Events
Adams Avenue Street Fair
Sept. 24-25. Touted as SoCal’s largest free two-day music festival, the Adams Avenue Street Fair returns for its 40th annual installment. Six designated entertainment stages will host 65 music acts—including Starcrawler, Gaslamp Killer Experience featuring Drumetrics, The Beat Farmers, The Delta Bombers, Wild Wild Wets and many more. Festivities also include a beer garden offering tastings from 20 local craft breweries; along with 250 arts, crafts and retail vendors; plus carnival rides and festival-style fare. Sa 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Su 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free entry. Along Adams Avenue, Normal Heights, 619.282.7329. More Info
CRSSD Festival
Sept. 24-25. An audiovisual candy land for electronic music lovers, this two-day festival at Waterfront Park spans three stages and 45 musicians and performers. The lineup includes Duck Sauce (pictured), Elder Island, Hayden James, Fatboy Slim, Deeper Purpose, Stephan Jolk and Zombies in Miami. In between DJ sets, guests can also enjoy craft beer, cocktails, local food vendors and more. See website for bag policy, safety guidelines and after-parties around town. Doors open at noon daily. Weekend passes are $235 and going fast (one-day tickets are almost sold out). 1600 Pacific Hwy., downtown. crssdfest.com
Mission Bayfest
Sept. 24. Live music by the bay makes for a perfect San Diego Saturday. Open to all ages, the reggae-centric Mission Bayfest will host acts such as Dirty Heads, Thievery Corporation (pictured), Tribal Seeds, Through the Roots and Bikini Trill. Other perks: craft beer, cocktails, taco stands and other local food vendors. VIP tickets include front-of-stage viewing access; an exclusive bar with signature craft cocktails and an expanded beer and wine menu; a private cabana with lounge seating; and separate restroom facilities. 3 p.m. $60-$260. Mariner’s Point Park, 3119 Mariner’s Way, Mission Bay. missionbayfest.com
Wild Horses Music Festival
Sept. 24-25. Not to worry, country music fans: There’s a festival in San Diego this weekend for you, too! Head to Gallagher Square at Petco Park and kick up your cowboy boots at Wild Horses, presented by Outriders. The all-ages music festival presents live performances by Cody Jinks, Midland, LeAnn Rimes, Paul Cauthen, Kassi Ashton, Red Shahan, Jaime Wyatt, Erin Viancourt, Scott Ballew and Nancarrow (pictured); plus beer, wine and food available for purchase. See website for daily schedule. $60-$250 (military discounts available). 840 K St., East Village. Tickets
Food + Drink
San Diego Spirits Festival
Sept. 24-25. The San Diego Spirits Festival returns for its 13th installment, but at a stylish new venue this year: the oceanfront Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla. Join fellow cocktail aficionados and industry insiders in exploring more than 65 cocktail brands—including, gin, rum, vodka, tequila, mezcal and specialty liqueurs—plus live entertainment (the famous samba belly dancers are back!) and access to the recently remodeled museum’s art galleries. Dress to impress. Sa 3-7 p.m.; Su 1-5 p.m. See website for ticket pricing. 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. sandiegospiritsfestival.com
San Diego Restaurant Week
Sept. 25-Oct. 2. San Diego’s most delicious week (well, eight days to be exact) of the year returns. Taste your way through town during San Diego Restaurant Week (SDRW), when revered restaurants countywide will offer discounted, multicourse menus for lunch and dinner—starting as low as $20. Our pick: Cafe Sevilla (353 Fifth Ave.), a Gaslamp Quarter staple since 1987. The Spanish restaurant is offering a three-course SDRW dinner menu, highlighted by its famous paella with lobster and ibérico pork belly, for $40 per person. See website for all participating restaurants, menus and pricing. sandiegorestaurantweek.com
Zama
Now Open. Welcome to the jungle—the Amazon rainforest to be exact … except you’re in the Gaslamp, and there’s a sushi lounge and live DJ music. Zama is an ambitious restaurant and lounge concept to be sure—serving Latin American and Japanese cuisine amid extravagant, jungle-inspired decor. (Think: warm woods, lush greenery and exotic artwork.) On the menu: aguachile, scallops with coconut-cream rice, wagyu maki, a signature crudo dish and hand-rolled sushi; plus themed cocktails with fun names like the Junglerita and Zama-Tini. See website for reservations. 467 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter, 619.915.5789. zamasandiego.com
Arts + Culture
Ain’t Misbehavin’
Sept. 23-Oct. 8. California Center for the Arts, Escondido brings us the Tony Award-winning musical revue, Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical Show, directed by Ken Page. It’s a high-octane time warp back to the 1920s “Golden Age” of the Savoy Ballroom and Cotton Club, featuring humor, dancing and singing. Memorable songs include “This Joint is Jumpin’,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” “I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling” and the show’s namesake “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” See website for showtimes and pricing (cabaret-style VIP tables near the stage are available). 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, 800.988.4253. Tickets
ArtWalk Carlsbad
Sept. 24-25. North County’s acclaimed fine arts show returns for its third year (after a two-year hiatus), featuring 150 artists from across the U.S. and Mexico—whose mediums range from painting to photography to sculpture to glass to jewelry design. Event highlights also include the KidsWalk, with interactive art installations for families; plus musical performers, beer, wine, food trucks, ocean views and ample free parking. Sa 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Su 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free entry. Along Armada Drive (just east of The Flower Fields), off Palomar Airport Road, Carlsbad. artwalksandiego.org
Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes)
Closes Sept. 25. Catch Andrea Thome’s inspiring play before it closes at La Jolla Playhouse on Sunday—featuring original music by Sinuhé Padilla and directed by José Zayas. A celebration of camaraderie and resiliency among strangers who become friends and family, the production centers on a group of Latin American immigrants gathered at a community center for a fandango. When their festive celebrations and dancing are interrupted with reports of a looming citywide ICE raid, their connection and sense of community grow even stronger. 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, 858.550.1010. lajollaplayhouse.org
Photo credits: Zama by Arlene Ibarra. Ain’t Misbehavin’ courtesy of Nile Scott Studios. Fandango for Butterflies by Rich Soublet II; pictured L-R: Frances Ines Rodriguez, Carlo Albán, Sinuhé Padilla (behind) and Silvia Dionicio. All other images are courtesy of the venues and businesses featured.