Get planning! This weekend’s calendar is packed with festivals, food and shows

Jan. 23, 2020

6 AM

San Diego’s top events include Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live, Taste of Eastlake, Chinese New Year Festival and much more.

Starting 1.23: “The Great Leap”

Cygnet stages the local premiere of the high-profile play by another nationally renowned UCSD playwriting grad, Lauren Yee. This one is partly inspired by her own dad’s adventures in the world of basketball. Runs through Feb. 16.

@ Cygnet Theatre, Old Town. cygnettheatre.com

1.23-25: Sklar Brothers

Comedian duo known for Sklarbro Country podcast and Better Call Saul hit the San Diego comedy scene for the weekend.

@ American Comedy Company, americancomedyco.com

Through 1.26: San Diego Restaurant Week

More than 180 of the county’s best restaurants offer limited-time prix fixe menus during this eight-day celebration of San Diego’s culinary scene.

@ Restaurants throughout the county, sandiegorestaurantweek.com

1.23-26: San Diego Sunroad Marina Boat Show

Meet marine vendors, attend boating seminars and scope out the latest nautical products and services at this annual event that brings together the biggest brands on the water.

@ Sunroad Resort Marina, Harbor Island, bigbayboatshow.com

Flags are flying as crews prepare Wednesday for the Sunroad Marina Boat Show on Harbor Island in San Diego, California.

1.23-26: Farmers Insurance Open

The world’s best golfers (and thousands of ogling admirers) return to Torrey Pines as the PGA Tour makes its annual stop in America’s Finest City.

@ Torrey Pines Golf Course, La Jolla, farmersinsuranceopen.com

Tiger Woods hits on on the 4th hole during the fourth round of the Farmers Insurance Open at the Torrey Pines Golf Course on Jan. 27, 2019.

1.24-26: Seventh annual San Diego Caffeine Crawl

Grab your java-loving friends spend a day getting buzzed by choosing one of 10 distinct routes to several of the city’s best coffeehouses, cafes, roasters and importers.

@ Coffeehouses throughout the county, caffeinecrawl.com

A Caffeine Crawl led by a group called The Lab toured dozens of San Diego spots over the weekend in an effort acquaint coffee lovers with local roasters and coffee shops. Caffeine Crawl participants at Ryan Bros. coffee stand next to bins of roasted coffee that they were encouraged to smell.

1.24-26: San Diego Tet Festival

The city’s longest running Vietnamese Lunar New Year festival returns with the Miss Vietnam of San Diego Pageant, two stages of competitive singing and hundreds of merchants and food vendors from around the world.

@ Mira Mesa Community Park, Mira Mesa, sdtet.com

1.24-26: “Shen Yun”

You’ve seen the leaflets; now check out the ubiquitous (and much-memed) show, which brings its large-scale tableaux of Chinese dance to greater San Diego twice this month, first to Escondido and then to downtown.

@ California Center for the Arts, Escondido and San Diego Civic Theatre, downtown. shenyun.com

Starting 1.25: “Chiachio and Giannone”

Artists Leo Chiachio and Daniel Giannone live and work together as partners in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The trained painters now use threads and fabric as their medium to create textile mosaics that celebrate a new form of the family portrait, drawing from their own life together and referencing LGBT artists and their legacy in Latin America. Runs through March 21.

@ Lux Art Institute, luxartinstitute.org

La Selva De Constantin by Chiachio & Giannone

1.25: 25th Annual Hanohano Huki Ocean Challenge

One of California’s longest-running paddlesport races returns, challenging athletes of all ages and experience levels to paddle their way across Mission Bay.

@ Bonita Cove, Mission Bay, hanohano.com

1.25: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Live

Watch robots riff on cheesy B movies as the cult-classic television show takes its uproarious act on the road one final time.

@ Balboa Theatre, Downtown, sandiegotheatres.org

'Mystery Science Theater 3000' starring Jonah Ray.

1.25: Taste of Eastlake

Sporting a “Back to the ’80s” theme and featuring bites from an array of Eastlake’s best eateries, South Bay’s annual foodie fest returns with local libations and a lineup of live entertainment.

@ The Venue at Eastlake, Eastlake, eefkids.org

House Ceviche at Moriscos El Pulpo restaurant at the El Barrio food market in Barrio Logan on June 5, 2019 in San Diego, California.

1.25-26: San Diego Cat Show

More than 400 felines from 40-plus breeds compete in beauty and agility contests at this sprawling cat expo that features speakers, exhibitors and the opportunity to adopt your own kitty.

@ Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar, sandiegocat.org

All the way from Ohio, Vanna, a 10-month old brown spotted Bengal waits near her owner Sami Kerr before they head off to compete in the CFA's San Diego Cat Show, "Food and Water Bowl XXVI" held at Del Mar on Sunday.

1.25-26: Chinese New Year Festival

Ushering in the Year of the Rat, this two-day celebration includes art and cultural performances alongside crafts, calligraphy classes and an assortment of authentic Asian food.

@ International Cottages, Balboa Park, houseofchinasd.com

Events Things To Do

Michael Benninger

Lisa Deaderick

Lisa Deaderick writes about social justice issues in her Sunday column for The San Diego Union-Tribune, as well as influential San Diegans for the One-on-One series that runs on Saturdays. Each week, she’s speaking with community activists, academics, volunteers, or other knowledgeable individuals about everything from the benefits of music in education and the creative work of notable artists, to understanding the importance of representation and inclusiveness. A Chula Vista native, Lisa graduated from Bethune-Cookman University in Florida and Columbia University in New York, and has worked at the Union-Tribune since 2008.

James Hebert

James Hebert is The San Diego Union-Tribune’s theater critic, and has covered the San Diego arts scene for more than two decades. He earned his master’s degree at Columbia University in New York and worked as a magazine editor in Boston before joining the U-T. Hebert’s awards include a national arts-writing prize from the Society for Features Journalism (for a profile of the choreographer Twyla Tharp), and some two dozen local and regional journalism honors; his work also has been republished in two college writing textbooks. In 2009, Hebert served as a juror for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama.