This Weekend in SD: Pride, Frogs and Bastille Day

San Diego has always been a place with great culture, and this weekend culture is the cause for much celebration. Whether its celebrating LGBT pride or French independence, make sure to do something you love.

San Diego Pride Celebration

This weekend, show your support and head down to the annual San Diego Pride Celebration. There will be a Pride Festival Saturday and Sunday in Historic Balboa Park that will include multiple stages of entertainment, more than 80 musicians, bands, comedy and dance performers, 300 participating vendor booths, an art exhibit, cultural presentations and great food. The festival will run from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday  and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. There will also be a Youth Zone and a Cool Zone for those 55 and older, so patrons are encouraged to bring the entire family. This year’s theme is “Pride around the world.”

If the festival isn’t enough, make sure to see the annual San Diego LGBT Pride Parade, which is the 5th largest in the United States and attracts 150,000 cheering spectators and significant media participation. The parade will be Saturday from 11 a.n. to 1 p.m. and will begin at University Ave. and Normal Street, proceed west on University Avenue to 6th Avenue, turn south on 6th Avenue and end at Balboa Drive and Upas Street.

San Diego Theater

This weekend will also showcase performances of “A Year with Frog and Toad,” a play based off of the children’s books by Arnold Lobel. “How can these two amphibious best friends be such opposites?” asks the San Diego Junior Theatre’s website. “Follow Frog, Toad, and their buddy Snail on a croakingly good musical journey where wonderful times abound, where ‘expecting the unexpected’ is just another way of having fun, and where friendship is valued above all else.” Tickets are $8-$14 and showings are Fridays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Theater lovers can also catch a showing of “Five Course Love.” The play features five dates in  five different restaurants and has been described as “a hilarious musical roller coaster ride that is equal parts comedy and music sprinkled with generous portions of that elusive search for love.” The 15 characters are played by only three actors in this high-energy screwball comedy using an array of musical styles. Tickets are $32-$50.

Bastille Day

This Thursday is Bastille Day, and restaurant Mimi’s Cafe is debuting new seasonal menus and giving away free muffins to celebrate. Mimi’s will also debut its Chocolate Mousse Muffin and Chocolate Mousse Muffin Sundae. There will also be a Bastille Day Party at The Soledad Club in Mission Bay. The French Gourme Bastille Day Celebration will be from 6-10 p.m. and will include hors d’oeuvre and food stations, as well as wine tasting in “Bottle Shock” style. Live accordion music will be provided by Entertainment Solutions West. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the San Diego French-American School.

Movies released this weekend:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Winnie the Pooh
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Limited)
Lucky (Limited)
Salvation Boulevard (Limited)
Tabloid (Limited)