Here are some of the best things to do this weekend in San Diego from Friday, May 22 to Sunday, May 24.
Friday
Tom Cruise as seen in the 1986 film “Top Gun.” (Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection)
“Top Gun” 40th Anniversary Celebration: The USS Midway Museum is celebrating 40 years of the movie “‘Top Gun” and its connection to San Diego with a showing of the film on the flight deck. Saturday, the museum will show the sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.” Ticket prices are based on bringing your own chair or reserving a chair. 6 to 10 p.m. Friday. USS Midway, 910 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego. Tickets start at $32 for general admission. midway.org/event/top-gun-40th-celebration
San Diego International Fringe Festival now in session: The 2026 Fringe festival is now playing through May 24, with more than 40 shows by artists from the U.S., Mexico, Australia, Japan and India at 16 venues throughout San Diego and also in Tijuana. This year’s acts include new plays and musicals, music, standup and improv comedy, cabaret, Shakespearean swordplay, dance, drag shows and acrobatics. Individual tickets are $13 each, plus the onetime purchase of a $7 2026 Fringe tag. There will also be multishow ticket discounts. Full details at https://sdfringe.org
Valley Center Stampede: The annual Valley Center Stampede is a celebration of western culture through scholarships, a rodeo and other activities. The rodeo features a range of competitions and ends with live band performances. 6 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday. Star Valley Park, 29902 Valley Center Road, Valley Center. $35 general admission. vcstampede.com
22nd annual Lebanese Festival: St. Ephrem Maronite Catholic Church is hosting the 22nd annual Lebanese Festival this weekend. The three-day event spotlights an array of Lebanese meals such as beef shawarma, chicken kabobs, falafels, kibbeh, Middle Eastern flatbread saj zaatar and stuffed grape leaves. There will also be a beer and wine garden, live music and carnival games. 6 to 10 p.m. Friday. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 750 Medford St., El Cajon. Free. lebanesefestivalsandiego.com
From left: “A Room in the Castle” stars Dianne Yvette as Queen Gertrude, Vanessa Dinning as Anna and Lyric Boothe as Ophelia. (Moxie Theatre)
“A Room in The Castle”: Moxie Theatre presents Lauren Gunderson’s modern retelling of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” from the perspective of the play’s two women characters, Ophelia and Gertrude. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through June 7. 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Suite N, San Diego. $20-$88. moxietheatre.com
Memorial weekend at Seaworld: SeaWorld San Diego will honor those who protect the country during Memorial Day Weekend May. A flag ceremony with the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Color Guard will be at 10 a.m. as the park opens as part of Military Appreciation Days May 23-24. There will be a drone show as a salute to military members 10 minutes before the park closes May 22-25. For military discounts, visit WavesofHonor.com
“The Velocity of Autumn”: OnStage Playhouse presents the San Diego premiere of Eric Coble’s drama about an aging artist who barricades herself in her home to avoid being forced into a nursing home, leading her estranged son to return home after 20 years. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 5 p.m. Sundays. Through May 24. 291 Third Ave., Chula Vista. $25 and up. 619-422-7787, onstageplayhouse.org
San Diego County’s ultimate guide to free summer community concerts
Nat at Night: On Fridays in the summer, the Natural History Museums stays open after hours for a night of activities, food and drink and exploring the museum. Admission is half-price. 5 p.m. Friday. San Diego Natural History Museum1788 El Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego. $7-12. sdnhm.org/calendar/by-date?date=2026-05-22
San Diego Symphony presents Mendelssohn’s “Scottish”: Music and artistic director Rafael Payare conducts the orchestra in a program that includes composer-in-residence Jimmy López’s Peru Negro, along with Berg’s Violin Concerto performed by concertmaster Jeff Thayer and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in A minor. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Jacobs Music Center, 750 B Street, downtown. $42-$125. 619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org
Lakeside Bike Rodeo: Teens are invited to bring their bike and navigate a skills course. Afterward, there will be a group ride around Lindo Lake. 2 to 5 p.m. Friday. Lakeside Community Center, 9841 Vine St., Lakeside. Free. sdparks.org/content/sdparks/en/participate/calendar.html
SeaWorld San Diego’s new Shark Encounter attraction has 11 species in an interactive exhibit where guests enter through a coastal scene and end at an underwater world in a 180-degree viewing experience. (SeaWorld San Diego)
Summer at Seaworld: SeaWorld San Diego’s summer lineup of events and attractions kicks off Friday. Some of the new attractions include a revamped dolphin show with actors and music, a shark encounter exhibit with 11 species and a nighttime 12-minute drone show. Also returning attractions this year are the BMX stunt show and a pirate adventure show. Plus, SeaWorld’s hip hop and R&B summer concert series returns with acts such as Ashanti, E-40 and Ginuwine. Friday through Sept. 7. 500 Sea World Drive, San Diego. Prices vary by day and concert. seaworld.com/san-diego/events/summer-spectacular
Legacy Week: A series of events will take place as part of the USS Midway Museum’s annual Legacy Week lineup May 22-25, including a remembrance wall on view May 22-25 in the Hangar Bay honoring fallen heroes. See the full schedule here: midway.org/event/legacy-week-2026
Saturday
Western Days: This event kicks off with a pancake feed at Old Town Center at 7 a.m. There will also be a 5K and kids fun run starting at 8:30 a.m. The Western Days Parade will take place Saturday with the theme “Celebrating America.” This year’s grand marshal is USN Captain E. Royce Williams. 10 a.m. to noon. Saturday. Valley Center Road between Cole Grade Road and Lilac Road. westerndays.org
Carté Hotel’s Memorial Day weekend party: The Carté Hotel San Diego Downtown is beginning its summer season with a Memorial Day weekend pool party. The event features barbecue by the pool, new signature cocktails and a live DJ. Tickets for the party are available on Eventbrite. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. 401 West Ash St., San Diego. $33.85. eventbrite.com/e/memorial-day-saturday-pool-party-bbq
Santee Street Festival: More than 30,000 guests are expected at the annual Santee Street Fair & Craft Beer Festival. The event spotlights over 300 local vendors and food pop-ups, a children’s area with family-friendly activities, live music throughout the day, community performances and a beer garden. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Town Center Parkway and Riverview Parkway, Santee. santeestreetfair.com
Lagoon talk focuses on bird behavior: The Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation holds a presentation on “Avian Behavior” led by Hillary Hankey of Avian Behavior Conservancy. Hankey will show some birds of prey and discuss their characteristics and adaptions. 10 a.m. Saturday. Meet at the Nature Center, 7380 Gabbiano Lane. Rain cancels the event. batiquitoslagoon.org.
Mission Valley’s new farmers market: The Mission Valley Mall will start hosting a weekly farmers market starting this Saturday with special performances. From noon to 3 p.m. there will be a luau, hula performances and live music. Various vendors will be on hand each week selling food, clothing, jewelry, art, home goods and handmade items. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays through Sept. 5. 1640 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego. Free. mission-valley.com
Orchestral Soundtracks concert: Orchestral Soundtracks, a community videogame and anime orchestra, will hold a free Orchestral Soundtracks Spring Concert with Scarlet Moon. The program includes music from Xenoblade Chronicles, Genshin Impact, Haruhi Suzumiya, Homestuck and Beastars. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. 7 p.m. Saturday. Canyon Crest Academy, 5951 Village Center Loop Road. Tickets are at givebutter.com/orchestral-soundtracks-2026-spring-concert.
Mission Valley concerts begin: For those who enjoy a little music while they shop, the Mission Valley Mall is hosting live shows for free this summer. Three days a week, there will be live music playing on the main shopping level, including cover bands to solo artists playing original music. 5 to 8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. 3 to 6 pm. Saturdays. May 23 through Sept. 7. 1640 Camino Del Rio North, San Diego. mission-valley.com
Sunday
Strawberry Festival: The Vista Strawberry Festival returns with live music and entertainment on various stages, contests, a beer garden and a carnival zone for all ages along with several hundred vendors, hosted by the Vista Chamber of Commerce. Competitions are planned ranging from a strawberry costume contest to pie eating and beer stein-holding. There will also be a Strawberry Film Festival and Strawberry Run 5K. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Main Street and surrounding streets. Admission is free; there are fees for activities such as the carnival and 5K run. Free. vistastrawberryfest.com.
Coronado concerts begin: Over the next five months, 17 concerts will be hosted at Spreckels Park as part of Coronado’s 56th season of concerts in the promenade. This year’s event begins May 24 with the Coronado Concert Band at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Busted Spurs at 6:30 p.m. Also scheduled include Blue Breeze on June 7, Nate Nathan & the McDaddy O’s on July 5, a military appreciation concert on Aug. 23 and The Suenamis on Sept. 6. Start times of shows vary. Sundays. May 24 through Sept. 6. 601 Orange Ave., Coronado. coronadoconcert.com/coronado-concert-schedule
Memorial Day Ceremony: The 15th annual Memorial Day Ceremony at Miramar will take place in the newly dedicated Memorial Amphitheater. The theme is America 250: A Tribute to Service and Sacrifice. The keynote speaker is retired Navy Captain Steven “Shep” Shepard. Music will be performed by the Westwind Brass Band. There will also be a bugler and bagpiper to pay tribute to fallen service men and women. 1 p.m. Sunday. Miramar National Cemetery, 5795 Nobel Drive miramarcemetery.org