San Diego Weekend Guide: June 2-4 – Nibbles & Nights

Summer arts means lots of outdoor music and theater, and though we’re still battling the gloom this San Diego weekend, we’ve got the goods to burn it off (at least in spirit), with festivals galore and a parade too.

Flag Day isn’t one we hear about much anymore, but La Mesa does its part Saturday to keep Old Glory in your thoughts with its Flag Day Parade. The route for the 10 a.m. parade begins where Memorial Drive, University Avenue and La Mesa Boulevard meet. There’s even a throwback ice cream social at the Lookout, thanks to the city’s Community Relations and Veterans Commission

The second annual Julian Town Square Music Festival kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday with live shows from seven performers, including the Bree Jones Band and Gregory Page. Find the square at 2129 Main St. Stroll vendor booths at the free event featuring artisans, food and raffles too.

Still haven’t scheduled that big summer vacay? Try Seaport Village’s free Daycation celebration at 3 p.m. Saturday. Find live music, classic cars and kite flying on the bay plus a festival atmosphere, complete with balloon art, carousel rides and performers on stilts.

The 20th annual Encinitas Rotary Wine & Food Festival begins at 4 p.m. Saturday at Encinitas Ranch Golf Course, with vino and bites from nearly 60 local wineries and restaurants. Remaining tickets start at $150.

Runners have been rockin’ and rollin’ down San Diego streets for 25 years now. Celebrate the anniversary at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, as more than 25,000 runners are expected for the event’s three races – a 5K on Saturday and the half marathon and the marquee event, the full 26.2-mile distance, early Sunday morn. Entrants range in age from 18 to almost 80 and they’d love to hear you cheer them as they huff and puff along the way. Here’s how to head out to see them.

JFEST, AKA the Lipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival, returns for its 30th outing. The festival, in conjunction with the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in La Jolla, includes 15 events at eight venues through July 16. This weekend, at 2 p.m. Sunday, there’s Witnesses, winner of the 2023 San Diego Critics Circle awards for new production and direction. The musical, based on the diaries of Jewish youths as World War II neared, will be performed in concert. Very few tickets remain, and they start at $36.

It must be summer if there’s Shakespeare at the Old Globe. Previews open at 8 p.m. Sunday for the Globe’s run of the Bard’s Twelfth Night, directed by Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall. The play continues through July 9, after its official June 10 opening. Preview tickets start at $29.