Hello, San Diego!
Welcome to the latest edition of the San Diego Participant Observer! We are excited to present a fascinating and fun article on Chinese Lunar New Year (Enter the Year of the Dragon!) penned by our very own Anna Hartman!
Our Book of the Month selection is The Missing American, Kwei Quartey's detective novel set in Ghana. It is the 4th book in his Emma Djan detective series.
Recipe of the Month is Tunisian Tajine Maadnous a delicious frittata-like dish with some interesting (but easily found) ingredients. And our International Music of the Month recommendation is Sakura by Masa Takumi. Sukura won the 2023 Best Global Music Album Grammy.
On to the events!
Again, we are thrilled to offer our readers another discount for a Center for World Music concert! Grammy Award-winning musicians Martha Gonzalez and Tylana Enomoto will perform at the Mingei tonight! Participant Observer readers can get a generous discount on General Admission or VIP tickets using the code "WVP10". Don't miss out (it is nearly sold out) - see you there!
The San Diego Jewish Film Festival continues at the JCC.
Friday and Saturday, the Gaslamp Mardi Gras is happening with an additional day of fun on Tuesday.
Friday, UCSD's CARTA will present an online talk on Body Modification: Anatomy, Alteration, and Art in Anthropogeny. At the Linda Vista Library, there will be a Lunar New Year Lion Dance performance. At Hall of Nations (International Cottages), A Year in Italia News will be a discussion of current events in Italy. There will be a Blacktronica, Back to the Source concert at UCSD. At the Mingei, the Center for World Music will present a concert with Grammy-winner Martha Gonzalez along with Tylana Enomoto. There will be a Midnight Lion Dance Show at Chua Ba Thien Hau. There will be an exhibition at the Coronado Historical Association entitled: An Island Looks Back - Shedding Light on Coronado's Hidden African American
History. At Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center, there will be an opening for an exhibit of works by Panca. Fiddler on the Roof opens at San Diego Musical Theatre with performances until early March.
Saturday, the annual San Diego Lunar New Year Festival at Henwood Memorial Park will happen. At the New Children's Museum, Rachell Abalos will read from her book Our Nipa Hut. At the Taiwanese American Community Center, there will be a Lunar New Year Dumpling Party. The San Diego First United Methodist Church will host a Lunar New Year Celebration & Concert. Filipino rock band Parokya ni Edgar will perform at the DoubleTree. The Opposites Art Show Opening will take place at Distinction Gallery. At the California Center for the Arts, there will be a Mardi Gras Mambo performance. Baile De San Valentin at The Sound at the Del Mar Racetrack will feature performances by five different Mexican bands.
Sunday, Asian Story Theater will present Two Dragons at the Serra Mesa-Kearny Mesa Library. The San Diego Chinese Historical Museum will host an online talk entitled: Treasures in the Ancient Poem.
Tuesday, there will be a Chinese New Year Celebration at SDSU. Warwick's will host Kate Quinn and Janie Chang who will discuss and sign their new book, The Phoenix Crown. The Gaslamp Mardi Gras will have its final Fat Tuesday celebration. The Japanese anime Paprika will be shown at the Digital Gym.
Wednesday, at the Music Box, the Amor Prohibido show will be a tribute to Selena. The BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble will perform at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido.
Next Thursday is a day for talks with Dangerous Crossroads Revisited at USCD, The Ideological Foundations of Imperial Taxation Under Qing, also at UCSD, and Dreams & Enchantment: The Fairy Tale World of Burgundian Art at the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library. There will also be a stream talk hosted by the UC San Diego Library, on Hitler’s American Model.
All next weekend, the San Diego Tet Festival will take place at Mira Mesa Community Park.
Next Friday, Sergio & Clarice Assad will perform two shows at the Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla. Mexican rock band El Tri performs at Soma. The film The Life and Times of Runoko Rashidi will be screened at the World Beat Center. Daniel, Me Estas Matando performs at the House of Blues. Mexican grupero bands Bronco & Liberacion will perform at the Magnolia in El Cajon. Mexican singer/songwriter Pedro Fernández will be at Harrah's. La Sinaloense Bar & Grill will host their Norteño Fest with six Norteño groups performing.
Next Saturday and Sunday, the International Cottages and the House of China will host their annual Chinese New Year Festival.
Next Saturday, the 4th Annual City Heights Multi-Cultural Festival of Love will take place at Henwood Memorial Park. At the Chinese Historical Museum, the San Diego Storytellers will present Chinese folktales of Luck, Love, and Good Fortune. The film Tiananmen Mission will be screened at The Lot. Comedian Masood Boomgaard will be channeling his alter-ego "Self-help Singh" at Mic Drop Comedy. The Festa Do Bom Jesus Valentines Theme will take place at Upses Portuguese Hall in Point Loma. The tribute bands Abbey Road and Jumping Jack Flash will present a Beatles vs. Stones music showdown at the Magnolia in El Cajon (it's a fun show). Ska band Matamoska will perform at the Holding Company.
Next Sunday, Mexican pop star Yuri will perform at the Balboa Theatre. Tropa Magica and Los Blender will play at Soda Bar.
Local theatrical productions include The Crucible at Lamplighters Community Theatre in La Mesa (ends Sunday), English at the Old Globe, Outside Mullingar at Lamb's Players in Coronado, and Chapatti at Scripps Ranch Theatre. Fiddler on the Roof opens tonight at San Diego Musical Theatre.
Please note that after two weeks in the main calendar section, ongoing events (such as exhibitions and plays) can be found in Ongoing and Extended Events.
Everyone here at the San Diego Participant Observer and the Worldview Project wish you fulfilling, illuminating, and culturally-rich week!
