Tag: entertainment

Savannah Bananas arrive in San Diego!

The Savannah Bananas have arrived in San Diego. They will be playing their wacky Banana Ball today and tomorrow at Petco Park. I’m told the wildly popular event is sold out!

A crew was setting up a row of canopies north of Petco Park’s Gallagher Square, where there will be fun activities for fans. I see there will be loads of yellow Savannah Banana merchandise for sale.

I happened to walk this morning down J Street. I took these photos. Lots of smiles!

So, what, you wonder is Banana Ball and how is it different than baseball? Check out the website here.

Among a bunch of strange rules are: batters can steal first base, batters are out if a fan catches a foul ball in the stands, no walks are allowed, no bunts are allowed, there’s a two hour time limit . . . and other peculiar, exciting stuff.

I hear players at Savannah Banana games do choreographed dances and engage in trick plays.

The Savannah Bananas are sort of like the Harlem Globetrotters–but baseball.

Get ready to Go Bananas!

…

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!)

…

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!

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.

…

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!

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!

…

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!

Zoro Garden Theater Festival in Balboa Park!

This weekend, August 16th and 17th, 2025, the Zoro Garden Theater Festival will be held in San Diego. The unique venue is the “sunken stone grotto” Zoro Garden in Balboa Park!

I thought I’d bring attention to this free, family-friendly festival. It’s certain to be a lot of fun!

As the above sign explains, the Zoro Garden Theater Festival will be a celebration of drama, comedy and creativity. The performances will be between 2 and 5 pm, and will include singing, dancing, music and buskers!

If you’d like to be involved, enlarge my photo and find an email address and phone number.

Will I see you there?

…

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…

…

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!

Rehearsal of Chicago the Musical at Rady Shell!

I got super lucky today. I was walking near the Rady Shell on downtown San Diego’s waterfront when I heard singing voices. I turned toward the San Diego Symphony’s beautiful outdoor venue and discovered Chicago the Musical in Concert was rehearsing for tomorrow’s evening performance!

I sat for a while–one cool thing about rehearsals at The Shell is the public is free to watch politely up close and listen. All I can tell you, anyone going to Chicago the Musical in Concert on Friday is most likely in for a treat!

All That Jazz… Cell Block Tango… Mr. Cellophane… All of the jazzy voices are amazing. I seriously thought I was at a Broadway production.

When I looked at the vocalists’ bios just now, I see that, indeed, they’ve performed in many world-class productions in the most prestigious venues!

Learn all about Chicago the Musical in Concert, and perhaps purchase tickets, by visiting the Rady Shell’s website here!

…

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!

San Diego Ghostbusters catch ghost at Balboa Theatre!

A group of San Diego Ghostbusters entered downtown’s historic Balboa Theatre this afternoon in order to capture a Class 5 Full Roaming Vapor.

Fortunately, the ghost-catching mission ended in a success. After trapping the rambunctious spirit, the ghostbusting experts departed from the Balboa Theatre’s stage so a gathered audience could watch a classic movie: the original Ghostbusters!

Those in attendance, before entering the theatre, had the opportunity to meet some of the San Diego Ghostbusters, who arrived in Ecto-1 and Ecto-RR1 ready for action with their proton packs.

Yes, this unique event was a lot of fun! The showing of 1980s comedy Ghostbusters was part of the Balboa Theatre’s Retro Rewind programming.

The Real San Diego Ghostbusters group takes part in parades, festivals and other special events around San Diego. Perhaps you’ve seen them. Visit their website here.

With their appearance, these friendly Ghostbusters were raising money for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. If you’d like to help out the charitable organization via Ghostbusters Give Back, click here!

…

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!

Lightning, thunder, and a Spreckels return!

Were you one of the lucky few who experienced the organ concert of a lifetime four years ago? That was the night internationally renowned organist Ahreum Han played the Spreckels Organ with thunder booming and lightning flashing in the sky everywhere!

Well, you have the opportunity to hear Ahream Han again. And I suggest you don’t miss another sure-to-be amazing concert!

The 37rd San Diego International Organ Festival continues this evening, July 28, 2025 at 7:30 pm in Balboa Park.

The Spreckels Organ Pavilion will experience much better weather, but the thunder and lightning coming from the fingertips of one exceptional organist, native of Seoul, South Korea, will certainly dazzle. Ahream Han promises fireworks, from Johann Sebastian Bach to Scott Joplin.

My energy might be a bit drained from Comic-Con, but I’ll certainly be there.

Lovers of the finest music in the world–don’t miss this!

…

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!

Sunday walk around San Diego Comic-Con!

Enjoy another collection of cool photographs. I took these while walking around downtown San Diego on Sunday morning, the final day of Comic-Con 2025.

Yes, Comic-Con on a Sunday begins to wind down. I noticed this year that an offsite activation or two had already disappeared overnight. The remaining offsites close earlier on Sunday. Time for many out-of-towners to call it a Con and start heading home.

The cool thing is, local San Diego families love to come out on Sunday to enjoy the fun sights, cosplay and remaining offsites. It’s like a free visit to a sprawling amusement park. There’s still is a whole bunch of excitement!

Anyone at all can participate. That makes Comic-Con very special. It’s one big reason why so many in San Diego love Comic-Con.

You might notice from my photos I circled the San Diego Convention Center a couple times. As always, I’m reluctant to see another Comic-Con vanish. It goes by much too quickly. But there’s always next year to look forward to, right?

To everyone I met, you were awesome! Perhaps I’ll see you next year!

Now it’s time for a few days rest–then onward to more Cool San Diego Sights! Stay tuned!

…

If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

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!