Here are some of the best things to do this weekend in San Diego from Friday, Oct. 9 to Sunday, Oct. 11.
Friday
Museum
Kids Free in October: San Diego County museums, attractions, cultural institutions, hotels and restaurants are joining together to provide free admission and other free activities for kids with an accompanying paying adult. There are more than 60 participants this year, including Living Coast Discovery Center, WorldBeat Cultural Center, USS Midway Museum, Bonita Museum and Cultural Center, Oceanside Museum of Art and Birch Aquarium at Scripps. Oct. 1-31. sandiegomuseumcouncil.org/specials/kidsfree or sandiego.org/c/kids-free
Film
Surf Del Mar Festival: The Surf Del Mar Festival is thrown by the Del Mar Historical Society in celebration of the local history and culture of surfing. The event starts Thursday with a surfers meet and greet, a sustainability symposium and an art walk. The festival continues with a film festival, book fair, concerts, author talks and more. Register online. surfdelmarfestival.com
San Diego Italian Film Festival: This festival is celebrating 20 years of presenting Italian cinema in San Diego. Cinephiles can enjoy shorts films and feature films as well as discussions with filmmakers and artists. Two different festival passes are available featuring access to Shorts Night, opportunities to vote for awards and Q&A sessions. The festival ends Saturday with the feSta party. 7 p.m. Friday, 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park. $27.31-$95.65. sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com/festival-2026
Seasonal
Ocktoberfest Party Cruise: Aboard the three-level William D. Evans sternwheeler, locals can drink beer and eat Bavarian-inspired bites at this Oktoberfest event. There will be dancing and a beer stein-holding contest. 8 to 11 p.m. Friday. Bahia Resort Hotel, 998 West Mission Bay Drive, San Diego. $29.35. bahiahotel.com/event/oktoberfest-cruise
Fall at Bates Nut Farm: San Diegans can experience traditional fall activities at this Valley Center farm. Visitors will find a pumpkin patch, tractor hay rides, a straw maze and a corn pit. The farm is dog-friendly and will have a petting zoo and pony rides in October. 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. 15954 Woods Valley Road, Valley Center. Free admission. $10 seasonal parking on weekends. $2.50 tickets per additional activity. batesnutfarm.biz/blogs/events/the-pumpkin-patch
Haunted Trail: Locals don’t have to wait until October for haunted houses. One of San Diego’s largest spooky season experiences opens in Balboa Park the last weekend of September, presenting the eXperiment Maze, the Haunted Trail and the Dark Carnival. Balboa Drive and Juniper Road, San Diego. $34.99-$49.99. hauntedtrail.net
Pumpkin Station: Locals can walk through this pumpkin patch for free or purchase one to take home. Giant slides, an antique carousel, a petting zoo and other carnival rides are available for entertainment. Del Mar Fairgrounds, 15555 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. $5 per ride and activity. pumpkinstation.com/del-mar-pumpkin-station
Julian Autumn Jubilee: The annual Autumn Jubilee returns to Fort Cross with a spooky maze, lawn games, a pumpkin patch, a hoedown show, farm animals and other activities. A $25 festival ticket includes additional hay rides, a cider-pressing demonstration, a reptile show, candle dipping and a treasure hunt. Fort Cross Old Timey Adventures, 4425 Highway 78, Santa Ysabel. $10 general admission. fortcross.com/autumn-jubilee
Haunted Corn Maze: The Carlsbad Strawberry Company will be the scene of a terrifying corn maze. The spooky experience is recommended for teens and adults only. Fridays and Saturdays in October. 1050 Cannon Road, Carlsbad. $25-45. aguahedionda.org/haunted-corn-maze
Haunted Amusement Park: This one-mile haunted trail can be found on the grounds of a former amusement park. Visitors will work through a series of interactive experiences such as a black light maze and a spinning tunnel. The featured spooky scenes include a spider cave, a zombie land and a witch’s cottage. 7 p.m. Sept. 25-27. Oct. 2-4, 8-11, 15-18, 22-25, 28-31. Nov. 1. 14011 Ridge Hill Road, El Cajon. $25-$35. scaretrail.com
OB Oktoberfest: Ocean Beach Oktoberfest is a two-day event that will feature live music as well as Oktoberfest contests and games, such as stein-holding and a pretzel toss along with a brat-eating contest. The beer garden will feature traditional German brews, local beer, wine and spirits. 4 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, noon to 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Ocean Beach Municipal Pier parking lot, 5099 Newport Ave., San Diego. $20. oboktoberfest.com.
Howl-O-Scream: For the sixth time, SeaWorld is presenting its Howl-O-Scream event during the Halloween season. The theme park has added a few new features this year, including a haunted house inspired by the movie “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Other haunted experiences to expect are Circus of the Damned, Deathwater Bayou: Awakening and Simon’s Slaughterhouse. 7 p.m. Sept. 25-26, Oct. 2-4, Oct. 9-11, Oct. 15-18, Oct. 22-25, Oct. 29-31. 500 Sea World Drive, San Diego. $45.99 to $112.99. seaworld.com/san-diego/events/howl-o-scream/tickets
The Haunted Forest: Banner Ranch invites brave souls to participate in its half-mile Halloween walk. The ranch advertises the experience in its old orchard area as “decorated with graveyards, ghosts and ghouls galore.” Visitors can also purchase snacks, beer, cider and other drinks to consume on the trail. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October. 36342 California 78, Julian. $14.36-$16.48. eventbrite.com/e/the-haunted-forest-tickets-186401791777
Zoo and Safari Park: Seasonal activities for fall have returned, including the San Diego Zoo’s HalGLOWeen. On weekends in October, visitors to the zoo can find special entertainment such as acrobatic spider performers and a new show known as Professor Glowington’s Fab Lab. Across the county at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, an Autumn Festival is taking place with live music, scarecrows and a unique Autumn Adventure. These activities take place on Saturdays and Sundays in October. Plus, both locations are participating in the county-wide kids free October initiative with free admission for kids ages 11 and younger with a paid adult. Seasonal activities come with park admission. Weekends in October. San Diego Zoo, 2920 Zoo Drive, San Diego; San Dieg Zoo Safari Park,15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido. $78 for adults, free for kids. zoo.sandiegozoo.org/halgloween; sdzsafaripark.org/autumn-festival
Music
Punch Brothers: Led by San Diego-born mandolin wizard and Nickel Creek co-founder Chris Thile, Punch Brothers fuses bluegrass, jazz, chamber music, indie rock and more into a tantalizing aural blend that is as stirring as it is intricate. The group’s new album, “The Unsung Adventures of Punch Brothers,” is its first entirely instrumental outing — and its first with the splendid violinist Brittany Haas. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9. UCSD’s Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9480 Innovation Lane, La Jolla. $31-$81. artpower.ucsd.edu
Saturday
Comedy
Free Improv workshop: Looking for some laughs? San Diegans can try out improv in a two-hour workshop. No previous experience is required. 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday. National Comedy Theatre, 3717 India St., San Diego. Free. hisawyer.com/national-comedy-theatre/schedules/activity-set/2029173
Community
National City Fire Department Open House: As part of fire prevention week, the National City Fire Department will open its doors with activities for all ages. Visitors can tour the facility, watch fire safety presentations and enjoy games and giveaways. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Fire Station 34 Headquarters, 343 E. 16th St. National City. Free. nationalcityca.gov/government/fire/annual-open-house
Ladies at the Lake Fall Market: For the tenth time, Santee Lakes will be the scene of a Ladies at the Lake Fall Market. Nearly 130 vendors will be on hand selling everything from candles and home decor to pottery and preserves. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve, 9310 Fanita Parkway, Santee. Free to attend. $10 parking. santeelakes.com
Blacktoberfest: Learn about Black farming and cowboy history and culture, visit a petting zoo, shop from Black-owned vendors and creators and try your hand at line-dancing, a mechanical bull and yard games. There will also be DJs spinning music. This event is only for ages 21 and up. 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday. 2105 Hollister St., San Diego. 92154. sdmelanin.com/blacktoberfest.
Queen Califia’s Magical Circle Family Creativity Days and Twilight Poetry: The city of Escondido is celebrating the 23rd anniversary of artist Niki de Saint Phalle’s whimsical sculpture garden in Kit Carson Park with a series of October events. From 10 a.m. Saturday and Oct. 17 and 24, families are invited to the sculpture garden to take place in free activities and more. Also from 6-8 p.m. Saturday, there will be poetry readings by Angela Narciiso Torres, Nancy Lynee Woo, Tammy C. Greenwood, and Darius Degher. Kit Carson Park, 3333 Bear Valley Parkway, Escondido. Free. escondido.gov/1252/queen-califias-magical-circle
Classical music
San Diego Symphony presents Khachaturian and Bruckner: Symphony Music and Artistic Director Rafael Payare will conduct the orchestra in a program of works by Soviet-era composer Aram Khachaturian, including his violin concerto that will be perfmred by Sergey Khachatryan, and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 in D minor. 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Jacobs Music Center, 750 B St., downtown. $43-$129. sandiegosymphony.org
Art
“La Ruta de Nuestros Ancestros/The Path of Our Ancestors”: The Bonita Museum & Cultural Center will host a group exhibition exploring ancestry, cultural memory, identity and the connections between past and present. It opens Saturday and runs through Nov. 2.4355 Bonita Road, Bonita. bonitahistoricalsociety.org
La Jolla Art & Wine Festival: The 18th festival will feature more than 170 participating artists selling their work along Girard Avenue between Prospect Street and Torrey Pines Road. There will be paintings, sculpture, photographer and glasswork, as well as live entertainment and food and drink for sale. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Downtown La Jolla. Free. ljawf.com
Barrio Logan Art Crawl: The Barrio Logan Assocation hosts this free, family-friendly vintage and art market at the Mercardo Del Barrio in the Barrio Logan Cultural District. noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. 1101 Chicano Park Blvd., San Diego. barriologanassociation.org/barrio-art-crawl
Sunday
Classical music
Poiesis Quartet: La Jolla Music Society presents this award-winning chamber ensemble performing works by Prokofiev, Beethoven, Jeff Scott and Sky Macklay. 3 p.m. Sunday. Baker-Baum Concert Hall, The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Avenue, La Jolla. $40-$77. theconrad.org/events/poiesis-quartet
Opera 4 Kids presents “The Enchanted Tail”: The Spreckels Organ Society hosts a free performance of this hour-long family-friendly opera story about a clever fox and cunning princess who search the forest for a lost song. 2 p.m. Sunday. Spreckels Organ Pavilion, 2125 Pan American East Road, Balboa Park, San Diego. Free. opera4kids.com/live-shows