Hello San Diego!

Here's what's happenin' around town:

The awesome San Diego Latino Film Festival continues through Saturday. Still great films to see!

Friday (today), the 55th Annual Festa Di San Giuseppe will take place at St. Charles Borromeo Parish. Also this afternoon, there will be another Two Dragons with Asian Story Theater performance, this time at the College - Rolando Library. At the Hall of Nations in Balboa Park, there will be a talk on Goldoni, Verdi, and the Myth of Venice. The acclaimed South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo will perform at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center (note: its not at the Belly Up as misstated in last week's newsletter). The Mexican comedy duo Brincos Dieras will perform at the Balboa Theater.

Saturday, at the Chinese Historical Museum, there will be a storytelling event featuring Tales of Fish and Fishing. At the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park, there will be a talk on San Diego Women & Chinese Men: Bridging Cultures, 1882-1922. There will be a Mega Holi Festival at Westview Park. CRY San Diego will hold their annual Holi Festival at Hourglass Park in Mira Mesa. The San Diego Latino Festival will hold their Closing Night Concert and Awards Ceremony at UCSD Park and Market. At the UCSD Epstein Family Amphitheater, Red Baraat will merge hard-driving North Indian bhangra with elements of hip-hop, jazz, and raw punk. Nigerian American comedian Chinedu Unaka will perform at the Grand Comedy Club in Escondido.

Sunday, the House of Iran will hold its annual Lawn Program to celebrate the Persian New Year known as Nowruz. At Ocean Front Walk, they will hold a Holi Beach Festival. There will be an Iraqi Music and Dance Workshop in Chula Vista at the N1 Studio. The Flamenco music and dance show at the Turquoise will feature "guitarrista" La Caro. At the Soda Bar, Halluci Nation will perform a blend of genre-bending mix of hip-hop, reggae, dubstep, and First Nations musical traditions. At Aquarius Bar and Grille, Zeu Azevedo will perform Forró tunes on accordion. Forró is a very popular Brazilian social dance.

Monday and Tuesday, the North Coast Repertory Theatre will offer performances of the play The Spirit of Harriet Tubman.

Monday, at the City Heights Weingart Library, the film Arab Blues will be shown. At the USD Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, Colum McCann will discuss his book, American Mother.

Tuesday, at the Los Penasquitos Adobe Ranch, archaeologists Kris Reinicke and Alberto Foglia will discuss how Drones Are Transforming Archaeological Mapping. Trio de Janeiro will perform at the Senses Human Bistro at Park and Market.

Next Wednesday, there will be a Nowruz Celebration at the Poway Library.

Next Thursday, at the Skyline Hills Library there will be a Ramadan Suncatchers Craft Activity for kids. At the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Abby Chava Stein will discuss her book, Eve. At the House of Blues, the Latin pop band Bella Dose will perform. Latino Canadian comedian Juan Forno will perform stand-up at the Taproom Beer Company.

Next Friday, at the Himalayan Grill, you can have lunch with author Shilpi Somaya Gowda where she will discuss her new book, A Great Country. The El Cortito Book Talk at Centro Cultural de la Raza will center around the struggle for the health and legal protection of farm workers. The film The Last Tlatoani will be screened at the WorldBeat Center. The New Children's Museum will present a concert with Mexican folk artist Sonia De Los Santos. The Scripps Ranch Theatre will begin performances of Stew. Performances will continue until April 21. Ellis Rodriguez will perform stand-up at Mic Drop Comedy. At La Sinaloense Bar and Grille, the Primavera Fest will feature several bands performing regional Mexican music, Banda music, and Norteño music. Azucar at Spin Nightclub promises to be "a vibrant and immersive cultural experience celebrating the rich and diverse mix of African and Latin music." Mariah Angeliq, who blends reggaeton, R&B, and Latin trap in her music, will be at Candy Shop Night Club.

Next Saturday, there will be a Holi Festival (Indian Festival of Colors) at Westview Park in Mira Mesa. There will be a Mediterranean Night at the Saffrono restaurant that will include a performance by İlhan Özulu and belly dancers. The new play Ride opens at the Old Globe. At the Til-Two Club, Marujah will offer a blend of street music and political commentary, sung in English and Spanish. Reggae band One Drop Redemption will be at Winstons in Ocean Beach.

Next Sunday, at the WorldBeat Cultural Center, there will be a Folk Dance of Colombia Workshop. At NTC Liberty Station Park, there will be a Sizdahbedar Festival (which officially takes place on the 13th day of the Persian New Year) celebrating nature and the great outdoors.

Local theatrical productions include Molière's Tartuffe at North Coast Rep, Ride at the Old Globe, Stew at Scripps Ranch Theatre, Midsummer Night's Dream at the Coronado Playhouse, and The Crucible at Southwestern College (ends 3/23).

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.