Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, December 18-Thursday, December 25, 2025: Manual Scan | Urethane | Save Ferris | Gary Shuffledust | Emo Nite | Band Argument | El Vez | EXILE ON KETTNER BLVD |

I am completely checked out for the holidays. I still have work...an annoyingly abundance of it, actually, as every agent feels like they need to 'check in' on their shows 2 and 3 and 4 months out, even though they know that nobody is buying tickets for April a week before Christmas. But that's beside the point. I'm feeling the Christmas spirit and just want to be out in sweaters and beanies and scarves and drinking hot cocoa and seeing twinkling lights and hearing annoying Christmas music on repeat. We got a tree after skipping last year...we just kinda ran outta time and didn't get one, but this year I was looking and got a tip on Costco putting all their trees on clearance for $13 and I couldn't resist, even though it's massive and taking up our whole living room. Toby is home for winter break from UCSD, Darren is getting a couple days off, too, and I've just been trying to keep up with all the things. So listings are done, but I'll have to do NYE over the weekend or next week, because I'm beat. 

I love you all. Thanks for helping me survive 2025. Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do San Diego: Thursday, December 11-Wednesday, December 17, 2025: The Slackers | Har Mar Superstar | Hasan & Ronny | Rose City Band | Electric Guest | & Loads of Holiday Fun!

Once again, I really fucked up my sleep schedule to get my listings done on Tuesday so I could go to the Andy Bell show at Music Box and imbibe in some adult beverages, so I'm just gonna post and say that I did my best to get it all in because obviously I didn't do a separated page for holiday stuff. Maybe next year. 

I'm sure there's plenty of fun to be found for you and your family. Full listings after the jump.

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, December 4-Wednesday, December 10, 2025: Holiday Celebrations + | Shane Hall | Agriculture | Jonathan Richman | Matte Blvck | Aterciopelados | Say Anything | Vienna Teng | Safe Mind | Andy Bell |

I was gonna do a full blown diary post, but I'll just do it here, since everything is connected anyway and I'm sleepy. Today I found out that the San Diego Zoo parking lot is no longer a free lot for December Nights at Balboa Park. Even though I was told that Zoo Members will just have to show membership to park free for the weekend, it still feels like I was kind of blindsided by this news. Parking will be $35 for non-members, complimentary if you're a zoo member OR a zoo guest with prepaid tickets for admission for the day. I highly recommend reading the San Diego Zoo's information page here and be prepared. 

Parking at the San Diego Zoo on Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6 will be $35 per vehicle (debit/credit only). Parking for San Diego Zoo ticket holders and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance members visiting the Zoo during this time will be complimentary.

You can also see the City's outline of Paid and Free Parking and shuttle information. It still baffles the mind that the two main Park Boulevard bus lines will NOT be running to the park, the 7 and the RAPID 215, and in fact, part of the bus lane between President's Way and San Diego High has reverted back to a general traffic lane. 

I think this is now the third year that paid parking has been a thing at December Nights, and I get it, the City is broke and there are projections of 300,000+ visitors over this particular weekend, but what really infuriates me is that while the City claims that this was implemented to recover the costs of having the free event, WHY THE FUCK IS THIS OUTSOURCED EXCLUSIVELY TO ACE PARKING?! It feels like "parking and traffic management" should fall under the purview of CITY SERVICES and that this FOR-PROFIT company shouldn't be managing traffic and parking EVER, let alone for this event. I wonder if I can FOIA for the City's contracts with Ace? Because they certainly DO NOT know what the fuck they are doing when they're in charge of Zoo parking management on regular weekends and the clusterfuck I can feel they're going to create when they're operating from 6am-11pm (!!!!) is going to be on the scale of that Big Bay Boom when all the fireworks exploded at once. I'm not worried about me...I've got nothing but time and am a veteran when it comes to navigating the parking around these workers who are functionally undertrained and understaffed for the task they're entrusted to manage, but maybe this can be a test drive and the Zoo can bow out of Ace Parking as managing the parking when it comes to year-round paid parking at Balboa Park and the Zoo. The sad thing is the execs don't even really know or see how bad it is because they use the garage and don't have to experience the green shirts stopping traffic all the way down Zoo Place into Florida Canyon. Pack your patience. Or just go at the end of the night...traffic usually gets back to normal around 9pm, which still gives you a couple hours of December Nights. 

We are so fucked. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Sunday, November 30-Wednesday, December 3, 2025: Reggae Brunch Matinee | The Frights | Mdou Moctar | David Benoit | Frank Meyer | Two Runner |

 

I had a couple additions and modifications to this week's listings, so I figured I would repost for ease of access. The photo is my favorite section of lights at Seaworld. Love you. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Rosey's Diary and Newsy Things: City of San Diego Approves & Sets Rates For Balboa Park Parking and lots of other tidbits. | San Diego Zoo To Implement Paid Parking For Non-Members |

I guess I've had this post in the works for several weeks, but never got around to posting because I was busy showing up at City Council meetings to speak against paid parking at the Zoo and Balboa Park, and then running around between the Zoo and Seaworld, working the occasional merch gigs, and spending late nights and early evenings and sometimes early mornings looking for my cat, to no avail. Honestly, besides checking on Pawboost, we'd mostly given up on active searches, but then we saw a post of a sighting that maybe was Tikka, so it reignited me actually walking neighborhoods at night when I was able and motivated. Now we're just past Thanksgiving, and after spending some time with family at San Elijo State Campground and also hanging around the house with Toby, who came home from campus for most of the weekend, and Darren, who got to enjoy the rare extended weekend, I'm at Music Box selling for Flamingosis. It's been nice kinda being a homebody and indulging in the tryptophan coma from the turkey we cooked this year (for the first time with Darren, ever!) and I'm just passing the time until I can pack up this merch and ship it off and get back into my cozy pajamas while finishing off the final two episodes of Murdaugh: Death in the Family, since we took advantage of Black Friday deals on Hulu+ & Disney, as well as the super cheap offer for HBO Max with ads. 

I hope everyone had a nice holiday. I cut out a lot of the usual national and international news links this time around, because it has been so bonkers lately that I just have to assume everyone is watching or reading the news incessantly like I do. There's a great user on Threads called @decodingfoxnews that transcribes quotes from TFG and rereads them in a woman's voice, so you can hear what the lunatic is saying without actually having to see his dastardly face or hear his vulgar voice. 10/10, highly recommend. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, November 20, 2025-Wednesday, December 3, 2025: Flamin' Groovies | The Sophs | Dutch Interior | Sure Fire Soul Ensemble | The Stews | Lucius | Beat Farmers | The Frights |

I was feeling extra motivated on Tuesday night and decided I would knock out two weeks of listings, since Thanksgiving week is typically a bit more quiet than other weeks, but it means that I was up until 5:30am on Wednesday to get them done. I have been on the fence about doing a Holiday Page again, as I'd done in the past but have kinda skipped since the pandemmy, but I don't know if I'll motivate enough to do that comprehensive of a roundup. But if you're a sucker for lights and trees and all of those things this time of year, the Dr. Seuss tree is already up at The Old Globe, with the lights on nightly until midnight, Seaworld is looking amazing with their goal of a million lights and the reindeer already being super dupity cute, and the Zoo has put up their lights and things, though they've shortened this year's Jungle Bells to just December 19-January 4. Wild Holidays at Safari Park, on the other hand, kicks off on November 28. "Wild Holidays runs November 28–30; December 19–23; and December 26–January 4, 2026. On Wild Holidays dates, the Safari Park is open until 8 p.m." And while on my way to work the other day, I passed by Queenstown Public House in Little Italy (at Columbia & Cedar) and it is maybe the cutest holiday decor I've seen yet, so be sure to drive by to check it out. In the meantime, lots of stuff. Sorry for the venues that didn't have their December stuff in. Not sure if I'll be updating over the holiday. 

Happy Thanksgiving. Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, November 13-Wednesday, November 19, 2025: Author & Punisher | Mating Ritual | SCOTS | Judy Collins | Off With Their Heads | Surf Hat | The Surfrajettes |

Literally two weeks after I decided that I would cancel my ACA (because Sharp kept charging me even though they threatened cancellation for two months), I have another ear infection. I'm gonna just ride it out and hope it passes, but in the meantime, I'm very very tired and don't have much else to say. Good stuff coming up. 

I will say one quick thing...someone commented on a Casbah Instagram post that "$60 for a Casbah show is insane" in reference to the three nights with Pinback. While I'm poor and cheap and $60 for anything is a lot of money, I don't see how someone can pay $47.50 plus service fees for a show at Humphrey's among 2000 people, but then quibble about $60 for a show in a room with only 200+ people. You seriously need to check yourself if you think this way. 

Listings for the week are after the jump. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, November 6-Wednesday, November 12, 2025: Stop Light Observations | Fu Manchu | miniaturized | Neko Case | Moon Panda | Born Ruffians | Tame Impala | Lovejoy | Purity Ring |

I like to get listings done on Tuesdays and spend just a little time on Wednesdays to polish them up, add random events at venues not usually included in the weekly roundup. But I've just not been very motivated. I have a whole lot of theoretical posts in my brain but lose the motivation when it comes to putting my fingers to the keyboard. We never found my cat, and there's this horrible feeling like we didn't do enough to look for her in the first 48 hours. I live across the street from a dive bar, and the women cackling during karaoke always makes me turn down my TV in case I'm hearing a cat's meow. My sleep is all off, even more than usual. I've gone on more 3am walks than I did in my 20s when I was bouncing from after party to after party. I've been going to the zoo every day, but because I'm up late, I sleep late, then get a late jump on work, so by the time I get there, I only have an hour or two to get in my zen mindset. I'm really looking forward to Sea World's Christmas Celebration, because they're open much later than the zoo for a longer period of time starting on November 14. The San Diego Zoo still has Jungle Bells, but this year they've cut it to just a couple weeks in December, from the 19th to January 4th. 

The election was a bright spot this week for sure, so I'm trying to look on the bright side. Maybe I just need to catch up on sleep with a full on pajama day to click me back to normal. With that in mind, I'm going to sleep now. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, October 30-Wednesday, November 5, 2025: Tamar Berk | Jason Mraz | Creepy Creeps | Geese | Dia De Los Deftones | Rufus Wainwright | OSLO | Ben Nichols | Doechii | AFI |

I did listings on Tuesday because I had to work our Casbah show with Pixel Grip at Quartyard on Wednesday, and Darren surprised me by showing up so I could use all my Quartyard Drink Tickets!!! and drive us safely home. (Also, to the Quartyard bartender lady that I had a brief conversation with about all things Bravo, you are my new bestie. Let's hang out and get drunk and talk about all the "Real" Housewives!!!) 

So these aren't gonna be the best orderly listings, but they're done, and I love you and I'm gonna go drink my dranks! Yay me. I haven't given up on my kitty, so it's kinda fun to be up and out on my balcony super late and imagine I'm hearing my Strawberry's phantom meows. I don't need you to tell me she's dead or bait for coyotes, I'd just like to think that my little girl is just out exploring her mousing golden years. 

Anyhow, lots of rad stuff, including lots of Halloween and Día de los Muertos activities, especially great because of how it falls on the calendar. Also, if you're out, while drivers drive too fast and super crazy, they also CAN'T SEE YOU. Get some cheap glowstick necklaces and bracelets at Dollar Tree and stop trusting traffic. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, October 23-Wednesday, October 29, 2025: NIght Moves | Sons of the East | Boris | Mo Lowda | BirdStock | Earthless | Dia De Los Muertos | Water From Your Eyes | Gayle Skidmore | Max Diaz | Jason Mraz | Pixel Grip |

It's a busy week of shows and I'm so super tired and have to be up around the time these listings will be posting, so I'm gonna just post them and say goodnight. 

Stay safe out there. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. 

Things To Do In San Diego: Thursday, October 16-Wednesday, October 22, 2025: DLG. | AJ Lee & Blue Summit | Pool Kids | Rhett Miller | Bill Murray | Nation of Language | EMO NITE | Pinback | Rilo Kiley | Alejandro Escovedo | Pete Yorn | Jade Bird | Durry |

There are a LOT of shows this week, so I hope that everyone can find something to love. I think I'll be working at the Haley Reinhart show at Lou Lou's and then Durry at Quartyard, but not quite sure if I have anything in between. As I've mentioned in my other posts, my cat is missing so I've been a bit preoccupied with that, and heartbroken that this is the week we've finally gotten rain and super chilly mornings. I'm just hoping with all hope that she's inside somewhere with access to food and will eventually find her way back home. 

But that's not what you're here for. Listings are long. No Kings rallies are on Saturday morning, so be peaceful and be smart, and don't put yourself in danger. I'm hearing the I-5 in Camp Pendleton will be closed so our POS VP can vanity fuck a missile or some shit, so check the news reports on that if you were trying to get to or from LA for any reason, and pay attention to your shows if there are cancelations or postponements because bands couldn't get down from LA in time. 

Stay safe (and warm) out there, and hug your fur babies. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. Listings through Wednesday are after the jump.