April 24-25
Walk the walk
The streets of the Little Italy neighborhood swarm with seasoned and amateur art aficionados—upwards of 120,000 of them, to be exact—during San Diego’s annual ArtWalk, which celebrates its 26th anniversary this spring. The two-day juried event fills nearly 16 blocks along India Street and Kettner Boulevard with artworks that span all media and price points; featured artists include journalist-turned-painter Dani Dodge, who began making her signature layered acrylic-on-crayon-on-ink canvases after covering the Iraq war, and digital artist Thomas Barbèy, who creates surrealistic fantasy images from overlapping negatives of black-and-white film. The food vendors and live local musicians performing during the festival just add to the ambience that makes this one of the city’s favorite annual al fresco parties. The art starts daily at 11 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m. throughout Little Italy.

MARCH 1-MAY 9
flower fields Find 50 acres of brilliant ranunculus blooms and spectacular rose gardens at this popular annual attraction in Carlsbad.

MARCH 11-21
san diego latino film festival Celebrating its 17th anniversary, this esteemed festival presents more than 130 features and short films from across Latin America and the U.S.

MARCH 13, 16, 19, 21; APRIL 17, 20, 23, 25
san diego opera Director Ian Campbell is famous for discovering up-and-coming talent; check out opera’s rising stars in Romeo & Juliet and La traviata at the Civic Theatre.

MARCH 22-28
lpga classic The golf course at the storied La Costa Resort plays host to this brand-new women’s golf tournament.

MARCH 30-APRIL 4
legally blonde the musical Follow ditzy Elle Woods from the sorority house to law school in this touring movie-turned-musical.

APRIL 24-25
thread fashion & lifestyle show Hundreds of independent fashion designers and artists showcase their wares in a lounge-like setting, complete with cocktail bars and DJs.

APRIL 30-MAY 2
art alive This innovative event at the San Diego Museum of Art finds floral designers interpreting pieces from SDMA’s collection using plants.

ONGOING
san diego symphony In addition to Masterworks showcases of work by Gershwin, Beethoven, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky, the Symphony’s Winter Pops series includes a visit from Ballet Folklórico de México and a screening of the silent film Nosferatu.

MAY 1-2
cinco de mayo It’s said that Cinco de Mayo is a bigger deal in San Diego than in Mexico. Locally the big day is marked by a free, two-day event in Old Town, complete with historical re-enactments and folkloric entertainment.

MAY 8
chelsea handlerThe comedienne and hostess of late-night show Chelsea Lately brings her schtick to the Civic Theatre.

ONGOING
baseball “Restructuring” teams like the Padres can still be fun to watch, especially when opponents include the rival L.A. Dodgers (May 14-16) and New York Mets (May 31-June 2).