Balboa Park comes alive at night

For those who just can’t seem to make it to Balboa Park before most of the park’s attractions close at 6 p.m., this one’s for you.

Starting on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend (May 26), eight museums will extend their evening hours until 8 p.m. during Balboa Park After Dark. Then, the following weekend, Food Truck Friday returns for the second year to the Plaza de Panama and El Prado walkway from 4-8 p.m.

Great food, renowned art, late hours. Sounds like a win-win-win situation.

Balboa Park After Dark will extend to all Fridays through Labor Day weekend (Sept. 1) and includes Fleet Science Center, Japanese Friendship Garden, Mingei International Museum, San Diego Art Institute, San Diego Museum of Man (which is open until 8:30 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day), San Diego Natural History Museum and the San Diego Museum of Art.

On top of the later hours, some of the museums also have special discounts. In May and June, IMAX movies at the Fleet Science Center are half off after 7 p.m. and at the San Diego Museum of Art’s Art After Hours, enjoy $5 admission after 5 p.m. For other deals available throughout the summer, check each museum’s website.

Starting June 2 and running Fridays through Sept. 29, the popular Food Truck Friday event provides a rotating schedule of more than a dozen food trucks each week. The event, a partnership between the Balboa Park Conservancy and the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department, also will have live entertainment.

For more information about Food Truck Friday, visit balboaparkconservancy.org. For more information about Balboa Park After Dark, visit balboapark.org.