San Diego Weekend Guide: June 28-30 – Sips & Skates

It’s the height of summer. The days are soooo long. We have all the options this San Diego weekend to fill them up – at least for the next three days, anyway.

How do you like your vino? We have two options for you.

• The California Wine Festival offers hundreds of fine wines and craft brews during a two-day affair at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad that begins Friday. That evening the pours take place at the Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting, giving way to Saturday’s Beachside Wine Fest. Tickets start at $65.
• Nat Diego, San Diego’s natural wine festival, returns Friday and Saturday for its sixth year. Sip at the 7 p.m. opening night party at Mabel’s Gone Fishing in North Park. The Grand Tasting, at 1 p.m. Saturday, is at Bread & Salt in Logan Heights. Tickets start at $60.

The Rady Shell sparkles all year long to be honest, but summer is when it was meant to shine. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra opens its Summer 2024 season at the bayside venue with Gemma New conducting and Olga Kern as featured pianist for a 7:30 p.m. performance of works by John Adams, Rachmaninoff, Copland and Rimsky-Korsakov. Tickets start at $42.

Chicano Batman, a band out of L.A. with influences as diverse as slow-jam soul and surf rock, performs at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at San Diego State with Lido Pimienta. Tickets for the 8 p.m. Friday show start at $36.

It’s not quite July 4th, but it’s tradition in Oceanside to host the community Independence Parade ahead of the holiday. Festivities kick off at 10 a.m. Saturday as the route moves north on Coast Highway from Wisconsin Avenue to Civic Center Drive.

Celebrate the final “Day at the Park” event of 2024 from the Port of San Diego at Bayfront Park in Chula Vista. Go at 11 a.m. Saturday for the local artists and food vendors, along with activities especially for kids. Take a look around too as the nearly complete hotel and convention center may soon be a big waterfront draw.

The San Diego Civic Theatre hosts the World Ballet Festival at 7 p.m. Saturday, featuring dancers from the New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet and World Ballet Company, as well as local favorites, such as Golden State Ballet Company and Ballet Institute of San Diego. Tickets start at $49.

It seems like a natural progression. There’s ice skating by the sea at the Hotel del Coronado each winter. So how about the Roller Rink at the Del in summer? Done. Head over Fridays through Sundays from 2 to 10 p.m. through Sept. 2. On Sunday, groove to “Red, White & Roll” with a patriotic playlist. Tickets cost $28. In addition, the “Movies on the Beach” schedule continues through Sept. 8.

Taste of Adams Avenue features some of the best on this stretch of the avenue that links University Heights to Kensington. One possible star? An’s Dry Cleaning, because, well ice cream (IYKYK). And An’s was just named the best ice cream shop in … San Diego? Nope, the whole dang country. Tickets to stroll and taste, beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday, cost $50.

The House of Mexico hosts its 20th anniversary celebration at the International Cottages in Balboa Park at 11 a.m. Sunday as part of the free weekly Lawn Program. Listen to Mariachi Garibaldi from Southwestern College and other live entertainment while enjoying delicious Mexican eats.