{"id":440062,"date":"2026-08-22T03:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T03:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/440062\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T03:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T03:12:11","slug":"destination-east-county-late-summer-festivities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/440062\/","title":{"rendered":"Destination East County:\u00a0 Late Summer Festivities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(San Diego\u2019s East County) \u2014 Summer\u2019s end fun includes Julian Mountain Brewfest,\u00a0 Borrego Night Sky Tours\u2019 Lunar Eclipse Spectacular, Julian\u2019s Grape Stomp Festa, the Holy Smoke Deep Pit BBQ in Descanso,\u00a0 Alley Cat Art Fest in El Cajon,\u00a0 plus a night hike and stargazing at Oakoasis Park in Lakeside.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Cheers! Julian Mountain Brewfest August 22 <\/p>\n<p>The second annul Julian Mountain Brewfest will be held on August 22 from 12-4 p.m. at Nickel Beer Company, 1485 Hollow Glen Road in Julian.\u00a0 Participants will have opportunities to taste beverages including locally brewed beer, mead, cider, and wine.<\/p>\n<p>The $25 cost includes eight tastings of alcoholic beverages plus one non-alcoholic drink, a commemorative cup, and musical entertainment.<\/p>\n<p>Get tickets and more information at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/visitjulian.com\/julian-mountain-brewfest\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/visitjulian.com\/julian-mountain-brewfest\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Borrego Night Sky Tours hosts Lunar Eclipse Spectacular on August 27<\/p>\n<p>Astronomer and longtime syndicated\u00a0Stargazers\u00a0columnist Dennis Mammana will host a special\u00a0Lunar Eclipse Spectacular\u00a0on Thursday, Aug. 27, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in the Borrego Springs desert.<\/p>\n<p>During the eclipse, approximately 93% of the moon\u2019s diameter will pass through Earth\u2019s dark central shadow. The full moon will gradually dim and take on a reddish appearance while the surrounding stars and Milky Way become more visible in the darkened sky.<\/p>\n<p>Borrego Springs\u2019 open desert landscape and limited city lighting make the area especially well suited for viewing nighttime events. The three-hour program will include guided explanations and telescope views of the eclipse, along with other celestial objects visible that evening.<\/p>\n<p>Spaces are filling quickly. For program details and reservations, visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/borregonightskytours.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BorregoNightSkyTours.com.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Julian Grape Stomp Festa September 5<\/p>\n<p>The 29th annual Grape Stomp Festa invites you to kick off your shoes and cross grape stomping off your bucket list at the Menghini Winery in Julian on September 5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.\u00a0 The fun includes wine tasting, live entertainment, games, food, a kids\u2019 area, and a Lucy look-alike contest.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/visitjulian.com\/to-see-do\/special-events\/grape-stomp\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Learn more here<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/visitjulian.com\/purchase-julian-items\/#!form\/2026Shopping\/6993b11e077b9877430c0932\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Get Your Tickets Here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>89th annual \u201cHoly Smoke\u201d deep pit BBQ September 6<\/p>\n<p>Our Lady of Light Parish in Descanso continues 89 years of tradition with its Holy Smoke Deep Pit BBQ on Sunday, September 6.<\/p>\n<p>The event begins at 11 a.m. and includes slow-cooked BBQ beef and sides, homemade cobbler, live country and rock music featuring The Wish Band, door prizes, crafts, children\u2019s games, and a $500 grand prize drawing.<\/p>\n<p>From I-8, exit Highway 79 and head north, then turn left on Riverside Drive and proceed for a half mile to the church.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Alley Cat Art Fest Sept. 12<\/p>\n<p>Get ready for a day filled with art, music, and creativity at Alley Cat Art Fest on Saturday, September 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. This free, open-air festival brings together the best of Artiv\u00e1l and the beloved Alley Cat Art Walk for Downtown El Cajon\u2019s biggest celebration of local arts and culture. <\/p>\n<p>Spanning Main Street, Magnolia Avenue, Arts Alley, Prescott Promenade, and surrounding streets, the festival invites visitors to explore Downtown El Cajon\u2019s colorful arts district while browsing more than 50 talented local artists showcasing paintings, sculptures, photography, jewelry, handcrafted goods, and more. Enjoy live music, delicious food and drinks, and creativity around every corner.<\/p>\n<p>Wander through the iconic Arts Alley, where striking large-scale murals by local artists transform the streets into an open-air gallery and celebrate Downtown El Cajon\u2019s rich public art scene. Whether you\u2019re looking for a one-of-a-kind piece to take home, eager to support local artists, or simply searching for a fun day out with family and friends, Alley Cat Art Fest is the perfect place to experience East County\u2019s thriving creative community. Even better, proceeds from the festival help restore Downtown El Cajon\u2019s existing murals and support future public art, leaving a lasting impact long after the festival ends!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Night Hike and Stargazing at Oakoasis Park Sept. 12<\/p>\n<p>Women in the Wild and the San Diego Astronomy Association invites you to enjoy stargazing and a night hike at Oakoasis County Preserve (12620 Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside).\u00a0 The event takes place on September 12 from 6 to 9 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Bring a flashlight\u2014preferably red or amber. Cloud cover may cancel this event; for updates call (858)699-8668.<\/p>\n<p>For more information, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/sdparks.org\/womeninthewild\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sdparks.org\/womeninthewild<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(San Diego\u2019s East County) \u2014 Summer\u2019s end fun includes Julian Mountain Brewfest,\u00a0 Borrego Night Sky Tours\u2019 Lunar Eclipse&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":440063,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[174496,166440,150745,74,174497,76,75],"class_list":["post-440062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-destination-east-county","tag-east-county-events","tag-news-flasher","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-festivals","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440062","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=440062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}