2026 UCSD Korean Day: Hangeul in Color
An interactive celebration of Korean language and culture featuring K-pop, Korean fashion and beauty, food, Hangeul activities, traditional knot art, and other hands-on cultural activities. Presented by UC San Diego's Institute of Arts and Humanities, Translational Korean Studies, and the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles.
Admission/Cost: FREE
Location:
UC San Diego, East Lawn, North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA
Friday, October 9 - 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
000000000000000 Día de los Muertos Celebration: Daytime Celebration
A family-oriented celebration of the Mexican Día de los Muertos tradition featuring ofrendas, Catrinas, a community remembrance altar, lowriders, and other activities exploring traditions of remembrance, family, and community.
Admission/Cost: $15.50 - $20
Location:
San Diego Automotive Museum
2080 Pan American Plaza
San Diego, CA
Saturday, October 10 - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
000000000000000 Merkado Kultura
A curated Filipino makers market featuring 28 Filipino and Filipino American artists and creative businesses. The two-day event celebrates Philippine culture and contemporary Filipino American creativity.
Admission/Cost: FREE
Location:
Mingei International Museum
1439 El Prado
San Diego, CA
Dates and times:
Saturday, October 10 - 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sunday, October 11 - 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
000000000000000 *An Outlander Experience https://go.parobs.org/gzRKkE
A program exploring Scottish culture through music, Highland dance, language, and cultural history, with performers from the San Diego Highland Dance Academy and representatives from Balboa Park's House of Scotland.
Admission/Cost: FREE
Location:
Neil Morgan Auditorium, San Diego Central Library
330 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA
Saturday, October 10 - 1:00 PM to 2:15 PM
000000000000000 5th Annual Honoring the Legends of FMA Tournament
A Filipino Martial Arts tournament bringing together practitioners of Eskrima, Arnis, and related traditions to compete and honor influential masters who helped preserve and develop Filipino martial arts. Events include single-stick, double-stick, knife, and forms divisions.
Admission/Cost: $10 spectator admission
Location:
Otay Recreation Center
3554 Main Street
Chula Vista, CA
Sunday, October 11 - 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM
000000000000000 Vista's Inaugural Día de Muertos Festival 2026
Vista's inaugural Día de Muertos street festival celebrates Mexican and Indigenous traditions of remembrance with community altars, cultural performances and ceremonies, Ballet Folklórico, a Catrina contest, artists, food, and family activities.
Admission/Cost: FREE
Location:
South Santa Fe Avenue at Ascend Coffee Roasters
802 South Santa Fe Avenue
Vista, CA
Sunday, October 11 - 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM
000000000000000 Zapateado 101 with Mesa's Ballet Folklorico Club
A participatory introduction to traditional Mexican folk dance and music. Participants will learn about regional dance styles from across Mexico and practice basic zapateado footwork.
Admission/Cost: FREE
Location:
San Diego Mesa College, ES102
7250 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA
Monday, October 12 - 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
000000000000000 Film: Poetic Justice
African American Writers & Artists San Diego celebrates National Black Poetry Day with an open mic and an outdoor screening of Poetic Justice, a film in which poetry plays a central role. Community members can sign up onsite to participate in the open mic.
Admission/Cost: FREE
Location:
Marie Widman Memorial Park
449 Ritchey Street
San Diego, CA
Saturday, October 17 - 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
000000000000000 A Conversation Exploring African and Diaspora Experiences
A cultural salon exploring African and African-diaspora experiences through discussions of identity, belonging, storytelling, and cross-cultural connection. The evening includes a keynote address, panel discussion, cultural storytelling, and African heritage-inspired food.
Admission/Cost: FREE
Location:
2100 Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, CA
Friday, October 23 - 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
000000000000000 Larry Itliong Community Breakfast
A Filipino American History Month gathering celebrating the life and legacy of Filipino American labor leader Larry Itliong. The program also recognizes participants in the Virgil Yalong-Larry Itliong Filipino American History Month Essay Contest and addresses educational issues in the Filipino American community.
Admission/Cost: $15 - $45
Location:
Kusina: A Taste of the Pacific
7580 Miramar Road
San Diego, CA
Saturday, October 24 - 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
000000000000000 Music: Allan Phillips
Composer and multi-instrumentalist Allan Phillips presents a program exploring Afro-Indigenous Caribbean traditions and the intersections of jazz, Latin American music, African diasporic rhythms, Brazilian music, reggae, and other musical traditions. UC San Diego professor Kamau Kenyatta moderates a discussion providing historical and cultural context for the music.
Admission/Cost: $28.52 - $39.19
Location:
The Guggenheim Theatre
UC San Diego Park & Market
1100 Market Street
San Diego, CA
Saturday, October 24 - 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
000000000000000 Music: Confluence Featuring Amjad Ali Khan
The La Jolla Symphony presents a cross-cultural program culminating in Samaagam, which brings Indian classical music together with the Western symphonic tradition. Sarod master Amjad Ali Khan performs with Ayaan Ali Bangash and Amaan Ali Bangash; the program also includes music by Dukas, Juhi Bansal, and Enescu.
Admission/Cost: $22 - $51
Location:
Mandeville Auditorium
UC San Diego
La Jolla, CA
Dates and times:
Saturday, October 24 - 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Sunday, October 25 - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
000000000000000 2026 Kiku Matsuri
A Japanese cultural festival featuring traditional music, dance, art, Japanese food, merchandise, family activities, and hands-on cultural experiences. The event is modeled on the tradition of Japanese autumn festivals.
Admission/Cost: $0 - $75
Location:
Hangar 858
3760 Glenn H. Curtiss Road, Suite 5
San Diego, CA
Sunday, October 25 - 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
000000000000000 Afro-Cuban Dance Workshop with Laroye Aña
Cuban choreographer and dancer Indira "Laroye" Leneman leads a workshop in Afro-Cuban dance, exploring movement, rhythm, and the form's connections to African cultural traditions.
Admission/Cost: $20
Location:
WorldBeat Cultural Center
2100 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA
Sunday, October 25 - 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
000000000000000 Artistic Practice: Roxana Velázquez in Conversation with Artist Betsabeé Romero
Mexican artist Betsabeé Romero discusses her work with San Diego Museum of Art director Roxana Velázquez, including themes of memory, migration, identity, cultural heritage, and Romero's Día de los Muertos installation for the museum.
Admission/Cost: $15 - $30
Location:
MOPA@SDMA Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theater
Balboa Park
San Diego, CA
Friday, October 30 - 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
000000000000000 Yokai Masquerade
A Halloween celebration inspired by yōkai, the supernatural beings and spirits of Japanese folklore. The evening includes after-hours exhibit viewing, carnival activities, costumes, vendors, entertainment, and other programming centered on Japanese folklore.
Admission/Cost: $45 - $60
Location:
Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum
2215 Pan American Road E.
San Diego, CA
Saturday, October 31 - 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM
000000000000000 Día de los Muertos at SDMA
A community Día de los Muertos celebration featuring live performances, art activities, and an ofrenda designed by Mexican artist Betsabeé Romero in collaboration with San Diego students. The event explores remembrance and the traditions surrounding the Mexican Day of the Dead.
Admission/Cost: FREE
Location:
The San Diego Museum of Art
1450 El Prado
San Diego, CA
Sunday, November 1 - 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
000000000000000 26th Annual Fall Back Festival
A living-history festival exploring San Diego's past through demonstrations and family activities. Cultural programming includes Kumeyaay bird songs and dances, a Kumeyaay drum circle, and demonstrations of Native California tools, along with blacksmithing and other historical activities.
Admission/Cost: FREE
Location:
Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House
410 Island Avenue
San Diego, CA
Sunday, November 1 - 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
000000000000000 Día de Muertos Gala
A Día de Muertos celebration bringing together Mexican culinary traditions, chefs from both sides of the border, cultural elements of the holiday, and a fundraiser benefiting Fundación Tijuana Sin Hambre.
Admission/Cost: $600 - $1,200
Location:
Fairmont Grand Del Mar
5300 Grand Del Mar Court
San Diego, CA
Sunday, November 1 - 6:30 PM
000000000000000 27th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival
Pacific Arts Movement's annual festival presents more than 190 films from over 35 countries in more than 40 languages, including Asian and Asian American features, documentaries, restored classics, shorts, and international cinema. The festival continues through November 14; dates through November 8 fall within this listing period.
Admission/Cost: $15 - $40
Location:
Various San Diego venues
San Diego, CA
Thursday, November 5 through Sunday, November 8 - Various times
000000000000000 Music: Alborosie
Sicilian-born reggae musician Alborosie performs roots reggae informed by his long engagement with Jamaican music and culture. The concert supports the WorldBeat Cultural Center's cultural and educational programming.
Admission/Cost: $40 - $47
Location:
WorldBeat Cultural Center
2100 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA
Thursday, November 5 - 7:30 PM to 11:00 PM
000000000000000 De La Torre Brothers: Melee a la Mode Artist Reception
Artists Einar and Jamex de la Torre present work informed by their immigrant experiences, bicultural identities, and lives on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Their mixed-media work combines blown glass and installation with influences ranging from Mexican vernacular and pre-Columbian art to religious iconography and German Expressionism.
Admission/Cost: FREE
Location:
Boehm Gallery, Palomar College
1140 West Mission Road
San Marcos, CA
Saturday, November 7 - 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
000000000000000 Grand Fiesta
The closing celebration of the San Diego Food + Wine Festival focuses on the culinary and cultural connections linking San Diego, Mexico, and Latin America. The event features chefs from San Diego and Baja California, Mexican wines and spirits, Taco TKO, live Latin music, art, cultural discussions, and demonstrations of traditional foods and spirits.
Admission/Cost: $130 - $255
Location:
Embarcadero Marina Park North
400 Kettner Boulevard
San Diego, CA
Sunday, November 8 - 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
000000000000000 Paint It Mariachi Concert: A Salute to the Americas
The Classics Philharmonic Orchestra performs with Southwestern College's Mariachi Garibaldi and folklórico dancers in a family concert combining mariachi, orchestral music, dance, and selections inspired by the San Diego Museum of Art's Art of the Americas collection.
Admission/Cost: $10 - $20
Location:
James S. Copley Auditorium, The San Diego Museum of Art
1450 El Prado
San Diego, CA
Sunday, November 8 - 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
