Top weekend events in San Diego for Jan. 12-15: Martin Luther King Jr. parade and more
Here are some of the best things to do in San Diego County this weekend, including Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations, Monster Jam, basketball games, theater, concerts and more.
Welcome to Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.
While some celebrations will take place Friday, Saturday or Sunday, the official holiday is on Monday. You can find a full list of community service efforts, parades and more here:
Martin Luther King Jr. Day to be celebrated with events across San Diego County
Here are some other highlights this weekend.
Thursday
‘Blues in the Night’: North Coast Repertory Theatre presents Sheldon Epps’ revue of blues classics, set in a rundown Chicago motel in the 1930s, where three women sing about their heartbreak over falling in love with the same man, played by noted swing and blues singer Elijah Rock (pictured). Showtimes, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays. 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Feb. 5. 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. $57-$68. (858) 481-1055. northcoastrep.org
The Links at Petco Park: Starting on Thursday, golfers will be able to chip, flop, and putt their way around one of Major League Baseball’s most beautiful venues. Clubs are provided for all golfers and each group gets their own dedicated caddy. Tee times start at 7 a.m. Event runs through January 22. Petco Park, 100 Park Blvd., San Diego. $100 - $225. (619) 795-5000. mlb.com/padres/tickets/events/the-links
Friday
Poway Winter Festival: The city of Poway hosts a Winter Festival with events including building a snowman, sledding down a snowy hill and skating on a synthetic ice rink. Enjoy crafts, bounce houses, snow play areas, carnival games and a photo booth. 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Special hour from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday for those with special needs. Poway Community Park, 13325 Civic Center Drive. Free; food and specialty vendors charge a fee. poway.org/893/Winter-Festival
“Ripcord”: Coronado Playhouse presents David Lindsay-Abaire’s comedy about two very different senior women who don’t get along but are forced to share a room together at an assisted living center. Opens Fridayand runs through Jan. 29. Showtimes, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. 2 p.m. Sundays. 1835 Strand Way. Coronado. $24-$30. (619) 435-4856. coronadoplayhouse.org
“Spelling Bee After Dark”: Wildsong Productions presents this R-rated audience-participation camp comedy with music that touches on the terrors experiences of children experience in school competitions. Opens Friday and runs through Jan. 29. Showtimes, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Sundays and 2 p.m. Sundays. OB Playhouse, 4944 Newport Ave., San Diego. $32. wildsongproductions.showit.site
“The Revlon Girl”: Lamplighters Community Theatre presents Neil Anthony Docking’s drama inspired by the real-life 1966 coal-mine disaster in Wales, where a landslide killed 144 people, most of them schoolchildren. Opens Friday and runs through Feb. 5. Showtimes, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 2 p.m. Sundays. 5915 Severin Drive, La Mesa. $20-$25. (619) 303-5092. lamplighterslamesa.com
Salsa spectacular: The BIG (Baile International Grand) Salsa Festival San Diego features dance classes, performances, live concerts, and Latin dance parties into the early morning hours. The festival offers classes for beginners, challenges for the advanced, and everything in between. 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. Friday. 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Marriott Mission Valley, 8757 Rio San Diego Drive, San Diego. Tickets start at $30. bigsalsafestival.com/san-diego
“Edgar Allan Poe’s Gruesome Gallery of Grotesquerie”: San Diego Junior Theatre present this student-created original play that fuses storytelling, poetry, music, movement and puppetry to explore the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Recommended for ages 10 and up. 7 p.m. Friday and Jan. 20. 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Jan. 21-22. Casa del Prado Theatre, Balboa Park. $18-$20. juniortheatre.com
Saturday
Aztec basketball: San Diego State University will host back-to-back basketball games on Saturday, with the women’s team playing against Boise State University at noon, and then men’s team playing against the University of New Mexico at 6 p.m. Viejas Arena, 5500 Canyon Crest Drive, San Diego. goaztecs.com
Oddities Expo: The Oddities and Curiosities Expo featuring 150-plus oddity vendors and artists, will entertain those who enjoy the strange and unusual. The event offers everything from taxidermy specimens and original horror and Halloween-inspired artwork to antiques, handcrafted oddities, quack medical devices, odd jewelry and funeral collectibles. The expo will also offer photo ops, tarot readings, sideshow performers and concessions. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Del Mar Fairgrounds, O’Brien Hall, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Timed entry tickets $10 advance, $15 event day; ages 12 and under free (no ticket needed). showpass.com/san-diego-oddities-curiosities-expo-2023
Monster Jam: For the first time since it opened, Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley will host this touring motorsports spectacle featuring 12,000-pound monster trucks competing in tests of speed and skill, including backflips, two-wheel stunts and 70-mile-per-hour racing. Before the shows, fans can attend a Monster Jam Pit Party, where they can meet drivers and crew, get autographs and take part in family-friendly activities. This year’s competitors include 12 racers vying for points to compete at the Moster Jam World Finals in July. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Saturday and Jan. 14 (pit parties, 2:30-5:30 p.m.). 3 p.m. Sunday and Jan. 15 (pit parties, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.). 2101 Stadium Way, San Diego. Tickets start at $28. Pit party passes are $20. ticketmaster.com
Sunday
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade: The 41st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade honors the civil rights leader with a parade full of floats, bands, drill teams and marchers from colleges, churches, civic and youth organizations and more. The parade is coordinated by the Zeta Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., America’s oldest African American fraternity, of which King was a member. 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday. San Diego Embarcadero, Harbor Drive. Free. sandiegoalphas.com/mlk-parade
Wedding Expo: The Bridal Bazaar/Expo & Wedding Festival lets prospective brides and grooms shop for everything they might need to make that special day even more so. Visit nearly 150 wedding exhibits, talk with experts, and experience everything in person. 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. San Diego Convention Center, Hall B1, 111 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego. Tickets start at $10 but admission is free from 2 to 4 p.m. bridalbazaar.com
Sign up for the Pacific Insider newsletter
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Pacific San Diego.