San Diego, CA
17 Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend: Oct. 17–20
Celebrate the best part of the week with 17 exciting things to do in San Diego, from a bunch of boozy festivals to a Stranger Things–inspired musical and a gathering of zine makers and enthusiasts, plus several other San Diego events.
Food & Drink | Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do
Food & Drink Events in San Diego This Weekend
Rancho BEERnardo Festival
October 19
Though the name of this event is all about the brews, there will be much more than beer on tap at Rancho BEERnardo, with over 35 local breweries, wineries, and distilleries to check out from 2 to 5 p.m. at Webb Park this Saturday. This 21-plus event will include live music from Setting Sons and Par Avion and food from Mama V’s Lumpia, Tony’s Pepperoni Pizzeria, and Duffs Doggz. General admission ($65) comes with unlimited two-ounce pours, while VIP ($90) includes early admission at 1 p.m., an exclusive lounge, preferred parking and complimentary food. Tickets for Rancho BEERnardo can be purchased here.
11666 Avena Place, Rancho Bernardo
Santee Brews and Bites
October 19
Find a nice balance of neighborhood eateries, chain food spots, and local drink makers at Santee’s Brews and Bites fundraiser at Town Center Community Park East from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. this Saturday. Fast Times will provide the ’80s-inspired soundtrack for the night. Attendees can also place their bids at the silent auction and try their luck in the opportunity drawing to win weekend getaways, free yoga classes, in-home wine samplings, and more. Tickets, including general admission passes ($59.78), can be purchased on Eventbrite.
550 Park Center Drive, Santee
San Diego Spirits Festival
October 19–20
The Museum of Contemporary Art hosts the 15th annual San Diego Spirits Festival this weekend. Enjoy unlimited sips from a selection of more than 65 spirit brands serving bourbon, gin, mezcal, and more (or cocktails and seltzers if that’s your preference). There will also be bites from local restaurants, a silent auction for the Center for Culinary Culture, and plenty of live entertainment, including belly dancers, DJs, and a flamenco guitarist. Tickets are $75 for Saturday (2 to 6 p.m.) and $85 for Sunday (1 to 5 p.m.)
700 Prospect Street, La Jolla
Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend
San Diego International Film Festival
October 16–20
Watch the California premiere of the Amy Adams horror-comedy Nightbitch, dive into the works of female filmmakers in the Women’s Film Series, and take a bite of movie magic with Culinary Cinema at the San Diego International Film Festival. Attendees can stop by industry parties, Q&As, and special events like the glamorous Night of the Stars Tribute. Participating festival venues include the Museum of Photographic Arts, AMC 14 UTC, and the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center. Explore the variety of ticket options, from $20 individual screening tickets to the upscale $550 VIP pass, here.
La Jolla & Balboa Park
Charli XCX & Troye Sivan at Viejas Arena
October 18
Over the course of “Brat Summer,” Charli XCX’s inescapable masterpiece evolved from an album into a full-fledged phenomenon, spreading from limeade green billboards to politicians’ social media accounts. But just because summer is gone doesn’t mean the moment is over; the party is still raging, and fans will hear “Von Dutch,” “Mean Girls” and all of the club classics at Viejas Arena Friday night. Charli is joined by pop sensation Troye Sivan, whose music embraces the “Rush” of a night on the dancefloor. Resale tickets for this concert start at $211.82 on Ticketmaster.
5500 Canyon Crest Drive, Rolando
BirdStock
October 19
La Jolla Boulevard will be closed from Midway Street to Camino De La Costa as BirdStock, the Bird Rock neighborhood’s free annual music festival, returns bigger than ever. This Saturday, listen to all-day live music from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. as local bands (including headliners Lioneer) hit the main stage. Plus, stop by an artisan market, a pop-up pickleball court, a kids’ entertainment stage, and several nearby shops for discounted items. Proceeds from BirdStock will go towards Bird Rock Elementary and future iterations of the festival.
5509 La Jolla Boulevard, La Jolla
University Heights Fall Festival
October 19
While supporting local artisans, makers, and growers from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday at the Birney Joint Use Field, attendees at the free University Heights Fall Festival can pick a gourd in the pumpkin patch, play field games, take a community yoga class, and enjoy plenty of live entertainment from mariachi groups, ballet folklorico troupes, and tribute bands. Additional paid activities include a horse drawn hayride, a pie-baking contest, and a make-your-own-caramel-apple station. Proceeds benefit Birney Elementary.
4324 Park Boulevard, University Heights
San Diego Zine Fest
October 19–20
Dive into San Diego’s DIY zeitgeist at the 12th annual San Diego Zine Fest, where dozens of local artists will display and sell their self-published writing, photography, and artwork at Bread & Salt all weekend long. Drinks from Mujeres Brew House and food from Murillos Menu and Flavor Lab will be available for purchase at this weekend’s festival.
1955 Julian Avenue, Barrio Logan
Bella Vita Fest
October 19–20
At Bella Vita Fest, ArtWalk San Diego’s two-day celebration of Little Italy, explore over 50 chalk art paintings, hear live music, and learn recipes from local chefs cooking onstage from 12 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Plus, there will be more than 20 neighborhood wine samples to try, plus Italian culinary favorites like cannoli, Neapolitan-style pizza, and cheese wheel pasta. Admission to the festival is free. Wine-tasting tickets for five ($27.05) and 12 ($60.05) samples for each day can be purchased here.
550 West Date Street, Little Italy
Escondido Grand Avenue Festival
October 20
The Grand Avenue Festival offers live entertainment, international culinary options, and shopping from more than 400 retail, craft, and artisan vendors this Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Downtown Escondido’s favorite fall festival will also feature children’s rides, four live music stages, and a beer and wine garden.
Grand Avenue, Escondido
Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Weekend
Stranger Sings! The Parody Musical at Brooks Theater
Through October 20
Stranger Sings! flips the hair-raising adventures of Stranger Things into irresistible rompy fun. The musical embraces the zaniness of the ’80s, with songs inspired by the show and tons of love for nostalgia, geek culture, and unlikely heroes. There will be four final shows this weekend at the Brooks Theater as the production ends its first run in SoCal. Tickets for Stranger Sings! are available for $40.
217 North Coast Highway, Oceanside
Carlos Castro Arias: The Splinter In The Eye at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
October 19–January 11, 2025
The new Athenaeum Music & Arts Library exhibition The Splinter In The Eye will feature 11 new paintings from La Mesa–based artist Carlos Castro Arias, plus an assortment of created objects, sculpture and natural elements that supplement his insight on shared and solo identity. There will be a free opening reception for the exhibition this Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
1008 Wall Street, La Jolla
Foster + Partners: Architecture of Light and Space at San Diego Museum of Art
October 19–April 27, 2025
SDMA’s new Foster + Partners exhibition showcases the designs and models of architect Norman Foster, whose global firm of architects focuses on open space, daylight, and sustainability. The show explores his nature-driven ethos in three sections: Working with History, Embracing the Environment, and Community and Culture.
1450 El Prado, Balboa Park
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend
Haunted Hangar Halloween Bash
October 18
The USS Midway Museum’s annual Haunted Hangar Halloween Bash features group and solo costume contests, a flash mob set to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and spooky cocktails and snacks this Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. Other highlights from this family-friendly event include Halloween bag decorating, face painting, trick-or-treat stations, music from DJ Danny, and AirCombat flight simulator sessions ($5). General admission is $25 for this event and $20 for museum members.
910 North Harbor Drive, Embarcadero
San Diego Gulls Home Opener vs. Coachella Valley Firebirds at Pechanga Arena
October 18
The San Diego Gulls are back on home ice at Pechanga Arena and looking for their first win of the 2024–25 season as they face off against the Coachella Valley Firebirds in this Saturday’s home opener. Players to watch this season for the Gulls include highly touted prospect Nathan Gaucher, along with newly acquired veterans Roland McKeown and Ryan Carpenter. Fans in attendance at Saturday’s game will receive a rally towel, belt bag, and light-up wristband. Tickets range from $37 to $182 on AXS.
3500 Sports Arena Boulevard, Midway
Fright For Future
October 18–20
While most haunted attractions focus on the supernatural, Fright For Future finds horror in our everyday reality. While there will still be witches, mad scientists, and ghouls, the real-world inspirations for the haunted maze include polluted waters, fast-fashion consequences, and cruel treatment of animals. Over three days at the San Diego Made Factory, thrill seekers ages 10 and up can stand face-to-face with man-made horrors. Reserve your free spot at Fright For Future on Eventbrite.
2031 Commercial Street, Logan Heights
The Big Birthday Block Party at The Nat
October 19
The Nat celebrates 150 years of archeological preservation with a Big Birthday Block Party this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. At the party, chat with scientists, partake in themed games and activities, check out relics from the museum’s past, enjoy cocktails at The Nat’s rooftop bar, and much more. Admission to the block party, as well as the museum and the halls of its new Paleontology Center, is free.
1788 El Prado, Balboa Park
How interesting that Donald Trump is deporting Brown people who pay taxes and contribute to our economy (though they will never reap any benefits from those taxes) and instead is using our tax money to import and set up South Africans (none of whom are anything but White) who have never contributed to our economy. Could skin color perhaps have something to do with this policy?
— Nita Herpolsheimer, San Diego
California’s assault weapons ban may have helped limit the ability of two attackers to take lives at the Islamic Center of San Diego last week, according to a prominent gun control organization.
But the executive director of a San Diego gun rights group said the fact the attack even happened is proof the ban failed.
What the two don’t dispute is that the video from the attackers’ livestream shows one of them using a rifle that appears to comply with California’s strict gun laws. While authorities have not confirmed what models of firearms were used in the attack, representatives of the two organizations identified it as a semi-automatic Ruger Mini-14 rifle.
KPBS is not publishing the video, which authorities have not released, the names of the two teenage suspects or their writings, where they wrote they were motivated to conduct the attack by a number of sex and race-related grievances. They wore emblems associated with white supremacists and neo-Nazis and lashed out in their writings against women, Jewish people, Muslims and LGBTQ+ people.
They wrote they were inspired by the 2019 attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 51 Muslims. In their writings, the suspects said they wanted to replicate the Christchurch attack in San Diego.
The attack in Christchurch prompted New Zealand to change its gun laws.
Semiautomatic rifles sold in California have to meet certain criteria that other states don’t require.
The barrels must be at least 30 inches long and may not have collapsible or folding stocks. They cannot have a pistol grip behind the trigger, nor one attached at the forward part of the rifle.
And they cannot have a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds.
“From everything I saw from the video, (the rifle) looked like it met those criteria and looked like a very stock firearm that you could purchase at many dealers here in California,” said Steve Lindley, a policy advisor for the Brady Campaign.
Lindley spent almost 30 years in law enforcement, according to his biography. He worked for the National City Police Department and spent eight years leading the Bureau of Firearms at the California Department of Justice.
Lindley said features such as pistol grips make rifles more lethal.
“Over time it makes it easier for the shooter to have the firearm to their shoulder and in their hands,” he said. “Less fatigue, and it lines up a little bit better with your eyesight. The capacity of the magazines and other features on the firearm make it more accurate and easier to use in close quarters.”
The video shows the body cam operator firing the Mini-14 until it appears to jam. He struggles to clear the chamber and appears to remove and reinsert the magazine. He works the bolt, apparently unable to chamber a new round.
As the video continues, he continues to struggle with the bolt of the rifle before giving up, drawing a handgun and stepping outside.
The attackers never made it beyond the lobby, where about 100 schoolchildren and staff were inside the center. Authorities say they were delayed by the three men killed in the attack: Mansour Kaziha, 78, Nadir Awad, 57, and armed security guard Amin Abdullah.
The Islamic Center of San Diego
“Looking at the reality of this, a good guy with a gun stopped a bad guy with a gun from killing a lot of kids. Full stop,” said Michael Schwartz, the executive director of the San Diego County Gun Owners PAC.
“The assault weapons ban that California has implemented clearly failed — it didn’t stop these two people,” he said.
Schwartz described the features banned by California as “cosmetic” and that the semi-automatic rifles function the same regardless of their stock, grips or magazine size.
“The idea that … the (high-capacity) magazine ban stopped them from getting a high-capacity magazine … there just isn’t any evidence or proof,” he said.
While high-capacity magazines can’t be bought or sold in California, Schwartz said anyone can travel to the next state over and buy as many as they want.
Although the Mini-14 used in the attack is capable of accepting 30 or 40-round magazines, said Lindley, the shooters appeared to only have a California-compliant 10-round magazine.
“If you have ten round magazines, you have ten rounds to shoot before you need to change magazines,” he said. “If you have a 30- or 40-round magazine, you can shoot 30 or 40 rounds before you need to reload.”
That’s important, Lindley said, because when shooters stop to reload, it gives victims time to either escape or attempt to subdue the attacker.
Schwartz said that didn’t affect the Islamic center attack.
“If he had a bigger magazine or he had a pistol grip or whatever, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of this at all,” he said.
Lindley played a part in crafting more than 100 gun bills, according to the Brady Campaign. He said with so many guns in the United States, authorities can’t stop shootings — all they can do is try to limit the damage.
“We can prevent a lot of victimology by lowering the capacity of the magazines,” he said.
Police were so unsettled by one of the teens later accused in the deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego that they took his guns away more than a year before the attack. Court records show Chula Vista police secured a gun violence restraining order against then-high school student Caleb Vazquez in January 2025 after classmates and staff reported he idolized mass shooters, talked about a “day of retribution,” and came to school dressed as mass murderers and the TV serial killer Dexter, per NBC News and KGTV. The school had shared social media posts in which Vazquez praised killers, including those behind a 2011 attack in Norway and a 2019 shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, NBC reports.
Vazquez allegedly admitted an infatuation with mass killings and an idolization of Adolf Hitler and was put on a 72-hour psychiatric hold. His father—initially uncooperative, according to a police affidavit—removed 26 weapons from the home and arranged for therapy before the restraining order was dismissed that March. Just over a year later, police say Vazquez, 18, and a 17-year-old he’d met online killed three people at the mosque—security guard Amin Abdullah, caretaker Mansour Kaziha, and neighbor Nadir Awad—before wounding a landscaper and dying by suicide. FBI officials say writings left behind were steeped in extremist hatred. In the aftermath, community members are questioning how so many warnings failed to prevent the attack and calling for stronger, earlier interventions on mental health and homicidal ideation.
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