North County and San Diego County Events – August 2016 certainly feel like summer. There are so many outdoor activities — concerts, movies, star gazing, sailing, surfing, horse racing, car shows, even a street fair for dogs! If you’re looking to beat the heat, no worries. There’s plenty to do indoors too!
North County and San Diego County Events – July 2016 will keep you busy. There are so many fun things to do in July.
TGIF Concerts in the Parks
July 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
6:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Carlsbad, various parks
For over 30 years, the City of Carlsbad Cultural Arts Office has presented live music events throughout the city. When summer rolls around in Carlsbad, everyone gears up for TGIF Concerts in the Parks! The 2016 season runs Friday nights from June 24 through Aug. 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. (all fields open at 4 p.m.) and features great music, food and a chance to dance the night away with friends and neighbors in a beautiful outdoor setting.
This year’s band lineup offers a music genre for everyone, from country to rock, cover bands to spicy Latin and world grooves. Concerts are free and open to the public and move across the city, from Stagecoach to Alga Norte, Poinsettia and Calavera Hills community parks. A free shuttle service is available at most concert locations, as onsite parking is limited.
The music at TGIF is just the beginning. A variety of food vendors are onsite at the events, or you can bring your own feast from home. Family Open Studios is back with free, hands-on art making activities for all ages. And of course, there will be plenty of chances to enter the Opportunity Drawing from the Carlsbad Friends of the Arts. There are prize packages each night, all to support future arts and cultural events in Carlsbad.
North County and San Diego County Events – June 2016 run the gamut from gold rushes and Highland games to fairy fests and powwows.
North Coast Rep Hedda Gabler
June 1 – June 26
Location: Solana Beach, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Dr, Suite D
A world premiere adaptation created by the company at North Coast Rep. Arguably one of the most complex and intriguing female characters ever written, Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, translated by Anne-Charlotte Harvey, weaves a mesmerizing tale of a woman trapped in a loveless marriage and driven by a need for power and freedom. It is a spellbinding drama of revenge, manipulation, sexual repression, deceit and despair, climaxing in an ending that never fails to shock and surprise. Discerning theatre lovers will not want to miss this freshly translated classic.
North County and San Diego County Events – May 2016 is sure to entertain with rodeos, festivals, fun beach events, movies, music and art.
Carlsbad Village Faire
May 1
Location: Carlsbad, Grand Ave from Carlsbad Blvd to Jefferson St
North County’s favorite street fair is returning to The Village the first Sunday in May. The streets will come alive with the sights and smells of fair-time as 800 vendors set up unique booths, fairgoers search for handmade gifts, try mouthwatering foods, and have some fun in the sun.
The Carlsbad Village Faire – the largest one-day street fair in the nation – will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday, May 1.The fair stretches 14 blocks. Grand Avenue from Carlsbad Boulevard to Jefferson Street, and all of the cross streets in between, would be close for the event. Each year, the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce hosts the fair in May and November. Now in its 43rd year, the free event has grown to be so popular that it not only continually attracts people from all over Southern California, but also from other states.
The fair draws over 100,000 visitors with its 800 unique vendor booths offering handcrafted arts and gifts, art, antiques, jewelry, unique clothing, home décor, plants and more. The international food court will once again feature more than 50 booths serving everything from Thai to Hawaiian cuisine. The children’s area will entertain youngsters with games, a super slide, a bounce house, a rock climbing wall, and face painting.
The Rotary Club of Carlsbad’s beer garden will entertain fairgoers with a large screen TV and live bands. The Kiwanis Club of Carlsbad will continue its more than 25-year tradition of hosting a pancake breakfast at the Carlsbad railroad depot. The meal, which includes pancakes, sausage, coffee and juice, will be served between 7:00 a.m. and noon.
To make parking more convenient, complimentary shuttles will run to and from the fair. Shuttles will pick up and drop off passengers at the Poinsettia Coaster Station and the west corner of Sears at The Shoppes at Carlsbad.
North County and San Diego County Events – April will keep you entertained with everything from the IRONMAN triathlon to horse and cars shows, festivals, plays, music, art and artists.
Goodguys Meguiar’s 16th Del Mar Nationals
April 1 – 3
Location: Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd
Hot Rods, Customs, Classics, Muscle Cars and Trucks thru ’72, Goodguys AutoCross, Indoor Car Show, Vendors, Swap Meet, Cars 4 Sale Corral and All American Sunday. The show features:
North County and San Diego County Events – March include everything from mountain bike racing to garden shows, Easter egg hunts and music festivals.
MiraCosta College Exhibit Features Art By Eva Struble
March 1 – 3
Location: Oceanside, MiraCosta College Kruglak Art Gallery, Bldg 3400, 1 Barnard Dr
MiraCosta College presents an exhibit featuring the paintings of artist Eva Struble. The show opens Feb. 9 and continues through March 3 in the college’s Kruglak Gallery.
The exhibit will feature a series of paintings that deviate from Struble’s recent work to explore a makeover of her domestic and everyday spaces in lush transformation. With influences including post-impressionist Nabis painters, Japanese uki-e prints and a variety of textiles, these large oil paintings on canvas also bring focus to material and surface with saturated color and icing-thick paint application. Indefinite figures haunt the mundane and familiar institutional spaces as they morph into overgrown, unknown landscapes and structures.
Eva Struble is a San Diego and New York-based artist. She teaches painting at San Diego State University and received her MFA in painting from Yale University School of Art in 2006.
North County and San Diego County Events – February include great music, wonderful art, fun sporting events and terrific museum discounts!
Museum Month: Half-Off Admission
February 1 – 29
Location: Multiple Locations
Arts, entertainment and culture collide for Macy’s Museum Month in San Diego. This February the San Diego Museum Council and Macy’s have teamed up again for Museum Month, giving patrons a chance to discover what’s new at more than 40 area museums with savings only seen once a year.
North County and San Diego County Events – January run the gamut from great music and art exhibitions to fun sporting events. Happy New Year!
Lux Art Institute Welcomes Resident Artist Charles Moxon
January 1 – 2
Location: Encinitas, Lux Art Institute, 1550 South El Camino Real
Charles Moxon’s portraits are reminiscent of 17th-century Dutch Old Masters, to which he adds the observational detail and hyper-reality of contemporary photorealism. His use of lighting and fluid paint strokes calls to mind Vermeer, with a similar layering of transparent glaze to create depth. As described by Rankin’s Hunger Magazine, "Charles’ eye for detail, technique and life-like qualities are astonishing."
Recently, Moxon has begun painting actors and models as a way to explore the theme of performance, both on the stage and in our everyday lives. While artist-in-residence at Lux, Moxon plans to continue in this vein by painting a local actor, musician, surfer or other type of performer. His process will include photos and sketches as he works toward a final oil painting.
The Artist Pavilion is open 1:00 to 5:00 pm on January 1 and 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on January 2.
North County and San Diego County Events – December include tree lighting, parades, holiday lights and lots of fun activities. Happy holidays!
LEGOLAND Holiday Snow Days and Winter Nights
December 1 – January 3
Location: Carlsbad, One LEGOLAND Dr.
Build a snowman with LEGO® accessories and throw real snowballs at colorful targets. Experience the magic of Winter Nights with shows, music, and twinkling lights.
There’s even a food truck with yummy treats served by Santa’s Elves. Stay for the nightly fireworks over Miniland USA, December 26 – 30. Witness the lighting of a 30-foot tall LEGO Christmas Tree and enjoy live entertainment with LEGO Friends Live. A life-sized LEGO Brick Santa and Reindeer make the perfect family photo. Check the website for specific dates.
There’s quite a variety of fun events in North County and San Diego County in November.
Carlsbad Village Faire
November 1
Location: Carlsbad Village
More than 100,000 people will take in the beauty of our seaside city while browsing through unique booths, indulging in delectable eats and enjoying family entertainment when the largest one-day street faire in the nation returns next month.
The Carlsbad Village Faire will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. November 1, 2015. Now in its 41st year, the free event has grown to be so popular that it not only continually attracts people from all over Southern California, but also from other states. Some visitors even plan their vacations around the bi-annual event.
Just like at past faires, over 900 vendors will sell everything fathomable, including clothes, accessories, plants, household products, art, antiques and home decor. The international food court will once again feature more than 50 booths serving everything from Thai to Hawaiian cuisine. The children’s area will entertain youngsters with games, a super slide, a bounce house, a rock climbing wall, face painting and arts and crafts.
The Rotary Club of Carlsbad’s beer and wine garden will entertain fairgoers with a large screen TV and live bands. The Kiwanis Club of Carlsbad will continue its more than 25-year tradition of hosting a pancake breakfast at the Carlsbad railroad depot. The meal, which includes pancakes, sausage, coffee and juice, will be served between 7 a.m. and noon.
Grand Avenue from Carlsbad Boulevard to Jefferson Street, and all of the cross streets in between, will be closed for the event. To make parking more convenient, complimentary shuttles will run to and from the faire. Shuttles will pick up and drop off passengers at the Poinsettia Coaster Station and the northwest corner of Sears at Westfield Plaza Camino Real.