Here are some of the best things to do this weekend in San Diego from Friday, July 31 to Sunday, Aug. 2.
Friday
Taylor Tomlinson: Despite reaching some of the highest heights in stand-up comedy, including multiple Netflix specials and her own CBS late-night show “After Midnight,” Taylor Tomlinson has consistently made an effort to continue performing throughout San Diego County. This weekend, she’ll hit Mic Drop Comedy to present “Taylor Tomlinson: Tries Out New Ideas.” Tomlinson, who grew up in Temecula and attended Cal State San Marcos, released her latest special, “Prodigal Daughter,” in February. 6:30 and 8:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Mic Drop Comedy, 8878 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego. Sold out. micdropcomedysandiego.com
ArtWalk Liberty Station: Back for its 21st year at Liberty Station this weekend, this free, open-air arts festival will feature more than 175 artists from this region and Mexico showing and selling their work. There will be a beer and wine garden, food trucks, interactive art in the KidsWalk section and live music all weekend. 5 to 8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. 2751 Dewey Road, San Diego. artwalksandiego.org
Heiva San Diego: This annual event celebrates the culture and traditions of Tahiti. This includes musical performances, dancing and a pageant for mister and miss Heiva San Diego. 6 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Harrah’s Resort Southern California, 777 S. Resort Drive, Valley Center. $10-$30. heivasandiego.com/hsd2026/
Serbian Summer Folkfest: For the 35th time, the MORAVA Folklore Ensemble will host the Serbian Summer Folkfest. It presents folk traditions from all over the world with an emphasis on Serbian hospitality. The weekend of activities begins with a welcome dance on Friday, continuing with concerts and an after party Saturday and a beach party on Sunday. Visitors to the festival can also eat Authentic Serbian cuisine. 7 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday. Various locations with main events at St. George Serbian Orthodox Church hall, 3025 Denver St., San Diego. $7.18 to $17.85. eventbrite.com/e/35th-annual-morava-serbian-summer-folkfest-2026-tickets-1992743649900
“Ballet Under the Stars”: City Ballet presents a dance concert by its pre-professional students performing with company principal dance artists in an outdoor dance performance. 8 p.m. Friday. Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9500 Gilman Drive, UCSD, La Jolla. Free to $30. Gates open at 7 p.m. for picnicking (food and drinks for sale onsite). cityballet.org/family-ballets/ballet-under-the-stars/
San Diego Symphony presents “The Music of John Williams”: Conductor David Newman will lead the orchestra in a concert of film score music from “Star Wars,” “E.T.,” “Superman” and more. 7:30 p.m. Friday. 222 Marina Park Way, downtown. $57-$124. theshell.org
Youths perform Disney’s ‘The Lion King KIDS’: Youths in Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church’s summer theater camp will perform Disney’s “The Lion King KIDS.” There will be a build-your-own ice cream sundae reception with the cast after the show. 6 p.m. Friday at the church campus, 17010 Pomerado Road. Tickets are at the door for $5 per person or $20 for a family of five. Visit rbcommunity.org.
“North by Northwest”: The Old Globe presents the final weekend of this London-born touring stage comedy based on filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 mistaken-identity film thriller. 7 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Old Globe Theatre, Balboa Park, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. $43 and up. 619-234-5623, theoldglobe.org
“The Fairy Tale Monologues”: Riot Productions presents Sarah Alida LeClair’s original musical that tells the less-than-idyllic untold stories of women characters in classic fairy tales. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Aug. 7 and 8. 2 p.m. Sunday and Aug. 9. Moxie Theatre, 6669 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. $21.50. riotproductions.art
“Arcadia”: Cygnet Theatre presents Tom Stoppard’s time-traveling mystery about love, science and mathematics at the same English estate in 1809 and 1993. 7 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Aug. 9. Cygnet Theatre at The Joan, 2880 Roosevelt Road, Arts District Liberty Station, San Diego. $32.50 and up. 619-337-1525, cygnettheatre.com
La Jolla Playhouse will present the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company touring production of “ha ha ha ha ha ha ha,” created and performed by Julia Masli, July 28 through August 9. (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company)
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha”: La Jolla Playhouse presents a WOW Experience solo show by Estonian clown Julia Masli, who aims to solve the audiences’ problems. 7 p.m. Fridays; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; 6:30 p.m. Sundays. Through Aug. 9. Mandell Weiss Forum, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, UCSD, La Jolla. $39 and up. 858-550-1010, lajollaplayhouse.org
Music society puts on SummerFest: The La Jolla Music Society will offer 50 free Learning and Engagement activities during SummerFest 2026 from July 31 to Aug. 29 at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., including open rehearsals, new listening lounges, coaching workshops and musical preludes that are open to the public. Visit theconrad.org.
“Dive Bar Time Machine”: Blindspot Collective presents this new play with music by Blake McCarty and Shellina Hefner set in a dive bar where human stories are told through songs by artists who defined their eras, including Frank Sinatrao, Donna Summer and Billie Holiday. 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Aug. 9. The Loft, 4151 Matthews Lane, La Jolla. $35. blindspotcollective.org
“Scapin”: North Coast Repertory Theatre presents Bill Irwin and Mark O’Donnell’s zany adaptation of Molière’s 17th-century comedia delle-arte farce about a schemer who helps two young men marry the women of their dreams. 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. and Sunday. Through Aug. 23. 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. $63.50-$85.50. 858-481-1055, northcoastrep.org
“The Family Album”: La Jolla Playhouse presents the world premiere of this musical by MILCK, AG and Sam Chase about an aspiring singer-songwriter whose responsibilities to her family put an unexpected roadblock in her life and career. 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 1 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Aug. 23. Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. $74 and up. 858-550-1010, lajollaplayhouse.org
Southwest Summer Shakespeare Festival: Southwestern College’s Theatre Arts Department presents its fourth annual festival, which this year includes “Twelfth Night” and a bilingual adaptation of “As You Like It” by local playwright Mabelle Reynoso. “Twelfth Night”: 7 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday. “As You Like It”: 7 p.m. Saturday. Southwestern College Performing Arts Center, 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista (free parking in lot “O”). $16.38. swctheatre.com
“Cyrano”: The Old Globe premieres Jason O’Connell and Brenda Withers adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 French play “Cyrano de Bergerac.” 7 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Aug. 16. Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. $44 and up. 619-234-5623, theoldglobe.org
Athenaeum 34th Annual Juried Exhibition: The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library hosts its annual contemporary art exhibit, juried by artist Paul Mpagi Sepuya, featuring works by 42 artists from across the San Diego-Tijuana region. Public reception, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday. Opens Saturday and runs through Oct. 10. 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Free. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org
Saturday
Ashley Akhavan from LITVAKdance, left, Odissi classical Indian dancer Shibani Patnaik and West African dance artist Daunté Nabi Fyall will perform in LITVAKdance’s “Dancing Outdoors: Take 4” on Saturday in Encinitas. (Ryan Orion Beck)
Padres Pickleball Classic: The Padres and Racquet Escape are hosting the second annual pickleball classic. Participants can compete in men’s and women’s doubles or mixed doubles and will receive a Pickleball Day Theme Game package. Winners of the tournament will be honored during an Aug. 8 game at Petco Park. Tournament on Saturday and Sunday . Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W Point Loma Blvd., San Diego. $80. mlb.com/padres/tickets/specials/theme-games/pickleball
“Dancing Outdoors – Take 4”: LITVAKdance presents an outdoor dance concert with live music by the Montalban Quintet, featuring multiple companies performing contemporary, ballet, folklorico, West African, Polynesian contemporary and Indian dance. 5:45 and 8:15 p.m. Saturday. ICA San Diego North Campus, 1550 El Camino Real, Encinitas. $12-$35. litvakdance.com
“Vienna 1900”: La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest continues with Johann Strauss’ Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 434 (arranged by Schoenberg); Strauss’ Violin Sonata, Op. 18; Berg’s Sieben Frühe Lieder (Seven Early Songs); and Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night). Featuring: Inon Barnatan, Sterling Elliott, Karen Gomyo, Randall Goosby, Stefan Jackiw, Yoonah Kim, George Li, Rose Lombardo, Blake Pouliot, Masumi Rostad, and Alisa Weilerstein. 7 p.m. Saturday. The Baker-Baum Concert Hall at The Conrad. $75-$115. 858-459-3728, theconrad.org
Nature hike focuses on tracking wildlife: The Mission Trails Regional Park Tracking Team will hold a wildlife tracking event. Participants learn the art of discovering and identifying tracks and other signs left behind by the park’s seldom-seen wildlife. Walks start from the front of the Ranger Field Station at the East Fortuna Staging Area on the first Saturday of every month and are free. No reservations are required. Walks are canceled if it rains. 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday. East Fortuna area of the park. Visit mtrp.org.
Balboa Park Horticultural Tour: A tour of Balboa Park’s Botanical Building led by park docents will take place Saturday. The building has been restored to its original 1915 appearance and contains more than 1,000 plants, representing over 180 species from subtropical and tropical areas around the world. The tours focus on the park’s unique biodiversity and highlight its horticultural wonders on the first Saturday of each month. 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, starting from the Balboa Park Visitors Center, 1549 El Prado. Suggested donation is $5. Visit foreverbalboapark.org/tours.
Sunday
Cardiff Dog Days of Summer: Hosted by the Cardiff 101 Main Street and the City of Encinitas, this annual event is a celebration of all things dogs. New this year is a corgi and dachshund run. There will also be live music, vendors, dog adoptions, contests and other activities. The day will start at 10:10 a.m. with a blessing of the dogs. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Encinitas Community Park, 425 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas. Free. cardiff101.com/events-calendar/dogdays26
“Much Ado About Nothing”: The Old Globe presents William Shakespeare’s witty romantic comedy featuring Broadway musical stars Eden Espinosa and Tally Sessions. Previews, Sunday through Aug. 7. Opens Aug. 8 and runs through Aug. 30. 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego. $38 and up. 619-234-5623, theoldglobe.org
“What If?”: SummerFest continues with Lily Boulanger’s 2 Pieces for Violin and Piano; Ullmann’s String Quartet No. 3, Op. 46; Gershwin’s Transcriptions from Porgy and Bess (arranged by Heifetz); and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. Featuring: Inon Barnatan, Timothy Cobb, Sterling Elliott, Karen Gomyo, Randall Goosby, Stefan Jackiw, George Li, Reginald Mobley, Blake Pouliot, Masumi Rostad, Ruben Valenzuela, and Alisa Weilerstein. 3 p.m. Sunday. The Baker-Baum Concert Hall at The Conrad, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $70-$100. 858-459-3728, theconrad.org