Cellist Lars Hoefs and pianist Aline Alves come back to Southern California from Brazil, presenting their Villa-Lobos Festival. They will play music by a range of Latin American composers in this three concert series. This year's festival kicks off with the “A Pasch Premiere - Three Friends in Rio," performed by the Blue Rose Trio. The Blue Rose Trio consists of Rose Chen on piano, Karl Pasch on clarinet, and Lars Hoefs on cello. Aline Alves will be featured on piano.

Native culture and artistry take center stage at the Pechanga Pow Wow, returning to the Summit Events Center January 9–11, 2026. Pow wows, by definition, are Native American gatherings where American Indians sing, dance, reconnect with old friends, and celebrate their rich ancestral histories. Pechanga’s free, three-day event hosts hundreds of tribes from across the U.S. and Canada to showcase unique styles of dance, song, and tribal traditions from their respective regions. Enjoy performances, Native American food, artisan crafts, and fireworks for an interactive cultural event for all ages.

Join us for the official Book Launch Event & Birthday Celebration for Jorge Xolalpa's highly anticipated memoir, Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá: A Soul Suspended Between Two Worlds. This unforgettable evening will feature an intimate conversation with Jorge, a meet & greet, and the opportunity to receive a personally signed copy of his book with every ticket purchase. Part memoir, part movement, Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá is Jorge’s most vulnerable work yet — a story of identity, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of belonging. Come celebrate not just the book, but the man who turned his struggle into art, and his dreams into legacy. Let’s make this night one to remember — for Jorge’s journey, his birthday, and for every s

In this hands-on workshop, you will learn all about miso, a magical fermented bean paste that originated in Japan many centuries ago. Miso is full of umami and is used to flavor everything from soups to marinades and salad dressings, stir-fries, to eggs. Includes your own take-home jar of miso! Learn: We will talk about the history of miso, its many different forms, and then make a large batch using various legumes. Taste: You’ll get to taste various misos to understand the fermentation process. Do: You’ll get to pack a mason jar full of miso to take home (but you’ll have to wait a year to eat it)! Eat: Then we’ll enjoy one of the most popular miso dishes– homemade miso soup!

Native culture and artistry take center stage at the Pechanga Pow Wow, returning to the Summit Events Center January 9–11, 2026. Pow wows, by definition, are Native American gatherings where American Indians sing, dance, reconnect with old friends, and celebrate their rich ancestral histories. Pechanga’s free, three-day event hosts hundreds of tribes from across the U.S. and Canada to showcase unique styles of dance, song, and tribal traditions from their respective regions. Enjoy performances, Native American food, artisan crafts, and fireworks for an interactive cultural event for all ages.

Native culture and artistry take center stage at the Pechanga Pow Wow, returning to the Summit Events Center January 9–11, 2026. Pow wows, by definition, are Native American gatherings where American Indians sing, dance, reconnect with old friends, and celebrate their rich ancestral histories. Pechanga’s free, three-day event hosts hundreds of tribes from across the U.S. and Canada to showcase unique styles of dance, song, and tribal traditions from their respective regions. Enjoy performances, Native American food, artisan crafts, and fireworks for an interactive cultural event for all ages.

You’re cordially invited to join us, along with your friends and our esteemed community partners, for a delightful gathering. Come to the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre and be among the first to catch glimpses of the captivating SDIJFF films selected for the festival by viewing film trailers. Stay a while longer and indulge in a nosh! Admission Cost: Complimentary Tickets, Obtain Online Location: JCC David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre 4126 Executive Drive San Diego, CA Sunday, January 11 - 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM  

Join us for an exciting in-person workshop where you'll dive into the beautiful sounds of Kulintang! Learn directly from Master Artist Farid Guinomla as he shares his skills and stories. Whether you're new or experienced, this is your chance to explore this unique musical tradition. Limited Sarunay (mini kulintang instruments) available. Bring your own if possible! Hosted by Samahan Filipino American Performing Arts & Education Center, this workshop is part of an ongoing effort to preserve, honor, and share Indigenous Filipino musical traditions.

Our festival features great local attendance, a catered opening gala, a filmmaker networking event, filmmaker activities, our catered Saturday party, panel discussions, a red carpet event, a catered award ceremony, a catered filmmaker’s lounge, and so much more. Our model is “traditional film festival.” Old school. We’re a bunch of film lovers that prioritize gathering together to watch and talk about truly independent movies and having a good time doing it. We ain’t fancy, but we’re earnest. It’s the best way to fest! Join us! Festival Schedule

Drummers representing different parts of the world will all be coming together to feature music from west Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

A sensational premiere! Nothing like this has ever been made in Ukraine. A festival triumph and the directorial debut of Pavlo Ostrikov — "You Are the Universe"! A Ukrainian space trucker, Andriy, transports nuclear waste from Earth to Jupiter’s moon. But after Earth unexpectedly explodes, its fragments destroying everything in their path, Andriy becomes the last human in the universe.

Our festival features great local attendance, a catered opening gala, a filmmaker networking event, filmmaker activities, our catered Saturday party, panel discussions, a red carpet event, a catered award ceremony, a catered filmmaker’s lounge, and so much more. Our model is “traditional film festival.” Old school. We’re a bunch of film lovers that prioritize gathering together to watch and talk about truly independent movies and having a good time doing it. We ain’t fancy, but we’re earnest. It’s the best way to fest! Join us! Festival Schedule

At its heart, Chinese education is an exam system. What makes this system distinctive? “The Highest Exam” traces its origins in imperial China and its evolution into today’s national college entrance exam, showing how it became deeply woven into governance, family life and social values. Drawing on both personal experience and statistical evidence, the authors show how individual destinies are tied to a larger system that functions like a centralized, hierarchical tournament.

BIG Salsa & Bachata Festival San Diego is a three day latin dance event featuring some of the greatest names in performing arts! Come to San Diego, California and enjoy the BIG Salsa Festival in the west coast! BIG Salsa Festival San Diego is a three day latin event featuring some of the greatest names in performing arts and music! Each day is packed with dance classes, amazing performances, and latin dance parties into the early morning hours. Once you experience BIG Salsa Festival, it will surely become one of the premier events your look forward to every year. If you've always wanted to learn how to dance, this is the perfect begining. If you are looking to improve and advance your techniques, BIG San Diego offers classes for beginners, challenges for the advanced, and everything in between. Come learn from the best the world and our local community has to offer and enjoy The BIG Salsa Festival San Diego. Opening night will be held at the Sevilla Night Club, 353 Fifth Ave.

Our festival features great local attendance, a catered opening gala, a filmmaker networking event, filmmaker activities, our catered Saturday party, panel discussions, a red carpet event, a catered award ceremony, a catered filmmaker’s lounge, and so much more. Our model is “traditional film festival.” Old school. We’re a bunch of film lovers that prioritize gathering together to watch and talk about truly independent movies and having a good time doing it. We ain’t fancy, but we’re earnest. It’s the best way to fest! Join us! Festival Schedule

Cellist Lars Hoefs and pianist Aline Alves come back to Southern California from Brazil, presenting their Villa-Lobos Festival. They will play music by a range of Latin American composers in this three concert series. The second concert of this year's festival, “Brazilian Poetry, Eyes of the Beloved, and Bachianas Mexicanas," will feature a variety of musicians and instruments including: Daniel Parente, soprano, Daniel Kamon on saxophone, Ching-Ming Cheng on piano, Lars Hoefs on cello, Aline Alves performing poetry recitation, and Venus Rey Jr., a visiting composer and speaker.

BIG Salsa & Bachata Festival San Diego is a three day latin dance event featuring some of the greatest names in performing arts! Come to San Diego, California and enjoy the BIG Salsa Festival in the west coast! BIG Salsa Festival San Diego is a three day latin event featuring some of the greatest names in performing arts and music! Each day is packed with dance classes, amazing performances, and latin dance parties into the early morning hours. Once you experience BIG Salsa Festival, it will surely become one of the premier events your look forward to every year. If you've always wanted to learn how to dance, this is the perfect begining. If you are looking to improve and advance your techniques, BIG San Diego offers classes for beginners, challenges for the advanced, and everything in between. Come learn from the best the world and our local community has to offer and enjoy The BIG Salsa Festival San Diego. Opening night will be held at the Sevilla Night Club, 353 Fifth Ave.

A young single father trying to find the strength to love. A feminist librarian, single by conviction, who’s decided that she won’t be a mother. A six-year-old child trying to find a place in a new family structure. By revealing their aspirations, their fears, their choices, writer/director Carine Tardieu depicts different ways in which humans create families. Based on the novel L’Intimité by Alice Ferney.

Poignantly rooted in John E. Dowell’s haunting photography of South Carolina cotton fields, COTTON explores an African American narrative of past and present, from rural Southern fields where enslaved people were forced to labor on the land, to the concrete canyons of New York City. Acclaimed Philadelphia artist John Dowell felt called by his grandmother in a dream to travel to the cotton fields in South Carolina, where his ancestors had likely been enslaved. Thus he began an exploration and journey deep into the world of cotton, where for over a decade, he produced a body of amazing and evocative work. Dowell’s work explores African American ancestral survival strategies and resilience in penetrating super-imposed images, and looks at the wealth of this nation through the lens of the cotton industry.

Anne Frank was only 15 years old when she died in a Nazi concentration camp. After the war, her father found her diary in the attic where they managed to hide for 2 years and 2 months. In that time, Anne managed to write an account of her life, her feelings, and her thoughts. Please join us as we recount her, and the entire Frank family's story, In the words of a young girl growing up in the madness of war and hate, this is a story of life, loss, and confusion, underlying with a feeling of love and always hope. We wish you will join us.

The Center for World Music's  Global Stage 2026 Passport Concert Series kicks off with a concert by the Zimbawean group Mbira Bhururu. Experience the rich cultural and musical heritage of Zimbabwe through the traditional sounds of the mbira (Zimbabwean “thumb piano”), accompanied by the rhythmic pulse of hosho shakers. Played for over a thousand years, the mbira has been central to Shona spiritual ceremonies, storytelling, and community gatherings. The ensemble Mbira Bhururu offers audiences an exploration of the instrument’s intricate layered melodies, the interplay between rhythm and tune, and the ways music fosters cultural continuity and connection to ancestry. During the audience Q&A following the concert, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with the musicians, learning about Zimbabwean musical traditions and the ways these artists carry forward a centuries-old cultural legacy.

Bobby is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on MADtv, and he co-starred in the ABC single-camera sitcom series Splitting Up Together alongside Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson between 2018 and 2019. Lee has also appeared in the films Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), Pineapple Express (2008), and The Dictator (2012). He had a guest appearance as the cynical, burned-out Dr. Kang on FX on Hulu’s TV comedy series Reservation Dogs

Our festival features great local attendance, a catered opening gala, a filmmaker networking event, filmmaker activities, our catered Saturday party, panel discussions, a red carpet event, a catered award ceremony, a catered filmmaker’s lounge, and so much more. Our model is “traditional film festival.” Old school. We’re a bunch of film lovers that prioritize gathering together to watch and talk about truly independent movies and having a good time doing it. We ain’t fancy, but we’re earnest. It’s the best way to fest! Join us! Festival Schedule

You might not know the name Tyrus Wong, but you probably know many of the images he shaped, including the beloved Disney classic Bambi. Despite entering the US as child during Chinese Exclusion, Tyrus Wong went on create some of America’s best loved imagery. Come hear film scholar and author Karen Fang discuss her book, Background Artist: The Life and Work of Tyrus Wong, which tells the inspiring story of the Chinese immigrant, centenarian, and Disney Legend whose art countered Exclusion injustice by finding American communities that welcomed him and celebrated his unique artistic talent.

BIG Salsa & Bachata Festival San Diego is a three day latin dance event featuring some of the greatest names in performing arts! Come to San Diego, California and enjoy the BIG Salsa Festival in the west coast! BIG Salsa Festival San Diego is a three day latin event featuring some of the greatest names in performing arts and music! Each day is packed with dance classes, amazing performances, and latin dance parties into the early morning hours. Once you experience BIG Salsa Festival, it will surely become one of the premier events your look forward to every year. If you've always wanted to learn how to dance, this is the perfect begining. If you are looking to improve and advance your techniques, BIG San Diego offers classes for beginners, challenges for the advanced, and everything in between. Come learn from the best the world and our local community has to offer and enjoy The BIG Salsa Festival San Diego. Opening night will be held at the Sevilla Night Club, 353 Fifth Ave.

Anne Frank was only 15 years old when she died in a Nazi concentration camp. After the war, her father found her diary in the attic where they managed to hide for 2 years and 2 months. In that time, Anne managed to write an account of her life, her feelings, and her thoughts. Please join us as we recount her, and the entire Frank family's story, In the words of a young girl growing up in the madness of war and hate, this is a story of life, loss, and confusion, underlying with a feeling of love and always hope. We wish you will join us.

Bodhi Tree Concerts presents the World Premiere of the Bilingual Chamber Opera by Pulitzer Prize- Winning Composer Anthony Davis in San Diego and Tijuana in January 2026. Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote, based on a book by Mexican American children’s author Duncan Tonatiuh, addresses themes of love of family, cultural traditions, and long, difficult journeys. See it here first, before the rest of the world

Persian Music Recital Setar Students of Kourosh Taghavi

Bobby is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on MADtv, and he co-starred in the ABC single-camera sitcom series Splitting Up Together alongside Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson between 2018 and 2019. Lee has also appeared in the films Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), Pineapple Express (2008), and The Dictator (2012). He had a guest appearance as the cynical, burned-out Dr. Kang on FX on Hulu’s TV comedy series Reservation Dogs

Janesh Rahlan is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer based in LA. He’s performed at clubs across the country, including San Francisco Punch Line, The Comedy Store and Chicago Laugh Factory. He’s worked with comics such as Kumail Nanjiani, Atsuko Okatsuka, Josh Johnson, Jeff Ross, Cedric the Entertainer, and Jesus Trejo. His comedy touches upon his immigrant upbringing and aggressively millennial persona.

Amigos! Our next BIG SHOW: the best mariachi in the world, back in San Diego, supporting mariachi education and scholarships.

Bobby is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on MADtv, and he co-starred in the ABC single-camera sitcom series Splitting Up Together alongside Jenna Fischer and Oliver Hudson between 2018 and 2019. Lee has also appeared in the films Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), Pineapple Express (2008), and The Dictator (2012). He had a guest appearance as the cynical, burned-out Dr. Kang on FX on Hulu’s TV comedy series Reservation Dogs

Our festival features great local attendance, a catered opening gala, a filmmaker networking event, filmmaker activities, our catered Saturday party, panel discussions, a red carpet event, a catered award ceremony, a catered filmmaker’s lounge, and so much more. Our model is “traditional film festival.” Old school. We’re a bunch of film lovers that prioritize gathering together to watch and talk about truly independent movies and having a good time doing it. We ain’t fancy, but we’re earnest. It’s the best way to fest! Join us! Festival Schedule

BIG Salsa & Bachata Festival San Diego is a three day latin dance event featuring some of the greatest names in performing arts! Come to San Diego, California and enjoy the BIG Salsa Festival in the west coast! BIG Salsa Festival San Diego is a three day latin event featuring some of the greatest names in performing arts and music! Each day is packed with dance classes, amazing performances, and latin dance parties into the early morning hours. Once you experience BIG Salsa Festival, it will surely become one of the premier events your look forward to every year. If you've always wanted to learn how to dance, this is the perfect begining. If you are looking to improve and advance your techniques, BIG San Diego offers classes for beginners, challenges for the advanced, and everything in between. Come learn from the best the world and our local community has to offer and enjoy The BIG Salsa Festival San Diego. Opening night will be held at the Sevilla Night Club, 353 Fifth Ave.

The 44th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade is filled with dazzling floats, phenomenal High School Bands, Drill Teams, Colleges/Universities, Fraternities, Sororities, Churches, Peace and Youth organizations. This year's parade will feature a MLK 5k Walk/Fun Run and Festival. For more information on the 5K and festival, follow the links below. Join your community and help continue the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This event supports scholarship opportunities for the youth of San Diego

Tasty treats abound in this culinary adventure around San Diego - join YPAC for a tour of some of the best Asian food our city has to offer!

Anne Frank was only 15 years old when she died in a Nazi concentration camp. After the war, her father found her diary in the attic where they managed to hide for 2 years and 2 months. In that time, Anne managed to write an account of her life, her feelings, and her thoughts. Please join us as we recount her, and the entire Frank family's story, In the words of a young girl growing up in the madness of war and hate, this is a story of life, loss, and confusion, underlying with a feeling of love and always hope. We wish you will join us.

Theater: This Is Not an Immigrant Story After taking her five-year-old son on a “vacation” that lasts several years, Reza Salazar’s young mom finds herself in a foreign land with nowhere to go and no money to pay for childcare. She paints a circle on his nose, then on her own, and they begin their lives as clowns performing on the streets to survive. This Is Not an Immigrant Story is a remarkable solo performance told through the lens of Reza's memories as he excavates, integrates, and makes meaningful sense of the events that shaped his personal and artistic journey. A coming-of-age story about growing up together, Reza explores trauma, resilience, and love through humor, compassion, and arresting physicality.

Whether performing on the National Mall in DC for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival or in the foothills of the Himalayas in Pakistan for 10,000 people, Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East creates hypnotic rhythms that intertwine with Hindustani vocals, saxophone, and guitar. Drawing from his family’s immigration story, Jain recasts the immigrant as the modern-day cowboy and cowgirl, inspired by Bollywood classics, Spaghetti Westerns, Punjabi folk traditions, jazz improvisation, and rollicking psychedelic styles

Martin Luther King Jr is one of the most respected African-American leaders in history, this celebration is to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Even today his messages keep being relevant in the United States of America and all around the world. Worldbeat Cultural Center, located in Balboa Park, is celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr with a family event with live music, guest speakers, vendors, and more. Featured Guests Native American Drum & Dance Aztec Drum and Dance African Drum and Dance Sankoh and the Rockaway Kings Sol Remedy Fre3sty13

"The Tragedy of Macbeth" is one of William Shakespeare's darkest tragedies, exploring the destructive effects of political ambition, guilt, and paranoia. Patrick McBride is our director.

Nimesh S. Patel is an American comedian and television writer. In 2017, he became the first Indian American writer on Saturday Night Live.

Anne Frank was only 15 years old when she died in a Nazi concentration camp. After the war, her father found her diary in the attic where they managed to hide for 2 years and 2 months. In that time, Anne managed to write an account of her life, her feelings, and her thoughts. Please join us as we recount her, and the entire Frank family's story, In the words of a young girl growing up in the madness of war and hate, this is a story of life, loss, and confusion, underlying with a feeling of love and always hope. We wish you will join us.

The Holding Company in Ocean Beach will host a historic celebration honoring the 40th Anniversary of Trade Roots Reggae, the landmark reggae shop whose influence helped shape the cultural soundtrack of San Diego. Founded in 1985 by Elliot Leib and Renee Romano, Trade Roots emerged as a vital hub for what was then a radical and deeply countercultural sound. More than just a record store, Trade Roots became a conduit for reggae’s spirit of resilience, identity, and cultural resistance—at a time when San Diego was undergoing rapid change.

Regional Mexican artists Luis Angel "El Flaco" and Julio Preciado will blend their incredible banda sounds for an exciting show.

Flip the projector switch at the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival in San Diego, CA, where the best Jewish-related films are showcased in many genres to educate and illuminate through independent narrative, evocative, and documentary films. If you can’t wait to view prestigious films, then hurry to the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival.

What Don't You See? Reflections on San Diego's Little Italy Join us for an illuminating exploration of Italian identity and topography in San Diego with distinguished UCSD Professor of Italian and Comparative Literature Pasquale Verdicchio, PhD. Drawing from his extensive research, Professor Verdicchio’s presentation will discuss the Italian diaspora, the history of San Diego's Italian community and the changes that the neighborhood now known as Little Italy has undergone throughout time. Photography plays a major role in communicating changes to communities, their design and role as communal spaces. This dialogue will take place around a series of photographs that by our direct experience and communal memory might begin to create a context of enquiry. What is visible or hidden, what is there to re-discover in today’s Little Italy. How is its immigrant and working class history remembered or acknowledged, and what are the signs we might look for during a visit. Don't miss this opportunity to engage with one of the region's leading scholars in Italian cultural studies and contribute to the ongoing dialogue about identity, migration and cultural transformation in our city.

Anne Frank was only 15 years old when she died in a Nazi concentration camp. After the war, her father found her diary in the attic where they managed to hide for 2 years and 2 months. In that time, Anne managed to write an account of her life, her feelings, and her thoughts. Please join us as we recount her, and the entire Frank family's story, In the words of a young girl growing up in the madness of war and hate, this is a story of life, loss, and confusion, underlying with a feeling of love and always hope. We wish you will join us.

Flip the projector switch at the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival in San Diego, CA, where the best Jewish-related films are showcased in many genres to educate and illuminate through independent narrative, evocative, and documentary films. If you can’t wait to view prestigious films, then hurry to the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival.

Get ready for a passionate night of Flamenco! Join us in person at Charade Speakeasy for an unforgettable experience filled with fiery guitar riffs, soulful singing, and mesmerizing dance. It’s all about the raw emotions and intimate vibes that only a live Flamenco show can deliver. Come soak in the rhythm, the energy, and the magic of Flamenco Intimo at Charade —you won't want to miss it!

Flip the projector switch at the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival in San Diego, CA, where the best Jewish-related films are showcased in many genres to educate and illuminate through independent narrative, evocative, and documentary films. If you can’t wait to view prestigious films, then hurry to the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival.

Cellist Lars Hoefs and pianist Aline Alves come back to Southern California from Brazil, presenting their Villa-Lobos Festival. They will play music by a range of Latin American composers in this three concert series. This year's finale, "The Pride of the Caribbean and Spanish Flair," is a celebration of strings. This concert will feature Francisco Vila on the cello, Isaac Allen on violin I, Batya MacAdam-Somer on violin II, Travis Maril on viola, and Lars Hoefs on cello.

Anne Frank was only 15 years old when she died in a Nazi concentration camp. After the war, her father found her diary in the attic where they managed to hide for 2 years and 2 months. In that time, Anne managed to write an account of her life, her feelings, and her thoughts. Please join us as we recount her, and the entire Frank family's story, In the words of a young girl growing up in the madness of war and hate, this is a story of life, loss, and confusion, underlying with a feeling of love and always hope. We wish you will join us.

In Sol Invictus, Compagnie Hervé Koubi combines contemporary and urban dance movements, capoeira, and martial arts with powerful imagery and inspired choreography. Luminous, generous, and universal, Sol Invictus is Koubi's declaration of love to dance, to its past, its present, its future. Drawing creative strength from Koubi's Algerian roots and Mediterranean culture, Compagnie Hervé Koubi is a powerhouse player on the international touring circuit.