🌊 What's Happening in North County This Weekend

Honor Bar is open at 1404 Camino Del Mar, walk-ins only and entirely cashless. Smart casual dress code, no hoodies or gym wear.

The Longboard Club's beach festival takes over the Amphitheater below the Oceanside Pier all weekend, with heats running Friday through Sunday and finals on Sunday.

Friday is stacked around North County: free shows at B.I.G. at Calavera Hills in Carlsbad 6-8pm and We The Commas at Carlsbad Village Books 4-7pm, plus Atomic Groove's ticketed happy hour at Belly Up in Solana Beach from 5pm.

Flicks at the Fountain: Superman | Fountain Parking Lot, State St & Grand Ave, Carlsbad | Seating 6pm, film at dusk
Carlsbad's outdoor movie series closes out with Superman, James Gunn's 2025 film. Bring a blanket or low chair and get there early for a good spot. Boys & Girls Clubs of Carlsbad runs Superman-themed crafts before the film starts. details

Sunset Market | S Tremont St & Pier View Way, Oceanside | 5–9pm
Oceanside closes off a few blocks downtown for this every Thursday night. Food stalls running just about every cuisine, produce, craft vendors, and a couple of stages with live music. Free to walk through, and it's the closest thing North County has to a weekly street party. details

Del Mar Racing, Free & Easy Thursday | Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar | Gates 12pm, first post 2pm
Thursdays are the cheap day at the track. Sign up for the free Diamond Club membership in the Del Mar app and your admission, program, and seat are all covered, plus $5 drafts and Brandt Beef hot dogs at select stands. Eight races on the card. details

Start Making Sense (Talking Heads Tribute) | Belly Up, 143 S Cedros Ave, Solana Beach | 8pm
This Talking Heads tribute band plays the catalog straight through, no reinterpretation, just the songs done right down to the big suit energy. Tickets run $25, and it's a Thursday crowd, so parking around Cedros is easier than the weekend. details

Oceanside Longboard Surfing Club Contest & Beach Festival | Oceanside Pier & Amphitheater, Oceanside | All day, runs Fri–Sun 8/7–8/9
The club's 41st annual contest, dating back to 1985, brings heats off the pier all weekend with a beach festival at the Amphitheater alongside it. Free to watch from the sand or the pier rail, no ticket needed. details

We The Commas | Carlsbad Village Books, Carlsbad | 4–7pm
Three brothers from Carlsbad playing surf alt R&B in the aisles of a bookstore on a Friday afternoon. No stage, no cover, and the shop fills up fast once they start playing. details

B.I.G. TGIF Concert in the Parks | Calavera Hills Community Park, 2997 Glasgow Dr, Carlsbad | Gates 4pm, show 6–8pm
Part of Carlsbad's free summer concert series, this one with B.I.G., an R&B and funk band. These shows draw a crowd before the music starts, so set up early. Pop-up art and family activities run alongside the concert. details

Atomic Groove Happy Hour | Belly Up, 143 S Cedros Ave, Solana Beach | 5pm
Atomic Groove's happy hour has turned into a standing Friday ritual on Cedros. Funk and soul starting at 5, $12 in advance or $14 at the door, wrapped up early enough that most people are out and headed to dinner by 7. details

Cruisin' Grand | Maple Street Plaza, Grand Ave, Escondido | 5pm
Pre-1974 hotrods, muscle cars, and customs line Grand Avenue every Friday through September, owners parked next to their own cars swapping stories. Live music and DJs work the block, and it's free to walk the whole strip. details

Scapin | North Coast Rep, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Dr, Solana Beach | 8pm
Molière's comedy of trickery adapted by Bill Irwin and Mark O'Donnell into something faster and more physical than the original. North Coast Rep has extended the run through August 23, with matinee and evening options on weekends and tickets in the $40-70 range. details

Del Mar Turf & Surf Festival | Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar | 2pm
A new one on the calendar this year, pairing a full racing card with a Maine lobster cookout on the infield. The lobster steams on-site next to Brandt Beef steak, and the card includes the Yellow Ribbon and Best Pal Stakes. details

Independence Saturday, Native Californians | 1883 Schoolhouse, 390 W F St, Encinitas | 10am–2pm
The Encinitas Historical Society runs these hands-on Saturdays at the old schoolhouse, and this one focuses on Native Californians. Activities are built for ages 6 through 106, and it's free thanks to a grant from the Encinitas Fund. Easy one to bring kids to. details

Kenny Hale, The Music of Neil Diamond | The Grand Ritz Theater, 301 E Grand Ave, Escondido | 7pm
A Neil Diamond tribute leaning on the songs everyone already knows, Sweet Caroline and Cracklin' Rosie and Forever in Blue Jeans. The Ritz is the restored old theater on Grand, and doors open an hour before the show. Tickets start around $68. details

Old 97's + River Shook | Belly Up, 143 S Cedros Ave, Solana Beach | 9pm
Old 97's have been playing 'Timebomb' and 'Question' since the 90s, and this crowd still shouts every chorus back at them. River Shook opens, tickets are $35. details

Pablo Francisco | Grand Comedy Club & Pizzeria, 200 E Via Rancho Pkwy #125, Escondido | 6:30pm & 8:45pm
Pablo Francisco built his name on MADtv and a string of Comedy Central specials, known for rapid-fire impressions and voices that jump characters mid-sentence. Two shows, early and late, tickets from $17 with a 2-item minimum per person. details

Crumbl Free Dirty Soda (Last Day) | Crumbl locations, North County | Through Saturday 8/8
Free dirty soda, no purchase needed, just pull up the app at the counter before it ends Saturday. Every North County Crumbl location is running it. details

Del Mar Racing, POP-Up Sundays | Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar | Gates 12pm, first post 2pm
Sunday is the family day at the track, with POP-Up Sundays set up alongside nine races. The Sorrento Stakes is the feature, a Grade III. Gates open at noon if you want time to get settled before the first post. details

Fox Point Farms: Threads of the Land | Fox Point Farms, 1200 Fox Point Farms Ln, Encinitas | 4–8pm
Evening sustainable fashion show honoring Miguel Angel Uribe Jacobo, an Encinitas farming legend. Designers working in Indigenous and Mexican cultural traditions present pieces connecting clothing, land, and heritage. details

Fabulous Thunderbirds | Belly Up, 143 S Cedros Ave, Solana Beach | 8pm
Texas blues-rock band behind 'Tuff Enuff' and 'Wrap It Up,' with a catalog running back to the late 1970s. Kim Wilson still fronts the band and plays harp himself, closing out a heavy week of Belly Up shows. Tickets are $35. details

Vista: 8am-12pm | County Courthouse lot | details

Cardiff: 10am-2pm | MiraCosta Campus | details

Del Mar: 12pm-4pm | Civic Center | details

Rancho Santa Fe: 9:30am-2pm | Del Rayo Shopping Center | details

Encinitas: 10am-2pm | Paul Ecke Elementary | details

Solana Beach: 12pm-4pm | Cedros Avenue | details