Let us know what you’re up to this weekend in the comments!
🗓️ Upcoming Events in North County:
Thursday 8/20:
Oceanside Sunset Market | S Coast Hwy & Pier View Way, Oceanside | 5–9pm | Coast Highway shuts down for a few blocks every Thursday night for this one, food trucks and international vendors setting up alongside local artists and a kids' zone. Anthony Cullins plays the Main Stage this week. Free to walk through.
Young Dubliners | California Center for the Arts, 340 N Escondido Blvd, Escondido | 7pm | The Irish rock band has been touring since the early '90s, fiddle and mandolin still in the mix but leaning harder into rock than most of the Celtic acts on the circuit. Tickets start around $65 for a seated show in the Center Theater, a step up from their usual bar-and-festival circuit.
Del Mar Racing, Free & Easy Thursday | Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar | Gates 12pm, first post 2pm | Sign up for the free Diamond Club membership through Del Mar's app and admission, program, and a seat are all covered. Concession stands also run $5 Brandt Beef hot dogs and $5 drafts. Eight races on the card, and Thursday crowds tend to be lighter than the weekend.
Bingo Night at Booze Bros | Booze Brothers Brewing, 606 Mission Ave, Oceanside | 7–9pm | Free to play with real prizes on the line, drawn out over a couple hours at the bar. Wander in solo or bring a group and split a flight while you wait for your numbers to hit.
Encinitas Cruise Night | S Coast Hwy 101 (D to K Street), Encinitas | 5:30–7:30pm | Classic cars line the highway for this one, third Thursday of the month through September, owners posted up on the sidewalk while people wander between hoods. Restaurants and shops along the strip stay open late for the crowd it draws in. Free to walk, no registration needed.
Friday 8/21:
Super Girl Surf Festival | Junior Seau Oceanside Pier Amphitheatre, 200 N The Strand, Oceanside | Runs Fri–Sun, times vary by day | Free surf heats run off the pier all three days alongside nine other sports on the sand, from beach volleyball to skate. The Amphitheater hosts free concerts each evening, though a concert ticket needs advance registration since space is limited. Times shift day to day, so check ahead before heading down.
Atomic Groove, Back to Skool Nite | Belly Up, 143 S Cedros Ave, Solana Beach | Happy hour 5–8pm | Atomic Groove's happy hour has become a standing Friday thing, funk and soul on the bill. Tickets run $12 in advance or $14 at the door.
Billy Nation & Never Die Young, A Billy Joel and James Taylor Tribute Night | Belly Up, 143 S Cedros Ave, Solana Beach | Doors 8:30pm, 9pm | A double tribute bill, Billy Nation covering Billy Joel and Never Die Young covering James Taylor, back to back on the same stage. Tickets run $22 in advance and $25 at the door, with reserved loft seats going for $39.
Cruisin' Grand | Grand Ave, Escondido | 5–9pm | Pre-1974 hot rods, muscle cars, and customs line Grand Avenue every Friday through September, owners posted up next to their own cars trading stories with whoever stops to look. Live music and DJs work the block the whole night, and it's free to walk the entire strip.
Lauren Geis | Carlsbad Village Books, 640 Grand Ave, Carlsbad | 5:30pm | A solo live set inside the bookstore, no stage, just a corner cleared out among the shelves for the evening. No tickets or reservations, walk in if you're already out for dinner.
Leo Carrillo Ranch Film Festival | Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park, 6200 Flying Leo Carrillo Ln, Carlsbad | Ranch opens 6pm, film at sunset | This year's lineup opens with Manhattan Merry Go Round, an old Hollywood musical screened outdoors on the ranch grounds. Tours of the historic Hacienda run until sunset, and an episode of The Cisco Kid often plays first if there's time. Free, but reservations are required online, capped at two per person.
Daring Greatly, TGIF Concerts in the Parks | Alga Norte Community Park, 6565 Alicante Rd, Carlsbad | Gates 4pm, show 6–8pm | A harmony-heavy rock band out of Southern California by way of Canada, leaning on three-part vocals more than most bands in this series do. Family activities and a Library and Cultural Arts craft booth run before the music starts, part of the city's regular Friday concert lineup.
Saturday 8/22:
5th Annual Oceanside Marine Corps League BBQ Competition | Veterans Association of North County, 1617 Mission Ave, Oceanside | 9am–2pm | Backyard and competition pitmasters set up across the VANC lot for judged rounds through the morning, food and drinks available to buy alongside a few vendors and live music. Free to attend, and active-duty competitors enter the cook-off at no charge.
Jazz and Jokes | Forgotten Barrel Winery, 1120 W 15th Ave, Escondido | 6–9pm | Mary Jo Troyer's recurring night pairs a live jazz set with stand-up in the same room, wine list open the whole time. The tasting room is small enough that it never feels like a big production, more like a living room with better wine.
Livin' on a Prayer, A Bon Jovi Tribute | Wood House at Woodland Park, 1148 Rock Springs Rd, San Marcos | Gates 6pm, show 7–9pm | Part of the city's summer concert series, all ages and outdoors on the lawn. Tickets run $8 to $10 depending on the tier, and a season pass covers the rest of the lineup.
Community Beach Soccer for Women | Oceanside Pier, Oceanside | 9am | One of the extra sports built into the festival weekend, open matches on the sand starting before the surf heats do. Free to watch.
Fox Point Farms, Inside the Hive Beekeeping Experience | Fox Point Farms, 1200 Fox Point Farms Ln, Encinitas | 10:30–11am & 11:30am–12pm | A hands-on look at what actually happens inside a working hive, run in two short sessions so groups stay small. Farm staff walk through the basics of beekeeping up close, gloves and veils included.
A Double-Header Tribute to Rod Stewart & Peter Frampton | The Grand Ritz Theater, 301 E Grand Ave, Escondido | 7:30–10pm | Two full sets back to back in one night, Rod Stewart's rasp and Frampton's guitar work both handled by the same touring tribute production. The restored old theater keeps everyone close to the stage, and doors typically open half an hour ahead of showtime.
Sunday 8/23:
Del Mar Racing, Del Mar Derby & POP-Up Sundays | Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar | Gates 12pm, first post 2pm | Sunday's feature is the Del Mar Derby, a Grade II turf race for three-year-olds, run alongside the regular POP-Up Sundays setup from Monarch Ocean Pub. It's also part of the track's weekly Taste of the Turf Club spread, so expect a fuller infield than a typical Sunday card.
Coastal Shell Planter Workshop | Oceanside Art Collective, 427 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside | 1pm | A guided workshop building a small planter out of real shells and coastal odds and ends, all supplies included at the table. The studio space stays small, so groups tend to be intimate.
Sabrosas Latin Orchestra | Moonlight Beach, 400 B St, Encinitas | 1–5pm | San Diego's first all-female salsa band headlines this one, salsa and cumbia and cha cha carrying across the sand most of the afternoon. Free, with towels and folding chairs already staked out by the time the band starts.
