San Diego Weekend Guide: Oct. 11-13 – Harvest & Horror

Fall is in full force this San Diego weekend with Oktoberfest on the beach, salutes to a (camp) horror classic and pumpkins popping out all over. Got yours yet?

Oktoberfest hits Ocean Beach Friday and Saturday and if you’re into competitive eating, Joey Chestnut, renowned for his hot-dog eating prowess, will appear. You don’t have to be an infamous eater to enjoy the contests, including Mr. and Mrs. Oktoberfest, the beer garden and music on two stages. Doors open at 4 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday where Newport Avenue meets the beach. General admission costs $15 at the gate.

Nearly 50 years on, The Rocky Horror Picture Show endures and it’s a proper fit for the Halloween season. The “49th Anniversary Spectacular Tour” with the original Magenta from the film, Patricia Quinn, makes a stop at the downtown Balboa Theatre at 8 p.m. Friday. Very few tickets remain. Meanwhile, Old Town’s Cygnet Theatre has a salute, “Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show,” a satirical tribute to the phenomenon and other B-list horror movies, through Nov. 2. Tickets, limited for the remaining run, start at $39.

Lake shopping – an upgrade on window shopping? Try your hand at it for the free Ladies at the Lake Fall Market at 10 a.m. Saturday. Over 100 vendors will be at Santee Lakes with special guest, Bella’s Beverage offering a lounge for guests 21 and up. There will be food trucks too. Parking is $7.

Frontwave Arena in Oceanside continues its first-month slate at 7 p.m. Saturday with Rock 105.3’s Rocktoberfest. Seether, the Warning, Giovannie and the Hired Guns and Tim Montana will rock the house. Admission starts at $49.

Pop culture and public radio join hands as Alan Cumming, whose credits include CBS’ “The Good Wife” and X2: X-Men United, and NPR’s Ari Shapiro join in “Och & Oy: A Considered Cabaret Tour.” Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. Saturday show at Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay start at $82.

The free San Marcos Harvest Fest begins at 9 a.m. Sunday, with street food, performers on three stages and a beer and wine garden, along with crafts, visits with bunnies and face painting for kids by Little Shepherd Nature Lab. Head to 251 North City Drive, near Cal State San Marcos.

We’ve told you about the soft scary events for Halloween and the best for hardcore horror fans, but let’s explore some local pumpkin patches, perfect for your carving and/or culinary pleasure. It’s more than just picking out a gourd with activities galore:

• Bates Nut Farm, Valley Center – Includes hay rides, straw maze, Snow’s Pony Rides, Garden of Eden Petting Zoo, mechanical bull and on weekends, live music. Admission is free but parking is $10 a vehicle. Daily through Oct. 31.
• Carlsbad Strawberry Company – Visit with sheep, goats and rabbits, take a tractor ride or try the corn maze and haunted corn maze (each for a fee). General admission, including viewing the marigold field and sunflowers, is $15. Daily through Nov. 3.
• Oma’s Pumpkin Patch, Lakeside – Includes a hay maze, petting zoo and hay rides. Adult admission starts at $13, with child admission depending on added activities. Through Nov. 2, but closed Sunday-Monday.
• Pumpkin Station – Choose your location, in Del Mar, Mission Valley and National City. Features slides, inflatables, petting zoos and game zones. Admission is free. Open daily, but final dates vary.