Four Standout Festivals in San Diego this October
With Halloween peeking around the corner, October buzzes with a wealth of new events to attend in San Diego. (And yes, we’ve narrowed down the list for you.) Here are five standout festivals handpicked for the start of the fall season.
Mehregan Fall Fete
October 4
(Photo credit: Hasan Almasi on Unsplash.com)
A collaboration between the San Diego Museum of Art and the Persian Cultural Center, the Mehregan Fall Fete is a concert on October 4 in the James S. Copley Auditorium featuring music artists Sara Naeini and Reza Rohani. Often held at the September equinox in Iran, traditional Mehregan festivals gently embrace the transition from summer to fall. Mehregan festivals are name-day feasts, a nod to ancient tradition, honoring the Saint Mehra, also known as Mithra.
Italian Film Festival
October 1 - 11
Balboa Park is also a host for a part of San Diego’s Italian Film Festival. From October 1 - 11, the Museum of Photographic Arts and the Digital Gym Cinema are proud to celebrate up-and-coming Italian films. Amid blockbuster buzz and endless reboots, Italian cinema offers a break from the often blinding eye candy to something more vividly authentic. The Italian Film Festival is not simply an exploration of another culture—it’s a return to the Lumière brothers’ actualités, the first films ever to be made.
Bella Vita Fest
October 18 - 19
The Bella Vita Fest on October 18 and 19 in Little Italy, downtown San Diego, promises to bedazzle with Italian culture as well. The event welcomes Italian food and music lovers, featuring chalk artists live at their craft. Paying homage to the religious figure Madonna, chalk art has its roots in Italian maddonaris who populated festival streets with their art. Bella Vita, a phrase that is pretty within its own, translates to “beautiful life.” The phrase reminds us of the human desire for beauty, whether in admiration of other artists or the desire to create something of one’s own.
San Diego Zine Fest
October 18 - 19
(photo credit: Annie Spratt on unsplash.com)
While you’re at the Bella Vita fest, take the trek down to San Diego’s Zine Fest, also in downtown San Diego, on the same calendar dates, October 18 and 19. Pronounced like “zine” from “magazine,” zines are often independently published with repurposed materials. These literary and artistic works continue to challenge the legitimacy of traditional publishing, which might neglect marginalized voices and stories. The San Diego Zine Fest brings together a dynamic mix of over 100 regional and international independent publishers.
A hub of creative activity, festivals serve as a collection of culture, a temporary home for the diaspora, and a trip for those seeking a taste of something new.