First of two Halloween weekends and the good rooms are leaning into it. We have an italo disco night at Kiku Room, a $7.75 disco party in Hillcrest, Ho99o9 at SOMA on Thursday, and a Sunday beach show that ends before dark. Also a sushi opening in Solana Beach worth the drive north.
25 picks, Thursday through Sunday. This is the SD Scoop email that went out Wednesday morning; read it on sdscoop.co or get next week's in your inbox.
Parties
Horror Hi-Fi with Alex Oxley and Roxanne Roll
Fri, Oct 23 · 10pm · Kiku Room, Kettner, Midtown · $10
Electro and italo disco in the best small room in the city, Halloween themed without being a costume contest. Ten bucks, goes until 2am. This is our Friday.
DISCO S!UT
Sat, Oct 24 · 9pm · EQ San Diego, Hillcrest · $7.75
House and disco on University, and the biggest RSVP count of anything on RA this week. Cheap, loud, mostly a dancefloor. Get there before 11 if you want to not line up.
WELKER, presented by For Those Who Need Records
Sat, Oct 24 · 8pm · 3oz Dive Club, Pacific Beach · $20
Techno and tech house from the For Those Who Need crew, with Funkhousir and Mali opening. 3oz is the one PB room we will actually send you to. Skip Garnet otherwise.
Mutate presents Restricted
Fri, Oct 23 · 8pm · SOMA, Midway · $46.86
Hard techno and industrial at SOMA, done by 11:30 so you can still make Kiku after. Pricey for a DJ show, so this is for people who already know the name.
LED Day Club with Jai Wolf (10 Year Anniversary Tour)
Sun, Oct 25 · 4pm · Beach House, Mission Beach
Jai Wolf on the boardwalk, doors at 4, over by 9, which is the right way to do a Sunday. Price is not listed so check the link. We will have a cooler of SUNGOD on the sand beforehand.
Shows
N8NOFACE, Ho99o9, Slay Squad
Thu, Oct 22 · 7pm · SOMA, Midway
Synth punk from N8NOFACE and the Ho99o9 noise rap show on one bill. It will be sweaty and it will be loud. Best Thursday ticket in town.
Automatic with Nuovo Testamento
Wed, Oct 21 · 7:30pm · Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach
Tonight, if you can move fast. Automatic do cold LA post punk, Nuovo Testamento do italo and freestyle, and the pairing makes sense. Worth the drive up the 5.
Yasmine Azaiez
Thu, Oct 22 · 7pm and 9pm · Lou Lou's Jungle Room, North Park
Tunisian Indian violinist mixing classical with North African and Middle Eastern music, jazz and electronics. Two sets, and Lou Lou's is the right room for it.
Flamingosis: Bright Moments 10 Year Anniversary
Fri, Oct 23 · 6pm · Quartyard, East Village · from $20
Funk and soul samples, outdoors, early. Done by 9 so it works as a pregame for Kiku or EQ. Tickets run $20 to $30.
Out
Ghost Light Masquerade 2026
Thu, Oct 22 · 7:30pm (also Fri) · Nocturne Theatre, Logan Heights
The Rosin Box Project's immersive after dark ballet, built around the one lamp every theatre leaves burning. This is the Halloween thing we would pick over any haunted house.
Oceans at Night: Halloween
Thu, Oct 22 · 6:30pm · Birch Aquarium, La Jolla
The aquarium after dark, in costume, with scuba divers carving pumpkins underwater. It leans family, but the tanks at night are worth it on their own.
Chapel: Ritual Seance
Fri, Oct 23 · check the link · CHAPEL at Liberty Station, Point Loma
Light, sound and ceremony from Ten Six Pines with drinks by Snake Oil Cocktail. Snake Oil are the people behind a lot of the good bar programs in town, so the drinks will be real.
R&B Block Party at the Park
Sat, Oct 24 · check the link · Waterfront Park, downtown
We Love R&B and R&B Block Party teaming up for a day party on the grass by the bay. Daytime, outdoors, singalong material. Bring a blanket.
Ambiente y Cafe x Mas Vida Market
Sun, Oct 25 · check the link · The Soap Factory, Logan Heights
DJs, live banda and 30 plus vendors in the Soap Factory. A good Sunday afternoon if you want coffee, food and music without a cover charge mindset.
A Nightmare on Elm Street at Rooftop Cinema Club
Thu, Oct 22 · 10:30pm · Porto Vista Hotel, Little Italy
Five stories up on Columbia Street, headphones on, Freddy at 10:30. The whole week is horror up there (Twilight at 7:30 the same night if that is more your thing).
Food
Encore Sushi grand opening
Fri, Oct 23 · noon to 10pm · Encore Sushi, Cedros Avenue, Solana Beach
Chef James La and partner Chris West open on Cedros with sashimi, nigiri and the Setlist signature rolls. Go early in the day, pair it with Belly Up or a walk to the beach.
Backyard Altar BBQ pop-up at Día de los Gargoyles
Sat, Oct 24 · 3pm · Stone Brewing Tap Room, Oceanside
Three days of Halloween at the Oceanside tap room, and Saturday is the one to pick because the BBQ pop-up starts at 3 and Seabirdz play at 6. Sunday has Space 83 at 3pm.
Stone World Bistro is back with the founders
Stone World Bistro, Escondido
Days from closing, Greg Koch and Steve Wagner took the Escondido bistro and gardens back. If you have not been in a while, this is the reason to go.
The Salted Table cooking classes
The Salted Table, Encinitas
The Salt Culture family opened an ingredient first workshop and specialty market in Encinitas. A good gift to yourself for a rainy Sunday, if we ever get one.
Free
Hush Hush presents Local Frequencies Vol. 2
Sat, Oct 24 · 4pm · Overload, North Park · Free
Local hip-hop and electronic producers in the Overload shop on 30th, 4 to 7, no cover. Walk over to Air Conditioned Lounge after.
Fright for Future
Fri, Oct 23 · 5pm · 37ECB, North Park · Free
A free haunted maze on El Cajon Boulevard where the scares are real world issues about people, animals and the planet. Odd, local, and free, which is enough.
North Park Thursday Market
Thu, Oct 22 · 3:30pm · North Park Way, North Park · Free
The weekly one. Produce, bread, fish and hot food on North Park Way between 30th and Granada. Grab dinner here before Lou Lou's.
Autumn Concert Series: Pei-Chun Tsai
Fri, Oct 23 · 1pm · Coronado Library, Coronado · Free
Free violin recital, classical and chamber pieces, in the library on Orange Avenue. Take the ferry over and make an afternoon of it.
This week's order
Dish of the week
The Setlist signature rolls
Encore Sushi · Cedros Avenue, Solana Beach
New on Cedros, opening Friday. Chef James La is in the building for the opening, so order the Setlist rolls and a few pieces of nigiri and see what the room is about.
Drink of the week
The Mai Tai
False Idol · Little Italy
Through the hidden door at the back of Craft and Commerce. The Mai Tai is the one to order, properly made, no juice bar nonsense. Good stop after Rooftop Cinema Club.
SUNGOD this week
- New on the Bulletin: our list of kid friendly breweries in San Diego, for the weekends you have the little ones. https://www.drinksungod.com/bulletin/kid-friendly-breweries-san-diego
- Also new: a rundown of San Diego run clubs, if you want people to run with. https://www.drinksungod.com/bulletin/san-diego-run-clubs
- New account: Ladin's Liquor in Canoga Park now carries SUNGOD, for anyone up in the Valley this week.
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