17 Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend: June 23–28
Summertime in San Diego may bring about blue skies and sun-drenched days, but it doesn’t stop there. There’s also the top-notch concerts, tasting events and wallet-friendly fixtures that make this season feel extra special. Fans of contemporary and classical music can check out performances by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, the Beach Boys and Kool & The Gang at The Rady Shell or the annual Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival in La Jolla. Local gourmands can sign up for a spot at our Omakase Open, indulge in cold desserts at Scoop San Diego or journey across a two-mile stretch of good eats during the Taste of Adams Avenue. As for free events, there’s a new edition of San Diego Made: LIVE at San Diego Made Factory, the Pride Party at Museum of Us and the return of the Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off.
Food & Drink | Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do
Food & Drink Events in San Diego This Weekend
Omakase Open at JULEP
June 25
Japanese omakase dining is an artform built on trust, in patrons allowing their chef to entirely curate their meal. That’s why, this Thursday from 6-9 p.m., San Diego Magazine is gathering the city’s finest sushi and omakase chefs to showcase their skills during the 21-plus Omakase Open at JULEP. Guests can enjoy live music, all you can eat food and drink, plus the chance to converse with local culinary masterminds and decide on the night’s best bites, all while supporting the Convoy Pan Asian Cultural and Businesses Innovation District. General admission ($85) is full up, but join the waitlist in case more tickets become available.
1735 Hancock Street, Mission Hills
Taste of Adams Avenue
June 28
From University Heights to Kensington and the unique neighborhoods in between, Adams Avenue is home to a host of must-try flavors. During the 25th annual Taste of Adams Avenue, happening this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 45 spots along Adams Avenue will offer samples, with brunch-inspired bites, refreshing ales, world-class gelato on the menu. Attendees can make the most of their self-guided tasting tours by walking, biking or riding from end-to-end on a complimentary trolley. Tickets are $55 online and $65 the day of.
Adams Avenue
Scoop San Diego Ice Cream Festival
June 28
It’s a scientific fact (source: trust me) that a little sweet treat, like say ice cream, paletas or shaved ice, has the power to make any day instantly better. Meaning, it’s only right to treat yourself to a dessert-filled afternoon during the 8th annual Scoop San Diego Ice Cream Festival, where three dozen local vendors will serve up their finest specialties this Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. in North Park. General admission ($49) comes with 10 shareable two-ounce samples; all net proceeds will go towards Feeding San Diego.
30th Street & North Park Way, North Park
Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend
Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival
Through June 27
Week two of the 38th Annual Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival begins Tuesday (7 p.m.) with a performance of Mozart’s “Jenamy” and pieces by Lully and Strauss, followed by Mozart’s “Jupiter,” and works by with Schumann and Pärt on Thursday (7 p.m.), both at The Conrad; tickets range from $71 to $163 for each concert. The festival will then conclude Saturday (7 p.m.) with Mozart, Brahms and a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 at Epstein Family Amphitheater; tickets range from $26 to $263. And if that’s not enough Mozart for you, pianist Anton Nel will lead a prelude concert in the JAI prior to Tuesday and Thursday’s shows.
The Conrad: 7600 Fay Avenue, La Jolla | Epstein Family Amphitheater: 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla
Opening Weekend at The Rady Shell
June 26–28
A star-studded opening weekend is in store to kick off The Rady Shell’s summer season. On Friday (7:30 p.m.), Rafael Payare will conduct the San Diego Symphony Orchestra in an effusive Opening Night program featuring violin soloist Stefan Jackiw; tickets range from $57 to $124. The following night at 7:30 p.m., the orchestra will pair up with The Beach Boys, plus special guest John Stamos, for a rousing tribute to Pet Sounds; tickets range from $78 to $268. Then, on Sunday (7:30 p.m.), audiences can boogie their way to Monday with Kool & the Gang and hip-hop pioneers the Sugarhill Gang; tickets range from $68 to $152.
222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero
Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off
June 27
Come for the coastal party, but stay for the food-centric fun at the free 46th annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. In addition to two live music stages, an artist marketplace and a community mural, there will be a beer garden, eating contests for Hodad’s burgers and Dirty Birds wings and the vaunted Chili Cook-Off, where attendees can try two samples ($5) or the whole lineup ($30) and vote on their favorite recipes. For those wanting to keep the party going, there will be live music at The Harp, Winstons Beach Club, and The Holding Company after the street fair ends as part of OB After Dark.
4800-5000 blocks of Newport Avenue, Ocean Beach
Kid Cudi at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
June 27
Since Man on the Moon made him your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper, Kid Cudi has lived many lives as an artist: progressive rap pioneer, defiant punk rocker, introspective psychedelic crooner. The one constant on wax has been the close examination of his personal struggles. Where Cudi’s newest album Free—his first pop record—deviates from the pattern is in its free-spirited optimism. Cudi’s The Rebel Ragers Tour will go out with a bang this Saturday (6:30 p.m.) at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, with opening sets by emcees Big Boi, Dot Da Genius and Chip Tha Ripper. Tickets start at $24 for this concert.
2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista
Into the Horizon at Waterfront Park
June 27 & 28
To headline its 2026 festival and soundtrack San Diego’s ethereal glow, Into the Horizon has called upon Dutch heavy-hitters Tiësto (Saturday) and Martin Garrix (Sunday). This Saturday from 3-11 p.m. and Sunday from 3-10 p.m., festivalgoers can check out three stages of EDM sets, as well as food trucks, a silent disco, a puppy petting zoo and a high-flying Paratrooper ride at Waterfront Park. Ticket options (21-plus) include single-day general admission ($119), 2-day GA ($222), single-day VIP ($227-$237), 2-day VIP passes ($432) and premium VIP tables.
1600 Pacific Highway, Embarcadero
Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Weekend
Fausto at Old Town Theatre
June 26 & 27
Many are likely somewhat familiar with the term “Faustian bargain,” but what you might not know is that it originates from German folklore. Since the late 1500s, the story of the scientist Faust and his foolish deal with the devil have been told via nearly countless iterations, and across two nights, Opera Neo will spotlight Louise Bertin’s 19th century opera Fausto for its favored Faustian bargain. This production will be sung in Italian with English subtitles. Tickets range from $28 to $75, with performances this Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Old Town Theatre.
4040 Twiggs Street, Old Town
1776, The Musical at Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church
June 26–July 12
As the 250th anniversary of the United States draws ever closer, Vanguard Theatre and Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church will look back on the country’s founding with a production of 1776, The Musical. Set during the creation and signing of the Declaration of Independence, 1776 is a fictional look at the monumental breakthroughs (and bickering) done by the Second Continental Congress. Tickets are $25, with performances Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 & 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. this weekend and the two following weekends.
2128 Chatsworth Boulevard, Point Loma
Air Quote Mike staged reading & dinner at Edamami
June 27
Enjoy dinner and a show during a one-night-only reading of Marti Gobel’s Air Quote Mike—OnWord Theatre’s second world premiere production of June—this Saturday at 7 p.m. at Edamami. The play, which takes place during a routine family dinner, explores the implicit and explicit meanings of our word choices, specifically as they pertain to race and identity. What results is a revealing conversation that examines the comedy of such situations while detailing the multifaceted fallout of such language. Tickets are $50 and include a sushi meal.
5950 Santo Road, Tierrasanta
New Exhibitions at San Diego Museum of Art
Opening June 27
The evolution of distinct painting styles form the foundation of the two newest exhibitions at the San Diego Museum of Art, both of which open Saturday. Artistic depictions of ragas (melodic modes), known in medieval India as Ragamalas and seen in Ragamala Paintings from the Binney Collection, are oftentimes grouped together to show an emotional and chronological narrative with a vivid ecological progression. For Renaissance to Revolution: European Art 1300–1900, SDMA has drawn from its permanent collection to guide visitors through six centuries of transformative and influential works in the Renaissance, Baroque and Enlightenment eras.
1450 El Prado, Balboa Park
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend
San Diego Padres Homestand at Petco Park
June 22–28
The Padres are on the cusp of a Wild Card spot. And, with three weeks until the All-Star break, there’s still plenty of time for nearly every hitter not named Gavin Sheets to fix their offensive woes. They can begin to right the ship this week with high-profile matchups against a pair of National League foes: the Atlanta Braves (Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. and Wednesday at 5:40 p.m.) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (Friday at 6:45 p.m., Saturday at 5:40 p.m. and Sunday at 1:10 p.m.). Tickets start at $26 for the Braves series and $87 for the Dodgers series.
100 Park Boulevard, Downtown
San Diego Made: LIVE at San Diego Made Factory
June 26
Step inside the San Diego Made Factory and see an array of art-making in action this Friday from 6:30-9:30 p.m. during San Diego Made: LIVE. During this free event, the nonprofit will open its doors so the public can peruse its tenants’ work and spend an evening amongst the local arts scene. There will be performances by DJ Almond Eyez and conscious hip-hop trio The Neighborhood Kids, live art by Ana Violeta and Maka Uddin, food for purchase from Tres Marìas and specialty drinks at The San Diego Made Bar. Reserve your spot here.
2031 Commercial Street, Logan Heights
Dirty Dancing at Hotel del Coronado
June 26
This Friday at 7:30 p.m., cozy up on the sand at Hotel del Coronado to watch Dirty Dancing in support of the Coronado Island Film Festival. During the festival’s Movie on the Beach fundraiser, enjoy throwback tunes from DJ Trisha Lynn, a signature cocktail inspired by the film’s Catskills setting and a screening of one of cinema’s best summer romances. Beach chairs will be provided, and attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and light jackets. General admission is $50.
1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado
Pride Party at Museum of Us
June 27
Pride Month celebrations may be winding down nationally, but local pride festivities are still in full swing. This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., all are invited to the Museum of Us’ annual Pride Party featuring the Haus of St. James, whose queens will lead a storytime, a mini-performance and a complimentary cookie decorating contest. There will also be resource tables helmed by community partners such as Casa de Luz, SheFest and the San Diego LGBT Community Center’s Project TRANS. Pride Party admission is free with online registration.
1350 El Prado, Balboa Park
Josh Gates: Legends, Mysteries And Tales Of Adventure at Balboa Theatre
June 27
Just days after season 17 of Expedition Unknown premieres, travel host Josh Gates will lead an evening of Legends, Mysteries And Tales Of Adventure at Balboa Theatre this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. For years, Gates traversed paranormal worlds on Destination Truth and Ghost Hunters, but for the past decade he’s been enamored by archeology, inspiring him to pursue dozens of unsolved international mysteries, ranging from Amelia Earhart’s death to lost underwater treasures. Tickets start at $38, and the VIP meet & greet add-on is $125.
868 Fourth Avenue, Gaslamp
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