What a weekend to be in San Diego County – whether you’re catching art openings, tennis, golf, or just soaking up the lovely outdoors. Let’s all pause and be grateful we’re not dealing with two-degree weather.
Banksy is coming to San Diego – well, sort of – with “The Art of Banksy: Without Limits,” opening Friday for a run through February and March at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The exhibition includes more than 200 works tied to the famously anonymous street artist, including prints, sculptures, photos, installations and murals. Tickets start at $28, with opening-weekend dates selling fast. Want to take it up a notch? Grab a premium pass and spray paint Banksy’s iconic art on your own tee.
If you’re looking for something deeply moving, spend time with “The Road I Call Home,” a photography exhibit by award-winning photographer Randy Bacon at the Oceanside Public Library. The exhibit features intimate portraits and stories of 32 people experiencing homelessness. It runs through March 13 at the Civic Center Library, 330 N. Coast Highway.
Ready to actually talk to people? Ditch your phone and lean into real conversation at Awkward Coffee, a no-phones networking event Friday at Subterranean Coffee Boutique in North Park. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., when you’ll check in, lock your phone in a provided pouch (you keep it with you) and grab a drink before guided small-group mixers kick off at 7 p.m. Admission is $20 and includes a drink ticket.
Golf fans, this one’s for you. Some of golf’s best are in La Jolla for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, running through Sunday. Local stars include Xander Schauffele, a Scripps Ranch native and No. 4-ranked PGA golfer, and Charley Hoffman, a Poway High alum playing his 28th hometown event at 49. Tickets start around $100 and with Farmers Insurance ending its 16-year run as title sponsor, fans may find themselves checking couch cushions to see if they can afford to name the tournament next year.
If tennis is more your speed, the Better Buzz Coffee San Diego Open heats up Friday through Sunday at Point Loma’s Barnes Tennis Center. This year’s special – men’s and women’s brackets are sharing the stage for the first time in the event’s six-year history. The ATP Challenger 100 and ITF Women’s 100 tournaments feature rising players chasing ranking points and comebacks, with matches starting at noon each day. Tickets range from $28.28 to $45.25, and kids 17 and under get in free with a paying adult. Keep an eye out for local talent like Carlsbad teen Julieta Pareja, Serra High alum Haley Giavara and San Diego native Katherine Hui on the women’s side, plus brothers Zach and Trevor Svajda, Point Loma High grad Keegan Smith and USD senior Oliver Tarvet in the men’s draw.
Padres FanFest is back Saturday, taking over Petco Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You’ll need to claim a free ticket in advance (entry times are 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.), but once you’re in, expect player Q&As in Gallagher Square, access to the field, kids running the bases and deals at the Padres Foundation Garage Sale. Season ticket members, partners and waitlist members get early entry at 9 a.m., while the public can use code Padres26 to snag tickets before the Friday night deadline. One heads-up: autograph reservations are officially sold out.
For something a little offbeat, check out Dead Moose, a bold and darkly comic musical running Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Oceanside Theatre Company at The Brooks. The story follows 18-year-old Job as he grapples with grief, faith and identity after surviving a near-fatal collision with a moose – whose persistent voice helps guide the story. Tickets are $33 or use promo code BOGO for a buy-one-get-one-free offer. Students can score $15 tickets with a valid ID during student night on Saturday at 8 p.m., available at the door one hour before the show.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! opens its special exhibition Saturday at the San Diego Air & Space Museum, bringing oddities, rare artifacts and unbelievable stories while officially kicking off the San Diego Museum Council’s Museum Month. Highlights include a full-scale Mars Perseverance rover, a canine cosmonaut suit honoring the Soviet space dogs who paved the way for human spaceflight, original Wizard of Oz memorabilia and an animatronic figure of Robert Wadlow, the tallest person in recorded history. The museum opens early at 9 a.m. Saturday for Balboa Park Explorer Pass holders and members, with doors opening to the general public at 10 a.m. The exhibition is included with regular admission, ranging from $22-$35.
The Pacific Beach Puppy Bowl returns Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at The Local PB, where adoptable rescue puppies take over the field for an afternoon of friendly competition, cuddles and community fun. For $5, you can cheer on your favorite pup, play Puppy Bowl squares, enjoy drinks and support a good cause – 100% of ticket, raffle and game proceeds benefit spay and neuter clinics in Baja, Mexico.
If you’ve got dancing feet, head to the Lindy Bomb, a free outdoor swing dance held the last Saturday of the month – this time at Ward Canyon Park in Normal Heights. DJ music starts at noon, followed by a live set from Nightshade Navarro and Los Salvajes from 1:15-2 p.m., blending jazz and cumbia influences, before wrapping with more DJ music until 2:30 p.m.
And if you’re into jiu-jitsu (or just jiu-jitsu curious), roll, vibe and connect at “Beats, Rolls & Vibes” Saturday at LvL 5 Jiu Jitsu in National City. From 6-9 p.m., step into an open-mat experience where DJ Rhettmatic blends two passions – Brazilian jiu-jitsu and DJing – with live music, social energy and a community-first atmosphere open to practitioners from all academies. The event is 21 and over and costs $20. Event tees are available for presale.
Can’t get enough sports? San Diego County has even more on tap:
- The San Diego Seals (3-3) return home Friday riding the momentum of two wild road wins to host the Philadelphia Wings (1-5) at Pechanga Arena for Heroes Night. It’s the second half of a home-and-home with the Wings, and the Seals will honor active-duty military, veterans and retirees while donating 1,500 tickets to service members and their families. Faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and tickets start at $22.
- Make it a hoops weekend – the San Diego Clippers host the College Park Skyhawk for back-to-back G League games at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. Friday for College Night and 7:00 p.m. Saturday for Throwback Night. Tickets start around $40-$50.
- Get ready to feel the force when the San Diego Gulls turn Midway District’s Pechana Arena into a galaxy far, far away for Star Wars Night Saturday, hosting the Ontario Reign with puck drop set for 6 p.m. The fun starts early with a pregame tailgate from 4-6 p.m., then rolls straight into Star Wars-themed entertainment all night long, capped by the Gulls hitting the ice in specialty Star Wars jerseys. Tickets start around $36.
- And finally, head back to Frontwave Arena for some fast-paced indoor soccer as the San Diego Sockers return home Sunday at 3 p.m. for Kids Day. The match against the Tacoma Stars includes a kids’ friendship bracelet giveaway, making it an extra exciting family outing. Tickets start around $30.
