Tag: festivals

Make holiday crafts at San Diego History Center!

The San Diego History Center in Balboa Park is offering a fun family activity during the holiday season!

Let There Be Light invites both young and old to create holiday crafts. The crafts represent different “Festivals of Light” from cultures around the world. Easy instructions and supplies are laid out on tables, in easy reach of small hands.

Make your own Christmas ornament, paper menorah, paper diya, mkeka mat, paper Donzhi Festival lantern, or write a message on a bodhi leaf . . . and more!

Those who participate can also learn about Diwali, Hanukkah, Bodhi Day, Yaldā Night, Dongzhi Festival, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Día de Los Reyes.

Once we pass the winter solstice on December 22, the days will be growing longer. The light returns!

Let There Be Light will be available to the public through the end of the year. Bring all the kids. Admission to the San Diego History Center and this holiday activity is free!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Photos of La Mesa Holiday in the Village!

The La Mesa Holiday in the Village event is being held today. I swung by as it opened at noon. The free community festival goes until 9 pm.

I found singing groups, dancers, carolers, Christmas trees, holiday crafts, lots of food, elf hats, and many smiles!

Enjoy these photos…

Young members of Greene Tree Theatre sing together on stage during La Mesa Holiday in the Village.

Greene Tree Theatre youth wow the audience with an energetic dance routine!

Christmas trees and decorations can be found throughout La Mesa’s holiday festival.

Holiday smiles!

Plenty of popcorn!

The Salvation Army Kroc Center had a booth.

The King’s Carolers perform beloved Christmas carols during the holiday event.

Snowmen inside wreaths.

Beautiful winter scene at a vendor’s table.

Caroling on Mt. Helix will take place next Saturday, December 9, beginning at 4 pm.

Is that the Polar Express?

Sentimental Journey performs on a second stage.

Let’s get this party started!

The holiday season is about joy!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Photos of a walk through December Nights!

Enjoy these photographs of a walk through December Nights 2023 in Balboa Park!

I started east across the Cabrillo Bridge this afternoon, shortly after San Diego’s big holiday festival opened. I visited the Grinch tree at the Old Globe, then entered the Plaza de Panama where there is a stage and small ice skating rink. I strolled down El Prado, took a side trip to Spanish Village, then eventually found myself at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, International Cottages and Palisades area. You can see one fun photo near the end where I peeked inside the Comic-Con Museum.

December Nights is very crowded after dark, with families enjoying colorful lights, live entertainment on multiple stages, many Santa photo ops, a huge number of vendors, and lots and LOTS of food! My old camera doesn’t take good photos at night, unfortunately.

December Nights continues tomorrow–Saturday–from 11 am to 11 pm. At 6:30 there will be a free concert by world-famous local rock band Switchfoot at the organ pavilion. That should draw quite a crowd!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Fun times at San Diego’s Fall Back Festival!

The 23st Annual Fall Back Festival was enjoyed this afternoon by many families in San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter!

The Fall Back Festival always coincides with the end of Daylight Saving Time. Hence the name! The festival is produced by the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation and is held in front of the Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House.

This annual “children’s historical street faire” celebrates our city’s early history by providing diverse entertainment and lots of fun.

There’s food galore, Old West photo opportunities, a real blacksmith demonstration (courtesy of Old Town’s Blacksmith Shop), and folks representing the San Diego Model A Ford Club, Sunshine Quilters of San Diego, the Villa Montezuma Museum, the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, Puppetry Arts Guild of San Diego, and more!

The entertainment began with the San Diego Lucky Lion Dancers. They were followed by colorful young dancers from Ballet Folklorico – GIFT of DANCE. Then came fun contests open to one and all, including a bubblegum blowing competition!

Did you miss the festival this year? Take a virtual tour by clicking here!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Little Amal walks in San Diego!

Little Amal walked in San Diego today!

The 12-foot puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee child made her way through Balboa Park, from the Old Globe to the San Diego Museum of Art and then down El Prado. Groups of musicians played while Little Amal touched hands with onlookers. A crowd of hundreds surged around the human-activated puppet, phones raised to capture the moment.

Little Amal has been walking around the world. Between 7 September and 26 November 2023, Amal is journeying 9,000 miles across the United States and Mexico in one of the largest free public festivals ever created. She is walking through 40 towns and cities from Boston to San Diego and 7 cities from Tijuana to Tapachula… So far, she has visited 14 countries including Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, the UK, the United States, Poland, Ukraine, Canada and Norway.

Little Amal’s walk is intended to draw attention to the plight of refugees, particularly the displaced children who suffer. The organization Choose Love is raising funds in connection with this amazing international event. If you’d like to donate to the cause of helping refugees, visit their website by clicking here. Donations provide education, food, shelter, emergency medical care, legal assistance and much more for children like Little Amal.

In San Diego, the event was produced with the help of the La Jolla Playhouse. Many smiling Without Walls volunteers carrying colorful umbrellas were in the crowd, distributing fans like the one you see in my photographs.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Smiles at Día de los Muertos in Old Town!

You’ll find many smiles this weekend in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park during their big Día de los Muertos celebration!

I walked through the State Park yesterday as the event was ready to open and found artists painting colorful murals, an arriving chalk artist, a sugar skull creation station and more. I watched as the big Community Altar was set up at one end of Old Town’s historic plaza.

There are forty Day of the Dead altars in all–most inside the State Park. Others can be enjoyed along San Diego Avenue and elsewhere around Old Town. There’s face painting everywhere you turn, live music at several restaurants, and even a 19th century magic lantern show at Seeley Stable!

The big event continues today–Sunday–so head on down to Old Town if you can!

In addition, there will be a candlelit procession this Thursday, November 2, starting at the Immaculate Conception Church just outside the State Park. At 6 pm the procession will head down San Diego Avenue toward El Campo Santo cemetery. That event will include blessings and traditional dances by Danza Azteca Atlachinolli.

Enjoy these photographs taken inside Old Town San Diego State Historic Park yesterday as Día de los Muertos got underway…

Old Town San Diego Boosters raise money by selling gifts in front of the Robinson-Rose House Visitors Center.

Canopies set up on the grassy plaza offer several Day of the Dead activities.

State Park employees get the big Community Altar ready in Old Town.

Spreading marigold petals, to lead departed souls toward the Day of the Dead altar.

The beautiful Community Altar.

Smiling muralist Belen Islas was working on her beautiful canvas.

Artist Juliet Elise Rodriguez paints many colors into her mural.

Symbolic marigolds for sale.

The San Diego Public Library was there with fun for the family!

Color your own skull mask!

Kids love painting small sugar skulls.

Here are three finished ones!

It’s a smiling Isabel Garcia! You’ve seen some of her beautiful murals on Cool San Diego Sights!

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Lobsterfest attracts hungry crowd in San Diego!

A large crowd has gathered on San Diego Bay today for Lobsterfest!

The big extravaganza for lobster lovers is taking place this morning on the pier between Seaport Village and Tuna Harbor–the same pier where the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market is held every Saturday.

Spiny lobsters on ice, freshly caught by local fishermen, are for sale to the public under a row of canopies.

Lobsters are also being prepared for eaters sitting at shady tables. The smell of lobsters on the grill is mouth-watering!

There’s even a band playing live music!

I walked along the pier this morning as Lobsterfest got underway and captured these photos…

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Watch a Live Art Installation in Balboa Park!

During the next few days, renowned illustrator and artist Mohammad Barrangi will be performing a live demonstration of the reverse print transfer process as he installs new art in San Diego’s always amazing Balboa Park!

Those walking through the Plaza de Panama near the San Diego Museum of Art’s outdoor courtyard should look for Mohammad and his work in progress. The finished large-scale piece will be a diptych inspired by Iranian history and visual traditions.

The installation precedes this weekend’s Mehregan Fall Fête at the San Diego Museum of Art. The Iranian festival of Mehregan will be celebrated at the museum with a performance of Voices Unveiled, which invites audiences to listen to and feel the stories of two Iranian women as they experience oppression and seek freedom and justice.

Click the above links to learn more!

I’ll try to swing by in the next few days and provide an update here with additional photographs!

UPDATE!

The following day, I walked by in the early evening and took these photos…

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Cool photo memories from October 2018.

Five years ago, during the month of October, so much was going on that Cool San Diego Sights was overflowing with photographs!

Anyone interested in technology, or archaeology, or dance, or sailing, or visual arts, or architecture, or the history of San Diego had many diverse places and events to experience!

Get ready to travel back in time to 2018!

Here come a dozen memories…

Click the following links for many photographs:

Paintings by Kadir Nelson exhibited in San Diego.

Dancers portray the homeless in San Diego.

Photos outside 2018 Maker Faire San Diego!

Unfolding Humanity appears at Maker Faire!

Rowing For the Cure on beautiful Mission Bay.

Photos of Massing of the Colors in San Diego.

Beautiful works of glass art in Balboa Park!

Historical exhibit features archives at City Hall.

Learning about archaeology in San Diego!

Sailing . . . kite boarding . . . racing on the bay!

An amazing Wyland mural cruises into San Diego!

Photos of North Park’s Day of the Dead festival!

A dark, disturbing look at art Beyond Reason.

Frank the Trainman mural Train of Wisdom.

An architectural landmark in University Heights.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 (formerly known as Twitter)!

Oktoberfest dog races, food and fun in La Mesa!

Oktoberfest has returned this weekend to downtown La Mesa. The enormously popular event is attracting a crowd of thousands today, and these colorful photographs document some of the fun!

Where else can you watch crazy Weiner dog races while wearing lederhosen and feasting on tasty bratwurst?

Visitors to La Mesa Oktoberfest can enjoy multiple beer gardens, a kids fun zone, and every sort of delectable food. Smiling vendors, artists, and community organizations fill several city blocks. There’s chalk art, dancing, craft activities and a whole lot more! Folks who dine outdoors at restaurants along La Mesa Boulevard have an excellent view of the action.

A great way to travel to Oktoberfest is by trolley. The La Mesa Boulevard station of the San Diego Trolley is located directly across the street from the festival’s main entrance.

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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!

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 (formerly known as Twitter)!