Making plans for the fall? Let us help. In our fall arts guide, we preview the best plays, concerts, fests and more coming to San Diego. Look for a roundup of the best in music, theater and festivals, with a spotlight feature in each category.
Some art defies easy categories.
But variety is the spice! So we created this special category to encompass a cornucopia of artful fall celebrations. Here we touch on fine arts, film, opera, dance, books and more.
Visiones Nocturnas exhibition
Through Jan. 17, 2027. The new Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego exhibition, “Visiones Nocturnas: Queer Nightlife in Contemporary Art” includes art that explores a variety of spaces — clubs, dive bars, backyards and bathhouses—as sites of queer joy and possibility. More than a dozen artists have pieces in the exhibit, ranging from painting, performance and photography to sculpture, collage, video and more. Tickets, MCASD.
San Diego Italian Film Festival
Sept. 26 from 5:30-9:30 p.m. at The Brain Observatory (725 W Broadway). The festival is celebrating its 20th edition with a new launch event that honors the history that began with late founder Victor Laruccia and his legacy within Italian San Diego culture. Part of that legacy is the short film competition Ristretto Awards, now in its eighth edition. The evening starts with some of the most memorable short films from past competitions. Enjoy food from Forchettina, Italian wine and a silent auction. The rest of the feStivale, through Oct. 10, takes place at the Museum of Photographic Arts at the San Diego Museum of Art and Digital Gym Cinema in East Village. Tickets and schedules, San Diego Italian Film Festival.
Trolley Dances
Trolley Dances takes place Oct. 3 and 4 starting at UTC Mall, then shifting to various locations. In partnership with the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, dance companies and community groups perform at locations along public transit trolley lines and at stations. Former San Diego Dance Theater artistic director Jean Isaacs created the program over 25 years ago to make dance accessible to all of San Diego by taking art “to the people.” Tour guides lead audiences on and off the trolley to view original dances from over 50 local performers. Tickets, San Diego Dance Theater.
Poéticas del Arrabal: Opera and Tango
Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the San Diego Museum of Art. Camarada, the chamber music group, celebrates its first season in residence at SDMA with a concert blending music and visual art. The museum’s rotunda will host the Camarada Tango Quartet with singers Gabriela Bojórquez and Martín de León for an exploration of tango through the music of Astor Piazzolla in arrangements by Andrés Martín. Tickets start at $50, San Diego Museum of Art.
An Evening with John Green
Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. The Library Foundation SD, in partnership with Meet Cute Bookshop in La Mesa, is bringing author John Green to town to introduce San Diego to his new book, “Hollywood, Ending,” about two rising actors who shoot to fame after being cast in a buzzy biopic that makes them grapple with their new romance, celebrity and the attention economy. The novel is Green’s first foray into adult fiction, after commercial success and even a few movie adaptations of his young adult romances, including “The Fault in Our Stars.” Tickets, $45.
Galbani Bella Vita Fest
Galbani Bella Vita Fest on Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Oct. 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Little Italy. Can’t wait until flagship event ArtWalk San Diego to see chalk art? The ArtWalk team has you covered with the third annual fest, where chalk painters take over the streets of Little Italy for the weekend. And don’t sleep on the Italian food and wine available for purchase at the all ages, free event.
SDIFF galas and awards
The San Diego International Film Festival celebrates 25 years at its After Dark Party on Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. The festival will hand out filmmaker awards at the industry party before the Mustache Bash Band takes the stage. The entire fest takes place from Oct. 13-18, and includes popular programs like Night of the Stars and Culinary Cinema in La Jolla. Admission – festival passes start at $250 with individual tickets available for parties and screenings.
Rigoletto
San Diego Opera presents “Rigoletto” on Oct. 23-25 at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. In this classic opera by Giuseppe Verdi, court jester Rigoletto is betrayed by the Duke of Mantua after a joke lands poorly, threatening his wellbeing, along with his daughter Gilda. What follows is a tale of sacrifice and revenge directed by Christopher Mattaliano and conducted by Yves Abel with libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Tickets, San Diego Opera.
Oceanside Museum of Art: Art after Dark
This pre-Halloween party takes place on Oct. 24 from 7-11 p.m. at Oceanside Museum of Art (704 Pier View Way). OMA’s signature after-hours event has a Halloween edition with a serious costume contest for wearable art and outrageous performances inspired by art. This 21-plus event includes themed cocktails. Adult tickets, $85.
Silent Movie Mondays: ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ (1920)
“The Headless Horseman” on Oct. 26, 7 p.m. at Balboa Theatre. Organist David Marsh brings this eerie film to life with musical accompaniment that transports the audience back in time to 1920 to see the silent film the way it was meant to be heard, with a massive theater organ. The film stars John Barrymore as respectable Dr. Jekyll, whose evil alter ego spins his life out of control. Tickets, $18.
Yokai Masquerade
Yokai Masquerade on Oct. 31 from 6-10 p.m. at the Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum. Celebrate Halloween with this unique ode to folkloric Japanese spirits – see artistic displays, after-hours museum exhibits and the grandeur of a yokai parade – all while in masked costumes. Tickets, $60.
Worth a look
La Jolla Art and Wine Festival, Oct. 10-11 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Girard Avenue; Sining Samahan, 46th annual Concert of Filipino Folk Dances and Music, Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Joan B. Kroc Theatre; Contra-Tiempo Activist Dance Theater, “Roots of Loving Us,” Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m., The Epstein Family Amphitheater; Opera À La Carte, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at New Village Arts, Carlsbad; City Ballet’s “American Icons,” Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 25 at 2 p.m., Balboa Theatre; Spooky Shakespeare, Oct. 31 at 1 and 2:30 p.m., San Diego Museum of Art.
