SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego celebrates with love of comic books, buskers, and science this weekend.
San Diego Comic Fest promises all of the appeal of Comic-Con International with none of the rush, as this smaller comic event packs all the science fiction and comic book fun as the annual summer event.
The Spring Home Garden Show returns to the Del Mar Fairgrounds with tons of ideas for your yard and home in the season ahead, plus free workshops, a koi show, and more springtime festivities.
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Seaport Village celebrates street performers from around the world during the Spring Busker Festival. Head over to the bayside village to see astounding acts and shows by some unique talents.
And San Diegans can learn all about STEM sciences through free activities at Petco Park during the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering.
THURSDAY
San Diego Comic Fest
Where: Four Points Hotel; Cost: $7.50 - $50
(Thursday - Sunday) Indulge in your love of comic books, film, and science fiction at San Diego Comic Fest (think a more intimate version of San Diego's Comic-Con International). Comic Fest will several famous names in the world of comics and science fiction, like Bill Sienkiewicz, J. Michael Straczynski, and several others; panels; exhibitor displays; art; and more.
Circus Vargas
Where: Westfield Mission Valley; Cost: $17 - $72
(Thursday - Sunday) Take your kids to the Big Top for a weekend packed with circus action as Circus Vargas hits Westfield Mission Valley. Acrobats, daredevils, and flying trapeze artists will perform to audiences' delight, recreating circus feats from the past for a new audience.
FRIDAY
Bike the Boulevard
Where: Alabama St. & El Cajon Blvd.; Cost: Free
Help usher in the new bike lanes on El Cajon Blvd. with a night of riding and comedy acts along the route during Bike the BLVD. The six-mile ride will give riders plenty of options to stop for drinks, music, and prizes, during this family-friendly event.
Spring Home Garden Show
Where: Del Mar Fairgrounds; Cost: Free - $8
(Friday - Sunday) The famous Spring Home Garden Show returns to the Del Mar Fairgrounds this weekend, packed with design ideas, home-improvement experts, and products to help you spruce up your home this season.
SATURDAY
San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering
Where: Petco Park; Cost: Free
(Saturday - Sunday) Petco Park will be transformed into one of the largest one-day science expos in the U.S. on Saturday, featuring more than 130 exhibits with hands-on learning opportunities and experiments for kids. Better yet, admission is free.
Spring Busker Festival
Where: Seaport Village; Cost: Free
(Saturday - Sunday) Southern California's only Busker (street performer) festival returns to Seaport Village, where guests can watch professional performers from across the country display bizarre talents from sword swallowing and knife throwing to pogo stick tricks and juggling on unicycles.
Open House! San Diego
Where: San Diego History Center; Cost: Free
(Friday - Saturday) The San Diego History Center is offering free tours of its research archives, including a look at rare architectural resources, and its collection of original blueprints and plans. Saturday, the center will offer tours at the Junípero Serra Museum grounds.
SUNDAY
International Mariachi Festival
Where: Bayside Park; Cost: $5 - $100
Enjoy a day filled with music and dancing, Mexican arts and culture displays, delicious foods, and family entertainment during the International Mariachi Festival, featuring traditional ballet folkloric dancing along with mariachi music across two stages.
Carlsbad Flower Fields
Where: The Flower Fields; Cost: $9 - $24
Carlsbad's famed flower fields are open for the season! Peruse through 50 acres of beautiful variations of Ranunculus flowers, an artists garden, floral displays, and more.
That '70s Car Show
Where: San Diego Automotive Museum; Cost: $6 - $12
(Thursday - Sunday) Check out the defining era of automobiles that was the 1970s in a new exhibit at the San Diego Automotive Museum. From social changes to political upheaval to technology, the 70s had a profound impact on the automotive industry and U.S. manufacturing. See how the past's innovations fueled what we drive today.