Let the races begin. The Breeders’ Cup horse racing championships open at the Del Mar Racetrack this Friday. The first post is 11:25 a.m.
The featured race, the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, will be the ninth race around 4:35 p.m. The race features Stellar Wind, Elate, Abel Tasman and Paradise Woods racing for the $2 million prize.
On Saturday, the feature race is the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, which pits Gun Runner, who has dominated three recent Grade 1 races, against Arrogate, North America’s richest horse with more than $17.3 million in earnings. Arrogate defeated Gun Runner in two previous meetings, the Travers and Dubai World Cup.
Collected, which upset Arrogate in the Pacific Classic in August in Del Mar, is also in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
A limited number of Breeders’ Cup tickets may still be available at breederscup.com/tickets.
Heritage Park Fall Festival and Chili Cook-off
The Friends of Oceanside Parks & Recreation will host its annual Heritage Park Fall Festival and Chili Cook-off on Saturday.
The event, which includes music, food and trains from the North County Model Railroad Society, raises funds for the Friend’s summer concerts and movies in the park.
The festival, held at 220 Peyri Road from noon to 4 p.m., is free to attend but if you want to taste the chili, there is a $5 per person fee.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Halloween just ended and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Pretty soon, Christmas will be here and it wouldn’t be Christmas in San Diego without the annual “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” at the Old Globe Theatre.
The whimsical musical based upon the classic Dr. Seuss book is back for its 20th season. The Old Globe Theatre will once again be transformed into the snow-covered Whoville, right down to the last can of Who-hash.
Previews start 8 p.m. Saturday and the show officially opens Nov. 9 and runs through Dec. 24. Tickets start at $37 for adults and $24 for children. For more information, visit theoldglobe.org.
Taipei Symphony Orchestra
For the first time in 26 years, the Taipei Symphony Orchestra will return to perform in San Diego at the Jacobs Music Center’s Copley Symphony Hall.
The orchestra will be led by conductor Gilbert Varga with Taiwanese violinist Paul Huang, the winner of the 2017 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, presenting Antonin Dvorák’s famous “Violin Concerto.”
The Orchestra has also commissioned a new work from Stanford University’s Ching-Wen Chao, “Reminiscences from Faraway Islands,” for the tour.
The orchestra performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets range from $30 to $105 and may be purchased at Ticketmaster.
San Diego Brewers Guild Festival
It wouldn’t be a San Diego weekend without some sort of beer festival happening somewhere. This weekend, one of the biggest is happening in downtown San Diego.
The 15th Annual San Diego Brewers Guild Festival is a two-day festival held at the Port Pavillion on Broadway Pier. It’s the official kickoff of San Diego Beer Week.
The event raises funds for local charities and the San Diego Brewers Guild. You can sample beer from more than 60 local breweries.
The festival goes from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Tickets range from $45 for a one-day ticket to $100 for a two-day pass. Friday’s VIP Brewer Takeover tickets are $75 each.
Fall Back Festival
San Diego was once a frontier town. This weekend, you and the whole family can experience what’s life was like back then at the 17th Annual Fall Back Festival.
The free children’s historical street fair is located in the heart of downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter, with lively festivities taking place in front of the William Heath Davis House. The fair spans Fourth Avenue between Market and J streets and Island Avenue between Fourth and Fifth avenues.
Kids can saddle up for pony rides, learn to churn butter, dip their own candles and pan for gold with real prospectors. There is also a Wild West Show, blacksmith demonstrations and other interactive activities.
The free event goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday