Fall is arguably the best season in San Diego, and the city offers myriad events to help you make the best of it. Snag a cookbook packed with local chefs’ coveted recipes, welcome the Jacobs Music Center’s 2024–2025 season, or mini golf your way through North Park—plus 12 more fun 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
Whiskey & Wine Party
September 27
Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa’s Whiskey & Wine Party returns Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. with live music; slow-cooked Southern fixins; and the rarest of whiskeys, bourbons, and wines from local distillers and growers. Admission to this 21-plus, outdoor shindig is $95, which comes with unlimited food and drinks, plus valet parking.
9700 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla
San Diego Cooks Release Party at 24 Suns
September 27–28
San Diego Cooks: Recipes from the Region’s Favorite Eateries, Bakeries, and Bars, a new cookbook by locals Ligaya Malones and Deanna Sandoval, is a collection of 70 recipes straight from the kitchens of San Diego’s most innovative chefs. To celebrate its release, Chinese restaurant 24 Suns will add its two featured dishes from the cookbook—smoked lamb chop with fermented black bean and scallop and pork jiaozi with doubanjiang butter—as specials on the menu this Friday and Saturday. In addition, patrons can purchase copies of the book and get them autographed.
3375 Mission Avenue J, Oceanside
La Jolla Art & Wine Festival
September 28 & 29
Sip on San Diego–based brews, wines, kombuchas, and cocktails while browsing work from more than 170 American and Mexican artists at the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival. You can also nibble on local bites, bid in a silent auction, enjoy live entertainment, and even adopt a furry friend on the festival grounds. Festival entry is free. Tasting tickets, which come with two ounces of wine or three ounces of beer, can be purchased here.
Girard Avenue, La Jolla
Oceanside Vegan Food Festival
September 28
From 12 to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Oceanside Vegan Food Festival will feature more than 60 plant-based vendors from all over the region, including popular spots like Maya’s Cookies and Shmackin Noodz. You’ll also find shopping, games, and DJs. Anyone interested in stopping by can RSVP for free on Eventbrite.
505 Pier View Way, Oceanside
Taste of College Area
September 29
See what’s cooking around San Diego State during the first-ever Taste of College Area this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will highlight 20 Aztec-approved favorites, including popular chains on the university meal plan and beloved family-owned spots. Attendees can go car-free for the event by walking, biking, or taking the complimentary Old Town Trolley service. General admission is $40 online ($45 day-of), while VIP is $50 and comes with an event shot glass and discounted drinks at specific locations.
El Cajon Boulevard between 54th Street & 73rd Street & SDSU campus, El Cajon
Baja Night at Black Radish
September 29
Black Radish chef and owner Itze Behar will take her dinner guests south of the border this Sunday with a nine-course meal that pays homage to the flavors of Baja California. Lobster, duck, and Kobe beef are among the entrees planned for Baja Night, and diners can add on cocktail pairings that feature Mexican spirits. A $25 deposit reserves you a seat between 5 and 10 p.m., and the total cost is $139 per person.
2591 University Avenue, North Park
Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend
Mission Bayfest
September 27–29
Mission Bayfest will bring island tunes, jam rock classics, and stoner rap anthems to Mariner’s Point Park this Friday through Sunday. While munching on grub from local food trucks and browsing merchandise vendors, enjoy a lineup of star musical acts, including Stick Figure, Wiz Khalifa, Iration, and Cypress Hill. Ticket options include a three-day general admission pass ($210.08), as well as single-day tickets ($65 for Friday and $60 for Saturday and Sunday).
3119 Mariners Way, Mission Beach
Green Day with The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and The Linda Lindas at Petco Park
September 28
Hear monumental hits “Dookie” and “American Idiot” live as Green Day headlines a rowdy lineup of rock powerhouses this Saturday at Petco Park. Smashing Pumpkins and Rancid open the show along with pop punk phenoms The Linda Lindas. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for this performance. Tickets are still available, starting at $88.06 on Ticketmaster.
100 Park Boulevard, Downtown
Jacobs Music Center Opening Night
September 28
After several years of renovations, the Jacobs Music Center is having its homecoming moment. This Saturday evening, the concert space will officially reopen with a performance from the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and talented soloists on the cello, violin, and piano. The program for “Welcome Home!!” will feature a world premiere from composer Texu Kim and the works of luminaries like Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Rossini. Tickets range from $113 to $157.
1245 Seventh Avenue, Downtown
CRSSD Festival Fall 2024
September 28–29
Catch legendary EDM artists like Four Tet, Gesaffelstein, and BLOND:ISH this weekend at CRSSD Festival. Across three stages at Waterfront Park, musicians will play jungle, house, electro, and more. But it doesn’t stop there—CRSSD After Dark offers an intimate nightclub experience with DJ sets popping up around town after each festival day. Sunday tickets are on sale for $190.15, and two-day or Saturday-only passes can be purchased through Lyte.
1600 Pacific Highway, Embarcadero
Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Weekend
Prix Pictet Human at Museum of Photographic Arts
September 27–December 15
Internationally touring exhibition Prix Pictet Human will make its sole stop in America with a 79-day run beginning this Friday at the Museum of Photographic Arts at the San Diego Museum of Art. This exhibition highlights the works of the 12 shortlisted photographers of the Prix Pictet award, an honor recognizing images that highlight important environmental and social issues.
1649 El Prado, Balboa Park
Trolley Dances
September 28 & 29
Why limit performing arts to the confines of a theater? The San Diego Dance Theater’s annual Trolley Dances uses the streets of San Diego as its stage, with the green line ushering audiences from Old Town to the Gaslamp, the Convention Center, and Seaport Village. At each stop on the tour, see a choreographed dance performed by several community and company dancers. General admission tickets for Trolley Dances are $40 and can be purchased here.
2650 Truxtun Road, Point Loma
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend
North Park Putt-Oberfest
September 26
Tee off at North Park Main Street’s putt-putt party this Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m., with 18 holes of mini golf set up across fifteen local businesses. After picking up scorecards and putters at the North Park Farmers’ Market, golfers can venture around the neighborhood one hole at a time. And, in the spirit of Oktoberfest, North Park Putt-Oberfest comes with food and drink specials at participating locations, including Pretzels & Pints, Coin-Op, and Modern Times Beer. Tickets are $29.04 for this event.
3000 North Park Way, North Park
Miramar Air Show
September 27–29
Get a glimpse at some real-life devil dogs in action at the Miramar Air Show. This Friday through Sunday, the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar hosts a show in the sky, complete with old-school warbirds, military and civilian demonstrations, and booming pyrotechnics. Plus, the Innovation and Tech Expo offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Marine Corps’ immersive flight simulators and technological breakthroughs. Entry is free for all. For VIP options, including reserved box seating for the air show, visit here.
9175 Boyington Road, Miramar
SeaWorld Howl-O-Scream
Select nights from September 27 to November 2
When the sun goes down, the fun begins at SeaWorld’s Howl-O Scream, a month-long horror extravaganza with an array of scare zones, haunted houses, and scary stage shows to check out. Other activities include spooky themed cocktail bars, creepy character appearances, and roller coaster rides in the dark… if you dare. Single-night tickets for Howl-O-Scream (beginning at 7 p.m.) start at $41.99 and do not come with daytime admission to the park.
500 Sea World Drive, Mission Bay
