ONGOING
Greased Lightning
San Diego is home to people of all religions, but the truly devout, be they Protestant or pagan, all agree on one thing: the San Diego Chargers. For many households, Sunday afternoons are sacred: everything stops for football. Nicknamed the Bolts for their lightning-bolt logo, the Chargers still play in the same Mission Valley stadium they inaugurated in 1967. The debate over building a new stadium has raged for a decade; while local officials try to hammer out a plan to keep the team here, cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas have tried to woo with promises of sparkly new arenas. For now, the Bolts remain San Diego’s pride and joy, having made it to the playoffs four years running on the strength of players like quarterback Philip Rivers and small-but-mighty running back Darren Sproles, one of the shortest players in the NFL.

SEPTEMBER
arts month It’s no secret fall is the season for culture in San Diego, but now the mayor’s gone and made it official, dubbing September the city’s definitive Arts Month. The culturepalooza kicks off with an international contemporary art fair, Art San Diego, on Sept. 2.

SEPT. 17-OCT. 3
fleet week This tribute to military service men and women includes Navy ship tours, vintage car races and the Miramar Air Show.

sept. 25-26
adams avenue street fair SoCal’s largest free two-day music festival puts 70 musical acts on six stages in Normal Heights.

SEPT. 29-OCT. 3
san diego film festival Five-day bonanza in the Gaslamp showcases independent feature films, documentaries and shorts between glitzy, star-studded parties.

ongoing
viva la revoluciÓn The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego mounts the largest international street art exhibition in a U.S. museum.

SEPT. 24-OCT. 31
halloween Yes, Halloween lasts all month in San Diego. Can’t-miss events include Scream Zone in Del Mar, downtown’s Haunted Hotel and Balboa Park’s Haunted Trail, plus the adults-only Monster Bash and costume contest in the Gaslamp.

OCT. 1-3 AND oct. 9
oktoberfests Oom-pah your way through one of S.D.’s favorite annual traditions, complete with beer, brats and polka. The La Mesa Oktoberfest is one of the nation’s largest (Oct. 1-3), while the one in Ocean Beach features a popular sausage toss (Oct. 9).

OCT. 10
LITTLE ITALY FESTA Held near downtown, the Little Italy Festa attracts some 120,000 attendees with Italian food and a street chalk painting display.

NOV. 5-14
SAN DIEGO beer week More than 300 events throughout the city—including beer dinners, festivals, rare bottle tastings, cheese pairings, brewery tours, classes, and more—celebrate S.D.’s vibrant craft beer culture.

NOV. 6-7
FED CUP FINAL The U.S. women’s tennis team faces Italy, marking the first time in nearly a decade that the event has been played on U.S. soil.

NOV. 21
mother goose parade This longstanding Thanksgiving tradition, 64 years running, features marching bands, extravagant floats and more —for free!—in downtown El Cajon.