🎨 Festivals Everywhere: Bella Vita, Borrego, and a Film Fest Finale

San Diego is turning up the heat this weekend, and not just because of the Santa Ana winds! Little Italy comes alive with colorful chalk art, the San Diego International Film Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary, and Borrego Springs welcomes visitors for its annual desert festival, complete with a parade and flyover.

There's plenty more to explore, from Escondido's Grand Avenue Festival and Mira Mesa's fall festivities to an afternoon of exceptional food and wine at Celebrate the Craft. Or escape to the coast for spectacular ocean views at Sunset Cliffs.

Plus, we've rounded up more than 200 live music events to keep your weekend humming!

Let's dive in.

 Steve DeLong
Publisher

PS - This weekly update goes out to folks who registered through our Facebook promotion for local events. If these messages are no longer a fit, there’s a simple opt-out link in the footer - one tap and delivery stops right away. Thanks for giving us a look!

The Events

🎬 San Diego International Film Festival - Tue, Oct 13–Sun, Oct 18 • Various times and venues, San Diego. Celebrate the festival's 25th anniversary with independent films, documentaries, filmmaker conversations, and special screenings.

🏡 San Diego Fall Home/Garden Show - Sat, Oct 17 & Sun, Oct 18 • 10:00 AM–5:00 PM Sat, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM Sun • Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar. 36th annual show with hundreds of home-improvement exhibitors, live demos, garden marketplace and free Master Gardener advice.

🎡 Escondido Grand Avenue Festival - Sun, Oct 18 • 9:00 AM–5:00 PM • Grand Avenue, Downtown Escondido. One of North County's largest street fairs, featuring hundreds of vendors, arts and crafts, food, and live entertainment.

🎃 D6 Fall Festival - Sat, Oct 17 • 3:00–9:00 PM • Mira Mesa. Community celebration featuring live entertainment, family activities, crafts, costumes, and seasonal festivities.

🎪 Borrego Days Festival - Sat, Oct 17 & Sun, Oct 18 • 10:00 AM–6:30 PM Sat, 9:30 AM–3:00 PM Sun • Christmas Circle, Borrego Springs. A desert festival with Saturday parade and flyover, car show, beer garden, kids zone, food trucks and live music.

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🎨 Galbani Bella Vita Fest - Sat, Oct 17 & Sun, Oct 18 • 11:00 AM–6:00 PM Sat, 11:00 AM–5:00 PM Sun • Little Italy, San Diego. 40+ chalk artists create Italian-themed street paintings live, plus Italian food, wine tastings, live music and cooking demos.

🐴 Ride & Stride 2026 + Horse Heritage Festival - Sun, Oct 18 • 8:30 AM–2:00 PM • Walnut Grove Park, San Marcos. 3-mile ride-or-walk fundraiser for equestrian trails ($30 registration) followed by a family festival with horse demos, a Wild West show, raffles and food.

📿 Kit Carson Park - Sat, Oct 17 • 10:00 AM–2:00 PM • Queen Califia's Magical Circle, Escondido. Family craft day making beaded creations with Beads by Brinley plus coastal crafts, part of the city's Family Creativity Days; while supplies last.

🎨 Chicana Art Festival 2026 Sat, Oct 17 • 1 PM - 6 pm • Downtown Vista. Vibrant celebration of Chicana, Latina, and Indigenous art, culture, and community.

🖼️ HOPE: A Visual Arts Exhibition - Opening Reception - Sat, Oct 17 • 6:00–9:00 PM • The Studio Door, Hillcrest, San Diego. Opening reception for a juried Southern California art show on the theme of hope.

🍺 The Stone Guys Are Taking Back Their Bistro
After Nov 13 • Escondido
Stone founders Greg Koch and Steve Wagner are taking over the Escondido bistro and gardens, reopening them as a new independent restaurant in time for the holidays (pending ABC licensing). Expect 36 taps celebrating the craft-beer community, with around 140 jobs preserved. No new name yet.

🍷 Celebrate the Craft - Sun, Oct 18 • 11:30 am to 3 pm. The Lodge at Torrey Pines, La Jolla. Enjoy tastings from acclaimed regional chefs, artisan food producers, wineries, and breweries at this annual culinary celebration overlooking the Torrey Pines Golf Course. $$$

🏄 $ OFCF Surf Contest — Fri, Oct 23 • 8:00 AM • Oceanside Harbor (South Jetty), Oceanside — Oceanside Firefighters charity surf contest with cornhole, raffle, food and drinks; $75 team entry supports the firefighter charity fund.

Location: Point Loma, San Diego Distance: Approximately 1–3 miles, depending on your route

Difficulty: Easy to moderate Elevation: Minimal to moderate, with uneven terrain

Stretching along Point Loma's rugged western shoreline, Sunset Cliffs Natural Park offers spectacular ocean views, dramatic sandstone formations, sea caves, and some of San Diego's most memorable sunsets. Explore the coastal paths, watch for migrating whales in season, or simply enjoy the crashing surf from above. The park's natural trails can be uneven and run close to steep, unstable cliffs, so stay well back from the edges.

Good to know: The park encompasses 68 acres, including an 18-acre coastal section and a 50-acre hillside conservation area. Dedicated in 1983, it's one of Point Loma's most scenic natural spaces.

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Fri 10/16
High 91° / Low 73° • ☀️ 0%

Sat 10/17
High 87° / Low 65° • ⛅ 0%

Sun 10/18
High 83° / Low 66° • ☀️ 0%

Friday brings the heat, 91° with gusty Santa Ana winds inland. Saturday stays warm at 87° under partly cloudy skies. Sunday is the pick of the weekend: sunny, 83°, and calmer.

Humphreys Backstage Live – Mango Bay – Point Loma – 5-7:30pm
Babcock & Story Hotel Del – Gonzo Solo – Coronado – 6-10pm
The Shout! House – Dueling Pianos: TBD – Gaslamp Quarter – 6-9pm
Carruth Cellars - Hangar 76 – Oceanside School of Rock – Oceanside – 6-9pm
The Loma Club – Mark Fisher – Liberty Station – 6-9pm
Heroes Wood-Fired Pizza – Vince Mendoza – Santa Ysabel – 6-9pm
Kimball Bar & Grill – Latin Sol – National City – 7-10pm
L'Auberge Del Mar – Jason Graham – Del Mar – 7-10pm
Le Papagayo Leucadia – Michael Richardson Duo – Leucadia – 7-10pm
The Jazz Lounge – Joshua White presents the music of Daniel Jackson – College East – 7-9pm
Fast Times – Cool Rush – Bay Park – 7-10pm
Lou Lou’s Club @ Lafayette Hotel – Cody Carter & Ramblin Fever – University Heights – 8-9:30pm
Pal Joey's – 7 Seconds to Vegas – Allied Gardens – 8pm-12am
Beaumont's Eatery – The Messengers * RA Band – La Jolla – 9pm-12am
Moonshine Flats – American Mile – Gaslamp Quarter – 9:30-11:30pm

Over 200 more events are on the web version…click the button to see them!

🎤 Karaoke

10 Beach Club – Karaoke – Pacific Beach – 8pm-12am
Harry's Sports Bar & Grill – Harryoke Fridays – Fallbrook – 8pm-1am
Happy Does Bar – Karaoke – Gaslamp Quarter – 8:30pm-1:30am
Werewolf American Pub – Karaoke – East Village – 9pm-1am

🧠 Trivia

Koi Zen Cellars – Trivia with Kevin Hay – Carmel Mountain Ranch – 6:30-9:30pm
Dirty Birds - Ocean Beach – Sunset Trivia – Ocean Beach – 7-9pm

Aquarius Bar & Grille – Shameless – Mission Bay – 12-3pm
Bates Nut Farm – Heidi & The Hurricane Band – Valley Center – 12-4pm
Pala Casino Center Bar – Soul Circuit – Pala – 4-8:30pm
Panama 66 – Uptown Rythym Makers – Balboa Park – 4-5:30pm
Culinary Dropout – Sean McCole – Del Mar – 6-9pm
Coomber Craft Wines Oceanside – The Backwater Blues Band – Oceanside – 6-9pm
The Landings at Carlsbad – Santana Soul – Carlsbad – 6-9pm
Barefoot Bar & Grill – Orion Song – Mission Bay – 6-9pm
The Jazzy Wishbone – Light the Night – Oceanside – 7-10pm
Mainstream Bar & Grill - Poway – Crossroads – Poway – 7-11pm
Le Papagayo Carlsbad – Swingin Johnsons – Carlsbad – 7-10pm
North Bar – Roni Lee with Ronny North – Escondido – 8-11pm
Humphreys Backstage Live – Retro-X – Point Loma – 8-11pm
The Rabbit Hole – Sidetracked – Normal Heights – 9pm-12am
The Kraken – I-90 – Cardiff – 9pm-12am

The list has gotten too big! To see everything click the button…

🎤 Karaoke

American Legion Post 282 – Karaoke with Leslie – La Mesa – 6-9pm
Oceanside Elks Lodge 1561 – Karaoke w/ Roy Sutherland – Oceanside – 6-10pm
Ringer's Cocktail Lounge – Doug's Karaoke – Bonsall – 8pm-12am
Happy Does Bar – Karaoke – Gaslamp Quarter – 8:30pm-1:30am
Werewolf American Pub – Karaoke – East Village – 9pm-1am

🧠 Trivia

Communion / Paradis Cafe – Sunset Trivia – Mission Hills – 6-8pm
Dirty Birds - SDSU Area – Sunset Trivia – College Area – 8-9pm

Chandler's Oceanfront Dining – Corey Angeli – Carlsbad – 11am-1pm
Bates Nut Farm – Bayou Brothers – Valley Center – 12-4pm
Aquarius Bar & Grille – FSW High Noon Dead Set – Mission Bay – 12-5pm
Downtown Cafe – Deanna Haala & Rob Weber – El Cajon – 12-2:30pm
Fairmont Grand Del Mar – Ed Kornhauser – Del Mar – 12-3pm
The Loma Club – The Fab Lushes – Liberty Station – 1-4pm
The Roxy Encinitas – Sheila Sondergard – Encinitas – 1-4pm
Mia Marie Vineyards – Victor Santana – Escondido – 2-4pm
Mainstream Bar & Grill - Poway – Casey with Ryan Valenzuela – Poway – 4-7pm
Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa – Michael LeClerc – La Jolla – 4-7pm
Coyote Bar & Grill – The Smoking Guns – Carlsbad – 5-9pm
Kimball Bar & Grill – Angeles Y Diablos – National City – 5-8pm
Coomber Craft Wines Vista – Waylon Hicks Band – Vista – 6-9pm
Aztec Brewery – Aztec Jazz Jam with Dylan Soto – Vista – 6-9pm
Eddie V's V Lounge – Craig Dawson Trio – Marina District – 6:30-10:30pm

Over 200 more events are on the web version…click the button to see them!

🎤 Karaoke

American Legion Post 282 – Karaoke with TerryOke – La Mesa – 5-8pm
Casino Inn Bar and Grill – Karaoke w/ Jess & Tony – Alpine – 5-10pm
The Salty Frog – Karaoke – Imperial Beach – 7pm-2am
710 Beach Club – Karaoke – Pacific Beach – 8pm-12am
Winstons OB – OBoke Karaoke – Ocean Beach – 8-11pm
Full Circle Saloon – Karaoke – Santee – 8:30-11:59pm
1st Street Bar – Karaoke Night – Encinitas – 9pm-12am
North Bar – Karaoke – Escondido – 9pm-1am
Pal Joey's – Karaoke with DJ Harvest – Allied Gardens – 9pm-1am
Werewolf American Pub – Karaoke – East Village – 9pm-1am

🧠 Trivia

Uvas Winery – Music Trivia – Poway – 5-7pm
Eastbound Bar & Grill – Trivia – Lakeside – 6:30-8:30pm
Dirty Birds - LIberty Station – Sunset Trivia – Liberty Station – 8-9pm

*Some events may require tickets, reservations, cover charges, or be full/sold out, and we sometimes estimate the end time if not provided by the venue plus typos or errors can happen but we try our best!! …

Correct Answer: A. 2,300

In 1870, San Diego had just 2,300 residents when city leaders set aside 1,400 acres for what was then called City Park. It wouldn't officially become Balboa Park until 1910, ahead of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.

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San Diego Meteor is published every Friday morning by Steve DeLong. Steve is an Escondido High graduate and has lived in San Diego County since 1972.