San Diego Weekend Guide: Nov. 1-3 – Dia de los Muertos Edition

You prefer things refined this San Diego weekend? How about an international art fair and a horse racing championship? But if family-friendly nostalgia is your bag, there’s a certain military event and Dia de los Muertos fests throughout the county.

That military event is a big one. San Diego Fleet Week kicks off Friday with a lot of music, including the Military Appreciation Concert, at 5 p.m. at Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. Go early and cheer on local Vietnam veterans as they receive recognition for their service and stay for Navy Band Southwest and Marine Band San Diego. Little Italy has another show at 6 p.m. Sunday with the Navy Band Southwest Rock Band. And on Saturday, don’t miss ship tours and more at Meet the Fleet at 32nd Street at Naval Base San Diego.

Art San Diego, billed as a three-day “boutique art fair,” gathers 60 leading international galleries and emerging artists for immersive experiences, curated artist talks and more. Head to Hall E at the San Diego Convention Center at noon Friday or 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. General admission for the full event is $35.

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club interrupts the beginning of the Bing Crosby Season for a major event, the Breeders’ Cup championships, which the track hosts for the third time. Races will be held Friday and Saturday, with the marquee event, the Breeders’ Cup Classic – the favorite is City of Troy – starting at about 2:40 p.m. Saturday. How much is at stake in all the races? A cool $34 million. Tickets remain, starting at $67.

San Diego Beer Week opens Friday with events at craft breweries throughout the region. Look for special releases, including the annual suds collaboration, this year by six brewers. This weekend, try the grand opening party for Weir Beer, 1250 Keystone Way in Vista on Friday, or the Burgeon Beer Bash at Public House La Jolla, 830 Kline St., on Sunday.

Remember refinement and nostalgia? San Diego Opera gives you both as it opens its 60th anniversary season with Puccini’s La Boheme, the first production the opera ever performed. New for 2024 – projections to “redefine the opera experience for today’s audiences.” You have three chances to hear the melancholy classic, at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the San Diego Civic Theatre. Tickets start at $35.

Dia de los Muertos gives you the chance to remember departed loved ones, but with celebrations, not tears (OK, maybe a couple). There’s lots of fests, traditional and otherwise, to show the love:

• Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, 10 a.m. Friday – with more than 40
  ofrendas, elaborate costumes, face painting and a screening of the film The Book of Life at 6 p.m. Continues at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
• California Center for the Arts, Escondido,  4 p.m. Friday – the festival features live music, vendors, a Catrina contest, face painting and an art walk.
• City Heights, Henwood Memorial Park, 10:45 a.m. Saturday – with over 30 family and non-profit altars and face painting, mask making, the Fern Street Circus, folklorico and more.
• Gaslamp, Fifth Avenue, 11 a.m Saturday and Sunday – see the street turn into a mercado with artisans, dozens of dining options, margaritas and live performances, including Grupo Marca Registrada on Sunday.
• Sherman Heights Community Center, 2 p.m. Saturday – walk in the the Muertos Candlelight Procession, guided by Calpulli Mexihca and Danza Cuatlicue. View altars and listen to music too.
• Chula Vista, Memorial Park, 3 p.m. Saturday – with an ofrenda competition, a Catrín & Catrina ensemble contest, live music and dance at four different locations, a car show by Impalas Car Club SD, kids crafts and more. 
• Petco Park, 3:30 p.m. Saturday – Dia de los Deftones Festival with the Deftones, Idles, Sunny Day Real Estate and more. Tickets, starting at $70, are very scarce.

For a simple good time, enjoy the Carlsbad Village Street Faire bright and early Sunday – it opens at 8 a.m. in the heart of Carlsbad Village. Stroll among more than 800 vendors and enjoy tastes at the beer garden and two international food courts.