Get ready to saddle up \u2013 the Year of the Fire Horse officially begins Tuesday, and San Diego is kicking off the celebration early with a packed weekend of events. This rare celestial milestone, which comes around only once every 60 years, promises intense energy, passion and transformation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Translation: It\u2019s the perfect cosmic excuse to get out and make some bold moves, whether you\u2019re rolling on skates, entering a Mardi Gras contest or blocking your ex for a free shot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The San Diego Lunar New Year Festival<\/a> will begin a three-day run Friday at 5 p.m. at Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park in City Heights. The packed schedule includes lion and dragon dances, a B\u00fan Bo Hue eating contest, exhibition of classic Vietnamese vehicles, boba drinking contest, dumpling wrapping contest, cultural village and more.\u00a0It\u2019s also the last weekend to check out SeaWorld San Diego<\/a>\u2018s Lunar New Year celebration. <\/p>\n Roll into Valentine\u2019s fun at Cupid\u2019s Skate Party<\/a>, transforming Gallagher Square at Petco Park into an outdoor rink all weekend. Entry is $12 for access from 2-10 p.m., with a two-hour skating session and rentals available for $27. Expect live music, shopping, food and drinks, plus themes such as Friday night\u2019s Galentine\u2019s skate and Sunday\u2019s Family Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n Got Bieber fever after the Grammys? The Observatory North Park is hosting a Justin Bieber Night<\/a> Friday with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. and the dance party starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $14.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re planning to say \u201cI do\u201d or renew your vows this Valentine\u2019s Day, the county has you covered. The Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk\u2019s downtown office will be opening its doors on a rare Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for marriage licenses ($129) and ceremonies in English or Spanish ($107). Couples can book online<\/a> or walk in, and choose between the outdoor arbor at Waterfront Park or one of several indoor rooms to tie the knot.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Museum of Photographic Arts at The San Diego Museum of Art opens its exhibit, \u201cGraciela Iturbide: Photographs from Colecciones Fundaci\u00f3n Mapfre<\/a>\u201d Saturday, featuring works by the lauded Mexican photographer. This showcase surveys her most iconic photographs, primarily captured in Mexico but also worldwide, in locations including Italy, India, Panama and the United States. The exhibit runs through June 7.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stick around Saturday for SDMA\u2019s Romantic ArtStops<\/a>, featuring San Diego Shakespeare Society actors performing romantic scenes from Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night. The one-hour performances begin at 1 and 2:30 p.m., with stops throughout the galleries. The shows are free with museum admission.\u00a0<\/p>\n Love (and dog breath) will be in the air at barleymash<\/a> downtown Saturday from 1-4 p.m. with Frosted Faces Foundation<\/a>. Meet the sweetest senior dogs looking for their forever homes, enjoy drink specials, giveaways and maybe even leave with a new best friend \u2013 because love really does grow sweeter with age.\u00a0<\/p>\n Catch Olympic-style action Saturday as Gulls Global Games<\/a> comes to Pechanga Arena, with the San Diego Gulls<\/a> facing the Bakersfield Condors at 6 p.m. Plan for an international-themed night, Team USA-inspired jerseys on the ice, an Olympic-themed tailgate with music and giveaways from 4-6 p.m. and free Gulls USA hoodies for the first 8,000 fans. Tickets start around $30.<\/p>\n For some comedy, The Magnolia in El Cajon will host Frankie Quinones<\/a> for the Good Vibes Only Tour Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $45. The Observatory North Park will host Peter McGann<\/a> Saturday with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the show at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $49.<\/p>\n Oceanside Theatre Company brings more laughs Saturday at 7 p.m. with \u201cComedy for Valentines<\/a>.\u201d Hosted by Tim X Lee and headlined by Joe Sib, the show at the Sunshine Brooks Theater promises brutally honest, laugh-out-loud takes on love and life. Tickets are $33 for general admission, $20 for military, seniors and students, and $48 for VIP (first two rows).\u00a0<\/p>\n Not feeling the love? Head to Prohibition<\/a>, the hidden downtown speakeasy at 548 Fifth Ave., Saturday for Anti-Valentine\u2019s Day from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Show proof you\u2019ve blocked an ex or tear up a picture and get a complimentary whiskey shot.\u00a0<\/p>\n Feathered masks, beignets and dancing in the street could only mean one thing: the 10th annual Mardi Gras Crawl<\/a> takes over El Cajon Boulevard at noon Sunday. Starting at 3052 El Cajon Blvd., you\u2019ll dance west in a New Orleans-style procession led by Euphoria Brass Band, stop at local businesses for food and drinks and catch the popular Mardi Gras King and Queen contest during the free, family-friendly celebration, which ends near the Lafayette Hotel. If you buy a $20 necklace ($24 the day of), it gets you $5 specials along the route.\u00a0<\/p>\n Need to wind down after the weekend? Starting Sunday, enjoy \u201cBirch After Hours<\/a>\u201d at Birch Aquarium in La Jolla from 5-7 p.m. The all-ages event includes music, food and a relaxed nighttime vibe. Tickets must be purchased online in advance for a discounted price. And don\u2019t forget, it\u2019s Museum Month<\/a> so you can use a special code to receive 50% off up to four general admission tickets.\u00a0<\/p>\n READ NEXT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Get ready to saddle up \u2013 the Year of the Fire Horse officially begins Tuesday, and San Diego…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":175040,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[29978,18754,74,76,75,69411],"class_list":{"0":"post-175039","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-mardi-gras","9":"tag-new-year","10":"tag-san-diego","11":"tag-san-diego-headlines","12":"tag-san-diego-news","13":"tag-valentines-day"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}