thursday, oct. 27
Man of La Mancha
One of the great theater successes of our time, the show features a play-within-a-play, based on Cervantes’ Don Quixote . We have a poignant story of a dying old man whose impossible dream takes over his mind. “It’s All the Same,” “Dulcinea,” “I’m Only Thinking of Him,” “The Impossible Dream,” “I Really Like Him” and“Little Bird” remain in your thoughts and in your soul well after you see the show. His dream is every man’s dream. His tilting at windmills is every man’s great adventure. Man of La Mancha speaks for humankind.
Welk Theatre San Diego, 8860 Lawrence Welk Dr. in Escondido, performances 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., tickets from $44 (1 p.m.) and from $47 (8 p.m.), 888-802-7469, welktheatersandiego.com.
friday, oct. 28
San Diego’s only all outdoor haunted attraction
The Haunted Trail is a stroll through the park you will never forget. Enter the mile long Trail through the twisted grove of pines and gnarled oaks. Visitors watch your back, you’ll never know which way the terror will hit you. True to form, the Trail is not for children under 10 or the faint of heart. Experience an outdoor terror that is simply too big to house indoors. This year The Haunted Trail features an additional maze called “The eXperiment”. For five extra bones you can find out what happens when Mother Nature takes her eye off the ball for even just a second.
The Haunted Trail, Sixth and Juniper at Marston Point, just south of the Laurel Street Bridge in Balboa Park, 6:30 p.m. – 11:45 p.m., general admission is $17, 619-696-7227, hauntedhotel.com.
saturday, oct. 29
Bodybuilding championships
Bodybuilding.com presents the 2011 GNC NPC Border States Classic XXXIII Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Championships. See various categories of men’s and women’s bodybuilding including unlimited, novice and masters. Also see San Diego’s own transgender bodybuilder and fitness guru Chris Tina Bruce return to the bodybuilding stage as she becomes the first open transgender bodybuilding competitor to compete in her new gender. She will also be the first bodybuilding competitor to have competed both as a male and female.
Scottish Rite Event Center, 1895 Camino Del Rio South in San Diego, Finals 6:30 p.m., open seating $35, 310-796-9181, musclecontest.com.
sunday, oct. 30
Ghosts and Gravestones Night Tour
Hear stories of ghosts that haunt the ships at the Maritime Museum. Travel back in time and learn of the spirits of the notorious characters who lived and died in the Gaslamp Quarter. Journey through Old Town, walking through El Campo Santo cemetery and ending outside the Whaley House; both sites of many reported paranormal occurrences. Dying to take a ride on the dark side? Reserve a plot today.
Tours begin at Old Town Market Courtyards, 4010 Twiggs St. in Old Town, tickets $22.50, call 619-298-8687 to confirm time, ghostsandgravestones.com.
monday, oct. 31
Dare you visit The Scream Zone
This Halloween experience San Diego’s largest and scariest haunted attraction, The Scream Zone at the Del Mar “Scaregrounds.” The Scream Zone features a huge House of Horror with rooms filled with terrifying scenes and scares lurking at every turn, a one-of-a-kind Haunted Hayride through the haunted barns on the racetrack and The Chamber with the largest spinning tunnel in San Diego.
The Del Mar “Scaregrounds”, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. in Del Mar, 7-11 p.m., Triple (combo) haunt: House of Horror, Haunted Hayride and The Chamber – $27.99, 858-755-1161, thescreamzone.com.
tuesday, nov. 1
Día de los Muertos celebration
Old Town San Diego’s Día de los Muertos is designed to celebrate the history, culture, and heritage of the region. Old Town’s legacy of being predominantly Mexican, Spanish, Native American and a general melting pot, makes it the best site in San Diego to hold this special and beloved celebration. Forty local businesses, museums and shops will create traditional Día de los Muertos altars to offer a unique free Tour of the Altars that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Businesses will also provide a variety of entertainment with music, complimentary hot cocoa and other traditional treats. Workshops with everything from sugar skull decoration to mini take-home altars, skull face painting and more will be available for visitors to take part in. Free lectures and presentations will be held daily at the Adobe Chapel as well.
Old Town San Diego, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., free, 619-297-9327, oldtownsandiegoguide.com.
wednesday, nov. 2
Infinite Balance: Artists and the Environment
Infinite Balance is the first U.S. presentation of artists shortlisted for the Prix Pictet, the world’s top prize for photography and sustainability. The exhibition will showcase noted contemporary photographers from across the globe, including Sammy Baloji, Edward Burtynsky, Thomas Joshua Cooper, Susan Derges, Naoya Hatakeyama, Chris Jordan and Michael Wolf. The exhibition brings together three years of internationally-acclaimed and award-winning photography, all set on addressing the issues of our changing world and sustainability.
Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado in Balboa Park, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., admission $8, 619-238-7559, mopa.org.
