This article is sponsored by the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, the official travel resource for the San Diego region. Learn more about San Diego at sandiego.org.
While gallery hopping through Culver City might sound like an ideal activity for any culture vulture, there's something to be said about indulging your inner art aficionado without ever setting foot indoors. If you can pair al fresco art-viewing with a crisp pint of craft beer and a smorgasbord of local food, all the better.
Luckily, that's just what's on the menu at the La Jolla Festival of the Arts, a two-day art extravaganza taking place on the coastal campus of UC San Diego from June 23-24. Now in its 26th year, the festival--considered one of the most prestigious juried art shows in the country--will feature the work of over 200 award-winning artists, each of whom will set up shop on the University's sprawling, sun-soaked Warren Field. Exhibitors range from celebrated San Diegans like Amos Robinson, whose kinetic bike sculpture now graces Cedros Avenue in Solana Beach, to glass blowers from Oregon (click here for a full list of selected artists).
But the weekend won't be be limited to scoring the latest painting, pottery or mixed media for your apartment. There will be plenty of live entertainment vying for your attention, too, like regionally-popular jazz, rock and swing bands performing on two stages, live chalk art creations and even a silent auction.
And then there's the grub. "Restaurant Row" will be brimming with healthy offerings from local food purveyors and restaurants, while the good folks from Stone Brewing Co.--named "the all-time top brewery of planet earth" by the editors at BeerAdvocate Magazine--will be pouring their signature suds all weekend.
Tickets to the La Jolla Festival of the Arts are $12 per day if purchased in advance online ($14 if purchased at the gate), or $50 if you purchase a VIP Package, which includes two, two-day passes, preferred parking and access to the VIP Tent. In addition to supporting starving artists and the local art scene, proceeds also benefit Torrey Pines Kiwanis, a non-profit organization that raises funds to support adaptive sports and recreation programs for San Diegans with disabilities. To learn more about the festival, visit lajollaartfestival.org.
