SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — As the weather drenched San Diego County Friday, some businesses in downtown San Diego were left with empty outdoor patios during the day, although some still seeing a steady stream of customers arriving for the scheduled Padres game against the Dodgers.
“We would definitely be a lot busier right now, especially since we can't even seat our patio,” said Ivan Munoz, a chef at Moonshine Flats and Lucky’s Breakfast.
“We have a lot of people in town just for the game, so I think the night venues will do just fine.”
“In the past, when there's a game postponed because for rain, we thought ‘oh that's it, we're done for the night’, not at all, everyone was still in town, they had come from out of town to see the game,” said Anna Disipio, Bar Manager at The Blind Burro.
The Padres game was not canceled Friday as downtown started drying out in the late afternoon, but the heavy rain and wind did cause disruptions to several planned events.
The San Diego Festival of the Arts has officially been canceled, a difficult decision as 175 artists were set to participate, and more than 6,000 attendees were expected over the two-day event, according to the festival co-director Don Ludwig.
“We've been doing it for 35 years, without any of this kind of incident to occur, and low and behold, in September in San Diego,” said Ludwig.
The festival generates funding for local programs supporting San Diegans with disabilities. Ticket holders can choose to receive a refund or donate the ticket cost to benefit the foundation.
“When you have 175 artists with all of their artwork and their tents, safety became an issue for us, when we saw wind conditions, maybe up to 50 miles per hour gusts, rain half an inch or more, that put it in perspective,” he said.
Escondido's Crusin Grand has also been canceled Friday, a hit for local businesses. Still, the city's historic Grape Day Festival planned for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is expected to go on.
“We're going ahead rain or shine,” said Samantha Nawrocki, event coordinator. “We've got a huge arts and crafts area, wine and beer tasting garden, a big kids area with animals and pony rides.”
She said they would play it by ear and have covered areas and plan to bring in tents as needed.
