Events
Ferrari Build & Race at LEGOLAND
Opens May 12. Start your engines! Bring the car-loving kiddos in your life to LEGOLAND, which debuts its newest attraction: the LEGO® Ferrari Build & Race. Encouraging creativity and imagination, the experience puts you in the driver seat—where you can build, test and race your own Ferrari—traveling from the “garage” to the “racetrack.” Guests can sit in a life-size LEGO Ferrari F40 model, which takes them on a journey across different zones, obstacles and challenges. See website for details, park hours and admission info. One Legoland Drive, Carlsbad, 888.690.5346. legoland.com
SoCal Taco Fest
May 14. “San Diego has too many taco festivals,” said no one ever. SoCal Taco Fest is one of our favorite celebrations of the loaded tortilla, featuring bay views, live music, lucha libre wrestling and even a chihuahua beauty pageant. The festival showcases nearly 40 of the region’s finest tacos and restaurants, including Cocina 35, Ponce’s Mexican Restaurant, Conchita Bros Mexican Pulled Pork Experience, Lia’s Lumpia, Sandbar and Tahona. Save room for sweet treats from Churros El Tigre, Señor Mango’s and more. Noon-10 p.m. $60-$150. Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Hwy., downtown. socaltacofest.com
KEX Fest 2022
May 15. Calling all foodies and oenophiles. This fourth-annual, all-inclusive culinary experience at Kettner Exchange features cuisine by executive chef Brian Redzikowski; wine, beer and spirit tastings; and much more. Highlights include a silent disco and wine sensory experience hosted by Vin de Syrah; a tiki speakeasy by The Grass Skirt; a VIP lounge by Camino Riviera; a whole-fish-breakdown demo by chef Nick Devries; handmade cigar rolling; music by The Jazz Cartel and DJ Girth; tarot card readings; and spring doughnut flavors from Devil’s Dozen. 1-7 p.m. $89-$149. 2001 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy. Tickets
Food + Drink
Art of Flamenco Dinner Show at Cafe Sevilla
May 14. Spice up your Saturday night with dinner and flamenco dancing at this beloved Spanish eatery (a Gaslamp Quarter staple since 1987). Cafe Sevilla presents a two-part flamenco performance, featuring seasoned dancers who were trained in Spain; along with a three-course dinner featuring its award-winning Paella Valenciana. Add-ons include a tapas menu, wine and a full bar. Advance tickets are required and include entry to the restaurant’s nightclub. 6:30 p.m. (Doors open at 6 p.m., with communal-style seating assigned upon arrival.) $89.50 per person. 353 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter, 619.233.5979. More Info
Barrio Bird
Now Open. Chicano-style fried chicken in Barrio Logan? Yes, please! This new casual joint by chef Ricardo Heredia pops up on Saturdays—offering fried chicken infused with Mexican-American flavors. This means milk-bun sandwiches like the Chingona with a fried chicken breast dipped in chili oil, served with chili con queso and chili-garlic pickles; “bird boxes” such as the Ghetto Bird with five pieces of chicken, esquites fuego, borracha beans and flour tortillas; sides like chicken-fat-fried potatoes; and horchata milkshakes to drink. Sa 11 a.m.-sell out (online ordering available). 3022 Martin Ave., Barrio Logan. barriobird.com
New Dishes at Camino Riviera
Now Available. Take a trip to the Yucatán Peninsula by way of Camino Riviera’s exotic, hacienda-inspired decor and chef Brian Redzikowski’s locally sourced, Tulum-inspired menu—which features several new dishes. Try (if you dare) the crispy fried frog legs with butter and lime; refried black lentils with avocado, cotija cheese and tortilla chips; and chili-rubbed prawns with cucumber salad and mint. We suggest washing them all down with the rotating flight of three mezcals, handpicked by bar manager Stephen O’Halloran. Tu-Su beginning at 5 p.m. 2400 India St., Little Italy, 619.685.3381. caminoriviera.com
Arts + Culture
Diversionary Theatre’s Eighty-Sixed
May 12-June 12. Be transported to New York City circa 1986 in Diversionary Theatre’s world-premiere musical. We witness the Big Apple in the grip of fear during the AIDS epidemic, then focusing in on one man, BJ Rosenthal, who still wants to party but must face reality. The musical is based on the book by Jeremy J. King and novel by David B. Feinberg; with a pulsating pop score and lyrics by Sam Salmond; and choreography by Raja Feather Kelly. Kevin Newbury directs. See website for showtimes and tickets. 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights, 619.220.0097. diversionary.org
San Diego Opera’s Aging Magician
May 13-14. San Diego Opera finishes its 2022 season with this hybrid opera by composer Paola Prestini—melding puppetry, chorale music and opera into a true visual spectacle. Rinde Eckert portrays Harold, an eccentric clockmaker nearing his life’s end, who is transported to a fantastical realm in which he questions what is real. The Brooklyn Youth Chorus and Attacca Quartet provide sensational musical backup. The creative team also includes Beth Morrison Projects as creative producer; Julian Crouch, director; and Dianne Berkun Menaker, conductor. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. sdopera.org
The Old Globe’s Mala
Through June 12. Named “one of the best plays of the year” by The Boston Globe, this one-woman play was written by and stars Melinda Lopez (pictured). It’s a brutally honest, funny and touching catharsis of sorts—centered on “Mala,” meaning “bad to the core.” Always the good daughter, Lopez was given this nickname by her mother later in life. The play is staged at The Old Globe’s White Theatre, offering 360-degree stage views. See website for showtimes (which include presentations in Spanish) and tickets. 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, 619.234.5623. theoldglobe.org
Broadway San Diego’s Come From Away
Upcoming | May 17-22. On that horrific, historic day—Sept. 11, 2001—38 planes bound for the U.S. and carrying a passenger and crew load of nearly 7,000 were ordered to land in Gander, Newfoundland, population 10,000. Something beautiful transpired when this tiny town took in and cared for those stranded and scared. In 2015, La Jolla Playhouse made the story into a world-premiere musical, Come From Away, which went on to Broadway and national acclaim. Catch Broadway San Diego’s presentation of it at the Civic Theatre. 1100 Third Ave., downtown. broadwaysd.com
Photo credits: Camino Riviera by Joann VanNoy. Aging Magician by Jill Steinberg. Mala / The Old Globe by Paul Morotta. All other images are courtesy of the venues and businesses featured.
