Tag: culture

A big 90th Anniversary Celebration in Balboa Park!

A big, wonderful event is taking place this weekend in Balboa Park. It’s the HPR 90th Anniversary Celebration. The International Cottages are celebrating nine decades of promoting mutual understanding among the people of the world, and working for peace.

The many members of the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages are offering cultural entertainment all weekend long, including tomorrow–Sunday. I enjoyed much of the festivities today–Saturday–and took these photos.

The event began with the Parade of Flags. I already shared photos of the parade here.

Following the colorful procession, our attention was directed to the stage of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

After everyone stood for the beautifully sung National Anthem, the Red Warrior Singers sang, and the presidents of the member nations of the House of Pacific Relations stood for well-deserved recognition.

The House of Pacific Relations added four new nation members this year! Their mission is to foster understanding, tolerance and goodwill among all people. Diverse people have come together in San Diego for the greater good of humanity.

Human diversity could be experienced in the cultural entertainment, which then commenced.

First up, the House of Vietnam…

Next up, the House of Poland…

I then wandered over to the International Cottages lawn, where I found many happy people enjoying food, the open cottages, and various exhibits…

I confess I ate a Danish hotdog. Super yummy!

Yokohama, one of San Diego’s Sister Cities, was represented at one table.

I learned the San Diego International Film Festival is coming up, October 15-19.

The San Diego Beamers were up on stage providing live music…

The House of Chamorros had a display concerning slinging, which is an ancient and ongoing tradition of the Chamorro people. A friendly guy was demonstrating how to use a sling on the grass behind their cottage…

I then wandered back to the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. More dance, and beautiful, inspirational singing, by the House of Ukraine…

I left for home early, as the Saturday programming would continue on at the cottages until 5 pm.

Sunday’s programming will also feature cultural entertainment, food and fun. If you go, check out the Spreckels Organ Pavilion and the International Cottages between 11 am and 5 pm. You’ll love it!

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Parade of Flags celebrates 90 years in Balboa Park!

Balboa Park’s International Cottages are celebrating their 90th anniversary this weekend! They were established in 1935 for the California Pacific International Exposition.

The festivities kicked off today with the House of Pacific Relations International Cottage Parade of Flags!

Members of all the different Houses paraded through Balboa Park, to finally assemble at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Many participants wore traditional dress, representative of their nation.

Shame on me. I didn’t realize the parade was today. I was fortunate to catch the tail end of the colorful parade, as some of the nations filed proudly into the organ pavilion.

If you’re curious, that’s the House of Scotland Pipe Band with their drums and bagpipes under the huge United States flag. They were joined by young members of the Helix High School Highlanders band!

After the parade, there would be the National Anthem, speeches and cultural entertainment on the organ pavilion stage, then on the lawn at the International Cottages. (I’ll share those photos in my next blog post.)

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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A big Filipino feast this weekend in Balboa Park!

Do you love Filipino food?

Will you be in Balboa Park tomorrow: Sunday, September 7, 2025?

Would you like to devour Chicken Adobo, a Chicken & Pork BBQ Stick, Pancit Noodles, Lumpia, or Turon (banana dessert)? How about a Combo Plate?

You’re in luck! The San Diego History Center has a Filipino feast ready for you!

Taste San Diego Filipino Culinary Journeys, a special event inside the History Center, will be offering delicious Filipino food ready for purchase! Hours are 11 am to 4 pm.

Why this special catered feast? Balboa Park’s International Cottages (including the House of the Philippines) are celebrating their 90th anniversary this weekend.

Where is the San Diego History Center? It’s inside the Casa de Balboa. Look for signs as you walk along El Prado.

I had one of those barbeque meat on a stick offerings. The food is prepared by Gabina’s Cuisine, which is headquartered in Chula Vista.

Yummy!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

90th Anniversary celebration coming to Balboa Park!

A big, fun event is coming to San Diego next weekend!

The International Cottages 90th Anniversary Celebration will be taking place Saturday and Sunday, September 6 and 7, in Balboa Park!

The International Cottages of the House of Pacific Relations date from 1935, when Balboa Park held its second “World’s Fair,” the California Pacific International Exposition. It’s now 2025–that was 90 years ago!

The anniversary celebration begins on Saturday, between 11 am and 5 pm, when the International Cottages will welcome the public with lots of great food and entertainment.

Then, on Sunday, between 2 and 3:30 pm, an epic program will take place at the nearby Spreckels Organ Pavilion, featuring organ music, bagpipes, multi-national choirs and more!

Bring the family! Spread the word!

(You can read more about the cottages and their free, almost weekly cultural programs by clicking here!)

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

French Market returns to San Diego bayfront!

The French Market returned to San Diego’s bayfront this afternoon. The fun cultural event, organized by the French-American Chamber of Commerce of SoCal, was held outdoors at Lane Field Park. Its purpose was to celebrate French culture, flavors and innovation right here in San Diego, and to promote vibrant Franco-American business ties and cultural exchange.

I swung by to check it out!

Several vendors and organizations had canopies on the grass, and there was live music provided by Chloe Perrier & the French Heart Jazz Band, too!

Without further ado…

Versailles Café & Pastries had tasty crepes topped with strawberries and chocolate!
The Alliance Française de San Diego offers French classes in La Jolla and Vista, and organizes social gatherings. Their French Literature & Arts Festival is coming October 2-4, 2025 in San Diego. More here.
The San Diego French American School, in La Jolla, offers bilingual education from preschool through 8th grade.
The mobile and online Clotilde French Bookstore had many books at their table!
Author Claude Koehl’s book, The American Way of Life: The Foreigner’s Perspective, helps people understand cultural differences, using humor.
Some smiling authors!
Six Years of Absence is a novel based on French Sergeant Alexandre Rolland’s harrowing experiences during World War II. Written by Alain Rolland, his son.
A good time in sunny San Diego.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Exhibit will find San Diego’s Lost Neighborhoods.

A new exhibition is coming to the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park. It’s called San Diego’s Lost Neighborhoods.

The exhibit is now being installed in the museum, and will have its Opening Reception on September 25, 2025. The new exhibit is being produced in collaboration with the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art.

San Diego’s Lost Neighborhoods will concern communities in the city that have been substantially changed due to freeway construction, development and other causes. Over the years, these changes have forced some long-time residents and businesses to move.

Yesterday I peeked into the San Diego History Center gallery that will contain the displays.

Time sweeps us all along, and people who have the means like to reshape their world. Change happens for better, or for worse. That’s history.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Song and butterflies in the Zoro Garden.

Did you miss the Zoro Garden Theater Festival today? No worries! The festival continues tomorrow, Sunday, August 17, from 2 pm to 5 pm. The free cultural event, produced by the City of San Diego, takes place at the Zoro Garden in Balboa Park.

The program today began with three powerful singers. They each sang about the journey of life.

Of struggle. Uncertainty. Freedom. Happiness.

I and others in the audience sat in the sunken stone grotto–what today is called the Zoro Butterfly Garden–and listened while butterflies flitted above and around us.

The butterflies seemed to move with the singing. I saw as many as six Monarchs at one time, dancing before us in the pleasant breeze, in the San Diego sunshine.

Later on there would be poetry readings and a play. I was told some of these same performers will return on Sunday.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Guam Artist Collective displays their creativity!

The Guam Artist Collective exhibited some of their work today in San Diego. The public could meet four of the collective’s artists in Balboa Park’s Hall of Nations during the House of Chamorros Hafa Adai Festival!

The Guam Artist Collective seeks to recruit more members in San Diego and beyond. The Guam Artist Collective showcases the vibrant talents of 10 passionate Guam-based artists, celebrating the island’s unique artistic culture.

If you’re curious to learn more about the Guam Artist Collective, here’s their Instagram page.

I also found two pages concerning the group and their 19Forgotten exhibition, where you can see some fine examples of their work. Here and here.

Neeko David had his great art posters on display.
Zard Apuya Art fills this table.
Magnets are used by Kenneth Paulino Jr. of Kottura Innovations to create animated videos concerning Chamorro legends.
Jenna Aguon Makaka-Bali Tres, a tattoo artist, shows some of her artwork in Balboa Park’s Hall of Nations.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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The joyful Hafa Adai Festival in Balboa Park!

“Hafa adai” is a warm, friendly hello in the Chamorro language. It was also the name of a festival held today in San Diego!

The Hafa Adai Festival took place on the lawn of Balboa Park’s International Cottages. It was a joyful celebration filled with dance, food, crafts and culture, organized by the House of Chamorros.

The Chamorro people are indigenous to the Mariana Islands. Many with Chamorro ancestry live in Guam and the Northern Marianas. And more than a few live here in San Diego, too!

The House of Chamorros program today included an Opening Ceremony (complete with National Anthems and a beautifully sung traditional blessing), the Imahen Taotao Tano Dancers, and much more. I departed after the latter performance–too much else to do in the park!

I did take these photographs which I hope you’ll enjoy. One couldn’t stop smiling at this joyful event!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Meatball sandwiches and opera in Balboa Park!

Two professional opera singers performing Italian songs outdoors in Balboa Park? That’s what we got today during the House of Italy lawn program at the International Cottages!

We also got meatball sandwiches (which were really, really good) and spumoni!

I was surprised when I recognized one of the smiling singers: Victoria Robertson. She also performs with Opera4Kids! I’ve enjoyed two Opera4Kids productions at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in the past few years. See my photos here and here!

Today I learned something else. Both of today’s amazing opera singers, Victoria Robertson and Rosario Monetti, have opened a new coffee shop and wine bar in Hillcrest. It’s appropriately called Divo Diva! They’ll be singing together in a dinner show concert later this month. Visit their website here!

A few more fun photos from today’s House of Italy lawn program…

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!