Best Bets: A quick guide to La Jolla entertainment and experiences

The La Jolla Light presents this continuing listing of local in-person events and online activities.

Halloween and fall events

• Nightmare on Nautilus haunted trail: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, La Jolla High School, 750 Nautilus St. $7. ljhstheatre.com

• Family Fall Festival: Shoreline Community Services’ second annual Family Fall Festival, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, La Jolla United Methodist Church, 6063 La Jolla Blvd. The event will feature carnival games, pumpkin painting, a pie walk, rides, treats and more. $10-$50. bit.ly/SCS-Fall-25

• Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead): “Día de los Muertos Storytime with Ms. Jackie,” 3-5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, and Día de los Muertos concert, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, both in the La Jolla/Riford Library’s Community Room, 7555 Draper Ave. Children are encouraged to wear traditional Día de los Muertos makeup.

• Halloween Aglow: 6-8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24-25, at Birch Aquarium, 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla. The event will include games, trick-or-treating, special lighting and decorations, live music by Billy Lee and the Swamp Critters, divers doing underwater pumpkin carving, and pop-up science stations. $20-$45. Reservations are required. aquarium.ucsd.edu/events/halloween-aglow

• Dogoween: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, The Kitchen at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. The event will feature a costume contest, pop-up tents and music to raise funds for local pet adoption organizations. $30-$100. lajollalovespets.org.

• Movie Night: “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”: 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd. Refreshments will be provided. Free for Community Center members, $10 for non-members. ljcommunitycenter.org/specialevents

• Trunk or Treat: 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, on Draper Avenue between La Jolla Presbyterian Church and the La Jolla Recreation Center. Pre-approved cars will offer trick-or-treating, non-alcoholic apple cider, chili with toppings and pie in a cup. Pumpkin carving also will be available.

• “Beyond the Rainbow”: 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, 9700 N. Torrey Pines Road. The “Wizard of Oz”- and Halloween-themed event for ages 21 and up will feature cocktails, bites, characters, entertainment and more. $115. bit.ly/4q9qMX0

• Halloween Lunch & Costume Contest: Noon to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd. Free for Community Center members, $25 for non-members. Registration is required. ljcommunitycenter.org/specialevents

• Creepy Candy Crawl: 3-6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at participating shops in La Jolla’s Village. Children of all ages can go trick-or-treating with goodie bags available at the Real Estate Brokers Association, 908 Kline St. The event also will include a costume contest featuring prizes donated by Geppetto’s toy store. bit.ly/42x0aoQ

Lectures & learning

• The Peer Learning Collaborative at the La Jolla Community Center continues “Oceanography and How We Get Fish on the Plate” with oceanographer John Ugoretz at 3 p.m. Thursdays, Oct. 16 and 23, at 6811 La Jolla Blvd. The remaining topics are: Oct. 16, “Sharktober! Shark Incidents in California and San Diego;” Oct. 23, “What We Need to Understand about Marine Protected Areas, Especially in La Jolla.” ljcommunitycenter.org/plc

• “The Precarity of ‘Privilege’: Intermarried Families in Prague during the Holocaust,” featuring Tatjana Lichtenstein, kicks off UC San Diego’s Holocaust Living History Workshop series at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at UCSD’s Geisel Library, 9701 Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. Free. calendar.ucsd.edu/event/HLHW-Tatjana-Lichtenstein

• “Judeo-Sephardic (Ladino) for Beginners” is presented at 10 a.m. Mondays from Oct. 20 through Nov. 24 online. The six-class course is taught by Agnieszka August-Zarebska, an assistant professor in the Taube Department of Jewish Studies at the University of Wroclaw, Poland. Registration is $250 until Thursday, Oct. 16, and $300 afterward. yiddishlandcalifornia.org/ladino-judeo-spanish-for-beginners

• The La Jolla Garden Club presents “Learning About Sogetsu Ikebana” with Sharon Bristow at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the La Jolla Woman’s Club, 7791 Draper Ave. Free.

• “Afternoon Insights: The Silent Epidemic of Loneliness: Identifying and Addressing Loneliness in Our Aging Population” is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, at the La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd. Free. ljcommunitycenter.org/specialevents

• The Korea-Pacific Program at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy presents “Economic Statecraft in a Divided Peninsula,” a roundtable discussion of how the United States and South Korea are tasked with aligning their economic policies and finding strategies to deter North Korea, at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, in UCSD’s Great Hall, 9810 International Lane, La Jolla. Free, though registration is required. bit.ly/4n8plWb

Health & fitness

• The La Jolla Newcomers Club presents Saturday Morning Walkers at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 18, meeting in front of the La Jolla Shores Hotel, 8110 Camino del Oro. A walk will proceed along the water and through the surrounding neighborhood. Those interested can meet for coffee or brunch afterward. lajollanewcomers.org

• The relaxation class “Fit & Flexible” is presented at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays through Oct. 28 at the La Jolla Cove Bridge Club, 1160 Coast Blvd. Free for newcomers, $25 for others. Register via email at solyoga@yahoo.com.

• “Restorative Bliss Yoga with Ocean Savasana” is offered at 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Oct. 29 at the La Jolla Cove Bridge Club, 1160 Coast Blvd. Free for newcomers, $25 for others. Register via email at solyoga@yahoo.com.

Art & film

• “Alex Katz: Theater and Dance” continues at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego through Sunday, Jan. 4, at 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. The exhibit is the first comprehensive exploration of Katz’s collaborations with choreographers, dancers and members of avant-garde theater ensembles over six decades, showcasing rare archival materials, major sets and paintings and previously unexhibited sketches. mcasd.org/exhibitions/alex-katz-theater-and-dance

Dance scholar Emma Clarke and MCASD’s manager of education, Maru Lopez, will explore works and themes of the exhibition in a lecture at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at the museum’s Strauss Galleries. $5. mcasd.org/events/lecture-emma-clarke

• Quint Gallery presents a reception with artist Kim MacConnel at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, for her exhibition, “Tilt-A-Whirl,” which continues through Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7655 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Free.  quintgallery.com/exhibitions/260-kim-macconnel-tilt-a-whirl

• R.B. Stevenson Gallery hosts an opening reception for artist Geoffroy Tobé from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at 7661 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Tobé will present the exhibition “Here and There” with new paintings and ceramics through Saturday, Nov. 8. Free. rbstevensongallery.com

• The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library hosts an opening reception for “Nolan Oswald Dennis: Demonstrations (i)” at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, at 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The art exhibition will run through Saturday, Jan. 17. ljathenaeum.org/events/exhibition-2025-insite

• Artwork by Katherine Keeling is on display through October at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 5627 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. birdrockcoffee.com/cafes/la-jolla

• Joseph Bellows Gallery presents the art exhibition “Kate Breakey: In Pursuit of Light” through Friday, Oct. 31, at 7661 Girard Ave., La Jolla. josephbellows.com/exhibitions/kate-breakey2

• “Prospect 2025,” this year’s renewal of an annual exhibition highlighting artworks being considered for acquisition, runs through Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. The show features five sculptural artworks by Hugh Hayden, Daniela Gomez Paz, Ryan Preciado, Sarah Rosalena and Barbara Sanchez-Kane. mcasd.org/exhibitions/prospect-2025

• The Salon of Art Gallery presents artist Concetta Antico’s exhibition “Ethereal Beauty” through Friday, Nov. 14, at 7655 Fay Ave., La Jolla. Free. bit.ly/4fRGK3h

• UC San Diego’s Mandeville Art Gallery hosts “Omni Intelligent,” an exhibition by nine artists and collectives in a range of media from scent and holography to ceramics and film, exploring artificial intelligence and the intersections of humans and machines. The exhibit continues through Saturday, Dec. 6, at 9390 Mandeville Lane, La Jolla. mandevilleartgallery.ucsd.edu/exhibitions/omni-intelligent.html

• “Land and Sea: Selections from the Collection,” an exhibit featuring land and seascapes by more than 20 artists with connections to the region, runs through Wednesday, Dec. 31, at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. It includes pieces in the museum’s current collection, as well as new acquisitions. mcasd.org/exhibitions/new-on-view

• The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego presents “A Burial in Shanghai,” an exhibit of large paintings by Chinese-born artist Yan Pei-Ming, through Sunday, Jan. 4, at 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. mcasd.org/exhibitions/yan-pei-ming

Music & dance

• The La Jolla Music Society presents jazz by the Peter Sprague Trio, featuring Sprague on guitar, Mackenzie Leighton on bass and Danny Green on piano, at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, at the Wu Tsai QRT.yrd at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. Free. theconrad.org/events/qrt-yrd-peter-sprague

• Art of Elan presents music by Foote, Ginastera and Debussy at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, at The JAI at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $18-$53. theconrad.org/events/art-of-elan-at-the-jai

• Cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia and pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion play at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The performance is part of the Barbara and William Karatz Chamber Concert Series. $16-$58. ljathenaeum.org/events/chamber-2025-1020

• ArtPower at UC San Diego presents the dance and music ensemble La Mezcla in “Ghostly Labor,” a rhythmic performance, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, at UCSD’s Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9480 Innovation Lane, La Jolla. $30-$50. amphitheater.ucsd.edu/event/la-mezcla

• The La Jolla Community Center concludes its 2025 Fourth Friday Jazz Series with Holly Hofmann presenting “Some of My Best Friends are Guitar Players” at 8 p.m. Oct. 24 at 6811 La Jolla Blvd. $25 for Community Center members and $30 for non-members in advance; $35 at the door. ljcommunitycenter.org/ffjs

• Bach Collegium San Diego presents “When in Rome: A. Scarlatti, Corelli and Handel” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Baker-Baum Concert Hall, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $38-$73. theconrad.org/events/when-in-rome

• Pianist Dmitry Shishkin performs at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, at the Baker-Baum Concert Hall, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $48-$75. theconrad.org/events/dmitry-shiskin

• The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library presents its four-concert Jazz Fall Series from Oct. 29 to Dec. 5 at two venues in La Jolla. Performances are: Kris Davis Trio, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St.; Anthony Wilson Nonet: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9, Scripps Research Auditorium, 10620 John Jay Hopkins Drive; Django Festival Allstars with Veronica Swift, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, Scripps Research Auditorium; and Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. $188 for the series for Athenaeum members, $208 for non-members. Individual concerts are $50-$55. ljathenaeum.org/jazz

• The La Jolla Symphony & Chorus opens its 2025-26 season with “The French Connection” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Mandeville Auditorium at UC San Diego, 9390 Mandeville Lane, La Jolla. The performances will feature French and French-inspired works by Kevin Puts, Igor Stravinsky, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Betsy Jolas, Claude Debussy and Erik Satie. $20-$45. ljsc.org

• San Diego Baroque presents its 2025-26 Bach’s Lunch Concert Series at 12:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month, except January, through May 6 at St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 743 Prospect St., La Jolla. Upcoming performances are: Nov. 5, Mozart string quintet; Dec. 3, Vivaldi Gloria; Feb. 4, Handel and Scarlatti vocal works; March 4, French baroque; April 1, Vivaldi Stabat Mater; May 6, works based on Shakespeare and Cervantes. Free. sdbaroque.com

Books

• Wayne Thiebaud holds a book release event for “A Radical Realism” at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at Tasende Gallery, 820 Prospect St., La Jolla. tasendegallery.com

• The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center will host a series of Jewish authors speaking about their books at 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. The schedule: Yardena Schwartz, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16; Dara Horn, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18; Pamela Nadell, 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17. $115-$150. my.lfjcc.org/15540/15541

• Author Leslie Johansen Nack discusses her book “Nineteen” in conversation with Judy Reeves at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at Warwick’s bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Free, or $17.99 for a reserved seat and book copy. warwicks.com/event/nack-2025

• Warwick’s bookstore presents a meet-and-greet and book signing with Dave Berke and Jocko Willink for their book “The Need to Lead” at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, at 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. $35. One ticket admits two and includes a book copy. warwicks.com/event/berke-and-willink-2025

• Warwick’s bookstore presents La Jolla author Loni Belle discussing her children’s book “Moo-Nay R U Monet?” at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, at 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Free. warwicks.com/event/belle-2025

• The La Jolla Historical Society presents the “Kumeyaay Visual Storytelling Project,” an exhibition that brings together the graphic novels “Our, Past, Present and Future” and “Beyond Gaming,” written by Kumeyaay tribal historians Ethan Banegas, Michael Connolly Miskwish, Lorraine Orosco and Stanley Rodriguez and illustrated by John Swogger. The event runs through Sunday, Oct. 19, at 780 Prospect St. Free. lajollahistory.org/current-and-upcoming

• Author Jill Hall discusses her book “On a Sundown Sea: A Novel of Madame Tingley and the Origins of Lomaland” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, at Warwick’s bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Free, or $18.99 for a reserved seat and book copy. warwicks.com/event/jill-g-hall-2025

Theater

• La Jolla Playhouse presents the world-premiere musical “Working Girl” from Tuesday, Oct. 28, through Sunday, Dec 7, at the Mandell Weiss Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive. The production, based on the 1988 movie, features music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, a book by Theresa Rebeck and choreography by Sarah O’Gleby and is directed by Christopher Ashley. lajollaplayhouse.org/show/working-girl

Galas & events

• The Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa concludes its Tea in the Garden Series of themed afternoon high teas on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 9700 N. Torrey Pines Road. $75. bit.ly/4jZblwR

• The Corazon de Vida Foundation presents its annual fundraiser Noche de Gala beginning at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, 9700 N. Torrey Pines Road. The gala benefits orphaned and abandoned children in Baja, Mexico, and will include champagne, cocktails, silent and live auctions, entertainment, dinner and dancing. $250. ndg.givesmart.com

• The La Jolla/Riford Library hosts “Remember Us the Holocaust,” or “RUTH,” an exhibit that features stories of Holocaust survivors living in San Diego County and artifacts from the Holocaust and World War II, through June 28 at 7555 Draper Ave. Free. bit.ly/49TLiDr. sandiego.librarymarket.com/event/ruth-exhibit-program-418127.

Do you have an event — online or in person — that you’d like to see here? Email your leads to Rob Vardon at robert.vardon@lajollalight.com by noon Friday for publication in the following week’s edition. ♦