Things to do in October
Events to look out for this month around San Diego include Fern Street Circus Neighborhood Tour, Valle Food & Wine Festival, Taste of Oceanside and Trolley Dances.
10.2: 8th Annual Taste of Mission Hills
Twenty-five of Mission Hills’ most talented chefs, brewers, baristas and ice cream experts prepare to please your palate at this annual food fest that includes free transportation on an Old Town Trolley.
Throughout Mission Hills, missionhillsbid.com
10.3: Taste + Tequila Old Town
Get your fill of Old Town’s most famous meals and wet your whistle with top-shelf tequila and other sensational spirits during this self-guided dining tour featuring musicians and other entertainers who keep the fun flowing between bites.
Throughout Old Town, oldtownsandiego.org
10.3: Crime Junkie Podcast Live
True crime obsessives, meet fellow fans and spend time with popular Crime Junkie podcast hosts Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat. The live show focuses on a case that’s never been told before, so get ready to analyze all sorts of clues and evidence.
Balboa Theatre, downtown, crimejunkiepodcast.com
10.3: Orchids & Onions Awards Ceremony
Every year, The San Diego Architectural Foundation crowns the county’s most beautiful new buildings, projects and designs. But also? Finding out which not-so-pretty projects will earn onions is what makes this a nail-biting, must-attend event for local designers, architects and artists.
US Grant Hotel, downtown, orchidsandonions.org
10.4-27: Fern Street Circus Neighborhood Tour
You know in the movies when you see a circus coming to town? That’s the inspiration behind this locally based arts group. Acrobats, actors and puppet artists perform free shows -- with socially conscious messages -- in neighborhoods from North Park to City Heights and beyond. (See site for tour schedule.)
Neighborhoods throughout county, fernstreetcircus.com
10.5: Valle Food & Wine Festival
Wolfgang Puck, Javier Plascencia and other culinary heavy-hitters from both sides of the border join forces to celebrate the wines and cuisine of Valle de Guadalupe at this must-attend festival that also features live music, craft breweries, art, vendors and more.
Valle de Guadalupe, vallefoodandwinefest.com
10.5: Taste of Oceanside
Take a ride on the Taste Trolley (or hoof it to hit your step goal) during O’side’s premier culinary experience featuring food, beer and wine from the neighborhood’s most reputable eateries and alcohol purveyors.
Throughout Oceanside, mainstreetoceanside.com
10.5: Pacific Beachfest
Billed as “San Diego’s premier beach festival,” this family-friendly fest promises live music from artists like Big Daddy Blues Band, Martin McDaniel, The Routine and more, plus a 5K, fish taco contest and the Big Josh Beer Garden, which benefits the Big Josh Foundation.
Along the boardwalk from Felspar to Thomas streets, Pacific Beach, pacificbeachfest.org
10.5-6: Trolley Dances
Modern dance has a very specific audience, but when it’s performed at trolley stops and public buildings, it suddenly becomes an art form for everyone. Take a guided tour along the trolley’s green and orange lines to see dances created by San Diego Dance Theater choreographers, and inspired by their urban surroundings.
12th & Imperial Transit Center, East Village, sandiegodancetheater.org
10.6: Flavors of San Diego
This culinary experience transcends traditional foodie fests by hosting local chefs who prepare signature dishes and multicourse meals directly at guests’ tables.
Fairmont Grand Del Mar, Del Mar, alfflavors.org
10.10: Taste of Carlsbad Village
Take a self-guided culinary tour through charming Carlsbad Village and sample bites from spots like Campfire, Jeune et Jolie, Park 101, Barrel Republic and more.
Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad, carlsbad-village.com/events/taste-of-carlsbad-village
10.10-13: Art San Diego
Miami has Art Basel, we have Art San Diego, a four-day contemporary art showcase featuring works from around the world. Yes, there will be wine-and-cheese platters galore, but the weekend also features plenty of art talks, events and even a local artist spotlight.
San Diego Convention Center, downtown, art-sandiego.com
10.12: Taste of North Park
North Park showcases its unique brand of hip dining options at this rain-or-shine festival, featuring samples from foodie hot spots like 619 Spirits, Bivouac Ciderworks, Dunedin New Zealand Eats, Louisiana Purchase, The Smoking Goat and more.
Throughout North Park, explorenorthpark.com/taste-of-north-park-2019
10.12: Future Standard Music & Art Experience
This locally organized independent festival — DJed by recording artist Toro y Moi — aims to raise the bar for the city’s alternative music scene by inviting locals to mingle with top national talent amid live performances, a beer garden and an expansive exhibition hall.
SOMA, Midway District, futurestandard.live
10.12: Fit Foodie Festival & 5K
Because “a healthy lifestyle and delicious culinary experiences don’t have to be separate,” participants in the Fit Foodie Festival & 5K get the best of both worlds as they dash and then dine on delicious bites. A beer garden and fitness demonstrations round out the day.
NTC Park at Liberty Station, fitfoodierun.com/san-diego-california.html
10.12-13: La Jolla Art & Wine Festival
Try wines from around the world, beers from local breweries and discover new art at this 11th annual festival. Happening throughout downtown La Jolla, the free, family-friendly event showcases more than 150 artists in genres like painting, ceramics, photography and even jewelry design. You’ll also find pet adoption stations, live music, a kids area and lots more.
Girard Avenue, La Jolla, ljawf.com
10.13: Tyler Henry Live
The star of E! Entertainment’s Hollywood Medium brings his gift for communing with the other side to Pechanga Theater for a show that features discussions, live readings and an interactive audience Q&A.
Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, pechanga.com/entertain/tyler-henry
10.15-27: San Diego Italian Film Festival
Celebrating Italian culture through film, the San Diego Italian Film Festival’s feStivale spans 12 days and includes a launch party (on Oct. 6), film screenings at the Museum of Photographic Arts and a closing night gala.
At venues throughout San Diego, sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com/event/2019-sdiff-festivale
10.17: Culture & Cocktails
It’s all about the ladies at the San Diego Museum of Art’s popular art-themed party. Celebrate female artists from the Abstract Expressionist movement with an evening filled with spin art, face painting and makeup, lemon cupcakes and dancing. The Abstract Revolution exhibition will be open during the event, and on view at the museum through February 2020.
San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park, sdmart.org
10.17: Dine Out for the Cure
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and more than 50 local restaurants will donate proceeds from their Thursday, Oct. 17, sales to Susan G. Komen. Dine out at spots from the casual Blaze Pizza and Lolita’s Mexican Food to the more upscale Terra American Bistro and Waypoint Public to help this annual fundraiser. Find a complete list of participating restaurants online.
Restaurants throughout the county, komensandiego.org/dineout
10.17-20: Without Walls Festival
The La Jolla Playhouse’s biennial celebration of site-specific, immersive and otherwise unconventional performance has become a certified happening. And this year, it moves to a new location: Arts District Liberty Station. (James Hebert)
Arts District Liberty Station, Liberty Station, wowfestival.org
10.19-20: San Diego Green Homes Tour
You’ve eliminated plastics and have the whole composting thing figured out. But, now what? Get more green living inspiration at the 10th annual Green Homes Tour. You’ll see green designs from high-tech home battery systems to backyard native plant gardens. Saturday is for homes in South, East and Central San Diego, Sunday showcases spots in North County.
Throughout the county, sdgreenhomestour.org
10.20: Celebrate the Craft
Foodies, this is your event! Mingle with high-profile chefs, farmers, brewers and wine-makers at this annual gourmet food festival. Talk bread-making with representatives from Bread and Cie, or learn how chefs Kelli Crosson (The Lodge at Torrey Pines) and Jason Knibb (Nine-Ten) create menus around seasonal, SoCal ingredients.
The Lodge Torrey Pines, La Jolla, lodgetorreypines.com/celebrate-the-craft
10.20: Third annual Tiki Luau
Say goodbye to summer in Polynesian style at The Grass Skirt’s Tiki Luau, featuring a traditional pig roast, rum tasting, craft cocktails and more.
The Grass Skirt, Pacific Beach, venno.com/event/tiki-luau-2019
10.20: Wasted: A Celebration of Sustainable Food
Local and national chefs are tasked with creating a meal using an ingredient that might normally be thrown away at this event (which benefits Kitchens for Good) that aims to change the way people think about food waste.
Kitchens for Good, Lincoln Park, wastedcelebration.com
10.26: Bubble Run
Immerse yourself in an abundance of bubbles at this unconventional, exercise-oriented event featuring 5 kilometers of sudsy fun for runners, walkers, dancers and stroller-pushers of all ages and abilities.
North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, bubblerun.com
10.26: 5th annual San Diego Mac & Cheese Festival
Indulge in unlimited samples of cheesy comfort food — and knock back loads of local brews — as some of the city’s best restaurants compete for your vote at this yearly pasta party.
Waterfront Park, Little Italy, sandiegomacncheese.com
10.27: 10th annual Spring Valley Tailgate and BBQ Festival
Put your grill skills to the test at this backyard BBQ challenge in which more than two dozen teams will compete to be crowned Spring Valley’s top amateur pitmasters.
Cali Comfort BBQ, Spring Valley, behindthesmokemedia.com
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