Sure, it’s Friday the 13th. But no fraidy cats up in here! Still, this San Diego weekend, friends, we do have a tough one (shudder) for you.
That would be, can fitness co-exist when food fests abound? The events start breaking out everywhere in summer in San Diego. Yet with swimsuit season just around the corner, does one indulge? It’s a true Cali conundrum.
Take Exhibit A – The Foodieland Night Market at 3 p.m. Friday at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The event, “inspired by the Night Markets of Asia,” includes live music on two stages, along with more than 150 vendors and food carts serving up delicacies. The fest continues at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $5 and only will be sold online.
Is Foodieland the only temptation? Oh, no. Keep reading.
The San Diego Opera season concludes with the West Coast premiere of Aging Magician, a hybrid opera/theater production combining multimedia, singing, puppetry and performance art. A reviewer called it “shockingly beautiful.” The show takes place at the Balboa Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, along with a Saturday matinee. Admission starts at $45.
Exhibit B – SoCal Taco Fest at noon Saturday at Waterfront Park. Two dozen taco vendors offer up muchos goodies and there’s entertainment on three stages too. It includes Banda Machos, hiphop throwbacks Sir Mix-A-Lot, Treach from Naughty by Nature and Young MC, plus live Lucha Libre wrestling and chihuahua races. Tickets cost $60.
Carlsbad hosts the free Hot Rods & Cool Treats carnival and classic car show at 11 a.m. Saturday at Pine Avenue Community Park, 3333 Harding St. Vote for the best cars, listen to live music and watch the kiddies (or the young at heart) try for classic carnival prizes at game booths. There will be face painting and crafts too.
The U.S. Navy hosts the 35th Bay Bridge Run/Walk, a four-mile course that starts south of the San Diego Convention Center and ends in Coronado’s Tidelands Park. The big attraction – participants can partake in the magnificent view from the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, which has no walkway, so it’s a rare pleasure. Registration costs $53 and the event starts at 8 a.m.
There’s more all-ages fun at 10 a.m. Sunday at San Diego Family Fun Fest at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Rolando. The fest features 30 booths, some educational, but most full of games for the little ones. And for the more adventurous? Try the zipline or an “Angry Birds slingshot.”
And finally, Exhibit C – the Kex Sip & Savor Fest at 2 p.m. Sunday in Little Italy. Enjoy a variety of luxury experiences, including specialty bars, local tastings, live music and even workshops on how to roll cigars, outside Kettner Exchange. Admission costs $89, with VIP entry available for early access.