This Weekend in SD: Eric Clapton, Temecula Wine Festival, Mardi Gras Madness and More

It’s the first weekend of March and a great number of celebrations are happening all over the county. Mardi Gras is just around the corner, so let the fun times start early with these awesome events in San Diego.

Entertainment/Concerts

An Evening with Rita Rudnor bring laughter Thursday night at the Balboa Theatre, Uncle Kracker will rock the Dreamcatcher at the Viejas Casino on Friday, then Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Eric Clapton and his guitar will be at the Valley View Casino Sunday evening.

The House of Blues has another busy lineup as another Local Brew Local Grooves All Access show is scheduled for Friday night featuring  Summer Mencher, Scott West, The Great Tortilla Heist, Patrick Lanzetta, Wendy Bailey, Shrewd Lucy, Jesse Johnson, Emersen, Michael Tiernan, Lee Coulter, Barbara Nesbitt, The Devstators, The Shrill and S03. Then SOJA takes the stage for a sold out show Saturday night while Apocalipstick plays at the 5th Avenue restaurant side stage.

Also this weekend is the final home game for San Diego State Men’s Basketball as the Aztecs face off against the Colorado State Rams on Saturday night before March Madness kicks off next week.

Celebrations/Festivals

Head up to Temecula Valley this weekend for their 20th Annual World of Wine 2011, a two-day barrel tasting event with food pairing at the 30+ wineries in the area from March 5th-6th. There are also several local craft beer tastings throughout the month at Club M at the Grand Del Mar.  First up on Saturday, enjoy live music as the Stone Brewing Company samples their Cali-Belgique IPA & Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale.

4th & B starts off the Mardi Gras celebrations with their 19th Annual San Diego Brazil Carnival – Mardi Gras Ball on Saturday night with scintillating samba dancers and capoeira. There will also be a Mardi Gras Bowl-Off organized by Philanthro Productions to network and raise funds for their charitable causes. During the day head over to J Street for the Fleetwood Music Festival featuring sets by DJ Loczi, The Lyon Crowns, and DJ Schoeny amongst others.

The Gem Faire hits the Del Mar Fairgrounds March 4th-6th, showcasing a wide variety of beads and jewelry from suppliers from around the world.  Looking ahead to the fairground events, the San Diego County Fair isn’t until June, but vendor and performer applications are already available. The due date for vendors is March 4th, whereas performers have until the 30th to apply. Also, pre-sale tickets  for this year’s concert on June 11th starring Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae end this Friday and go on sale to the general public on March 5th.

Benefits

Do your part to help out those in need and have fun at the same time. This weekend is full of philanthropic events available throughout the county. By making a donation to the Association of Corporate Counsel, you can attend this Saturday’s The 10th Annual Black & White Ball at Elizabeth Ballroom of the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego, which will benefit Conner’s Cause for Children.  Or get active for awareness with a fun, competitive event this weekend such as QUASH (Quest to Unravel Alzheimer’s, a city-wide Scavenger Hunt), 2.5-hours of games, music, food and awards at Embarcadero Park South.

Photos courtesy of Azimo, Bengt Nyman, and moniquewingard via Flickr.

Take a Peek into Next Week:

March 8th is Fat Tuesday! So get over to the Gaslamp Quarter for some Mardi Gras madness in downtown San Diego. The 21+ event starts at 6pm and last through midnight, so get ready to earn those beads all night long.