Tag: street performers

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?

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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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Identify these 10 shadows in Balboa Park!

Ready for a visual puzzle?

I walked all around Balboa Park today and noticed all sorts of mysterious shadows. I took photographs, then decided to make a game of it! I like having fun! How about you?

Can you identify the actions or things that produce these interesting shadows? Here’s a hint: the people are regular street performers you’ll see almost every weekend along El Prado. What are they doing?

There’s no prize to win here–sorry.

Just fun!

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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!

So many colorful events today in Balboa Park!

What is a photographer to do? There were so many colorful events going on today in Balboa Park, I drained my camera’s battery trying to capture it all!

I’ve already blogged about the San Diego Heart & Stroke Walk, the Master Gardeners Plant Sale, art activities at the Exchange Pavilion, and a performance by San Diego Yosakoi!

I have yet to share my photos of today’s CleanUp Kitsune event, and classes provided by the San Diego Museum of Art. Stay tuned for that!

But what should I do with various photographs of other events? I’ll share them now!

These first few photos were taken at the International Cottages. Balboa Park’s four Latin Houses (House of Colombia, House of Mexico, House of Panama and House of Spain) would celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a colorful lawn program.

I walked through before the event began in earnest…

When I walked past the Old Globe theatre complex, I noticed people were setting up for this evening’s Globe Gala 2024…

Over at the Municipal Gymnasium, the San Diego Senior Games were underway! Food awaited the athletes outside. Inside, the basketballs were flying!

The weekly Saturday greyhound walk passed by…

Some friendly guys dressed as superheroes were participating in the CleanUp Kitsune parkwide litter pick up activity. I’m hoping to receive additional photographs. I’ll blog about it tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, Balboa Park’s usual cultural wonderfulness was to be seen everywhere!

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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.

An extraordinary street organ in Balboa Park!

In Balboa Park last weekend, a large group of families and children gathered around Jim Coffee and his extraordinary street organ. I joined them.

As Jim turned a crank to produce cheerful organ music, we all watched as automata brought small magical scenes to life in front of the organ. The street organ and its lively automata were all hand made!

I first met Jim in Balboa Park seven years ago. See those photos on my dormant Beautiful Balboa Park blog by clicking here. Back then he entertained passersby simply with the music of his 20 pipe “Misty” street organ. Today eight motors activate incredible small scenes mounted to the same organ–a carnival with turning Ferris wheel and merry-go-round, a flying helicopter with waving people, musicians playing instruments, and more!

With the addition of this fun automata, everyone who gathers around to listen and watch is even more enchanted!

If you want to learn more about Jim and his wonderful creations, visit his website 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)!

Shimms indie rockers perform on the Embarcadero!

Three residents of Little Italy were rocking San Diego’s Embarcadero this afternoon!

The band Shimms had set up their instruments by San Diego Bay, just south of the Grape Street Pier, and were performing indie rock for an audience that had gathered on the boardwalk.

I lingered for a short while and listened to some darn good music.

You never know what you might encounter during a walk along San Diego’s waterfront. Street musicians, jugglers, dancers, bubble makers, a person costumed like Chewbacca, a dead-ringer for Maverick in Top Gun, a guy with flame-throwing bagpipes–it can be quite surprising!

You might also encounter some talented musicians!

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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)!

A damp New Year’s Eve walk in Balboa Park.

It was a bit damp on the morning of New Year’s Eve in Balboa Park. It had rained overnight.

Big weekend crowds wouldn’t turn out until the afternoon, which made my early walk quiet and easy.

I wandered about randomly, turning right or left with no clear destination. The sky was overcast and the air was chilly.

Kids splashed in puddles. Artists were setting up along El Prado. Street musicians were already filling the air with music. Ambitious tourists pointed at new sights, as they explored San Diego’s crown jewel. The faces of friends were already smiling.

Even on a gray, damp, chilly morning, Balboa Park is very alive.

I’m sure in the coming year this special place will bring more joy to you and me.

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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)!

Life touches life in Balboa Park.

Two very different lives.

A young man was passing through Balboa Park. He saw an older gentleman playing a bluesy song and decided to sketch him.

Two generations. Two separate lives, suddenly touching.

That’s part of the magic of Balboa Park.

The musician, who is exceptionally talented, is Saint James Harris Wood. He’s also an author.

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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 Twitter!

A short but sunny Embarcadero walk.

I spent a couple hours today reading by the water and strolling along San Diego’s sunny Embarcadero. When I reached Ruocco Park, I was entertained by the above Lone Sound Ranger and decided–what the heck–I’ll continue to take photographs.

Nothing too unusual here. Just a typical day along San Diego’s waterfront.

Bay views . . . boats . . . street entertainers . . . vendor carts . . . monuments . . . downtown buildings rising to one side. It’s mid-January, so no huge crowds.

These photos were taken as I continued my way north, past Tuna Harbor and the USS Midway. You’ll probably recognize the Embracing Peace “kiss” statue.

My final shots were taken out on Broadway Pier, and then a few steps north of it where another street musician was singing with a big smile.

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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 Twitter!

A wonderful New Year’s Day in Balboa Park!

It’s a breezy and drizzly New Year’s Day in San Diego. But a visit to Balboa Park proved to be just as wonderful as ever!

I was surprised that a few museums were open. Several studios in Spanish Village were also open. And, of course, there was the reliable two o’clock Sunday concert at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, where, due to the threat of rain, audience members got to sit right up close to the guest organist on stage!

The photo captions describe what I experienced…

Not the usual Sunday crowd on El Prado, but still pretty busy.

Roger, a regular Balboa Park busker, somehow managed to escape again!

Leaves and puddles in front of a colorful Spanish Village studio.

Gallery 21 was open. The 26th Annual Exhibition of 7 Printmakers continues through tomorrow, January 2, 2023. (I’ll be blogging about it shortly.)

I was greeted by a smile in Studio 9. Glass bottles were being converted into cool wind chimes!

A videographer records a street musician on El Prado.

The Palisades part of Balboa Park was unusually quiet on New Year’s Day.

Color in a tree and on the grass is a reminder that winter has arrived in San Diego.

Guest organist Jeobon Hwang rehearses before the Sunday afternoon Spreckels Organ concert.

Jaebon Hwang, organist at First United Methodist Church of San Diego, comes on stage.

I got to sit up close. The mighty Spreckels Organ thundered music directly into my bones!

Some people listening on the benches have umbrellas at the ready.

A flawless performance of classical music by one of San Diego’s outstanding organists!

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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 Twitter!

A walk on Christmas Day in Balboa Park.

While the rest of the nation was in a deep freeze, our sunny San Diego weather welcomed everyone outdoors on Christmas Day.

Most of the attractions in Balboa Park were closed for the holiday. Museums, cafes, cottages, and historic buildings were locked up tight. But by the afternoon a good crowd filled El Prado, enjoying the beauty of the park, street performers, and sunshine.

I did note the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad was operating, as was the San Diego Zoo.

At two o’clock the free Sunday concert went on as always at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Outstanding local organist Russ Peck played a Christmas medley, highlights from The Sound of Music, and assorted Christmas carol favorites. I heard voices in the audience singing along!

Here come a few 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 Twitter!