Here are some of the best things to do this week in San Diego, from Monday, Oct. 28 to Friday, Nov. 1.
Check back Wednesday for our guide to things to do this weekend.
RELATED LINKS
Where to watch scary movies and Halloween favorites at theaters across San Diego County A guide to Dia de los Muertos festivities throughout San Diego Frightful and delightful Halloween happenings throughout San Diego CountyMonday
Scary Sugar Cookie Decorating: The Original 40 Brewing will host a Halloween-themed scary sugar cooking decorating event with Pacific Bach Cookie Co. This event is recommended for beginners and provides a set of six cookies. 6:30 p.m. Monday. $60. Original 40 Brewing, 3117 University Ave., San Diego. eventbrite.com/e/make-boo-tiful-cookies-at-our-scary-sugar-cookie-decorating-event-tickets-1038638875837
Craig Whitlock author event: Author of Fat Leonard: How One Man Bribed, Bilked, and Seduced the U.S. Navy, Craig Whitlock will talk about the major military scandal with San Diego ties. 7:30 p.m. Monday. Warwicks, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Free or reserved season and book for $32.50. warwicks.com/event/whitlock-2024
Rooftop Cinema: This rooftop movie venue is going all in on spooky season. See Sleepy Hollow on Oct. 25, Death Becomes Her on Oct. 26, and Jennifers Body or Scream on Oct. 28, among other upcoming scary and family-friendly titles. Rooftop Cinema is exclusively playing Halloween-themed movies at multiple screenings each night through Oct. 31 and showing Coco on Nov. 1. Manchester Grand Hyatt, 1 Market Place, San Diego. rooftopcinemaclub.com/san-diego/venue/rcc-embarcadero
Tuesday
Between the Notes: The downtown San Diego restaurant Senses Human Bistro is hosting its Between the Notes event with the Doug Walker Quintet to mark the release of its newest CD. The quintet with David Borgo, Victor Baker, Tobin Chodos, Justin Joyce and David Walker will play classic jazz hits and compositions. There will also be dining options available at this jazz concert. 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday. Senses Human Bistro, 1100 Market St., San Diego. $12.51. senseshumanbistro.com
Beachside Fall Fest: Belmont Park’s Beachside Fall Fest is back with autumn-themed foods, drinks and activities. Throughout most days in September and October, there will be live music with kids bands performing, amusement park rides, Halloween-themed face painting, a trick-or-treat car show and autumn decor, such as pumpkins and succulents for photo opportunities. Some of the food and drinks available during the fall festival will include maple bacon fudge, caramel apple funnel cakes, Thai brown sugar boba and pumpkin pie milkshakes. Through Oct. 31. 3146 Mission Blvd., San Diego. (858) 488-1549, belmontpark.com/beachside-fall-fest
Wednesday
Mall-o-Ween: Parkway Plaza is hosting a Mall-o-Ween event inside the shopping center from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 30. The event will feature carnival games, face painting, trick-or-treating and balloon artists. Dress in your favorite costume. Parkway Plaza is at 415 Fletcher Parkway. Go to visitparkwayplaza.com/event/mall-o-ween.
Howl-O-Ween Yappy Hour: Town & Country Resort and Helen Woodward Animal Center will put on a Howl-O-Ween Yappy Hour from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 30 at the resort’s Monkey Bar Lawn, with a doggy costume contest at 6:30 p.m. and prizes for the first and second place winners. A portion of proceeds from sale of craft cocktails goes to Helen Woodward Animal Center. Visit animalcenter.org.
Paula Hawkins author event for “The Blue Hour”: The bestselling British novelist behind the hit sensation “The Girl on the Train” is back with a new suspense novel about two women who live in the same mysterious island house in different time periods. This is a ticketed event and benefit for local non-profit Words Alive. 4:30 p.m. Oct. 30. Julep, 1735 Hancock St., Middletown. $25-$230. (858) 274-9673, ext. 310, wordsalive.org
Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help: North Coast Repertory Theatre presents this family comedy about a Catholic family navigating the 1970s and womens reproductive rights. 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Nov. 24. 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. $60-$74. 858-481-1055, northcoastrep.org
Thursday
Super Smash Bros Ultimate Tournament: Common Theory Public House will host a Super Smash Bros tournament on Switch. Winners will compete for cash prizes and participants are encouraged to wear costumes. 5 p.m. warm up, 6 p.m. competition Thursday. 1980 Optima St., Chula Vista. $10. Call to reserve a spot, 619-780-6689. commontheorysd.com
Bates Pumpkin Patch: Hay rides, a petting zoo, a straw maze and pony rides along with food and lots of pumpkins and gourds are all part of the festivities through Oct. 31 at Bates Nut Farm, 15954 Valley Woods Road. There are different food vendors each weekend. The farm is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays with free parking and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. There is free admission and $10 parking on October weekends. Activity tickets are $2 each. Visit batesnutfarm.biz.
Kids eat free: To celebrate Halloween, certain Applebees locations will be offering two free kids meals per one adult entree. Participating locations in our region are in Chula Vista, El Cajon, Escondido, National City, Oceanside and San Diego. Thursday only. flynn.com/applebees
Free ice cream: Salt & Straw will be giving out free scoops of ice cream for kids under 16 and dogs in costume. Available seasonal flavors include Jack o Lantern Pumpkin Bread, Essence of Ghost and The Great Candycopia. 1670 India Street, San Diego. instagram.com/saltandstraw
Mainstreet Goes Ghostly: Witches and ghosts will be wandering throughout Coronado’s central downtown from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 31 and merchants are set to welcome trick-or-treaters for the Mainstreet Goes Ghostly event hosted by Coronado Mainstreet. Visit coronadomainstreet.org/mainstreetgoesghostly.
Blackberry Smoke: On Halloween night, ditch the trick-or-treating and enjoy the Americana rock and roll sounds from Blackberry Smoke. The band, which united in 2000, is playing in San Diego to promote its latest album “Be Right Here.” The show will also feature country music singer Kelsey Waldon as the opening act. 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego. $63-$382. humphreysconcerts.com
The Importance of Being Earnest: Lambs Players Theatre presents Oscar Wildes witty comedy about a pair of Victorian-era bachelors both romancing women under the pseudonym Earnest. 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Nov. 10. Lamb’s Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. $38-$82. 619-437-6000, lambsplayers.org
Trick-or-treating downtown: The free annual Safe Trick or Treat will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31. Many downtown businesses will have goodies for kids. Costumed trick-or-treaters can stroll South Coast Highway 101, from Encinitas Boulevard to K Street. There will be Halloween-themed activities and games for kids along with entertainment. Visit encinitas101.com
Haunted Amusement Park: At the old grounds of the Marshal Scotty’s Playland in El Cajon, the Haunted Amusement Park will rise from the dead this Halloween season. The Haunted Amusement Park is designed as a trail meant to frighten guests as they maneuver their way through 1960s carnival rides such as bumper cars, a roller coaster and a Ferris wheel. There is also a circus maze, graveyard and slaughter house. This haunted park is about a one-mile walk. 7 p.m. Oct. 31. Nov. 1-2. 14011 Ridge Hill Road, El Cajon. $25-$35. scaretrail.com
Haunted Market: Sunset Market’s Haunted Market is from 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 31 at 401 Pier View Way. The free, family-friendly event includes trick-or-treating, costume parade and contests for kids and adults. Visit mainstreetoceanside.com
The Haunted Forest: Banner Ranch in Julian is turning into The Haunted Forest once again. This third-annual Halloween event is a half-mile trek with strobe lights and gory sights and sounds. There will also be beer, refreshments and snacks for sale. Some of the ticket sales will go to Julian’s Christmas event decorations. 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 31. 36342 California 78, Julian. $15.43-$17.55. (760) 237-0046, eventbrite.com/e/the-haunted-forest-tickets-186401791777?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Friday
Las Cafeteras: Los Angeles-based Las Cafeteras will perform its mashup of sounds from cumbia, Afrobeat, soul, rock, hip-hop and folk music on the campus of UC San Diego. Las Cafeteras released its third album “A Night in Nepantla” earlier this year. The six-person band plays live instruments and sings about love and justice in Spanish and English. 7:30 p.m. Friday. Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9480 Innovation Lane, La Jolla. $20-$45. amphitheater.ucsd.edu/event/las-cafeteras
Fiesta de Reyes Día de los Muertos: Fiesta de Reyes in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park celebrates Día de los Muertos daily through Nov. 3. There will be live entertainment on the Fiesta de Reyes stage, traditional and contemporary Día de los Muertos altars, professional face painters, art demonstrations and Catrinas at the plaza. Live mariachi music and folklorico dancers will also be featured. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fiesta de Reyes, 2754 Calhoun St., San Diego. Free. fiestadereyes.com.
Art San Diego: This 16th annual three-day art show and sale will feature the work of hundreds of contemporary artists represented by 60 galleries nationwide, along with art talks, labs, demonstrations and meet-the-artist sessions. Noon to 5 p.m. today; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. San Diego Convention Center, Hall H, 111 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego. $10-$30. redwoodartgroup.com/art-san-diego
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show: Cygnet Theatre presents the closing weekend of this campy sci-fi/horror musical spoof about a couple who stumble upon a colorful mix of residents at a remote mansion, including the transvestite space alien/mad scientist Frank N. Furter. 7 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday. Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town San Diego. $39 and up. 619-337-1525, cygnettheatre.com
The Thanksgiving Play: New Village Arts presents the final weekend of Larissa FastHorses comic satire about a terminally woke high school Thanksgiving pageant. 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. 2787 State St., Carlsbad. $25 and up. 760-433-3245, newvillagearts.org
Festival at arts center: This 29th annual Día de los Muertos festival will feature a community interactive chalk mural, 180 community altars to honor the memory of loved ones, a Día de Muertos-inspired artwalk, live music, cultural performances and a Catrina contest along with food vendors artisan market, kids’ crafts and face painting. Performances in the concert hall start at 5 p.m. There will be a marigold bar serving drinks and dancing to the tunes of DJ Zuni. The museum will be open with free admission, showing the current exhibition “Helen and Newton Harrison: California Work.” As part of our Día de los Muertos celebration, a special altar will be on display in Gallery 1. 4 to 9 p.m. Friday. California Center for the Arts Museum, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Free. artcenter.org/dia-de-los-muertos/
Final day for Rolling Pumpkins: To close out the Halloween season, tonight is the last night to visit Rolling Pumpkins at Parkway Plaza. Visitors will find a display of inflatables, pony rides, a petting zoo, rides, games, and of course, pumpkins. 3 to 9 p.m. Friday. Parkway Plaza, 415 Fletcher Parkway, El Cajon. $13 per child. visitparkwayplaza.com/event/rolling-pumpkins
Haunted Corn Maze: During the fall, the strawberry fields also serve as a haunted corn maze at the Carlsbad Strawberry Company. The Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation helps create this Halloween event that is recommended for teens and adults. 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 4-5, 11-12, 18-19, 25-26. Nov. 1-2. 1050 Cannon Road, Carlsbad. $25-$45. aguahedionda.org/haunted-corn-maze-2024
Halloween Fun with Poe & His Progeny: Write Out Loud hosts an evening with Mr. Poe and Other Authors of the Macabre at the Villa Montezuma Museum, a historic Queen Anne Victorian building in Sherman Heights. There will be three performances. 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. tonight. Villa Montezuma Museum, 1925 K St., San Diego. $30. writeoutloudsd.com/poe-and-his-progeny.
Final weekend for Haunted Trail of Balboa Park: This spooky experience features two haunts: the eXperiment Maze featuring Little Dead Rising Hood and “fairy tale freaks” and a mile-long “terrifying outdoor trail” through twisted pines and gnarled oaks, with a foggy Ghost-filled Graveyard, Ghoul Bus and zombies with chainsaws. 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Balboa Drive and Juniper Road. $34.99. hauntedtrail.net.
Fleet Week: Locals can get an up close look at military life and service at this annual event. Activities that are open to the public include ship tours, a Veterans Day boat parade on Nov. 11, concerts, a boot camp challenge and more. Today through Nov. 11 Broadway Pier, 1000 North Harbor Drive, downtown San Diego. fleetweeksandiego.org/
Day of the Dead at library: A Día de los Muertos celebration is from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at the Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Drive. Highlights include Folklorico performances and artmaking workshops, such as decorating a ceramic skull and making a felt marigold garland or composing a literaria calavera. The cultural celebration includes a community ofrenda where folks can leave copies of photos and notes honoring loved ones who have passed away. Free admission. Visit encinitasca.gov.
Dracula, a Comedy of Terrors: The Old Globe presents the final weekend of this 90-minute parody of Bram Stokers 1897 novel featuring a narcissistic bed-hopping playboy vampire. 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Old Globes Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Balboa Park. $45 and up. 619-234-5623, theoldglobe.org
San Diego Opera: ‘La boheme’: San Diego opera opens its 60th season in November with the first opera it ever produced in 1965: Giacomo Puccini’s beloved 1896 Italian opera about a group of impoverished artists in 1830s Paris. Considered the world’s most popular opera, its story served as the source material for Jonathan Larson’s Tony-winning 1994 musical “Rent. Nov. 1-3. San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. sdopera.org
Community Celebration: The annual Día de los Muertos Community Celebration is from 4 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at Veterans Park, 1075 Eighth St. Highlights include an altar to honor loved ones who have died, mariachi music, ballet folklórico and activities for kids. Visit imperialbeachca.gov/.
Día de los Muertos Community Connections: Area residents can celebrate the diversity of the Landes neighborhood from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 1 by sharing family photos and memories for the Hill Street Country Club to document. The event is part of the Oceanside Public Library’s Community Connections series honoring the cultural heritages of Samoan and Mexican communities living in Tri-City Oceanside. Visit oceansidepl.librarycalendar.com/event/california-humanities-library-and-innovation-lab-grant-24979
Día de los Muertos at SeaWorld: Catrina statues in traditional dresses will welcome guests Nov. 1 to Nov. 3 as the park celebrates Día de los Muertos. There will be ofrendas with mementos and flowers honoring loved ones who have passed and traditional Day of the Dead music along with foods such as conchas, pan de muerto, chamango and hot Cheetos elote in a cup and micheladas and margaritas. Visit SeaWorldSanDiego.com.
San Diego Symphony: Romantic Fates: Tchaikovskys Towering Fifth: Violinist Paul Huang and conductor Antoni Mendez join the symphony for works by Tchaikovsky, Brunch and Mendelssohn. 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday. $39-$82. sandiegosymphony.org
Old Town Día de Los Muertos Festival: From Nov. 1 to Nov. 3, this festival features dozens of hand-crafted ofrendas (altars) to honor loved ones, family-friendly activities, live music, historic tours, a catrina contest and art at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park Movie Night at 7 p.m. on Nov. 1 features a free screening of The Book of Life under the stars at in the Plaza de Armas. A candlelit procession through Old Town is Nov. 2. Visit oldtownsandiego.org/ddlm