13 Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend: August 15–18

Art and theater buffs—you’re in luck this weekend. This roundup of San Diego events includes five exhibitions and plays to explore. Once you’ve filled your soul, satisfy your belly with a taco utopia at Waterfront Park. Still searching for a way to stay busy? Check out these 13 things to do in San Diego this weekend.

Food & Drink | Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art | More Fun Things to Do

Food & Drink Events in San Diego This Weekend

Tiki Takeover: Cutwater Rum Cocktail Class

August 15 & 24 

A Tiki Takeover is happening at Cutwater’s tasting room this August. Festivities include a mojito-making class this Thursday and a beach bash on Sunday, August 24 with live music, cocktail tastings, photo ops, and more. Though the cocktail class has officially sold out, it’s not too late to get tickets for the sea-themed shindig. General admission is $20, while VIP is $45 and comes with a complimentary cocktail and a pour of Cutwater’s Bali Hai barrel-aged rum. 

9750 Distribution Avenue, Miramar

Chula Vista’s Lemon Festival

August 17

Downtown Chula Vista’s 27th annual Lemon Festival on Third Avenue will feature the famous lemon-cook off, live music, photo ops, arts, crafts, and shopping. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., several local vendors will sell a variety of cuisine (made with and without lemons). Lemonheads can get stoked about the desserts, which include Dole Whip and lemon slushies.

353 Third Avenue, Chula Vista 

SoCal Taco Fest 2024 at Waterfront Park

August 17

From 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., attendees at SoCal Taco Fest can chow down on tacos, check out lucha libre wrestling, belt out ballads karaoke-style, cheer on chihuahua races, listen to live music from Vanilla Ice and Smash Mouth, and sample community recipes in the Guac Off at Waterfront Park. Ticket options include $49 general admission tickets and $175 VIP passes that come with four drink tickets; five taco tickets; access to a VIP bar and deluxe stage viewing areas; and free chips, salsa, and dessert. 

1600 Pacific Highway, Embarcadero

Sea & Sky Sunday Jazz Brunch

August 18

Perched on the 11th floor of Hotel La Jolla, Sea & Sky hosts a new weekly jazz brunch every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Stop by for the acoustic stylings of Solar Barges and breakfast classics like omelets, apple pancakes, and steak and eggs. To make a brunch reservation at Sea & Sky, visit OpenTable. 

7955 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend

John Legend: A Night of Songs and Stories with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

August 15

John Legend will bring his luscious melodies to the Rady Shell this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. With an assist from conductor Anthony Parnther and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, the R&B legend will play timeless hits like “All of Me,” “Ordinary People,” and “Save Room.” Tickets range from $99 to $284. 

222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero

Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Weekend

Velour: A Drag Spectacular at La Jolla Playhouse

Through September 15

The La Jolla Playhouse’s newest stage production channels the larger-than-life stage presence of drag queen Sasha Velour. Directed by Moisés Kaufman, Velour: A Drag Spectacular explores Velour’s origin story and her stratospheric rise as a performer on RuPaul’s Drag Race with captivating visuals, music, and animation. Due to popular demand, the show’s run has been extended to September 15. Tickets for Velour: A Drag Spectacular can be purchased here. 

2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla

Cleopatra at the Moxie Theatre

Opens August 16

Actress and playwright Joy Yvonne Jones is giving Cleopatra the spotlight in this one-woman show at the Moxie Theatre. Jones draws on Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra but takes a much greater focus on Cleopatra’s life, ambitions, and significance as the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt. This ambitious production, directed by Andréa Agosto, will open this Friday, with shows through September 11. Ticket options include standard tickets and more flexible “pick your price” seats. 

6663 El Cajon Boulevard, El Cajon

Exit, Pursued by a Bear at the Coronado Playhouse

Opens August 16

Beginning this Friday, Kira Blaskovich directs Lauren Gunderson’s Exit, Pursued by a Bear at the Coronado Playhouse. Inspired by A Winter’s Tale, main character Nan hatches a plan to force her abusive husband to confront his behavior before serving him up as dinner for a bear. See Exit through September 8. Tickets for the four performances happening this weekend can be purchased here. 

1835 Strand Way, Coronado

Transformative Currents at the Oceanside Museum of Art

Opens August 17 

The Oceanside Museum of Art’s Transformative Currents tasked 21 artists with considering the pollution and destruction plaguing the Pacific Ocean to inspire long-lasting positive change. Part one of the group exhibition opens Saturday, followed by part two on September 7. It is on display through January 19, 2025.

704 Pier View Way, Oceanside

Melissa Walter: Plexus and Manuel Alejandro Rodríguez-Delgado: Futuros Itinerantes at ICA North

Opens August 18

The Institute of Contemporary Art North is premiering a new pair of science-driven exhibitions this Sunday. Melissa Walter’s project centers on DNA’s complicated role in the criminal justice system, while Manuel Alejandro Rodríguez-Delgado envisions speculative technologies for a changing world. Stop by the museum’s free C You Saturday! event from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. this Saturday to participate in a hands-on art activity, shop donated ceramic pieces, and see the work early with artist-led tours.  

1550 South El Camino Real, Encinitas

More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend

Flicks on the Bricks: Dr. Strangelove

August 15

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library continues its outdoor movie series this Thursday at 8 p.m. with a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s Cold War–era classic Dr. Strangelove. Released in 1963 amid heated discussions of a potential nuclear war, the film is a satire that zeroes in on the absurdities of war. Tickets to this screening are $20 for Athenaeum members and $25 for non-members. 

1008 Wall Street, La Jolla

Haute with Heart Fashion Show at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront

August 17

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center (SMSC) will host its annual fundraiser. The event, themed “Couture,” includes music, shopping, silent and live auctions, Champagne by the glass, an elegant luncheon, SMSC student performances, and a chic fashion show from Kristi Brooks. This event benefits the center’s creative education programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Tickets are $200 for standard admission and $300 for VIP, which includes perks like complimentary wine, front-row fashion show seating, and deluxe valet parking.

1 Park Boulevard, Downtown

Berry Good Food Foundation’s Seeds for the Future Fundraiser at Julep

August 18

The Berry Good Foundation raises money for San Diego school gardens at the org’s annual fundraising gala at Julep this Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. Attendees will chat with local chefs, artists, and vendors while enjoying their fill of bites and cocktails. Guests will also get to bid on a variety of auction items like restaurant date nights, spa days, hotel stays, and Baja wine country vacations. Tickets for the bash are available for $200. 

1735 Hancock Street, Mission Hills

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