San Diego Weekend Guide: March 17-19 – St. Patrick’s Day edition

Don your best green duds Friday (and longer) this San Diego weekend, which is proving to be a beer-y one as well. Raise a glass full of green suds for St. Patrick’s Day and to your favorite furry friend.

Just who was this St. Patrick we celebrate each year? Why, the patron saint of Ireland, he is (and yet, somehow March 17 is known for green beer and drunken revels. Hmmm). Anyhoo, here’s where to go for whichever type of revel you prefer:

• The St. Paddy’s O’Beach Party in Ocean Beach features live music, games and contests along with performances by Peach Cooler, Jungle Fire and Kat Hall, beginning at 1 p.m. and continuing into the night Friday and Saturday off the Newport Avenue pier parking lot. General admission costs $20.
• ShamROCK San Diego St. Patrick’s Day Festival returns to the Gaslamp Quarter at 4 p.m. Friday. Walk the green carpet to find entertainment on three stages, traditional Irish steppers, Celtic rock bands and more on F Street between Fourth and Sixth avenues. General admission starts at $49.

If BTS, Blackpink and Girls Generation are your go-tos on the music scene, K-PLAY! FEST, billed as the first fan-hosted K-POP event, is just for you. The to-do, at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday, includes card decoration and trading zones, dance-play sessions and K-pop creators along with fan artists. Two-day passes cost $40.

The Barks and Brews Festival returns to Waterfront Park at 12:30 Saturday, with craft beer tastings, food and San Diego Bay as a backdrop for the celebration of our canine besties. Contests include best dressed and most talented. Admission starts at $43.

Need a taste of aughts hiphop? Head to downtown’s Parq Nightclub to see rapper (lately more of a producer and actor) 50 Cent at 9 p.m. Saturday. His hits include “In da Club” and “21 Questions.” Tickets start at $66.

The good folks in Rolando celebrate the 25th anniversary of their community street fair at 10 a.m. Sunday. The (mostly) free event features performances from San Diego faves B-Side Players and Whitney Shay. It also includes a $5 kids zone with inflatables, climbing walls, games and crafts, beer garden, more than 100 vendor booths and goodies from local food trucks and restaurants.

Get a jump on Easter, two weeks from Sunday, with the free Pysanka Festival at Balboa Park’s Hall of Nations. At the House of Ukraine, see how Ukrainian easter eggs are made, view pysanka exhibits and buy pysanka and other Ukrainian souvenirs. It’s interactive too – help your youngsters craft their own at the activity corner.