CityFest offers two stages of live entertainment in Hillcrest for festival’s 42nd year

One of the more anticipated annual events in Hillcrest is set to return Sunday, when the annual CityFest street party is back for its 42nd edition.

This year, according to the Hillcrest Business Association, the free, all-ages festival is expected to attract 70,000 attendees, more than four times the neighborhood’s population of about 16,000 people.

CityFest, in its more than four decades of existence, has grown into one of San Diego’s largest free, all-ages events.

“Hillcrest is San Diego’s most eclectic urban neighborhood … and CityFest is the ultimate celebration of that spirit,” Hillcrest Business Association spokesperson Natalie Starr said in a statement.

This year’s festival is set to take over seven city blocks, starting at University Avenue under the iconic Hillcrest sign, and stretching nearly half a mile down Fifth Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue. Hours are from noon to 11 p.m.

Attendees can expect two stages of live music and DJs, 100-plus local vendors, a 21-and-over beer garden, community booths and a kids zone. The kids zone, active from noon to 8 p.m., includes free all-ages arts and crafts, such as learning to make a suncatcher with a template and tissue paper.

More than 20 hours of performances are scheduled across the two stages, with performers from all over the San Diego region. Artists run the gamut, from singer-songwriters and electronic to indie/alt rock and hip-hop.

Musicians slated to appear on the main stage include DJ-producer Kurtyka, swing-jazz act Vintage Girl in a Modern World, indie glitter rock band Daddy, soul-funk act Jenny & the Tramps, high energy indie rock band The Dimes and three-piece indie-alternative group The Band Cope.

As the sun goes down, various DJs, including Kinky Loops, K-Swift and John Joseph, will spin on the main stage from 7-11 p.m.

Also planned for the event are drag queen story time for kids and a performance by former “RuPaul’s Drag Race” competitor Lydia B. Kollins.

New to this year’s event is a Mural Alley wine garden, from noon to 6 p.m. Although CityFest itself is free, tastings inside the garden require the purchase of tasting tickets, which cost $10-$40.

Each tasting ticket will be redeemable for one 2 oz. pour from any participating winery. Featured wineries include Cork & Stem, Negociant Winery and Pali Wine Co.

Starr said of City Fest, “It is amazing to see the neighborhood come alive with people dancing in the streets, connecting through music (and) art, supporting local businesses and celebrating what community pride looks like.”