With the abundance of craft beer hereabouts, it may seem like it’s always San Diego Beer Week, but get ready, folks. Friday it’s official. And you get three extra days!
From Nov. 1-10, dozens of local breweries and restaurants will host events to mark the commemorative week-plus, debuting their best new bottles, celebrating anniversaries and more. Participants include some of the biggest names on the local beer scene, and tastings and food pairings abound. But how’s this for a twist – the Squats and Hops Fitness Class, at 10 a.m. Sunday. Coronado Brewing Company will host at its San Diego tasting room. No danger of getting a beer gut if you’re drinking and working out simultaneously, right?
Some of the Beer Week events mark Dia de los Muertos, but the big event for the Day of the Dead takes place in Old Town at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The free attractions include music, face painting, skeleton puppets, and at 6 p.m. Saturday a candlelight procession. A parade precedes it. Altars to remember loved ones will be available throughout Old Town at restaurants and shops. In addition, the New Americans Museum, as part of Liberty Station’s First Friday Arts District, features a multimedia presentation at 6 p.m. Friday on the history of the day.
The Escondido Tamale Festival (an official Beer Week event, by the way) offers all manner of the traditional Mexican fare, from gourmet versions to some of the barbecued variety. Attendees at Grape Day Park can compete in several contests as well – tamale eating, costumes, chihuahua costumes and salsa dancing. Festivities begin at 11 a.m.
The Jacobs Center concludes its “Fall Into Arts” series with a performance by Filipina singer Charmaine Clamor at 8 p.m. Saturday. She describes her sound as “jazzipino,” as it combines her love of Filipino culture and American jazz. Tickets start at $30, but with promo code “jazz” that falls to $15.
If your Friday and Saturday revels leave you tuckered out, you gain an hour this weekend, people! Yes, the time, it is a’changin’ and one way to spend it is at the Gaslamp’s Fall Back Festival. The children’s street fair kicks off at 11 a.m. at Fourth and Island avenues. There will be pony rides and spaghetti and ice cream eating contests along with historical demonstrations to portray the character of one of the oldest San Diego communities.
Two more fall festivals close out the weekend. Balboa Park hosts the Persian Harvest Festival at 11 a.m. Sunday, while St. Agnes Catholic Church in Point Loma offers a barbecue, hay rides and music at noon. Entry to St. Agnes costs $15, while the Persian fest is free.
– Staff reports
