Oh, the festival goodness! Oktoberfests this time of year are a given, but fests are breaking out all over this San Diego weekend, focused on food, music, spirits and community too.
For the German portion of your weekend:
- Ocean Beach Oktoberfest, over two days beginning Friday, features live music, games and, of course, beer, a drag show and more. The free event, at 4 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday off Newport Avenue and Abbott Street, also will have 2-for-1 beers for two hours each day, beginning when the gates open.
- How about Oktoberfest, North County style? Two Carlsbad Rotary Clubs clubs host the 41th annual Oktoberfest Fall Festival at noon Saturday at the Carlsbad Strawberry Company. The event includes German meals from Tip Top Meats, family activities, German music, and, oh please, don’t fret, a biergarten. Admission is $10.
Your tastes run more to wine or whiskey? Here’s two options:
- The La Jolla Art and Wine Festival opens on Girard Avenue between Torrey Pines Road and Prospect Street at 10 a.m. Saturday and continues Sunday. The free event features a wine (and sure, beer too) garden, live music, food, a silent auction and a family art center from Geppetto’s Toys.
- The San Diego Spirits Festival returns for its 14th year at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla. The event, which continues Sunday at 1 p.m., will feature spirits and cocktails, along with art and entertainment, including a flamenco guitarist and belly dancers. Passes start at $90.
A few communities offer up fests too:
- The free Mira Mesa Street Fair, at 10 a.m. Saturday on Camino Ruiz from Mira Mesa Boulevard to New Salem Street, includes live music and entertainment on two stages, a fun zone with pony rides and inflatables and an international food court.
- Pacific BeachFest, at 11 a.m. Saturday, offers sports tournaments, a 5K/half marathon, live music on two stages, a fish taco challenge and a children’s area. Head to the Pacific Beach boardwalk at the end of Garnet Avenue.
- San Marcos Harvest Fest, along Via Vera Cruz, starts at 9 a.m. Sunday, with 200 vendors, arts, crafts and a children’s zone with carnival rides and attractions. Sip on wine, craft beer and kombucha too.
Is food your favorite focus? Never fear.
- Taste of North Park includes more than 40 eateries beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday. Breweries and boutiques are in the mix as well. Two types of tickets remain – $65 for food and beverages and $30 for beverages only.
- Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, a weekly Saturday event, extends to Sunday this week for Lobsterfest. Head to Tuna Harbor, off Seaport Village at 8 a.m. for some of the fresh catch as lobster season begins. There will be live music and tasty lobster dishes for sale too.