Happy Thursday, Encinitas!
The summer solstice is Saturday — that means it’s the longest day and the shortest night of the year and the official start of summer — which makes it a great day to hit the beaches and hang out in Leucadia for the Summer Fun on the 101 festival. Father's Day rolls in right behind it on Sunday and whether you're celebrating a dad, a father figure, the person who taught you to surf, or just taking the day as the first real Sunday of summer, there's plenty to do for everyone this weekend. June Gloom is still doing its thing (gray mornings, soft afternoons in the high 60s), perfect weather for everything going on. We've got a coral-reef film premiere that plants a tree with every ticket, a free DJ set on the beach in Cardiff, pop-punk and stand-up at the fair, and about six different ways to celebrate dads, father figures, and anyone marking the day their own way. Let's go!
🏄 The weekend at a glance
Weather. Classic late-June: gray mornings burning off to partly sunny afternoons. Highs right around 68° every day Thursday through Sunday. Tiny chance of drizzle Thu–Fri (20%), drying out for the weekend. Bring a layer for the evening events.
Surf. Swami's is running small and soft — chest-high sets in the 3–5 ft range on a long-period SSW swell, with onshore SW wind keeping things a bit textured through the day. Get the latest from Surfline.
Tides. Low tides have shifted to the morning — a 1.8 ft low at 8:29 AM Saturday and a 2.4 ft low at 9:16 AM Sunday. A rad morning is to grab a breakfast burrito at Pipes and then hit morning tide pooling at Cardiff Reef.
Sunset. Saturday 8:01 PM. Sunday 8:01 PM. It does not get later than this all year — celebrate with a DJ set at sunset on Friday. See the Featured section.
🎡 Featured
🚗 Encinitas 101 Cruise Nights — Thursday (tonight) The cars are back! The 25th year of an Encinitas institution. Classic and vintage cars line Coast Highway 101 with live bands up and down the strip — June's lineup includes ZB Savoy on F Street and The Cherry Bombs at the E101 office, plus the North County Cruisers and Locals Car Club. Last month we checked out the cars and then ducked into Blue Ribbon for pizza and a pint. Great night out for the whole family. 📍 Coast Highway 101, Downtown Encinitas 💵 Free
🪩 DGTL CLR feat. Gabe Vega & Santini at Seaside Reef — Friday What a rad show in Cardiff: a full outdoor electronic set in the Seaside parking lot, right on the beach, with the ocean as the backdrop and the sun going down behind the decks on the weekend of the summer solstice. Encinitas is just the best. DJs Gabe Vega and Santini spin, and it's completely free thanks to local sponsors Corner Pizza, Hot Water, Tribe Coffee Culture, Monday Morning, and Drinkum. Bring a layer if it gets cool, or just stay warm dancing. 📍 Seaside Reef Parking Lot, S Coast Hwy 101, Cardiff 💵 Free
🤘 Summer Fun on the 101 — Saturday Encinitas' most epic music festival takes over Leucadia Roadside Park on Saturday — a full day of live music a block from Beacons, free and open to everyone. The lineup runs all afternoon into the evening, with a kids' hula hoop contest, local vendors, giveaways, and a 21+ beverage garden rounding it out. Bonus: it's a fundraiser, with proceeds going to music scholarships for graduating San Dieguito Academy seniors. Bring a blanket, bring the family, post up for the day. 📍 Leucadia Roadside Park, 860 N Coast Hwy 101, Leucadia 🕘 12–8 PM 💵 Free (drinks in the 21+ garden priced separately)
👔 For Dad (Father's Day weekend)
Everything you need to make Sunday — and the lead-up — a good one, in one place.
Father's Day BBQ at Fox Point Farms (Sun, 12–4 PM) — BBQ, drinks, and community on the farm lawn to kick off summer. Relaxed, outdoors, room for the whole crew. Free community event with food and beer for purchase. Plus they have a Make Your Own BBQ Salt Bar with guidance from spice experts. How do I get a job as a spice expert?! (If you golf at the Ranch first, bring your golf card for $5 beers after).
Father's Day Beach Yoga at South Ponto (Sun, 9:30–10:30 AM) — start the day with gentle flow, breathwork, and meditation on the sand with Katie Rose of Yoga In Beautiful Places. All levels, bring a mat, bring Dad. ~$23 advance.
Karl Strauss Beer Tasting at Seaside Market's Loft (Sat, 6–8 PM) — a Father's-Day-weekend tasting up in the Loft: nine craft beers paired with cheeses and Seaside's house made sausages, plus giveaways through the night. 21+, tickets required. $35. A fun Saturday-night out if you're toasting Dad the day before.
Dads + Donuts Storytime at The Forum (Sat morning) — For dads with littler kids, this is exactly what it sounds like. Free donuts and coffee plus stories and crafts at Rylee + Cru in the Forum.
Father’s Day Brunch at Pacific Coast Grill (Sunday morning) — They’ve got a great menu set for the day and you can’t beat the views, but what hooked me was the cocktails. I’m ordering the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: WhistlePig 6yr. Bourbon or Rye, barrel-aged maple syrup, Luxardo cherries & dried orange 18. Make a reservation on Opentable.
🗓️ Day by day
Thursday, June 18 (tonight)
Symbiosis: Film Premiere Night with Seatrees — Thursday (tonight) The Sea House hosts the world premiere of Symbiosis: Restoring Costa Rica's Reef, a new documentary from ocean-conservation nonprofit Seatrees about the people working to bring coral reefs back to life. The night is a full event, not just a screening: a conversation with the Seatrees team, live music, food and drinks, live surfboard painting by @wyliebee, and the launch of their first-ever Coral Biodiversity Blocks. Your $5 ticket plants a sea tree. Tickets might be sold out, so check the link before you head down. 📍 The Sea House, 246 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas 💵 $5 RSVP — only a handful left
Encinitas 101 Cruise Nights — see Featured. Cars + live bands on the 101, 5:30–7:30 PM, free.
Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias at the SD County Fair Grandstand — one of the most popular stand-up comics on the planet brings "Beyond The Fluffy" to Del Mar. Ticket price includes same-day fair admission. 7:30 PM. Worth the Drive.
VAKA + Music Thursdays at Breakers — The tiki patio at Breakers is vibes. No cover, Hawaiian food and tropical drinks, 7 PM till late.
Friday, June 19
DGTL CLR at Seaside Reef — see Featured. Free sunset DJ set on the Cardiff sand, 6–9:30 PM.
Saturday, June 20 — Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, so make it count — there's a daytime farmers' market, an evening solstice session, and a couple of strong night options. (Toasting Dad early? The Karl Strauss tasting is in the "For Dad" section above.)
Saved By The 90s + Totally 80's Band at Belly Up — a full-on '80s/'90s dance party with two throwback cover bands, DJ set after. Saturday-night for Gen X on Cedros. 8 PM. Worth the Drive (the Coaster stops a short walk from the venue). $22 adv / $25 day-of.
Good Charlotte at the SD County Fair Grandstand — the pop-punk legends behind "The Anthem" and "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" play the fair. Ticket includes same-day fair admission. 7:30 PM. Worth the Drive.
Cardiff Farmers Market — local produce, food vendors, and live music a block from the beach, 10 AM–2 PM. Stock up on farm fresh ingredients to for your Father’s Day BBQ the next day. Free.
Sunday, June 21 — Father's Day and the days are already getting shorter again — the Father's Day picks (farm BBQ, beach yoga) are up in the "For Dad" section. Two more for Sunday:
Ocean of Poetry: Carly DeMento & Michael Klam — a solstice book-release reading from two ocean-loving local poets, marking the new San Diego Poetry Annual and Michael Klam's collection Stay There. Featured reading + open mic, all levels welcome. 1–3 PM at the Encinitas Library. Free.
Sunday Night Jazz at Mr. Peabody's — close the weekend with the Tony Ortega Band, free, every Sunday. Open jam at 8 PM if Dad wants to sit in. 6–10 PM.
👨👩👧👦 Family-friendly picks
Three easy moves for the whole crew (and don't forget the Fox Point BBQ up in the "For Dad" section — it's the most family-friendly of all):
Summer Fun on the 101 (Saturday) — Bring a blanket and let the kids dance. There’s even a kids hula hoop contest!
Cardiff Farmers Market (Sat, 10 AM–2 PM) — free, live music, snacks, a block from the beach.
Morning tide-pooling at Cardiff Reef (Sat/Sun late morning) — free, and the morning low tides this weekend line up nicely. Bring water shoes, a breakfast burrito from Pipes, and a pour over from Bump.
🔜 On the horizon
EcoFest Encinitas — North County's longest-running environmental fair returns Sunday, June 28 at Encinitas Community Park (12–4 PM): EV test rides, green vendors, live music, and a beer garden.
San Dieguito Mustang Open Reunion — The annual all class reunion is on July 25th this year at Charlie’s Electric Bike at F & 101. Grab some classmates! Go Mustangs!
🤝 One ask
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See you out there. 🤙