Here are some of the best things to do this weekend in San Diego from Thursday, Oct. 12 to Sunday, Oct. 15.
Thursday
“Sumo”: La Jolla Playhouse presents the world premiere of Lisa Sanaye Dring’s play about six men training and fighting to succeed at an elite sumo wrestling center in contemporary Japan. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Oct. 22. Mandell Weiss Forum, La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. $25-$64. (858) 550-1010. lajollaplayhouse.org
“Doubt: A Parable”: New Village Arts presents John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a conflicted nun struggling with her conscious over a potential pedophile priest. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sunday. Through Oct. 22. Conrad Prebys Theatre at the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center, 2787 State St., Carlsbad. $28-$48. (760) 433-3245, newvillagearts.org
Jewish Short Film Festival: At this year’s Joyce Forum Jewish Short Film Festival, 25 short films from around the world are arranged into five distinct programs with some filmmaker discussions. Runs Thursday through Saturday. Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. Each program is ticketed separately at $18 for general admission; $15 for LFJCC members. All five programs can be viewed with the All-Access Pass for $60; $48 for members. Visit 2023jfjsff.eventive.org.
Friday
“Welcome to Sleepy Hollow”: Oceanside Theatre Company presents Heather Megill’s “haunting musical thriller” inspired by Washington Irving’s story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” about a timid New York schoolteacher spooked by a headless horseman. Originally written in 2001 for youth actors, it has been rewritten for an adult cast. 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Oct. 29. Brooks Theater, 217 N Coast Hwy, Oceanside. $35-$40. oceansidetheatre.org
“Dishwasher Dreams”: The Old Globe presents Alaudin Ullah’s solo play with percussion about his Bangladeshi father’s pursuit of the American dream and how it impacted his own life. 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Sheryl & Harvey White Theatre, The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego. $33 and up. (619) 234-5623, theoldglobe.org
‘Turn of the Screw’: San Diego’s newest theater company, Chalk Circle Collective, will present Jeffrey Hatcher’s stage adaptation of the Henry James’ 1898 gothic horror novella about an English governess who discovers two ghosts haunting the boy and girl she was hired to care for. Opens Friday and runs through Oct. 29. Showtimes, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 2 p.m. Sundays. Black Box @ Diversionary Theatre, 3434 Park Blvd., University Heights. $35 and up. chalkcirclecollective.com
Harvest Festival art and craft show: The Harvest Festival art and craft show will exhibit hundreds of artists and crafters from across the country and a variety of jewelry, ceramics, seasonal decor, children’s clothing, photography, oils, sculptures, woodworks and Halloween accessories. There will be food, a kids zone, demonstrations and contests. Operation Greyhound will have dogs for adoption. Friday through Sunday at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. General admission is $9; seniors (62+) and military, $7; youths (13-17) , $4, free for kids 12 and under. Bring nonperishables for the local food bank and receive $2 off. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Visit harvestfestival.com.
Thibaudet/Batiashvili/Capuçon Trio: La Jolla Music Society presents a concert by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, violinist Lisa Batiashvili and cellist Gautier Capuçon. 7:30 p.m. Friday. Baker-Baum Concert Hall, 7600 Fay Ave. La Jolla. $56-$88. (858) 459-3728, theconrad.org
Australian Haydn Ensemble: UCSD ArtPower presents the U.S. premiere of this 11-piece chamber orchestra performing works by Haydn, Mozart and J.C. Bach. 7:30 p.m. Friday. Baker-Baum Concert Hall, 7600 Fay Ave. La Jolla. $50-$65. artpower.ucsd.edu
Saturday
Solar Eclipse Viewing Party: The Fleet Science Center will host a viewing party in Balboa Park, with the eclipse expected to begin at 8:09 a.m and conclude at 10:52 a.m. Astronomer Lisa Will and other experts will be there to answer questions and discuss this major solar event. Eclipse glasses and other merchandise, coffee and breakfast will be available in the Craveology Café and the North Star Science Store. The Fleet galleries will also open early at 9 a.m. for special programming. 8 a.m. Saturday. Bea Evenson Fountain in Balboa Park. Free. fleetscience.org/events/solar-eclipse-viewing-party
Howl-O-Ween festival: Helen Woodward Animal Center hosts its Howl-O-Ween Harvest Family Festival with animal encounters, trick-or-treat stations, a hay maze, crafts and face painting, a mini pumpkin patch and a trip to the Midnight Mystery Laboratory. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 21, 28 and 29. 6461 El Apajo Road, Rancho Santa Fe. Cost is $13.75 for kids ages 2-17; $7 for adults older than 18. Visit animalcenter.org/howl-o-ween-harvest
Halloween Movie Night: Oceanside Parks and Recreation is hosting a Halloween movie night for families with trick-or-treating around the historic buildings of Heritage Park before the showing of “The Addams Family” movie on the lawn at 6:30 p.m. Bring chairs, coats and blankets. There will be mini pumpkin decorating (while supplies last) and crafts for the little ones. 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Admission is $7; free for children younger than 4. Kids can wear costumes. Visit conta.cc/3LAEfo6.
‘Washi Transformed: New Expressions in Japanese Paper’: Mingei International Museum opens an exhibit of more than 30 works by nine contemporary Japanese artists that celebrates the art of washi, or Japanese handmade paper. Using fiber techniques that originated more than 1,000 years ago, washi has been used in painting, calligraphy, origami and other traditional art forms. Opens Saturday and runs through Jan. 7. Hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays (open until 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays). 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. (619) 239-0003, mingei.org
Fall Fun Festival: Alta Vista Botanical Gardens will hold its annual Fall Fun Festival with free children’s activities, including painting pumpkins, making origami bats, painting kindness rocks, nature weaving, eggshell mosaics and worms discovery. Music will be by Vic Moraga and dance by Moreton Bay Fig Morris Dancers. A Family Discovery Walk will lead to a hike through the lower gardens. Vendors will sell arts and crafts and sweet treats and there will be a plant sale. Amigos de Vista Lions will sell a barbecued lunch. A colorful parade of scarecrows in the scarecrow contest will arrive at noon. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. 1270 Vale Terrace Drive, Vista. Entry to the gardens is free during the festival. Visit altavistabotanicalgardens.org.
“The Lost Weekend: The Photography of May Pang”: May Pang, a former music executive who dated John Lennon during an 18-month separation from Yoko Ono in the early 1970s, will be onsite for a weekend exhibit of her personal photos from their time together. Noon to 7 pm. Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Legends Gallery, 1205 Prospect St., La Jolla. (858) 456-9900, legendsgallerylajolla.com
50th annual Serbian Festival: Two live bands will perform Serbian music throughout the day, and folk dancing starts at 2 p.m. There will be Serbian foods ranging from pastry filled with meat or cheese (burek), Serbian cabbage rolls, barbecued sausages (cevapcici) and grilled pork skewers (raznjici) to various pastries, crepes, baklava and Serbian coffee. Noon to 11 p.m. Saturday at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Bay Park Church tours begin at 2 p.m. Admission is $5; free for military, first responders and children 12 and younger. Visit sdserbianfestival.com.
“Monty Python’s Spamalot”: Theatre at the Welk presents this comedy musical inspired by the film “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” 1 and 7 p.m. Saturdays. 1 p.m. Sundays. Through Oct. 29. 8860 Lawrence Welk Drive, Escondido. $31-$62. (760) 749-3448. tickets.thewelksandiego.com
Sunday
An Evening With Peter Sagal: San Diego Theatres is bringing Peter Sagal, host of National Public Radio’s “Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me!,” to Balboa Theatre for a night of funny stories and creative commentary on the latest news and current events. Besides hosting the beloved quiz program for 25 years, Sagal is a writer, humorist and author of “The Book of Vice: Naughty Things and How to Do Them” and “The Incomplete Book of Running.” 7 p.m. Sunday. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., San Diego. Tickets start at $30. sandiegotheatres.org/event/2023/10/evening-peter-sagal
Mariachi Herencia de Mexico: La Jolla Music Society presents the Chicago-born ensemble performs music from its album”Herederos” (“The Heirs”) with guest singer Marisol “La Marisoul” Hernández. 3 p.m. Sunday. Baker-Baum Concert Hall, 7600 Fay Ave. La Jolla. $35-$73. (858) 459-3728, theconrad.org
Ongoing events
Pumpkin train: The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum is offering its annual Pumpkin Express Halloween Celebration. Ride decorated vintage rail cars through the San Diego County mountains. Walk through the themed display building, complete with Halloween scenes and a creepy cast of ghosts and ghouls. Ride a train to a pumpkin patch where kids can pick pumpkins to decorate. Pass through the scary railroad cars if you dare. Saturdays and Sundays, through Oct. 29. Trains leave at 10:30 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 1:45 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Oct. 29 from the Campo Depot, 750 Depot St. Tickets are $9.95-$39.95. Reserve at psrm.org/pumpkin.
Free museum admission for kids in October: More than 50 museums and cultural attractions across San Diego County will offer free admission for children under 12 in October. This year’s participating institutions include the Barona Cultural Center & Museum, Chicano Park Museum & Cultural Center, Fleet Science Center, Japanese Friendship Garden and San Diego Air & Space Museum. Free admission is available for up to two kids per paid adult ticket. Find a list of participating museums and attractions and coupons for admission here: sandiegomuseumcouncil.org/specials/kidsfree
The Links at Petco Park: Golfers can tee off at nine different holes dispersed throughout the ballpark, including one shot from the playing field. Some of them will be themed for fall and Halloween. Through Oct. 22. Tee times available throughout the day starting at 7 a.m. Petco Park, 100 Park Blvd., San Diego. Prices start at $100. Reserve your tee time: padres.com/thelinks
“Border Crossers”: UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute hosts a multimedia exhibit of inflatable and robotic sculptures, video and drawings by artists Chico MacMurtrie and Amorphic Robot Works that examines the politics of the U.S.-Mexican border. Runs through Dec. 8. Atkinson Hall, 9500 Gilman Drive, UC San Diego, La Jolla. galleryqi.ucsd.edu