Tag: events

Celebrating the San Diego Museum of Art centennial!

The San Diego Museum of Art is celebrating its centennial in 2026. First opening in 1926 as the Fine Arts Gallery, the world-class museum has grown and experienced many remarkable moments over the past hundred years.

That history is remembered in a free exhibition titled SDMA 100 Years. The exhibit opened yesterday in the museum’s Galleries 14/15, which are accessible to the public through a door at Panama 66 in the museum’s sculpture courtyard.

SDMA 100 Years features a timeline of photographs that document the museum’s evolution, from the building’s construction in Balboa Park right up to the present day. There’s also a short documentary video and a display case full of ephemera.

Visitors can observe how the San Diego Museum of Art had its origins in the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, had its successful grand opening in 1926, served as a naval hospital during World War II, and how west and east wings were added for significant expansions.

You’ll see photos showing museum contributions to art education and the San Diego community over the years. You’ll see renowned artists who’ve contributed their work, and relive major exhibitions. You’ll envision what the museum plans for their future, too!

You are invited to contribute to the exhibition! Anyone can submit their personal memories and photographs of the museum. To participate, look for the link at the bottom of this webpage!

SDMA 100 Years will be displayed through 2026, right up to February 2, 2027.

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Exhibit: Japanese American gardeners in San Diego.

A fascinating exhibit at Balboa Park’s Japanese Friendship Garden will soon be ending. It concerns the history of Japanese American gardeners in San Diego. You can view the exhibit through Thursday, January 22, 2026.

Composed primarily of historical photographs from the early 20th century through World War II and beyond, the exhibit shows how first generation Japanese immigrants, with limited opportunities, brought beauty to San Diego through gardening.

It includes a look at Japanese Americans held as prisoners in Poston, Arizona during the war and their efforts to bring beauty into an ugly situation.

Photographs take the viewer into the present with amazing gardens in Balboa Park and Japanese inspired landscapes in San Diego.

The exhibit is made possible by the Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego.

Alpha Project needs emergency donations!

Alpha Project is collecting donations right now in Balboa Park’s Recital Hall. The urgently needed donations can be dropped off from 10 am to 6 pm.

Their shelter was flooded by the recent storms and had to be evacuated. Your donations of clothing, undergarments and hygiene items will benefit the homeless people who were affected.

You can email info@alphaproject.org if you have any questions.

Thank you!

Tokidoki trading event at Comic-Con Museum!

Have you seen the tokidoki exhibition at San Diego’s amazing Comic-Con Museum? If your answer is no, you have several weeks until the exhibition closes. TOKIDOKI: Twenty Years of Kawaii & Chaos goes away at the end of January.

Meanwhile, people who love tokidoki collectibles have the opportunity to attend a free trading event at the museum! The “kid-organized meetup” will be held on Saturday, January 24th, 2026 inside the Comic-Con Museum’s café! Everyone is welcome. Bring any tokidoki figures or merch you’d like to possibly trade!

I visited the museum today and saw the event announcement. As I wandered about the tokidoki exhibition, I “collected” a handful of cool photos…

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KPBS to debut new San Diego music series!

A KPBS film crew was in Balboa Park this afternoon. Why? Up on the stage of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, three San Diego musicians were performing for a series now in development by KPBS!

The local musicians were Divina Jasso, James Spaite and Shua. I listened to the first two. They had amazing voices. These photographs show Divina Jasso.

I was told that the music series, whose official name is not yet determined, will be available on the podcast The Finest. Here’s the link to The Finest. Videos of these performances will also be available on YouTube and elsewhere in the future.

Right now, the nascent music series is operating a bit like a pop-up. Today’s performance was unannounced. The audience in Balboa Park simply walked up–like me!

Very cool!

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Gulls fundraiser helps kids at Ronald McDonald House!

You can help kids at Ronald McDonald House San Diego during the upcoming January 31, 2026 San Diego Gulls hockey game!

By purchasing a game ticket via the Gulls Star Wars Fundraiser, $5 dollars will go to supporting a special Star Wars Book Night on May the 4th at the Ronald McDonald House!

The event is organized by the good people who operate the non-profit Char Car. Char Car is a cool Pokémon tribute car and program that promotes literacy.

The supported event at Ronald McDonald House will include members of the San Diego Star Wars Society reading to the kids and posing for pictures. Grogu (Baby Yoda) ears will go to all the participating kids!

Learn more about Char Car at their Instagram page here. You can buy a Gulls Star Wars Fundraiser ticket there, or by scanning the Venmo code on the event flyer photo that I’ve posted above.

Here are photos from past Star Wars Book Nights at Ronald McDonald House…

Photo credit Ron Luis Valles.
Photo credit Ron Luis Valles.

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Vintage cars gather for San Diego Excursion!

Over a hundred fantastic cars gathered in Balboa Park this morning before the start of the 2nd Annual San Diego Excursion vintage car parade!

Cars of every type dating from 1906 to 1941 parked in the lot near the San Diego Automotive Museum, and drivers and passengers dressed in period attire enjoyed looking at each other’s machines.

At nine in the morning the cars would depart Balboa Park and begin the Vintage Car Parade, travelling through Mission Hills, then in a loop through Point Loma. The parade would conclude at Liberty Station, where a Car Show would be enjoyed by the public in the early afternoon. (If you read this blog post in time, perhaps you can see these cars for yourself.)

Today’s looping course through Point Loma would roughly follow the route of a historic car race held back in 1915 to promote the Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park. Perhaps you remember how back in 2015 the Point Loma race was “recreated” for the Balboa Park centennial. I posted many photos of those amazing cars here.

The cars participating today in the 2026 San Diego Excursion are listed and can be seen on this webpage.

First, a couple photos of vintage cars arriving in Balboa Park…

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Pruning demonstration at Balboa Park rose garden.

Every year, in Balboa Park, around the middle of January, the public can learn to prune back roses. Today the San Diego Rose Society, Balboa Park Garden Stewards, Rose Garden Corps, and the UCCE Master Gardener Program of San Diego County were educating would-be green thumbs at the award-winning Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden.

I blogged about this free educational event three years ago. I noticed that this year a number of friendly folks were also on hand to sharpen garden tools! Very handy!

Why not click the above links and consider becoming a member of one or more local gardening groups. If you’d like, you can even volunteer to help maintain Balboa Park’s very beautiful rose garden!

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Horseshoes tournament in Balboa Park!

A big horseshoes tournament was held today in Balboa Park. The Scott Love Memorial Open, an official event of the Southern California Horseshoe Pitchers Association (SCHPA), took place at the pits that are home to the Balboa Park Horseshoe Club.

I walked past this morning and took a couple photos of the action!

I’m always surprised more people don’t take advantage of Balboa Park’s horseshoes facility. It was good to see players having fun, socializing, competing in a regional tournament.

Would you be interested in joining them? Many more competitions are coming up this year. Or simply pitch horseshoes for fun.

Want to learn more?

Click here for Balboa Park Horseshoe Club San Diego. Click here for the Southern California Horseshoe Pitchers Association!

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Double Bill art exhibition in La Jolla!

Lovers of art in San Diego are in for a treat. Head down to the Wisteria Cottage Gallery in La Jolla and you can admire the work of two celebrated local artists who taught at UC San Diego.

Double Bill: The Art of Manny Farber and Patricia Patterson contains numerous fine works by this husband and wife team who made their home in Leucadia.

Paintings large and small, beautiful sketches, historical photographs, and books the pair published are all on display.

Both artists liked to create images of simple, familiar things. Family life and home are frequent subjects. The images are friendly and warm. If I could reach into two dimensions, I’d happily take the depicted scenes and objects into my hands and make them my own.

You’ll notice when you visit the gallery that Patricia often paints people and moments in life. Manny often creates collage-like images of ordinary objects. To viewers who love living, they can all make a powerful connection.

Here’s the exhibition webpage.

Double Bill: The Art of Manny Farber and Patricia Patterson will be open free to the public through February 1, 2026.

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