Welcome to June in San Diego! June Gloom may dim the sun a bit, but it can’t extinguish the sizzling spirit of San Diego. This is your guide to navigating the coolest events, tastiest treats, and hidden delights that our city has to offer, even with a touch of coastal fog. Get ready to dive into all that June in San Diego has in store!
East Village Blues Festival (June 1)
The 3rd annual East Village Blues features an ALL STAR line-up with The Bill Magee Blues Band, Len Rainey & The Midnight Players, The Stoney B Blues Band, local San Diego International Blues Challenge Winners The Zavala Sol Band & Mike & Delci. There is seating for approx 200. (1st come 1st serve). Lounge chairs permitted in the grassy area on the side of the stage. Food, craft beer & cocktails. 21+.
Wing Fest San Diego (June 1)
Wing Fest is back to celebrate the beloved chicken wing. Wing Fest takes place on Saturday, June 1st, 2024 from Noon – 6pm at Ruocco Park. Enjoy the best wings from top vendors in San Diego all in one place. Showcasing top local Chicken Wing vendors with signature competition flavors just for San Diego’s only CHICKEN WING Event! DJ’s, live entertainment, spirits sampling included in entry ticket, giveaways, Hot Sauces and rubs sampling, games, vendors.
Solare Ristorante Italiano Cooking Classes (June 1, 15 and 29)
Solare Ristorante Italiano Cooking Classes offer a truly hands-on experience in a commercial kitchen allowing each student to create Italian cuisine themselves to make at home. The fun starts at 10:30am with an Italian-style coffee of your choice. Italian wine is served for students interested in “cooking with wine” (21+). Class sizes are small and intimate and limited to approximately 10 students.
Basta! Little Italy Opening (June 6)
A new Italian fusion restaurant is coming to Little Italy, in the heart of Piazza della Famiglia. Basta!, which means “enough” in Italian, will open on Thursday, June 6, on the pedestrianized plaza across from the Little Italy Food Hall. Guests can dine and drink with a prime view of the iconic Little Italy Fountain and the passersby that come through the bustling neighborhood. Basta! is the newest venture from Sam Zien, famously known to YouTube audiences as Sam the Cooking Guy, in collaboration with the Grain & Grit Collective. The kitchen is led by culinary director Gavin Mills, a seasoned chef with experience at the Michelin-starred No. 1 Lombard Street and a winner of a first-season episode of Chopped in 2009. The menu showcases the combined creative talents of Mills and Zien, offering an array of unconventional dishes.
Fleming’s Chateau Montelena 4-Course Wine Dinner (June 7)
Join Fleming’s one-night-only event on Friday, June 7, 2024 at 7pm to sip, taste and discover one of Napa Valley’s most iconic and historic wineries. Experience a 4-course chef-curated menu paired with four of Chateau Montelena’s most prestigious wines, including their Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
Kettner Exchange Chef’s Table: A Tribute to Grace (June 12)
Join Executive Chef Brian Redzikowski at his hidden chef’s table in the Kettner Exchange kitchen. Enjoy a multi-course dinner complete with perfectly paired wines from A Tribute to Grace, a Santa Barbara winery, focused solely on Grenache. The dinner will take place Thursday, June 12th at 6pm.
The Ecology Center: A Plant-Based Community Table Meal with Chef Davin Waite of The Plot (June 14)
The Ecology Center is excited to welcome a special, plant-based Community Table meal with Chef Davin Waite. This beloved event brings a renowned chef to the farm to design an ecological meal around the four seasonal rotations (market garden, milpa, fruit forest, cover crops) highlighting the bioregional cuisine of San Juan. By bringing these culinary artists back to the source, they have the chance to connect with new ingredients, unearth fresh inspiration in the bioregion’s historic foodways, and discover the rewards of relationship with the land.
Taste of Little Italy (June 18 & 19)
The culinary event of the season, Taste of Little Italy will be held on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 and Wednesday, June 19, 2024 from 4pm to 8pm. Attend both nights, and make your way through 48-square-blocks sampling some of the best bites and sips this beautiful neighborhood has to offer. Each evening will showcase different restaurants, each just as delicious as the last.
San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival (June 22 & 23)
Behold the 6th Annual San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival! Uniting music lovers from around the world, this annual event combines the soothing sounds of smooth jazz, a variety of delicious cuisine and an amazing atmosphere that creates an unparalleled experience. Hosted by Eric Darius, this year’s artists include Boney James, Gregory Porter, Kenny Lattimore, Spyro Gyra, Pieces of a Dream, Alex Bugnon, Will Donato, Blake Aaron, Jeff Ryan, Greg Manning and more to be announced!
Horizon Music Festival (June 22 & 23)
Horizon Music returns bigger than ever in 2024, now spanning two unforgettable days of electronic dance euphoria. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Waterfront Park in downtown San Diego, mark your calendars for Saturday, June 22nd and Sunday, June 23rd.
The Desmond Winemaker Dinner DAOU Vineyards (June 26)
The Desmond Wine Dinner Series pairs limited release and exclusive wines from award winning California winemakers with seasonal cuisine expertly curated by Chef Aldo Negrete. The Desmond Wine Dinner Series is perfect for a luxe date night or a memorable experience with close friends. The series kicks off on June 26 at 7pm, partnering with DAOU Vineyards. The experience includes a five-course menu paired with limited-release vintages from DAOU, including the premium and passionately curated Soul of a Lion Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.
Nat Diego (June 28 & 29)
San Diego’s Natural Wine Festival returns for it’s 6th edition with a weekend festival packed with winemakers, importers and advocates of Natural wine. What is natural wine, you say? Why it’s wine made by people who are breaking the status-quo of industrialized winemaking and rediscovering a heritage in which farming and winemaking are intimately linked. Natural wine is made without additives or chemicals, made by hand, and farmed responsibly. It is wine that displays a sense of place and it is wine that tastes great!
