San Diego Weekend Guide: Aug. 4-6 – Tikis & Tunes

Art, cars, music – with a dash of support for a longstanding South Bay good cause – are on the agenda this San Diego weekend. You ready?

Island getaways – expensive and flights are too tedious. So turn to Tiki Oasis, said to be the world’s largest and longest running Tiki festival, which brings the islands to you this weekend. Continuing through Sunday at the Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley, the event focuses on Polynesian culture, with art, music, cocktails and more on offer. All-access admission costs $199, with a Sunday evening pass at $45. The fest opens by mid-morning each day with seminars – entry may be paid individually for those sessions as well.

Want more art, but focused on Mexico and Central and South America? Folk artists from Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, El Salvador, Ecuador and more will be part of the free Latin American Festival and Mata Ortiz Pottery Market, opening at 10 a.m. Friday through Sunday at Old Town’s Bazaar del Mundo. See a large collection of the authentic pottery, renowned for hand-painted geometric and ancestral symbols, along with work by other artists.

ArtWalk at Liberty Station, celebrating creativity from both sides of the border, hosts more than 150 artists showing and selling their artwork, including paintings, photography, glass, ceramics and more Saturday and Sunday. Like your art local? Some of Arts District Liberty Station’s artists will have a booth, including June Rubin, Katerina Husar, Lazarova, Michele Pruyn, Susie Zol and Denise Cerro. The free event start at 10 a.m. both days.

Bleached Fest begins a two-day stint at Waterfront Park Saturday. The diverse music festival features more than a dozen artists each day, with headliner Leon Bridges on Saturday, along with Channel Tres, and Joji on Sunday, with Omar Apollo. Performances begin at noon each day. One-day admission costs $95, with two-day starting at $175.

Summer, is, gasp, waning. Don’t miss the chance to see an outdoor show at the bayfront Rady Shell. Performers on tap this weekend:

• Vocalists, joined by the San Diego Symphony, pay tribute to Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Carly Simon, 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Remaining tickets start at $57.
• Trombone Shorty hosts Orleans Ave and Ziggy Marley with special guests Mavis Staples and Robert Randolph Band, 6 p.m. Sunday. Remaining tickets start at $52.

DJ Xavier The X-Man continues a South Bay tradition with his free “Cruise for the Cause,” marking its 21st year. The event, at 10 a.m. Sunday, has helped raise more than $150,000 for the Emilio Nares Foundation, a nonprofit that supports ailing children. There will be hundreds of cars to view at Otay Ranch Town Center. live music, children’s activities and, for those looking to give back, a Red Cross Blood Mobile and a chance to join the “Be the Match” bone-marrow registry.

Award-winning blues singer Earl Thomas is set to return to his Tennessee roots with a foot-stomping showcase of African American gospel at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Belly Up. He’s inviting some renowned San Diego artists along for the Solana Beach gig, including Gregory Page, Jeff Berkley, Rebecca Jade, Whitney Shay and Eve Sellis. Tickets cost $17 in advance.