One of the annual festivals that just need you once to be here , and the next time you will be…read morelooking forward to it. If you are in a 20 miles radius of this event , and you miss it , nobody should care except for yourself. Live music performance, food booths , less than a million other kiosks and a huge family event. Parking hasn't been an issue for me since I don't own a chopper yet...

Santee Street Fair is a great event for east county residents to come together to enjoy what local…read moreartisans have to offer, enjoy the fair rides, and to learn what local sponsors offer the community. This years fair offered a variety of food vendors, but It felt like they needed more food offerings and more seating area for people to sit and eat. Hopefully next year there will be more food options. The beer garden was good sporting several local breweries. The fair also sported local performances from dance studios and such.

The El Cajon Oktoberfest has to be the best in San Diego. This one features many different German…read morebeers from light to dark. You are sure to find at least that suits your palate. The workers and volunteers work hard to make this Oktoberfest feel authentic. They keep it clean and answer any questions you have, and sometimes even spot you a round of beer. The food is delicious! The ox on the spit is my favorite, and I highly recommend it. They also have some fantastic desserts. If you're into crafts and trinkets, there are booths for those as well. The whole area has a canapoy over top with misters throughout to help you stay cool. There are German dances and contests as well. Go check this event out, you won't regret it!

La Mesa Octoberfest sunday at noon. First, we got four plates of bratwurst potato salad, and two…read morekinds of sauerkraut. It is so good folks you gotta be here. They have a live band on Sunday night. It starts around 130. The service is great and they need business

Hui O Hawaiʻi of San Diego, located in Chula Vista, was founded in 1969. Many of the current board…read moremembers have grown up with the club since they were children. They now have their children dancing in the shows and representing the Hui at festivals--as they once did. This is their first annual Lōkahi Festival. It was well received with a great turnout, clearly demonstrating its potential to grow bigger in the coming years. Whereas the PIFA Pacific Islander Festival, held two weeks earlier, presents various cultures of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia, the Lōkahi Festival showcases the Hawaiian culture exclusively. It is also an initiative to help fill the vacuum left by the annual San Diego Hoʻolauleʻa that ceased after 2019. The show lineup featured three local dance academies: Nā Pua ʻIlima of Chula Vista; Hālau Hula ʻO Kawahinepiʻilani of Chula Vista; and Healiʻi's Polynesian Revue of San Diego. Two solo dances were performed by this year's Miss Hui O Hawaiʻi of San Diego, Kehaulani Wilson (of Healiʻi's Polynesian Revue). In between the performances, music was provided by Mele Mokupuni and Hui O Hawaiʻi's Kanikapila Group. The performances all took place on the stage inside of the church, which also included vendors selling Hawaiian foods, goods, crafts, and clothing. A fascinating historical display highlighted the Hawaiian ancestry of William Heath "Kanaka" Davis, founder of San Diego. The parking lot in front of the church had a water station, food served by several Hawaiian vendors (including a food truck from Hawaiian Fresh Seafood), a tent that served a small selection of beer and wine. The weather was hot here in Santee on this first Saturday of October, so folks had to make effective use of the indoors and shade.

Go for the food, stay for the local vibe. Poke was ono and the ube cookies (yeah, I know not…read moreHawaiian) were really good, in fact all the desserts were great. Also got some Ani's Sweeat Bread, which is similar to the Molokai Bread I get on Maui. Caught the tail end of a Chula Vista Halau performing - beautiful. Festival had lots of seating in the air-conditioned hall, where people could get out of the sun. Nice assortment of vendors carrying local crafts and t-shirts. A nice way to spend a couple of hours soaking up Hawaiian-style culture in Southern California.

Free event to attend. Purchases support local children's charities…read more Good bbq, music and events for the entire family.

This is the place to be and you're supporting Noah Homes which is a non-profit that provides…read moreresidential care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I got early bird tickets through Eventbrite. It's a week long event from 16-22 December from 5pm-8pm. Parking is in the lot next door at Steel Canyon HS. You can either walk over or take a tractor wagon ride. If you need handicap parking then email them for a parking permit. This lot is closer. It's neatly organized with different themes like candy land, North Pole, Christmas tree. It's a one way walkway along the path which gives a clear view to get nice photos. There are no shortage of volunteers who are in red vests, staff is green. I brought my tripod selfie stick but didn't use it because every corner you look, was a volunteer who was eager to snap a photo of you. Face painting and arts and craft. A photo with Santa is a suggested $10 donation. They accept Venmo. You get two 4x6 printed on the spot. There's entertainment like caroling. The entire time, I thought it was an album playing through the loud speaker. But it wasn't. It was a group performing. They are so good! There's a small food court area with vendors and food trucks that sell coffee, hot chocolate, tacos, churros, bacon wrapped hot dog. The port-a-potty are clean. Before the entrance, you can purchase light up head bands, necklaces, wands. One item is $10, two item is $15, three item $20. Remember it's going towards Noah Home. I really enjoyed all the light displays and theme. I wonder if it's the same each year or do they change up the theme. I would attend every year it was the latter.

This was the best event to date. It inspired my 6 year old to want to volunteer there one day. I…read morehope it comes back as I would truly go every single year to support their cause to people with disabilities. It was beautiful. Staff was friendly and just an overall truly wonderful experience. Thank you for the years you had this and you gave us a memory that will last forever!

There is nothing to do but spend money. Kids entertainment = only bouncy houses for $6-$8 a go per…read morekid. Extremely unhappy with this experience. Parks and recs put on dozens of free events similar to this. I recommend going to those instead. I'll likely never come back to this.

I'm happy it was bigger this time more vendor's which was nice to see. And business where open also…read morewhich was nice We enjoyed the music at the stage which was Santana soul and I happened to to be wearing Santana T shirt for a my last concert lol. And I had Dole whip which great on warm day But the real treat Mujer Divina burrito & coffee house 218 is the best burritos We walked in right before they closed and the owner came out to talk to us. They are not the same place next store or associated with Mujer Divina Brunch Cafe, Glad we asked Easy toys are always on my list of a store because He is L.A Dodger fan he sells Dodger gear And he asked to if I want sell my shirt funny Not happening

@YelpSanDiego @lamesaOktoberfest…read more We really enjoyed attending the Oktoberfest in La Mesa . Thanks so much Hanna from Yelp for allowing my boyfriend & I to experience our first time attending OktoberFest La Mesa. Both of us really enjoyed this event! We kept ourselves entertained with the live bands, drank Spaten Premium Lager and ate some bacon wrapped bratwurst to partake in the Oktoberfest festivities!! This La Mesa event was much better than last year'ss Oktoberfest El Cajon we've attended. MUCH THANKS to Hannah from Yelp for allowing us to experience this fun annual event!!

This was my second time going to the La Mesa Oktoberfest, and it did not disappoint! Chun P and I…read morewere given free VIP passes for the Biergarten thanks to Yelp, though we purchased our own snacks. While the beer gardens require admission, the majority of the festival is free and open to the public. We attended the wiener dog races for the first time this year and they were hysterical! There were 4 to 6 dogs per heat and then they had a final round. Please note, these were not professional racing dogs, just San Diego's finest dachshund dog volunteers from families around town. One family member would release the dog at the starting line and the rest of the family would be at the finish line cheering them on. Some dogs ran straight across to their families really fast, others took their time, barked at each other, and sometimes ran back to the starting line! It was so cute! There was also a planking contest by the wiener dog races, and people have to hold plank with wiener dog stuffed animal on their back. No surprise, some of the beefiest guys dropped first, and for the session I watched a wiry young woman took the gold at holding plank nearly 12 minutes! The music on the main stage was great, we especially enjoyed the traditional German music and Jimmy's Buffet. There's so many creative booths with craft items, and all different types of food to satisfy every craving. The volunteers and security team were all excellent and I sincerely appreciated their efforts. We didn't go on the Ferris wheel, but love that they have some ride options as well. Can't wait till next year's Oktoberfest!

Awesome! I love this event. This was my second year going and it keeps getting better. The price…read morefor the tickets are extremely reasonable, especially for an all you can eat and all you can drink event! The food is amazing!! I love food and the variety and quality of food that is offered at the annual Santee Bluegrass Festival is a perfect match for food lovers. They have everything for every type of craving. The carnivores (me) were able to have our palettes satisfied by Slaters 50/50 signature patties, which is 50% ground bacon 50% ground beef and topped with more bacon. Life doesn't get any better than bacon. There were plenty of other food vendors but nothing tops bacon, sorry other vendors. Ok, so there were other vendors other then our lovely bacon providers. There were vendors that solely had sweets (cupcakes, pies, cakes, etc.) there was Mexican food, Italian food, and fish. I'm certain there was more food but I only cared about one food vendor and that is what I mostly ate while there. In addition to all the bacon that was provided there were plenty of wine tasting opportunities. One of my favorite wine tasting tables was by PRP Wines located in San Diego. I have personally been buying from PRP Wines for several years and I'm a little partial to them. They import wines from all over the world, they do not carry anything domestic which gave them an advantage compared to the other wine vendors who locally grow their grapes. There is something special inside a bottle of a South African Cab. One of the things I was most impressed by was the fact that PRP Wines brought not only their $20 bottles of wine but their $80 bottles too and they did not hold back on their pours of their most expensive labels. This is not a quality most wineries have. Food (bacon), wine, and now beer. There was a plethora of beer vendors that gave out free shirts, hats, etc. I'm not much of a beer drinker so I have nothing to say other than there was beer and those vendors were friendly. Music, a Bluegrass Festival is not complete without music. There was a band that played great tunes to wash all our food and drinks down with. I have no complaints. I look forward to going again next year!

Great east County folks bring the best local wine, craft beer, and food. And guess what all for the…read moregreat cause of santee! The vendors bring there own free food and feed you. Everything is donated! Awesome event I'll always be there!

This pumpkin station was full of activities, from petting goats, tractor rides, and a corn field…read moremaze to, of course, the main activity of selecting a pumpkin. I visited this pumpkin station twice this past Halloween season: once with my ex, and the second time when I came for work, bringing our class. The children were so enthralled when they were able to bring home a pumpkin. I just felt awful for our class, since they were quite disappointed that the tractor ride was down.

Website states it is open until 9pm but nowhere stated that majority of the rides/experiences…read moreclosed at 6pm. We got there at 5:30 and had to stand in line for over 20 mins to get tickets. That's when I found out everything was basically closed. Had I known, I would've gone elsewhere or came another day when I could be there to have my son do the corn maze as that's what he was most excited about. Decent selection of pumpkins. Outrageously priced compared to Walmarts pumpkins. Staff was nice and apologetic for the inconvenience.

Please bring this back :( This was one of the best family…read morefriendly Halloween events in San Diego. I always enjoyed the parade. Parking isn't fun, but aside from that, just a really good time!

The Boo Parade is great if you have little ones and/or if you love Halloween. The parade is held…read moreeach year and runs through the College area on El Cajon Blvd. Some of the participants hand out candy so bring a bag. There's also a carnival at Clay Park afterwards. It's a good time. Happy Halloween!