17 Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend: April 29–May 3
Enter May in resplendent style, with a lineup of exciting concerts, creative showcases and gastronomic festivals. Those looking for their live music fix can sing along to the stylings of Ms. Lauryn Hill at Gallagher Square, catch indie rocker Snail Mail at The Observatory North Park or watch Star Wars: A New Hope with a live orchestra at The Rady Shell. Artistically-inclined folks can immerse themselves in the imaginative and the innovative within the Art Garden at UCSD Park & Market and the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Avant Garde Ball. As for the weekend’s most appetizing events, there’s the three-day Foodieland San Diego festival, the annual San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew and a 54-hour excursion with chefs at Rancho Bernardo Inn. Here are the best things to do in San Diego this weekend.
Food & Drink | Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do
Food & Drink Events in San Diego This Weekend
54 Hours with James Beard Award-Winning Chefs at Rancho Bernardo Inn
April 30–May 3
Embark on a tasteful getaway to Rancho Bernardo Inn for 54 Hours with James Beard Award-Winning Chefs. Patrons can spend intimate time with the cream of the culinary crop via dinners, cooking demonstrations, kitchen skill workshops, wine and whiskey tastings and deluxe activities, like a round of golf with the participating chefs. Ticket options include a seat at Sunday’s Chef Tour Dinner ($240), the Gold Ticket for Friday and Saturday’s events ($450) and the all-access Platinum Ticket ($600).
17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive, Rancho Bernardo
FoodieLand San Diego
May 1–3
Takoyaki, raspados, Japanese hot dogs and freeze dried honey cones are just some of the street food concoctions available to try at this year’s FoodieLand San Diego festival. This Friday from 3-10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1-10 p.m. at Del Mar Fairgrounds, attendees can peruse a smorgasbord of eye-catching and appetite-filling eats from 125 food stalls. But Foodieland doesn’t solely consist of nourishment, with a plethora of shopping vendors offering up apparel, accessories and boutique finds. Single-day tickets are $12.
2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, Del Mar
San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew
May 2
Dine amongst the fauna at the annual San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew, a 21+ conservation fundraiser for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance this Saturday from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Guests can navigate their way around the park for live music, wildlife encounters and all-inclusive samples from a lineup of restaurants, breweries and wineries, plus complimentary soft drinks. General admission is $179, while VIP passes, which come with early entry at 6:30 p.m. along with exclusive menu items, private lounges and a special wildlife encounter, are $299.
2920 Zoo Drive, Balboa Park
Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend
Ms. Lauryn Hill at Gallagher Square
April 30
Catch a rare live performance by Ms. Lauryn Hill this Thursday at 8 p.m. during the Padres Foundation’s fifth annual Dinner on the Diamond. This charitable gala, held on the Petco Park outfield, will feature auctions, an elegant dinner and appearances from Padres staff, players and alumni. Plus, for the first time, tickets to the event’s entertainment portion in Gallagher Square are open to the public. Hill, a few of the legendary Fugees, and the creative force behind The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, will be joined by a pair of special guests, her children Zion and YG Marley. Tickets for this concert start at $50, with net proceeds going to the Padres Foundation.
100 Park Boulevard, Downtown
Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert at The Rady Shell
May 1 & 3
Since its debut on the silver screen in 1977, Star Wars has developed into a cultural behemoth, rich with iconic characters, epic lightsaber showdowns and grand space adventures. This Friday (7:30 p.m.) and Sunday (6:30 p.m.), fans of cinema and sci-fi can see the film that started it all, Star Wars: A New Hope, outdoors at The Rady Shell. From the expository opening crawl to the Death Star’s demise, audiences can experience the franchise’s beginnings with a live rendition of John Williams’ score, performed by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and conductor Scott Terrell. Tickets range from $68 to $173 for Friday and $51 to $173 for Sunday.
222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero
Snail Mail at The Observatory North Park
May 2
Despite what her musical moniker, Snail Mail, may suggest, the career of Lindsey Erin Jordan has evolved rapidly since her breakout EP Habit in 2016. She has become a staple of hazy Gen Z indie rock, with her newest album Ricochet—her first in five years—showcasing a more sentimental side and falsetto vocals. This Saturday at 6:30 p.m., Snail Mail will headline an exciting night of alternative music at The Observatory North Park featuring Aussie band Armlock and psychedelic crooner Sharp Pins. Tickets range from $45 to $48.
2891 University Avenue, North Park
Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Weekend
Beau Jest at North Coast Repertory Theatre
Through May 17
A woman goes to farcical lengths to get her parents’ approval in James Sherman’s Beau Jest, a sincere look at how love (and family) makes us do crazy things. In this play, opening Wednesday at North Coast Repertory Theatre, Jewish-American woman Sarah hires an actor to impersonate her gentile boyfriend—a guy whose name is literally Cris Cringle—and ends up with a bigger dilemma than she bargained for. Tickets start at $69, with performances this Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.
987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach
New Works Festival
April 30–May 3
Watch staged readings of nine original plays—chosen from a pool of 1,011 submissions—during Trinity Theatre Company’s fourth annual New Works Festival this Thursday-Sunday. During the festival, local actors will bring the new theatrical pieces to life across four days of performance, with the selected stories including suspenseful mysteries, explorations of belonging and unexpectedly successful first dates; Tickets for each reading are pay-what-you-can.
1640 Camino Del Rio North, Mission Valley
Riverdance at Civic Theatre
May 1–3
It’s been 30 years since the Irish folk steppers of Riverdance first jigged into the hearts of millions, and to commemorate the occasion, a new class of dancers have laced up their shoes for a U.S. anniversary tour. Each performer who takes the stage current run wasn’t born when the show first premiered at Eurovision in 1994, allowing them to write a dazzling new chapter in the history of Riverdance. Tickets start at $47, with performances Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Theatre.
1100 Third Avenue, Gaslamp
City Ballet of San Diego: The Firebird at California Center for the Arts, Escondido
May 2 & 3
To cap off its 33rd season, the City Ballet of San Diego will present a world premiere ballet and the company’s first-ever full-length performance of George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, a jazzy ode to composer George Gershwin. The City Ballet’s centerpiece, The Firebird, was crafted by resident choreographer Elizabeth Wistrich and will pair with Igor Stravinsky’s eponymous music for a supernatural new story. Tickets range from $39 to $119, with performances this Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.
340 North Escondido Boulevard, Escondido
Sublime—Above the Mountains at San Diego Made Factory
May 3
Local multidisciplinary artist Maka Uddin will showcase her Afghan and Georgian lineage via her debut solo exhibition Sublime—Above the Mountains this Sunday from 4-8 p.m. at San Diego Made Factory. The exhibition will feature a sincere collection of paintings, drawing and photography that draw from the significance of cultural ancestry and shared memory. Further elements to explore include henna art, live musical performances and a complementary menu, with the evening set to be a multi-sensory occasion. Admission to Sublime is free with RSVP.
2031 Commercial Street, Logan Heights
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend
Art Garden at UCSD Park & Market
April 30
The communal and artistic powers of storytelling are the driving force behind Vanguard Culture and UC San Diego Craft Center’s Art Garden event this Thursday from 6-9 p.m. at UCSD Park & Market. The festivities will include performances by Blindspot Collective and Culture Shock San Diego, family-friendly activities led by Storytellers of San Diego, the exhibition Invisible Nation: Portraits of the Unhoused by Neil Shigley and the launch of the Jimi Appleseed Initiative. Admission is $17, and free for kids ages 12 and under; those who make a $15 donation will receive a handmade ceramic bowl, with proceeds going to San Diego Rescue Mission.
1100 Market Street, East Village
Atsuko Okatsuka at Balboa Theatre
May 1–3
Many great comedians have a signature, some notable shorthand that makes them stand out in the world of joke-makers. This differentiator can be a unique delivery, a fan-favorite punchline or, like for Atsuko Okatsuka, a transcendent bowl cut. Okatsuka’s bread and butter is turning hardships into hilarity, focusing on how the absurd challenges of her upbringing made her who she is today. This weekend, Okatsuka will be taking the Balboa Theatre stage for four stand-up sets on The Big Bowl Tour. Tickets start at $52, with shows this Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 7 and 9:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m., with greatest availability for the Sunday performance.
868 Fourth Avenue, Gaslamp
Avant Garde Ball: Larger Than Life at MCASD
May 2
Spend a Larger Than Life night at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego this Saturday from 8 p.m. to midnight during the Avant Garde Ball. Attendees can treat themselves to an open bar, plus bites from Barrio Logan eateries like Alchemy Choose Thy Poison, Hayes Burger and Fish Guts. There will also be DJ listening rooms, live music and dance performances, interactive showcases, and a meet and greet with photographers from the Hometown Heroes exhibition. Ticket options include general ($135 for MCASD members; $150 for non-members) and VIP admission ($405 for members; $450 for non-members); prices will rise by 20 percent on Wednesday.
700 Prospect Street, La Jolla
Soccer Doubleheader at Snapdragon Stadium
May 2 & 3
San Diego’s pro soccer sides will hit the pitch for a pair of intrastate matchups kicking off this weekend at Snapdragon Stadium. With five defeats in as many April matches, San Diego FC will look to flush away that miserable month and begin May with a win versus perennial contenders LAFC this Saturday at 6:30 p.m.; regular tickets start at $60 and the Korean Heritage Night package starts at $54. Then on Sunday at 4 p.m., the first-place San Diego Wave will conclude a weekend of nationwide NWSL action with a NorCal v. SoCal clash against rivals Bay FC, with pre-game and halftime festivities planned for Kids Night; tickets start at $26 for this match.
2101 Stadium Way, Mission Valley
Carlsbad Village Street Faire
May 3
The springtime iteration of the free Carlsbad Village Street Faire will bring hundreds of local vendors and all-day activities to downtown Carlsbad this Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festivities will also include crafts, children’s rides, live musical performances, a beer garden and global food options. Eventgoers are encouraged to skip the parking struggles by biking, or taking the complimentary shuttle, which runs to and from the Faire every 15 minutes from the Shoppes at Carlsbad and the Poinsettia Coaster Station.
Grand Avenue from Carlsbad Boulevard to Jefferson Street, Carlsbad Village
San Diego French Film Festival
May 3–7
Watch a curated lineup of international movies from throughout the French-speaking world during the sixth edition of the San Diego French Film Festival. The five-day programming at The Lot La Jolla begins with the Opening Night Gala on Sunday and continues into next week with daily screenings and a handful of filmmaker discussions. French actress Julie Delpy—known best to American audiences for her leading role in the Before film trilogy—will serve as the patron of this year’s festival. Tickets range from $41 to $230 for opening night, $36 to $39 for next Monday-Wednesday and $18 to $23 for Thursday.
7611 Fay Avenue, La Jolla
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