Fancy eats, films, football and always, festivals. This San Diego weekend, take the kids to enjoy a family fest, join your besties out for top foodie finds and top it all off with surf dogs on the sand. Because why not?
The LGBTQ Film Festival continues through Sunday, with tracks focused on men, women, U.S., international and adults only. Venues include Landmark Hillcrest and the Museum of Photographic Arts at Balboa Park. Films start at 1 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. All-access passes cost $150 with individual screenings at $15 each.
The inaugural Del Mar Food & Wine Festival continues at Surf Sports Park Friday. The festival aims to capture the local sun-splashed lifestyle, with a lineup of celebrity Food Network chefs including Antonia Lofaso and Eric Greenspan, mixed with local chefs like Brad Wise of TRUST Restaurant Group. Other guests include actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul and sports stars Drew Brees and Rob Machado. The associated events are individually ticketed, starting at $95. The festival concludes Monday.
Cirque du Soleil – still going strong. The troupe’s latest production, Corteo, continues at Pechanga Arena through Sunday. Tickets start at $39, with one show Friday and two shows each Saturday and Sunday.
The free Clairemont Family Day returns at the South Clairemont Recreation Center at 8 a.m. Saturday with a pancake breakfast to start the day, followed by a fest with a carnival zone, free pony rides, live music, dancers, magic and more on the main stage. Also, enjoy what’s billed as “The Greatest Show on Turf” with 250 cars, and AquaFest, starting at 11 a.m., at the Clairemont Pool.
ArtWalk Carlsbad, above the Flower Fields, focuses on fine art by more than 150 artists, who travel from all over the U.S. and Mexico to show and sell their work. See paintings, sculpture, glass work, jewelry, photography and more. Also, enjoy interactive art for families at KidsWalk, along with music, food trucks and vendors and more. The free event opens at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Dancers Lavina Rich, Trixi Agiao and Marcella Torres-Sanchez, part of the Emerging Artist program at Liberty Station, perform at Saturday and Sunday showcases, both at 6 p.m. at Mockingbird Improv, 2590 Truxtun Road. The artists, wrapping up their residencies, will present the work they created, including both dance films and live choreography. The showcase is free, but seating is limited, so arrive early.
Cute alert! Helen Woodward Animal Center’s 18th annual Surf Dog Surf-a-Thon catches the waves at Dog Beach Del Mar on 29th Street at 8 a.m. Sunday. How many surfing dogs is enough surfing dogs? How about more than 70? The pooches will compete in 10-minute heats for many, many Instagrammable moments.
College football, check. Now, it’s time for the NFL’s new season. And the Gaslamp’s The Smoking Gun will celebrate with a Midwest tradition – a meat raffle. Yep, the prizes are sausages, steaks and more. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday hundreds of dollars worth of individually wrapped, cook-at-home steaks and meats will be up for grabs. The Smoking Gun will do the honors, though, for a charge. Purchase raffle tickets from waitstaff or by choosing select cocktails.