One theater at California Center for the Arts, Escondido. Tickets are $20, with performances this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. 

340 North Escondido Blvd, Escondido

August Wilson’s Fences at The Old Globe

April 4–May 3 

Beginning Saturday at The Old Globe, see a production of August Wilson’s Fences, the third and most acclaimed installment in Wilson’s famed Century Cycle—10 iconic American plays, all set in his native Pittsburgh, PA. Fences centers on a fractured working-class family, headed by sanitation worker and former Negro League baseball player Troy Maxson, which due to failed sporting dreams, growing father-son resentment and a heartbreaking secret, threatens to break for good. Tickets start at $40, with performances this Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. 

1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park 

More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend

San Diego Gulls Doubleheader at Pechanga Arena

April 1 & 3

With just eight games left, the San Diego Gulls will need a strong finish to hold off the Tucson Roadrunners for the Pacific Division’s final postseason spot. The playoff push will commence with a two-game homestand at Pechanga Arena beginning Wednesday at 7 p.m. with, fittingly, a game against the Roadrunners; tickets start at $20. Then, Friday at 7 p.m., the Gulls will face off against the Bakersfield Condors as they celebrate Mexican Heritage Night with live banda music and $5 beers; single tickets start at $19 and special ticket packs, which come with a themed Mexican Heritage Night scarf, range from $34 to $69. 

3500 Sports Arena Boulevard, Midway

A Day at the Park: Pepper Park 

April 4 

Enjoy a free afternoon by the bay this Saturday as part of Port of San Diego’s A Day at the Park series. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at National City’s Pepper Park, there will be food vendors, family-friendly activities and live performances, including from PASACAT Philippine Performing Arts Company and Sabrosas Latin Orchestra. Plus, attendees can take advantage of complimentary shuttle service from Paradise Valley Hospital and Olivewood Elementary. Sign up for event reminders here for the chance to win a Pepper Park water bottle while supplies last. 

3299 Tidelands Avenue, National City

Makers Arcade Spring Fair 

April 4 & 5

For its 2026 Spring Fair, happening this Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Makers Arcade has assembled a lineup of over 140 local artisans, makers and crafty businesses at a first-time venue: Balboa Park. Fair visitors can shop accessories, clothing, artwork and decor galore, plus check out make-and-take craft stations, food trucks, photo booths, pop-up bars and interactive art installations. Admission is $5 for adults, $10 with a limited-edition shopping bag add-on, and free for children ages 12 and under; admission proceeds support the San Diego Made nonprofit. 

624 El Prado, Balboa Park

San Diego Mojo vs. Dallas Pulse at Viejas Arena

April 5 

Since the San Diego Mojo began play in the 2024 Major League Volleyball season, the cornerstone of their defense has been Shara Venegas, the team’s libero and world-class dig master. Recently, Venegas was named an MVL All-Star for the second consecutive year, and appeared in Saturday’s MVL All-Star Match with fellow Mojo players Marlie Monserez, Marin Grote. To commemorate her time as the Mojo’s all-important specialist, the first 1K fans in attendance at the Mojo’s match Sunday (5 p.m.) against the Dallas Pulse will receive a diving Venegas bobblehead. Tickets start at $29 for this match.

5500 Canyon Crest Drive, Rolando

By Ryan Hardison

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.

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