A pair of big carnival rides have popped up outside Comic-Con in San Diego!
It’s several days now until Comic-Con 2024 commences, and today a big swing ride and a Ferris wheel are being installed for two different outside activities that will be open free to the public!
The YOYO swing ride that you see in the first photographs is part of the family friendly A.V.A. FEST offsite, which will also include a ball pit and water squirt game. The carnival-like activation promotes the ABC series Abbott Elementary.
You can join the fun starting Thursday behind the San Diego Convention Center. It will be hard to miss!
On the other side of the convention center you’ll be able to freely ride the Marvel Contest of Champions big Ferris wheel, also starting on Thursday. (To ride you must play an exclusive Marvel Contest of Champions quest on your phone.)
The Ferris wheel is located on the grassy side of the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter hotel, alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. Promenade. It will be hard to miss too!
An extraordinary event was enjoyed by a good crowd today at the Hotel del Coronado! The Seaside Victorian Carnival entertained hotel guests and the public with old-fashioned carnival games, food, jugglers, magicians, plate spinning, aerial silks, tightrope and other circus acts!
Tents on the beach featured nostalgic games like ring toss and penny pitch. Kids were having a blast trying to win a prize. Funds raised benefited a variety of charitable organizations in Coronado.
Several sand sculptures could also be enjoyed. And flying high above the sand were students from San Diego State University. Check out my photos of their amazing feats!
On the boardwalk, people lined up for caramel apples, chocolate kettle corn, giant pretzels and other yummy treats!
The main attraction was a slate of circus acts. I stayed awhile, watched several jugglers (one on stilts), an amazing chair stacker/balancer/juggler, and an aerialist smiling and spinning above a rapt audience!
Another perfect day at Coronado’s world-famous Victorian beach resort!
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There’s a super fun offsite activation at Comic-Con 2023 that pop culture fans streaming through the Gaslamp might miss. But you shouldn’t! It’s called Roseanne Lanford Days!
Whether or not you’re a fan of the Roseanne TV show, you’ll find lots to do and lots of cool swag to win!
The activation is loosely based on the town where Roseanne and her sister Jackie worked as waitresses. Once you walk through the activation’s archway, it looks like you’ve stepped into an old-time carnival. Shoot a hoop, knock over pins, toss a ring on a bottle and you can score DVDs, Roseanne bags and shirts, magnets, stickers, and other cool stuff. There’s free popcorn, photo opportunities and live entertainment. And there a big screen TV sweepstakes you can enter, too!
Roseanne Lanford Days is located on Sixth Avenue at E Street. Look for the signs on Fifth Avenue. It’s will be open Thursday and Friday from 10am to 6pm.
Check it out!
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I’m covering Comic-Con again this year. To see all my current and past blog posts concerning Comic-Con, click here and scroll down!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
I walked through Little Italy this afternoon and found some fun sights!
That carousel horse mural must be somewhat new, because I don’t recall seeing it before. It kind of fits in with my Halloween theme…assuming it belongs to a dark carnival!
I’m pretty sure the Old Town Trolley Tours driver wasn’t frightened by the owl, but my photo’s lucky timing (and some mysterious image cropping) makes it seem that way!
BOO!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
It’s Friday, five days until 2019 Comic-Con, and I noticed during my morning walk that the FOX Fan Fair offsite is just starting to set up in Childrens Park!
I also saw the Ferris wheel carnival ride arriving by truck in the New Children’s Museum nearby playground!
UPDATE!
Look what I spied as I walked about in the early evening, coming home from work. Not only is the Ferris wheel set up, but in the middle of Childrens Park there appears to be a carnival game!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
San Diego’s own world-famous Murrugun the Mystic exhales a huge fireball during Seaport Village’s 2019 Busker Fest!
This is my fifth year blogging about Seaport Village’s annual busker festival. It’s so much fun, I try not to miss it!
This afternoon I randomly walked about Seaport Village, checking out the acts of great street performers from all around the United States and the world. I protected my camera from the wind and showers and took a whole bunch of photographs. Unfortunately, today’s attendance seemed reduced by the weather.
Tomorrow the sun is supposed to come out. Hopefully more people will then head to Seaport Village for this free weekend event!
The highlight for me was the two-act performance of San Diego’s own world-famous danger act and carnival sideshow performer Murrugun the Mystic! As I watched, I could plainly see he was enjoying himself!
Since I last blogged about Murrugun, he has appeared on even more TV shows. He has now been featured on AMC’s Freakshow, Cougar Town, CSI: New York, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! He also holds multiple Guinness World Records for sword swallowing!
I spoke to him briefly after his show, and I learned he’s devising a hollow tube contraption that he will insert into his throat. From that tube he will explosively shoot flaming arrows! Wow! I can’t wait to see that!
Here come fun photos! Enjoy!
Even with the drizzly, breezy winter weather, people came out to Seaport Village on Saturday to watch some of the best street performers in the world.
Daniel Israel juggles while high atop a unicycle!
Cate Flaherty is a professional circus acrobat with a big smile. Her juggling and balancing performance was great!
George Gilbert entertains people by the water. For a grand finale, he magically made a pineapple appear under his hat!
Nolan Webster included a lot of humor in his parlor magic show. That ball was actually attached to his nose! Cheater!
The audiences at the Busker Fest were all smiles.
Kids seemed to have the best time while the buskers performed. Many adults were very shy.
Murrugun the Mystic calls an audience together near Seaport Village’s central fountain before beginning his amazing two-part act!
Murrugun’s first act is a series of fantastic fire breathing and eating tricks, including shooting flames out of his mouth! He performed to one side, out of the wind.
The second act was sword swallowing. Murrugun the Mystic is one of very few true sword swallowers in the world.
That’s a genuine, long and very sharp sword poised on Murrugun’s tongue.
Here we go!
When all the way in, the sword has penetrated between his heart and lungs and ends at the bottom of his stomach, just below the belly button!
Next comes a sword sandwich–six swords carefully aligned together. Over the decades, a scary number of performers have died doing this dangerous sword swallowing trick. Murrugun himself was once seriously injured.
That’s a lot of sharp steel to swallow!
In go six genuine swords!
One of the most amazing human spectacles you’re likely to ever witness!
Back near the water, Jonathan Strange was doing some mystifying ring linking magic with an assistant chosen from the audience.
Molly Keczan includes lasso rope tricks in her fun The Farmer’s Daughter Show.
The Farmer’s Daughter keeps balance as she walks along the top of glass milk bottles–with one good eye! A wildly successful show, in spite of her contact lens difficulty!
While walking around I spotted Martika Daniels setting up for her act with a big smile.
Martika’s amazing show included being stood upon while lying on a bed of nails!
Ouch! Martika explained that stunts like this make some of life’s difficulties seem small by comparison. Her show was super positive and inspirational!
Another awesome sword swallowing act!
Buskers and audience members all seemed to have a great time, even if the San Diego weather didn’t cooperate today!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
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A juggler belonging to the Fern Street Circus practices his balancing skills before a special performance.
My walk today included a short visit to the Carnival in the Park event hosted by the Port of San Diego. Lots of families came down to Cesar Chavez Park in Barrio Logan to enjoy a free performance by San Diego’s much-loved Fern Street Circus!
I arrived a few minutes early, stayed for a bit, got a yummy free hot dog and enjoyed watching several performers. I didn’t hang around to see the main act, but I bet it was terrific! As I departed, a whole bunch of people were still arriving!
This fun, kid-friendly event was put together by the Port of San Diego’s Tidelands Activation Program. The program celebrates all sorts of cool artwork around San Diego Bay and encourages creativity in the South Bay and other bayside communities.
Here are a few photos!
Cesar Chavez Park in Barrio Logan was the venue today for a show by the Fern Street Circus, hosted by the Port of San Diego.
Friendly people from the Port of San Diego’s Public Art Program look on as the crowd slowly grows at Cesar Chavez Park.
This smiling lady was handing out free jars of Kinetic Sand to youth at the event. Young artists can easily mold it to express their creativity.
Members of the Fern Street Circus ready props on the main stage as the kid-friendly community event gets underway.
An aerial silk performer takes to the air above the grassy park.
A smile in the San Diego sky!
The circus juggler and some kids play with colorful hula hoops.
A small circus school at the event showed people how to walk a tightrope!
Lots of smiles and fun were enjoyed today at Cesar Chavez Park, courtesy of the Port of San Diego and the Fern Street Circus!
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There’s an author in San Diego by the name of Jack Tyler. He has published all sorts of steampunk fiction and offers great advice about how to write effectively. If this interests you, please follow his blog by clicking here!
You might recall Jack has written an exciting tale of adventure that takes place in San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter. To learn more about his novel Stingaree, click here!
I’ve blogged about William J. Dorsett a couple times in the past. Over the years, I occasionally see him when I’m out walking along the Embarcadero.
William creates art for those passing by, including small, imaginative works using spray paint and corn husks. I recently learned he’s published a couple of coloring books with the help of some circus friends!
The images you see are just a very few from his cool ABC’s Of Circus Adult Coloring Book, which is available on Amazon. Many of the characters inside are based on members of San Diego’s local Circus Mafia, whom he knows. The acts and poses are all completely authentic. He has also recently finished the Fire and Flow Arts Coloring Book.
During my short talk with William today I learned he’s working on all sorts of creative projects. He said he’s developing a book for and about buskers, which should be super interesting. He’s an authority on the subject.
Do you need the services of a multi-talented freelance artist? Here’s his website!
ABC’s Of Circus Adult Coloring Book contains images inspired by San Diego’s local Circus Mafia and other authentic circus acts.
William J. Dorsett is a nice guy of many talents. He has created two cool adult coloring books and is working on picture books for children, and other creative projects.
This character represents an actual performer known as the Icicle King, who makes glass balls appear to float and move magically. Search for him on YouTube.
Another great page from the ABC’s Of Circus Adult Coloring Book.
More art from a fun coloring book by William J. Dorsett.
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
A friendly hello at the 2017 San Diego Brazilian Day Festival!
My walking adventure today included a stop at the San Diego Brazilian Day Festival in Mission Beach. Lots of people were arriving late in the morning, and banners were being raised, and parade floats were being prepared for later in the afternoon, and a band had begun playing Latin beats, and dancers were dancing, and people were joining in with smiles and uninhibited energy.
And so I took some photos!
People hang a banner as the San Diego Brazilian Day Festival gets started late Sunday morning.
Nearby, on the Mission Beach boardwalk, people are walking, biking and skating by the beautiful blue ocean.
Brazilian culture was celebrated today, so naturally some vendors were selling crispy pastel.
The music was playing as soon as the festival got started. The Brazilian Institute for Arts and Culture was bringing the spirit of Brazil to San Diego!
Lots of Brazilian flags at this t-shirt booth.
Later in the afternoon there would be a carnival-like parade around Belmont Park, and some people were decorating a colorful float.
A group promoting Latin American and Latino art had a cool truck plastered with word magnets. Visitors were creating poems. There will be a thousand LATIN rainbows…
There will also be stacks of cool hats!
It didn’t take long before festival visitors were dancing in front of the main stage.
More people join in, and now they’re really kicking it up!
Smiling ladies commenced an energetic dance routine on the stage to the delight of the growing crowd.
A funny photo of two people in the crowd. Can you spot them?
Brazilian culture was celebrated today in San Diego’s sunny Mission Beach!
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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
You can easily explore Cool San Diego Sights by using the search box on my blog’s sidebar. Or click a tag! There are thousands upon thousands of fun photos for you to share and enjoy!
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