We’re hopping toward Easter Sunday, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate the holiday—plus lots more things to do in San Diego this weekend. Saturday will mark the 55th Chicano Park Day Celebration and brings the return of San Diego EarthFest at Balboa Park. If that’s not enough Earth love for you, the nearby WorldBeat Cultural Center will host a multi-cultural Earth Day celebration the following afternoon. You can also explore free art exhibits, attend a BBQ-themed birthday party, enjoy a scenic stretch sesh, and more.
Food & Drink | Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do
Food & Drink Events in San Diego This Weekend
Taste of Leucadia
April 17
Grab a bite—or 20—at the 12th annual Taste of Leucadia, taking place this Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at various businesses along North Coast Highway 101. After checking in, enjoy over 20 tastes and more than 15 beverage samples from local restaurants and vendors, plus live music and a free hop-on-hop-off trolley to get around the event. Tickets are $55, and all event proceeds will benefit the Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association nonprofit.
1144 North Coast Highway 101, Encinitas
Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern 15th Anniversary
April 19
Wish Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern a happy 15th anniversary at the restaurant’s BBQ-themed birthday party this Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m. On the lawn at Jimmy’s at the Park, adjacent to the restaurant, attendees can enjoy live music and a free nine-hole mini golf course, as well as a BBQ spread with pulled pork sliders and smoked short ribs and classic sides like potato salad and cornbread. Entry to this event is free, with food and drinks available for purchase.
4990 North Harbor Drive, Point Loma
Baja Brunch & Egg Hunt at Rumorosa
April 20
From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Sunday, Rumorosa will host a festive Easter Brunch. Chef Cesar Oceguera will lay down made-to-order omelets, carrot cake waffles, tequila poached shrimp, roasted local seabass, and more. There will also be live entertainment, photo-ops with the Easter bunny, and easter egg hunts (12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.) on the Sheraton San Diego’s Harbor Vista Lawn. Admission to Rumorosa’s Easter Brunch is $85 per adult, $35 for children ages 6–12, and free for kids 5 and under; admission also includes two hours of complimentary self-parking.
1380 Harbor Island Drive, Harbor Island
Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend
Kahlil Childs Quartet at The Wu Tsai QRT.yrd
April 16
Enjoy a free midweek jazz show from the Kahlil Childs Quartet, led by local 15-year-old alto saxophonist Kahlil Childs, at The Wu Tsai QRT.yrd this Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Childs has honed his jazz skills with the help of legends like Charles Mchperson and Gilbert Castellanos, and his talented group is emblematic of the genre’s emerging youth movement.
7600 Fay Avenue, La Jolla
Soundscapes of Afghanistan: Traditions Reimagined at Mingei International Museum
April 18
The Mingei International Museum and the Center For World Music are teaming up to present a concert from rabab player and composer Qais Essar. This Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Mingei’s La Atalaya Foundation Theater, Soundscapes of Afghanistan will blend the Afghan folk stylings of the Hindu Kush region with Americana and other global influences. Tickets are $40 for this performance, which will be followed by a Q&A with Essar.
1439 El Prado, Balboa Park
Chicano Park Day Celebration
April 19
The Chicano Park Steering Committee’s free 55th annual Chicano Park Day Celebration takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Chicano Park is a site with immense cultural, artistic, and political significance, leading to its designation as a National Historic Landmark. Every year, Chicano Park Day commemorates the Chicano Movement’s park takeover on April 22, 1970 and the enduring fight for liberation and community empowerment.
1949 Logan Avenue, Barrio Logan
San Diego EarthFest
April 19
San Diego EarthFest, a massive free Earth Day party at Balboa Park, returns from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday. Attendees can check out more than 100 vendors; a food court; live music; family-friendly activities; and an array of yoga, meditation, and breathwork classes for a day of eco-friendly fun. The event will also include presentations and panels on topics such as climate activism, environmentally-focused children’s books, and wildlife protection. A portion of profits from San Diego EarthFest will be donated to local nonprofits. RSVP for the event here.
Park Boulevard & Presidents Way Lawn, Balboa Park
Multi-Cultural Earth Day at WorldBeat Cultural Center
April 20
The WorldBeat Cultural Center will host the 33rd annual Multi-Cultural Earth Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. this Saturday. Complete with a wellness vendor village, vegetarian food options, and several cultural drumming and dance performances, the affair will also feature plant sales, compost workshops, garden tours, birdwatching, and seed-swapping. RSVP for this free event.
2100 Park Boulevard, Balboa Park
Painting by Yan Pei-Ming
Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Weekend
Save the Ocean 5 at Front Porch Gallery
Through May 28
Front Porch Gallery and Surfing Madonna Oceans Project present Save the Ocean 5, an art and poetry exhibition exploring climate change and the need to protect the seas. The exhibition is free for the public, and the gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. You can catch free docent tours of Save the Ocean 5 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on April 24 and May 16.
2903 Carlsbad Boulevard, Carlsbad
Peril in the Alps at North Coast Repertory Theatre
April 16–May 18
Peril in the Alps, a loose adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Poirot Investigates, opens Wednesday at the North Coast Repertory Theatre. This comic mystery adventure follows the mustachioed Hercule Poirot as he races to solve a crime. Tickets start at $60 for Peril in the Alps, with seven performances this week.
987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach
Yan Pei-Ming: A Burial in Shanghai at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
April 17–January 4, 2026
After debuting at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris six years ago, Yan Pei-Ming’s A Burial in Shanghai will make its entrance in America this Thursday at MCASD. Pei-Ming draws from his life to depict his homeland, his mother, and his mother’s funeral on a trio of massive canvases inspired by A Burial at Ornans by Gustav Courbet. The exhibition will open to the public on the museum’s Free Third Thursday, with free admission from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
700 Prospect Street, La Jolla
Too Darn Hot at The Old Globe
April 18-20
Too Darn Hot, written and directed by Kasey Viani, is a love letter to the silver screen, opening this Friday on The Old Globe’s Sheryl & Harvey White Stage. In Too Darn Hot, MGM Studios choreographer Jeanne struggles to break through into the patriarchal movie industry, until a mid-slumber fantasy transports her to the heyday of Hollywood, with stars like Rita Moreno, Ginger Rogers, and Gene Kelly offering guidance. Performances will take place on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. with a talkback discussion to follow each show. Tickets start at $70 for Too Darn Hot.
1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park
Bright Star at Lamplighters Community Theatre
April 18–May 18
Eleven years after premiering at The Old Globe, Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s folk musical Bright Star begins a new production courtesy of Lamplighters Community Theatre, directed by Teri Brown. Set in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and based on a true story, Bright Star celebrates love and resilience with a charming bluegrass score. General admission tickets are $30 and can be reserved by calling the theater’s box office at (619) 303-5092.
5915 Severin Drive, La Mesa
writings at LOS/NR
April 19 – May 26
Interdisciplinary artist and full-time pediatrician C Fodoreanu illustrates religious imagery and stories from his childhood in Nicula, Transylvania in writings, opening Saturday at the La Jolla gallery Level of Service Not Required. The exhibition will consist of seven paintings, plus photos, video works, and sculptural installations. The opening reception for writings will take place Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m., with free ice cream while supplies last. You can also see the exhibition for free Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. through May 26.
7910 Ivanhoe Avenue, La Jolla
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend
The Big Lebowski Screening: An Evening with The Dude at the Balboa Theatre
April 18
Despite an acting career full of award-winning performances, Jeff Bridges’ most celebrated role is undoubtedly Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski. As the slacker protagonist of the Coen brothers’ cult classic noir The Big Lebowski, Bridges is the centerpiece of this immensely quotable and kooky film. Fans of The Big Lebowski and those who have yet to see the film can take in a special screening with Bridges at the Balboa Theatre this Friday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $70 for this event.
868 Fourth Avenue, Gaslamp
Yoga Classes at The Flower Fields
April 18 & 20
On Friday from 6 to 7 p.m., head to The Flower Fields in Carlsbad for a Sunset Savasana class, a peaceful way to close out the work week and embrace the start of the weekend. Then, on Sunday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., early risers can start their Easter with a scenic Flower Flow yoga session. Tickets range from $45 to $50 for Sunset Savasana and Flower Flow.
5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad
