DESTINATION EAST COUNTY: TOP FESTIVALS AND EVENTS IN OCTOBER 2021

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version Share this

By Miriam Raftery

September 19, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) -- This week’s Destination East County includes some thrilling and chilling October events, including Oktoberfests in La Mesa and El Cajon, the Festival of Sunflowers and Bathhouse Bazaar in Jacumba Hot Springs, an Autumn Jubilee in Santa Ysabel, the new El Cajon Foodie Fest, Dinner and Flamenco dancers in Lemon Grove, the Borrego Days parade and festival, the Lakeside River Park Conservancy’s Trail of Terror titled “Curse of the French Quarter,” Trick or Treat on Maine in Lakeside, spooky campouts at Lake Jennings, and Haunt Fest on Main in downtown El Cajon.

LA MESA OKTOBERFEST OCT. 1-3

The 48th annual La Mesa Oktoberfest returns October 1-3 with all of the event’s traditional activities. Those include three beer gardens, Gluckglich games, Dackeldorft Daschsund Village, a Ferris wheel, Kinder Karneval, craft fair, over 100 vendors, live music including oompah bands, dancing, traditional and international foods and more.

The hours are:

Friday, October 1st - 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Saturday, October 2nd - 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Sunday, October 3rd - 12 p.m. - 8 p.m.

For tickets and more information, visit https://www.lamesaoktoberfest.org/.

EL CAJON OKTOBERFEST CONTINUES FIRST WEEKEND IN OCTOBER

The German American Societies invite the public to celebrate Oktoberfest in El Cajon the weekends of September 24-26 and October 1-3. 

 Festivities include Oom-Pah music by the Guggenbach-Buam from Germany, German beers, food and desserts, dancing, kids’ activities, vendors and a raffle with a round-trip flight for two to Germany as grand prize.

 Hours are Fridays 4-10 p.m., Saturdays 12-10 p.m., and Sundays 12-9 p.m.

The event takes place at the German American Societies parking lot (1017 S. Mollison Ave.) in El Cajon.  Parking is limited so using a ride share or taxi from home or a transit center is encouraged.

For ticket costs and more information, visit www.OktoberfestElCajon.com.

FESTIVAL OF SUNFLOWERS AND BATHHOUSE BAZAAR OCT. 2 IN JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS

Festival of Sunflowers is an annual exhibit featuring works of  local artists. This year, the event will be hosted by Gilliam Gallery(44555 Old Highway 80) in Jacumba Hot Springs on October 2 from 12 noon to 6 p.m.

Also on October 2 in Jacumba, the monthly Bathhouse Bazaar/Street Market with collectibles, crafts, tools, music, food, jewelry, clothing and more will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jacumba’s Bathhouse downtown beside newly restored Lake Jacumba, where visitors can now go kayaking.

AUTUMN JUBILEE IN SANTA YSABEL CONTINUES WEEKENDS THROUGH OCT. 30

Fort Cross Old Timey Adventures in Santa Ysabel (4425 Hwy 78) invites you to their 5th annual Autumn Jubilee. The fall festivities happen Saturdays (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Sundays (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) now through October 30.

Activities include hayrides, hoedowns, cider pressing, fall crafts, candle dipping and a reptile experience. You can also try your hand at archery, tomahawk throwing or the Ghost Town slingshot gallery, visit a pumpkin patch, make a fairy or dinosaur for your garden, traverse a lilac maze and more.

Advance reservations are recommended. For tickets and details, visit www.fortcross.com/autumn-jubilee.

EL CAJON FOODIE FEST OCT. 9

Foodie Fest aims to reignite the City of El Cajon’s restaurant/food services industry while celebrating the community’s diversity.

The event will be hosted on Saturday, October 9, 4:00-8:00 p.m. on Prescott Promenade in downtown El Cajon.

The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce will feature up to 40 restaurants, catering services and food trucks to provide tastings.

The Downtown El Cajon Business Partners will feature entertainment, while St. Madeline Sophie Center will feature free arts and crafts for all ages.

Pre-event ticket sales for the El Cajon Foodie Fest are available at Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/el-cajon-foodie-fest-tickets-167003430757.) Day of event tickets will also be offered on a space-available basis.

DINNER AND FLAMENCO DANCERS OCT. 9 IN LEMON GROVE

The Lemon Grove Historical Society invites you to savor a gala dinner with live Flamenco dancers on Saturday, October 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the H. Lee House courtyard, (3205 Olive in Lemon Grove).

The event celebrates Treganza Heritage Park, the new name of the cultural landscape that includes H. Lee House and the Parsonage Museum, and reflects the area’s Spanish heritage.  Guests can also vie for auction prizes.

For tickets to the Lemon Grove Historical Society’s dinner and flamenco event, visit https://lghistorical.square.site/events.

BORREGO DAYS OCT. 23-24

The 55th annual Borrego Days Desert Festival will take place October 23 and 24 at Christmas Circle Community Park on Palm Canyon Drive in Borrego Springs. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission and parking are free.

The festive weekend includes a flyover, parade, live entertainment, dance floor, art exhibits, kid's zone, food vendors, adult beer garden, car show, Amateur Talent Show and more.

This year’s theme is “Welcome Back!” according to the event’s sponsor, the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.

For more information on Borrego Days, you can visit borregodays.com.

TRAIL OF TERROR AT LAKESIDE RIVER PARK -- CANCELLED DUE TO "CURSE OF COVID"

Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy presents “Trail of Terror: Curse of the French Quarter” the last two weekends in October from 7 to 11 p.m. on October 22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th

Reawakened New Orleans townspeople want you to join the party. Swamp people want you off their land and everyone wants you out – but will you make it out unscathed?

The Trail of Terror is located at Lakeside’s River Park Conservancy walking trail (10204 Channel Road) across from the Lakeside Fire Department.  You can find more information at https://lakesidetrailofterror.com/.

HAUNTFEST ON MAIN OCT. 28 IN EL CAJON

The 9th annual HauntFest on Main takes place in downtown El Cajon on Friday, October 29th from 4 to 9 p.m.

This family-friendly event features live music on two stages as well as costume contests, carnival rides and games, a car show, candy challenge activities, a Kidz Zone, face painting, plus performances by TNT dancers, Arts in Motion & Jr. Crew. There’s also a pumpkin patch, craft and game booths, an LED rock wall, inflatable jumps for kids, and a surprise movie in the park. Find all the chilling and thrilling details at http://hauntfest.org/.

SPOOKY CAMP-O-WEEN AT LAKE JENNINGS

 

Lake Jennings plans two weekends of spooky campouts Oct. 22-24 and Oct. 29-31. Each includes Friday night pickup of creepy crafts, a Saturday costume parade at 4 p.m., campsite decorating contest judging at 6:30 p.m. and a socially distanced scavenger hunt all weekend long.

 

For reservations and details, visit www.LakeJennings.org.

 

TRICK OR TREAT ON MAINE

 The Miss Lakeside Scholarship Pageant sponsors Trick or Treat on Maine Avenue each year for the children of Lakeside.  The 11th annual event happens Halloween night, October 31 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Maine Avenue in the heart of downtown Lakeside

 


Error message

Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.