San Diego Weekend Guide: Oct. 18-20 – Hoard of Haunts

Like a fall festival? Oh, we’ve got ’em for you this San Diego weekend. As Calvin and Hobbes said, (sort of), this weekend is just packed.

The San Diego International Film Fest continues Friday morning with a bulging slate of features, shorts and documentaries. On Friday, catch “San Diego Scene,” a focus on local short films; on Saturday, Mr. Blake at Your Service, starring John Malkovich, and Jazzy, with 2024 Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone, and on Sunday, the improvised The Black Sea, which debuted at SXSW. Screenings are at Westfield UTC. Admission per film is $20.

For your Halloween pleasure, there’s:

• Fright for Future – for three days beginning Friday at the San Diego Made Factory, 2031 Commercial St., run through a haunted maze with spectres of what organizers call “true terrors” – climate change, pollution and more. For ages 10 and up.  Doors open at 1 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free, but reserve spots online.
• Hauntfest on Main – El Cajon’s annual free family-friendly event starts at 4 p.m. Friday with live music, costume contests, rides, a haunted car show and vendors offering food, crafts and games. Stroll East Main Street from Magnolia Avenue to Ballantyne Street.
• Haunted Circus – as part of Hauntfest, the Magnolia in El Cajon hosts its second annual circus at 4:30 p.m. Friday. It’s a playful “Superhero and Villains” themed show with acrobats, jugglers, contortionists, stilt walkers and more. Tickets are limited, at $23.
• The Midway Museum on San Diego’s bayfront welcomes goons and goblins aboard the “Haunted Hangar Deck” at 6 p.m. Friday. The “spooktacular” offers activities, costume contests and treats for youngsters and “magic potion” cocktails for grown-ups. Admission is $25.

Willing to march through Ocean Beach to hunt for the best pie? Of course – this is for pizza. Pizza Wars Ocean Beach begins at 2 p.m. Saturday. The crawl includes stops at OB’s best parlors, from The Shop Pizza, Pomas Italian and Krisp to Wild Ales, Luigi’s OB, Pazzo Pizza, and more. The starting line: Nova Easy Kombucha, 4845 Newport Ave. Tickets start at $40.

Festivals of all stripes are breaking out all over:

• University Heights Fall Festival – the free fest begins at 10 a.m. Saturday with live music, food trucks, craft beer, a pumpkin patch and family activities on Birney Elementary’s Joint Use Field, 4324 Park Blvd.
• Día de los Muertos in Solana Beach – the free celebration begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at La Colonia Park, 715 Valley Ave. More than 40 altars will honor the memories of lost loved ones, but for play, there’s live music and dance, piñatas for kids, a Catrin/Catrina costume contest and a dog costume contest.
• Vista Unified Festival of the Arts – see Vista students show their stuff on three stages on Main Street downtown at 10 a.m. Saturday. Performers include instrumental and vocal ensembles, dance groups, Ballet Folklorico, choirs, theater, visual arts and more.
• Bella Vita Fest – view chalk art paintings created live on the sidewalks of Little Italy while enjoying Italian wines and food and listening to live music. Opens at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday on stretches of India Street from West Date to West Grape streets.
• O’side Arts – celebrate the Oceanside Cultural District at 11 a.m. Saturday with an ArtWalk, performers at Civic Plaza and a parade starting at the Star Theatre.
• Guelaguetza – head to Palomar College’s Minkoff Field for this look at all things Oaxacan, from dance to textiles to cuisine. Admission is $5 for the event, at 10 a.m. Sunday.

And for our finale, fests of a more adult variety:

• San Diego Spirits Festival – billed as a “cocktail cultural extravaganza,” the fest, in its 15th year, begins at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Museum of .Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla. The fest continues at 1 p.m. Sunday. Tickets start at $78.
• Brews & Bites – the Santee fest takes on an ’80s feel with the band Fast Times at Town Center Community Park East. Era-appropriate attire is encouraged for the tasting, with bites by more than 30 local food and drink vendors. The event opens at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. General admission is $55.
• Belmont Beer Fest – Belmont Park in Mission Beach hosts its first day for suds, with pop-ups from local brewers, gourd games and live music at noon Sunday. A $35 wrist band nets you – ahhhhh – unlimited beer.