This Weekend in San Diego (3/17 – 3/19): St. Patrick’s Day, Hiking, Comedy and more!

The San Diego Entertainer always has you covered with the best events happening each weekend.

Friday

This Friday is St. Patricks day, meaning you need to deck out in festive green whilst eating and drinking like the Irish. For a full list of things to do, places to go, and fun events, visit our St. Patrick’s Day Headquarters here.

If you’re not sure what you’re doing for the holiday, we’ve found the right event for you! Also, a movie we’ve been patiently waiting for will come out this Friday.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrations

Join 20,000 of your new closest friends downtown on Friday for Gaslamp Quarter’s ShamROCK block party. The 23rd annual celebration includes three stages, non-stop music, and never-ending pours of green beer. Over 50,000 square feet of astroturf is spread across Gaslamp for the occasion, so don’t forget to wear green for the festivities. General admission tickets are $45. For a smaller party this Friday night, head to the St. Patty’s Beer Fest at The Beer Company for plenty of drink specials and festive DJs. Admission for this event is $20.

Movies

The long-awaited live action film of Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, finally comes out this weekend. Seeing this classic movie would be a great outing for families. Also, if you don’t want to participate in the heavy drinking associated with St. Patty’s day, this might be a relaxing alternative. Make sure to purchase tickets as soon as you can.

Saturday

Don’t stop at St. Patrick’s day, you still have two more days of the weekend to enjoy. Make sure to check out these events in San Diego this weekend for inexpensive prices or no price whatsoever. Whether your outdoors or attending unique shows, you’re bound to have a successful Saturday with these suggestions.

Events

Hundreds of cakes will be on display at the San Diego Cake Show at the Del Mar fairgrounds at 10 am. This year’s theme is Comic Cake and the show will feature celebrity appearances from the stars of TV baking competitions, as well as demonstrations and classes taught by world-renowned bakers. Even cakes from the show Cake Wars on Food Network will be on display. You can catch the show all weekend long, with tickets costing $10.

Hundreds of cars will be on display at South Oceanside Elementary at 9am at this year’s South Oceanside Car, Bike, and Boat Show. The whole family is invited to enjoy the sights and local vendors selling food and car trinkets. Local kids from the elementary school will also we performing.

Outdoors

Get outside this weekend and participate in a guided nature walk at Mission Trails Regional Park. The walk is themed “Perfumes of Nature,” so you’ll experience plenty of flowers and springtime bloom on this free walk. A trail guide will lead your group through the park, offering insights into the spring season. Meet at the visitor’s center at 9:30am.

Shows

For just $7, you can view the Old Town Showdown at the Improv Comedy Show. On Saturday, there is an act titled, “Dr. Otic’s Miraculous and Audience Powered Old Town Show Down. This show is an interactive experience for the audience and is very similar to “Who’s Line is it Anyways?” Show Down performances are every Friday and Saturday night starting at 7:15 pm and is performed by a team of improvisers. Don’t miss out this weekend!

Sunday

Suffering the consequences of a chaotic St. Patrick’s day weekend? We’ve got an event for you that will raise your spirits because nothing makes you feel better than a four-legged best friend.

Pet-Friendly

BarkHappy San Diego: Lucky Pup Pawty will take place at the San Diego Renaissance Hotel on Sunday from 2-5. Activities at this event will include free dog tattoo station provided by Blush’s Face Paint ($1 for human face painting), a dog treat eating contest, a musical sit game (like Musical Chairs except dogs have to sit), and happy hour food and drink Specials. RSVP in the BarkHappy mobile app under “Events” or on Facebook.