Top weekend events in San Diego for Oct. 20-23: San Diego Loyal, Adam Lambert and more
If you’re not watching the San Diego Padres or the San Diego Wave FC in their playoff games on television this weekend, there’s plenty to do around San Diego.
In fact, the San Diego Loyal have a home playoff game, which you can read about below.
Here’s your weekend lineup.
Thursday
San Diego International Film Festival: The 21st annual San Diego Film Festival begins Wednesday and runs through Oct. 23. After partly virtual festivals in 2020 and 2021, this year’s SDFF, produced by the San Diego Film Foundation, boasts a heavy schedule of in-person screenings at venues including the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park and AMC UTC-14 at the Westfield UTC shopping center. There also is an extensive schedule of online screenings for those who still want to watch from home. Thursday through Sunday, various venues and online. Individual screening tickets start at $16; in-person and virtual passes available (prices vary). sdfilmfest.com
Back with a full slate of in-person events, the annual celebration boasts early looks at studio films, Q&As with filmmakers, and the camaraderie of fellow cinephiles
‘Into the Breeches’: North Coast Repertory Theatre presents the San Diego premiere of George Brant’s stage comedy where the mostly female workers at an American playhouse during World War II step into men’s shoes to play all the roles in some Shakespeare plays. Open now, runs through Nov. 23. 7 p.m. Wednesdays. 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays. 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. $54-$65. (858) 481-1055. northcoastrep.org
“First Date”: OnStage Playhouse presents Austin Winsberg, Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner’s 2013 musical comedy about a man and woman, whose blind date becomes overcrowded when the couple’s inner critics and the spirits of their exes, parents and others show up. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Nov. 6. 291 Third Ave., Chula Vista. $15-$25. (619) 422-7787. onstageplayhouse.org
Friday
Gem Faire: Find terrific turquoise, jazzy jade and celestial crystals at the annual Gem Faire, which offers fine jewelry, precious and semi-precious gemstones, beads, gold and silver, minerals and more at manufacturer’s prices. You can also have jewelry repaired and cleaned while you shop. Noon to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission $7; children free; parking $10. O’Brien Hall, Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. delmarfairgrounds.com/event/gem-faire/2022-10-21
“The 39 Steps”: Lamplighters Community Theatre presents Patrick Barlow’s fast-paced, comic send-up of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller of the same name. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Nov. 22. 5915 Severin Drive, La Mesa. $22-$25. (619) 303-5092. lamplighterslamesa.com
“The Wolves”: San Diego City College Drama Program presents Sarah DeLappe’s Pulitzer Prize finalist play about the pack-like, competitive behavior among the members of a high school girls soccer team. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 2 p.m. Saturday. Saville Theater, 14th St. and C St., San Diego. $5-$15. citycollegetheatre.com
HauntFest: El Cajon holds its annual HauntFest downtown and packs it with games, crafts, a movie, activities, rides, a costume contest, live entertainment, food, a candy trail and a pumpkin patch. 4-9 p.m. Friday. East Main Street from Magnolia to Avocado/Ballatyne. Free. hauntfest.org
Ghost Town Spooktacular: This Haunted Ghost Town will feature a 25-minute spine-chilling tours of the pranks and secrets of the departed. Family-friendly “less spine-tingling” tours are 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and “horrifyingly frightening tours” are 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. led by student actors from Ovation Theatre. Oct. 21-23 and Oct. 28-30. Heritage Ranch. 450 Quail Gardens Drive. Tickets are $20; $10 for kids age 10 and under. SDHeritage.org
“Mary Poppins”: Moonlight Youth Theatre presents a youth-cast production of this Disney and Cameron Mackintosh stage musical about an eccentric Victorian nanny featuring a cast of 64 young actors. 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday. Moonlight Amphitheatre, Brengle Terrace Park, 1250 Vale Terrace Drive, Vista. $14-$28. (760) 724-2110. moonlightstage.com
Bach Collegium: “Blow by Blow!”: This San Diego baroque-renaissance ensemble, under the artistic direction of Ruben Valenzuela, will perform John Blow’s “Masque: Venus & Adonis” and “Ode: Ye Sons of Phoebus,” as well as Henry Purcell’s instrumental music from “The Fairy Queen,” featuring vocal soloists Sherezade Panthaki, Kristen Dubenion-Smith, Jay Carter and John Buffett. 7 p.m. tonight at Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 8459 Manchester Ave., Cardiff. 7 p.m. Saturday at All Souls’ Episcopal Church, 1475 Catalina Blvd., San Diego. $15-$60. bachcollegiumsd.org/blowbyblow
Saturday
‘Birds, Bees, Flowers and Trees’: The San Diego Floral Association presents “Birds, Bees, Flowers and Trees: A Celebration of Nature and the Environment.” Get acquainted with the various floral, horticultural and eco-friendly societies in San Diego. Browse vendor booths for gifts and crafts; meet WaterWise Gardener Nan Sterman (who writes a garden column for this paper), signing her book “Hot Color, Dry Garden,” and Ms. SmartyPlants from the Water Conservation Garden. Demos, plant sales, floral exhibits, giveaways, activities and contests. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday . El Prado, Casa del Prado, Balboa Park. Free. sdfloral.org/special-event.htm
‘Always a Banana, Never the Bride’: San Diego actor-playwright Alyssa Anne Austin presents the debut of her one-woman comedy-cabaret show, subtitled “An Ode to Broadway’s Lesser Ladies.” Austin combines her work as a career coach and branding strategist with her theatrical training for a show that’s part motivational talk, part cabaret, featuring songs from famous musicals sung by “second banana” characters. 3 p.m. Saturday. 2 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday. OB Playhouse, 4944 Newport Ave., San Diego. $15-$20. alwaysabananashow.com
San Diego Zombie Crawl: This Halloween event promises “three nights of terror,” plus free entry to 22 costume parties at clubs in the Gaslamp Quarter, Welcome Potions, live entertainment, DJ, dancing and more. The Crawl offers preplanned self-guided routes to the downtown clubs, which are all along Fifth Avenue between G Street and Market. Stops include Casablanca, Double Deuce, Phantom Lounge and Onyx. Needless to say, this is a 21-and-older event. 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Oct. 29. Pick up club passes, drink tickets and credentials at American Junkie, 628 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Tickets start at $35. SanDiegoZombieCrawl.com.
Borrego Days: The 56th annual Desert Festival, presented by the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce, keeps things cool with art exhibits, a kids zone, food vendors, artisans, adult beer garden, and a free-to-enter car show. Live music includes Deb Shepard & the Hickory Wind Band performing on Saturday, and Nacho Bustillos on Sunday; the Comedy Hypnosis Show with Don Spencer takes place Saturday. 9:45 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Christmas Circle Community Park, Palm Canyon Drive. Free. borregodays.com
Track or Treat: The event takes place on the final weekend of the Fall Antique Engine & Tractor Show at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum. Highlights include gas engine row startup, antique equipment parade, tractor games on the parade route; demonstrations on weaving, spinning, blacksmithing and woodworking along with milling. There will also be a pumpkin pinata, candy and prizes and pumpkin patch. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 22-23. Admission is $8; adults ages 65 and up, $7; kids ages 6-12, $5 and free for kids younger than 6. Free for active-duty military. 2040 N. Santa Fe Ave. Visit agsem.com.
“Huai Li: Constraint and Transcendance”: California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum opens a solo exhibition by this international artist whose thematic works relate to East-West cultural interaction in an increasingly transnational age. Opens Saturday and runs through Feb. 26. Hours, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. $6-$12. (760) 839-4138. artcenter.org
Sunday
Adam Lambert: The charismatic vocal star and ‘American Idol’ alum is bringing his Halloween-themed ‘The Witch Hunt’ tour to San Diego. 7 p.m. Sunday. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave. $37.50-$107.50, plus service charges ticketmaster.com
The charismatic vocal star and ‘American Idol’ alum is embarking on his Halloween-themed ‘The Witch Hunt’ tour
PoeFest: Write Out Loud presents a festival of fully-staged short stories and poetry, featuring literary legends like Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley. The performances will take place at the Villa Montezuma where visitors can explore the mansion through interactive experiences. Oct. 14-16, Oct. 21-23, Oct. 27-30. Times vary. 1925 K St., San Diego. $30. writeoutloudsd.com/poefest
San Diego Loyal: The San Diego Loyal will play its first-ever home playoff match this weekend against Oakland Roots SC. 7 p.m. Sunday. Torero Stadium, 5998 Alcala Park Way. Ticket prices vary. sdloyal.com/tickets
“Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery”: Lamb’s Players Theatre presents the San Diego premiere of this fast-paced, quick-change-laden mystery comedy inspired by the Sherlock Holmes novel “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” 7 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Through Nov. 20. Lambs Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. $36-$72. (619) 437-6000. lambsplayers.org
Philippe Jaroussky and Artaserse: San Diego Early Music Society opens its 40th season with countertenor Philippe Jaroussky and Ensemble Artaserse in a concert of arias and other works by Handel, Hasse, Ferrandini, Piccinni and Vivaldi. 7:30 p.m. Sunday. St. James by-the-Sea, 743 Prospect St., La Jolla. $25-$50. (619) 291-8246. sdems.org
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