Here are some of the best things to do this weekend in San Diego from Thursday, Feb. 22 to Sunday, Feb. 25.
Thursday
Museum Month: More than 70 museums and cultural institutions will participate in the 35th annual Museum Month through Feb. 29. The event offers half-off admission to visitors at participating locations. New Museum Month locations for 2024 include Legoland California Resort and its Sea Life Aquarium, the California Wolf Center and the Deer Park Winery & Auto Museum. A full list of participating sites will be available on sandiegomuseumcouncil.org.
Friday
Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet: The jazz trumpeter presents two intimate cabaret concerts with his band. 6 and 8:30 p.m. tonight. The JAI @ Conrad Prebys Performing Art Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $68-$83. theconrad.org
Nick Hornby, an award-winning author and Oscar-nominated screenwriter, will be interviewed tonight at the Writer’s Symposium by the Sea.
(Courtesy of Parisa Taghizadeh)
Writer’s Symposium by the Sea: The Writer’s Symposium by the Sea returned this week with a series of events with the theme “Writing That Inspires.” Tonight, Oscar-nominated screenwriter and author Nick Hornby, known for such movies as “Wild,” “Brooklyn” and “About A Boy,” and Susan Orlean, a bestselling author and staff writer at The New Yorker, will be interviewed about their successful careers and writing. 7 p.m. Friday. Brown Chapel, Point Loma Nazarene University, 3900 Lomaland Drive, San Diego. Tickets start at $10. warwicks.com/event/hornby-and-orlean-2024
San Diego CA – : A duck swims in Santee Lakes in January. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
(K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
San Diego Audubon Society’s Bird Festival: Celebrating the theme of “Birds Make Us Better,” the local San Diego Audubon Society chapter is hosting this week a birding and optics expo, workshops and lectures, field trips around San Diego, pelagic trips, a bookstore and an auction during this festival. Keynote speakers include Julia Zarankin, Toronto-based award-winning writer, cultural tour guide and lecturer; Tiana Williams-Claussen, a member of the Yurok Tribe whose team’s work includes reintroducing California condors to Yurok country and integrating traditional knowledge from the Yurok community into government wildlife management practices; and Christian Cooper, New York Times bestselling author of “Better Living Through Birding.” Times, dates and locations vary today throughout the weekend. Main conference at Marina Village Conference Center, 1936 Quivira Way, San Diego. Tickets range from free to $165. sandiegoaudubon.org
All breed dog show: Silver Bay Kennel Club of San Diego will host three American Kennel Club all breed dog shows and a dog expo extravaganza. The expo features 40 breeds and offers a family-friendly place to talk with breed experts, trainers and owners and meet the dogs. There will be Conformation, Obedience, Rally and FSS Rare Breed shows. Times vary Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Bing Crosby Hall, Exhibit Hall and O’Brien Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar,. Free. delmarfairgrounds.com/events/2024/silver-bay-dog-show
Saturday
“The Many Loves of Don Juan”: San Diego Ballet presents this Spanish-inspired romantic ballet in two performances. 7 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Baker-Baum Concert Hall, Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $18-$68. sandiegoballet.org
Oceanside’s Black Pioneers, A Conversation With Those Who Have Inspired Us: This free event is a special panel conversation that will be moderated by Kristi Hawthorne, director of the Oceanside Historical Society, and Rushell Gordon, owner of Bliss Tea & Treats. It will feature Terry Johnson, Oceanside’s first Black mayor; Robbie Hass, first Black president of the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce; Lillian Adams, former Oceanside teacher, school counselor, Oceanside Unified School District board president and community advocate; and Eddie Parks, nephew of pioneering Oceanside businesswoman Charlesetta Reece Allen. Light refreshments will follow. 2 p.m. Saturday. Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. Free. Register online. oma-online.org/events/oceansides-black-pioneers-february-2024
San Diego Chinese New Year Fair: With a lantern parade, bright colors and dancing dragons, this 41st annual fair will welcome in the new year in downtown San Diego. It will also feature performances, crafts, art displays, the Lucky Lion Dancers and food vendors. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Third Avenue and J Street downtown. Free. facebook.com/sdchinesenewyearfair
Bars offering 2nd annual Girl Scout Cookie pairings tour: On Saturday, four San Diego bars will be serving custom cocktail and beers paired with Girl Scout Cookies at different times of the day so cookie-lovers can visit all four spots in one afternoon. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Miss B’s Coconut Club in Mission Beach will serve Samoa cookies with a cocktail made with coconut-infused whiskey, orgeat pineapple OJ cordial and chocolate bitters. 3704 Mission Blvd. From noon to 3 p.m., Sandbar Sports Bar & Grill in Mission Beach will serve a Samoa-themed cocktail cookie pairing as well as a cocktail paired with Lemon-Ups cookies. 718 Venture Place. From 2 to 5 p.m., The Original 40 Brewing Company in North Park will serve three different house beer-cookie pairing for Samoas (West Coast Double IPA), Lemon-Ups (Crispy Boi Helles Lager) and Tagalongs (La Morenita Czech Dark Lager). 3117 University Ave. And from 5 to 7 p.m., The Smoking Gun in the Gaslamp Quarter will serve a peanut butter old fashioned cocktail with Do-Si-Dos and a peppermint bark espresso martini with Thin Mints. 555 Market St. Details at altstrategies.com/cookieevent.
SACRA/PROFANA “The Hope of Loving”: This Black History-themed concert will feature works inspired by civil rights and social justice leaders Martin Luther King Jr., Mary McLeod Bethune, and James Baldwin. Six of the eight composers are Black. 3 p.m. Saturday. Christ United Presbyterian Church, 3025 Fir St., San Diego. $10-$35. sacraprofana.org
Sunday
Shaham premieres ‘Nomad Concerto’ with symphony: World-renowned violinist Gil Shaham and the San Diego Symphony conducted by Rafael Payare will present the West Coast premiere of Mason Bates’ “Nomad” violin concerto. Also on the bill are Ravel’s “Le valse,” Respighi’s Pines of Rome and Ravel’s Boléro. 2 p.m. Sunday. San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. $45-$75. sandiegosymphony.org