To celebrate dads and grads, there’s beer — this is San Diego — some nostalgia acts, if music is their thing (pick a decade, from the ‘60s to the ’00’s) and sports. A big game is coming to town too, even if the activity on the field may not be as familiar as baseball or football. With a championship on the line, why not try the San Diego Legion?
As the fair continues in Del Mar, the San Diego International Beer Festival takes the spotlight Friday. More than 200 beers (!!!) will be available for tasting and there will be chances to learn the science behind beer brewing and what foods complement your favorite IPA. There are five sessions for the public through Sunday, each requiring separate tickets. Admission to the festival includes entry to the San Diego County Fair.
A number of hitmakers are coming to the region this weekend, whether your taste leans toward the classics — Smokey Robinson and Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons — or to stars of the ‘90s and ’00s like Train, Toby Keith and Nelly.
Train, along with the Goo Goo Dolls, will perform at the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, at 7 p.m. Friday. That same night, country star Toby Keith steps to the Corona Grandstand Stage at the Del Mar Fair at 7:30 p.m. To conclude Friday’s busy slate, “Hot in Herre” rapper Nelly hits the club at Parq in downtown San Diego. Doors open at 10 p.m.
Robinson, both a star artist and crafter of the signature Motown sound, follows Keith to the fair’s Corona Grandstand at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The real Jersey Boys will appear at Viejas Concerts in the Park in Alpine at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets remain available for each of the five shows.
Uptown and downtown San Diego communities host food, arts and car-focused events this weekend. Almost three dozen restaurants are set to take part in Taste of the Gaslamp from 1-4 p.m. Saturday Pre-sale tickets are $35, with day-of admission rising to $45. Later that day, the R&B Block Party at the Quartyard in East Village hosts its “Summer Series Jump-Off” at 5 p.m. With RSVPs before 7 p.m. admission is free.
On Sunday, Culture Shock San Diego hosts “Shock in the Park ’19,” a free event billed as a “dance showcase and battle,” at 11 a.m. in Horton Plaza Park. Later, at 1 p.m., there’s the Hillcrest Classic Car Show at Pride Plaza on Normal Street.
Finally, the Legion, the rugby club that arrived here when Major League Rugby was established last year, brings a championship game to the city.
The Legion will play the Seattle Sea Wolves, the league’s reigning champion, at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Legion have a 12-3-1 record, while the Sea Wolves are 11-4-1. Tickets are available, starting at $22 for adults and $18 for youths.
– Staff reports
