San Diego Weekend Guide: April 5-7 – Wows & Watch Parties

This San Diego weekend is so packed we decided to be a little extra (hint, there’s a celestial event going down Monday). In the meantime, there’s fests, music and a makers mart too.

The La Jolla Playhouse’s Without Walls Festival continues Friday at UC San Diego with performances and immersive activities for all ages, including theater, dance, music, puppetry and more. Consult the schedule to find your best options and RSVP if necessary. The free fest, at the playhouse, along with Revelle Plaza and Epstein Amphitheatre, opens at noon Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Up the ante on Saturday, National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, as active-duty service members gather on the deck of the steam ferry Berkeley for the second annual Armed Forces PB&J Classic, a sandwich-eating contest brought to you by the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Which armed forces branch can slam the most sammies? See at 11 a.m. General museum admission is $24.

The North Park Festival of Beers includes 50 breweries, spirit producers and more, among them Mission Brewing, Resident Brewing Co. and Calidad Beer. Half Hour Late, Ash Easton and Anthony Cullins will perform. General admission for the event, at 1 p.m. Saturday, costs $45.

The Fern Street Circus‘ Neighborhood Tour opens at Teralta Park Saturday. The free performances include both professional circus artists and youth from their afterschool program. The shows start at 2 p.m., preceded by community health fairs, which begin at 12:30 p.m. Other stops continue on Saturdays and Sundays through early May.

Boots In The Park at 1 p.m. Saturday offers a full day of live country music, line dancing and more at Waterfront Park with Thomas Rhett, Lee Brice, Scotty McCreery, Parmalee and Rhett Akins. Tickets start at $129.

Padres Pedal the Cause sets off early Sunday for bike rides at Petco Park to support the fight against cancer. Options include a 25-mile race across the Coronado Bridge, a challenging 75-mile stretch to East County and a 50-minute spin class. Join nearly 4,000 people by registering online. The longest race begins at 7 a.m. with other start times staggered until noon.

Karl Strauss’ The Outpost San Marcos is hosting a free Makers Market at 1 p.m. Sunday with 60 makers and artists. The dog- and kid-friendly event, put on by I Love Indie Markets, includes beer sips and eats from the Karl Strauss food truck and Executive Chef Gunther Emathinger. 

The rare weekend guide bonus: There’s a solar eclipse Monday! Here in San Diego, a partial one anyway, starting just after 10 a.m., with the climax at 11:11 a.m. So go into work late or take an early lunch to see the special phenomenon. Here’s a couple options for watch parties (first, read NASA’s tips on how to view the eclipse safely):

• The Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park hosts a free 9 a.m. viewing party in front of the Bea Evenson Fountain. Local experts from UCSD, San Diego State and the San
  Diego Astronomy Association will be available too.
• Those who attend the Julian Dark Sky Network‘s free eclipse viewing party at 10 a.m. receive pairs of eclipse viewing glasses and will have access to solar telescopes set up to view sunspots and solar flares. Head to the Julian Library, 1850 State Route 78.

And while we’re here, why not a comedy bonus – and for a Monty Python vet no less? The Balboa Theatre hosts actor, author and comedian John Cleese in the first of two nights of the local stop for his “Last Time to See Me Before I Die” tour. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Tickets start at $55.