Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend
Check out this week’s Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend and make your plans!
Trick-or-treating in Little Italy or Liberty Station brings the sweet side of spooky season, while Oceanside Museum of Art’s Art After Dark adds a creative twist. Spooky Night on the USS Midway takes Halloween aboard the historic aircraft carrier, and Escondido’s Gather on Grand rounds out the weekend with community fun.
If that’s not enough… there’s plenty more below. Have a great weekend!
This Weekend’s Top Picks – Week of October 22
Catch the Hottest Concerts in San Diego
Gorillaz bring their genre-blending sound, Juanes delivers Latin rock favorites, Swae Lee serves up melodic hip-hop hooks, and hometown favorites Switchfoot pair heartfelt lyrics with soaring rock anthems.
Check Out the Latest News from the San Diego Food and Drink Scene
The Craving is your source for the latest menu updates, new cocktail programs, happy hours, and special offers from San Diego’s best restaurants and bars.
Thursday
Step Inside the Story at Ghost Light Masquerade
Enter an immersive Halloween world where dance, theater, and storytelling unfold around you. Don a mask, follow mysterious spirits through The Nocturne Theatre, choose your own path, and get as close to the performers as your curiosity allows.
Meet the Axolotls at Birch Aquarium
Step into The Axolotl’s Garden at Birch Aquarium at Scripps, where two axolotl habitats anchor a story-rich exhibition inspired by Mexican and Baja California ecology, mythology, and folklore. Discover endangered amphibians, other Mexican species, and conservation stories.
Turn Your Wine Getaway Into an Art Adventure
Retired wine barrels become colorful works of art along Temecula Valley’s free, self-guided Barrel Art Trail. Wander wineries, Old Town, and local businesses while discovering unique creations by regional artists, then unlock exclusive offers with the trail’s digital pass.
Meet the Two Juvenile Red Octopuses at Birch Aquarium
Get an up-close look at two juvenile Red Octopuses making their public debut at Birch Aquarium. Discover their remarkable journey from tiny hatchlings to thriving juveniles and witness a groundbreaking milestone in marine animal care and conservation.
Watch Southern California Change, One Canvas at a Time
The coastline you grew up with keeps rearranging itself. Changing Terrain gathers more than 60 artists from Southern California and Baja at Oceanside Museum of Art, including nine who showed in the museum’s 2013 landscape exhibition. Thirteen years later, they’re reading the same region very differently. Worth the drive up.
Friday
Dress Ceremonial for RITUAL:SEANCE at The Chapel
Ten Six Pines takes over The Chapel at Liberty Station for a night of light that reacts to the music in real time. Jesus Gonzalez on sound, three choreographers moving through the crowd, Snake Oil Cocktail Co. behind the bar. Ceremonial attire encouraged, capacity limited. Dress like you mean it.
Camp Among the Roars at Lions Tigers & Bears
Spend a spooky night camping alongside rescued lions, tigers, and bears with pumpkin carving, a haunted house, costume contest, s’mores, and more. Wake to roaring neighbors, then watch the sanctuary’s residents enjoy treat-filled pumpkins during the Pumpkin Bash.
Kick Off Opera Season With Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Civic Theatre
San Diego Opera kicks off its 2026/2027 season with Verdi’s Rigoletto, a story of a cursed jester, a fiercely protective father, and revenge you can’t look away from. Even opera newcomers will know “La donna è mobile,” and translations are projected above the stage.
Get Spooked Under the Stars at Rooftop Cinema Club
Rooftop Cinema Club is bringing Halloween thrills to Little Italy with horror classics, cult favorites, and special themed events throughout October. Catch Scream, Hocus Pocus, and Beetlejuice, enjoy rooftop views, and settle in for a spooky movie night above San Diego!
Dive Into a Sea of Halloween Magic
Pirate-themed adventures, trick-or-treat stations, festive entertainment, and the California debut of the all-new Baby Shark™ Halloween Show make SeaWorld Spooktacular a seasonal favorite. Gather the family, snap festive photos, and enjoy some good ol’ Halloween fun.
Check Out the Best Pumpkin Patches in and Around San Diego
The grocery store pumpkin bin gets the job done, but it’s no pumpkin patch. From Valley Center farms to a city lot in Del Mar, San Diego has plenty of places to pick your pumpkin the fun way, with hayrides, corn mazes, and petting zoos thrown in!
Saturday
Turn Yourself Into the Art at Art After Dark
Dress to impress at Oceanside Museum of Art’s after-hours celebration, where costumes become part of the show. Hit the runway competition, dance to a live DJ, enjoy light bites and drinks, and embrace this year’s surreal, art-inspired theme.
Set Sail for a Spooky Night on the USS Midway
Board the USS Midway for a family-friendly Halloween party packed with costumes, dancing, a treasure hunt, and spooky photo ops. Then settle in under the stars for an outdoor screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Light Up Mission Bay at Nightmare on the Bay
Paddle into Halloween on Mission Bay with glowing boards, creative costumes, and music from DJ Sweenami. Launch from Ski Beach at sunset, meet the floating party on the water, and join fellow paddlers for a spooky evening under the stars.
Taste Local Food and Feed Animals at Farm to Bay in Chula Vista
The Living Coast Discovery Center’s Farm to Bay returns for year 17 with a fall makeover, pairing local bites and bayside views with live auctions. Meet a sea turtle, sharks, and owls, and for the first time, help feed some of the animals.
Catch Phantom of the Opera in Balboa Park
The Spreckels Organ Pavilion brings The Phantom of the Opera to life with a free concert version featuring organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez and two soaring vocalists. Expect spooky lights, eerie projections, and dramatic organ music, so come in costume and pose with the artists afterward.
Experience a Confluence of Musical Traditions in La Jolla
Hear sarod virtuoso Amjad Ali Khan and his sons join La Jolla Symphony & Chorus for Confluence. The program brings Indian classical and Western orchestral traditions together through colorful works, culminating in Khan’s powerful sarod concerto, Samaagam.
Take Your Mini Golf Game Poolside With Harland Beer
Harland Brewing Co. is taking over the pool deck at Hyatt Regency Mission Bay with a poolside mini golf course, craft beer tastings, and music on the water. All ages can putt, and the 21+ crowd gets the pours. Tickets start at $81.88. Bring the kids or bring the crew.
Make October a Museum Month With the Kids
Bring the kids along for free admission at more than 60 museums, aquariums, gardens, and cultural attractions throughout San Diego and Tijuana. With each paid adult, up to two children ages 12 and under can explore for free.
Watch Time & Tradition Collide at Oceanside Museum of Art
Explore Kaloust Guedel’s Where Time Bends Softly, an exhibition reimagining centuries-old inlay techniques through a contemporary lens. Discover how fiber, structure, positive and negative space, and contrasting materials come together to explore transformation, continuity, and time.
Discover the Best Places to See Fall Foliage Around San Diego
San Diego isn’t exactly New England… but we still have some great spots to get the fall feels. Remember, the changing colors happen really quickly, so be ready to hop in your car!
Sunday
Dress Up and Give Back at Halloween at the Station
Bring the family to Liberty Station for costumes, trick-or-treating, crafts, a DJ, obstacle course, and Hollywood car show. Enter the costume contest, explore the festivities, and bring nonperishable food donations to help support local military families and veterans.
Spend Sunday on Grand Avenue at Escondido’s Gather on Grand
Escondido is starting something new on Grand Avenue. Gather on Grand puts seven bands on the stages at Broadway, drops a juried art show into Heritage Garden Park, and lines the street with hundreds of vendors selling hand-crafted goods, imports, and international food. Kids also get free hands-on art activities.
Trick-or-Treat Your Way Through Little Italy
Dress up the little ones for an evening of Halloween fun along India Street. Collect treats from neighborhood businesses, snap photos with a giant Jack Skellington, browse fall vendors, enjoy live music, and show off creative looks in the costume contest.
Dress Up Your Pet for Bivouac’s Halloween Costume Contest
Bring your costumed companion to Bivouac’s sixth annual pet celebration for photos, prizes, and treats for humans and furry friends alike. Dogs, cats, and other four-legged guests are welcome. Admission is free, but advance RSVP is required for contest entry.
Slip Into Masquerade After Dark at Top of the Hyatt
Step into an elevated Halloween experience at Top of the Hyatt, where dramatic décor, themed cocktails, and a new sushi menu set the mood. Dress in masquerade attire, ride up to the 40th floor, and take in sweeping harbor views.
Get on the Pier Only Birch Aquarium Can Open
Birch Aquarium educators are taking you past the glass this fall. Sunset Pier Walks get you onto the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier, normally closed to the public, for plankton, squid dissection, and shark science. Tidepooling Adventures put you at the water’s edge at low tide. Both sell out fast.
Great Things to Do in San Diego
Spend a Full Day Exploring Liberty Station
Start with lunch at Liberty Public Market, climb aboard the U.S.S. Recruit, then settle into the wine garden at Carruth Cellars before a Cygnet show at The Joan. That’s four stops. Our updated Liberty Station guide has 17 more.
Discover Normal Heights, One of San Diego’s Best-Kept Secrets
Don’t let the name fool you. Normal Heights packs great coffee, vintage, brunch, and craft cocktails into one stretch of Adams Avenue. We cover the whole walkable strip, plus the spots locals keep coming back to.
Unleash Your Inner Kid at San Diego’s Best Arcades and Adult Playgrounds
Pinball, skee-ball-style lanes, and a cocktail in hand – San Diego’s grown-ups play harder than you’d think. Our guide rounds up the best arcades, bowling bars, axe-throwing, escape rooms, and more, from the Gaslamp to Mission Beach.
Your 2026 Guide to San Diego’s Best Bars
We’re rounding up the best bars in San Diego right now, from laid-back neighborhood gems to standout cocktail spots. Every bar on this list has earned a regular place in our 2026 rotation.
Upcoming San Diego Events Worth Knowing About
Bar Hop at the Downtown San Diego Halloween Bar Fest
Mad City Bar Fest’s Halloween Bar Crawl gets you one wristband for six Downtown bars, including Whiskey Girl, barleymash, and Tom’s Watch Bar. Live DJs, drink specials, and capacity updates keep the day moving, so come in costume and bar hop at your own pace.
Uncover the Strange After Dark at The Nat
Explore all five floors of The Nat during a 21+ Halloween takeover filled with tarot readings, paranormal encounters, scavenger hunts, cocktails, costumes, and curious specimens. Dance to DJs, swap ghost stories, and discover the museum after dark.
Step Into Christmas Magic at The Barn
Explore themed Christmas trees, a life-sized gingerbread barn, and a candy shop trailer at The Barn Redefined in Poway. Christmas at the Barn pairs festive decorating inspiration with opportunities to support children in need through donations benefiting Anvil of Hope.
Catch the Grinch and Scrooge at The Old Globe
The Old Globe brings holiday favorites to life with How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, its Spanish-language counterpart, and Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show. Expect Who-ville magic, familiar songs, and a playful local spin on Dickens’ classic ghostly tale. theresandiego.com
Recharge and Dance at Belmont Park
SSBD Renew Wellness brings yoga, Pilates, mindfulness, and cold plunges to Belmont Park for a day of movement and music. Recharge with wellness activities, then keep the energy flowing with Tchami as this beachside gathering blends relaxation with dancefloor fun.
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See you there, San Diego!
