Summer Keeps Rolling With Tiki Parties, Padres Baseball & Waterfront Festivals
Comic-Con may be over, but summer is still in full swing. Tiki Oasis, Padres baseball, street pickleball, waterfront concerts and more keep San Diego buzzing throughout August. PubClub.com will update this guide throughout the month with additional events plus bar and restaurant news.
Updated Aug. 14, 2026
By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com San Diego Editor
This article is updated throughout August as new events and news are announced.
Sure, Comic-Con is over, but San Diego brushes it aside like sand on the beach. The city simply says, “Okay, what’s next?”
Well as it turns out there’s a lot happening in San Diego this August. PubClub.com has our picks for the best of the best right here, along with bar and restaurant news which includes a peek preview of football season.
Tiki Oasis San Diego
Aloha! The multi-day Polynesian festival know as Tiki Oasis San Diego is back the second weekend of August at the Town & Country Inn in Fashion Valley. Taking place from Aug. 5-9, it is comprised of 40+ seminars of tiki culture (and rum!), pool lounging with a surf band and other live music, bands on a main stage, an incredible Tiki Marketplace (free), nightly themed parteis in room suites and a San Diego bartender’s challenge.
You can see all the events and pricing on the Tiki Oasis website and also read the PubClub Tiki Oasis 2026 preview here.
Padres Home Games In August
• August 1 & 2 vs. San Francisco (5:40 & 1:10)
• August 7-9 vs. Houston (6:40, 4:15, 5:20)
• Aug. 10-12 vs. Milwaukee (6:40, 6:40, 1:10)
• Aug, 21-23 vs. Minnesota (6:40, 5:40, 1:10)
• Aug. 24-25 vs. Pittsburgh (6:40, 6:40, 1:10)
Inaugural Margaritaville Run, Saturday, August 8
Exercise and socialize! The inaugural Margaritaville Run is a tropical-themed race for runners, walkers and Parrotheads through the Gaslamp Quarter on Saturday, Aug. 8. There is both a 5K or 10K with live music. Every participant gets an official Margaritaville Run San Diego Gaslamp Participant Tech Tee, a medal and a complimentary post-race margarita. Better yet, there’s a beer garden for adults only at the finish line! It’s early tho, folks: the costume contest is at 7:15 a.m, the races begin at 7:30 and the beer garden shuts down at 9:30. Now if you can do that AND Tiki Oasis, then “fins up” to you. The cost is $77.59 for the 5K and $94.24 for the 10K; register here. The Margaritaville Run supports Give Kids The World Village, helping provide wish vacations for critically ill children and their families.
Street Pickleball In The Gaslamp Quarter
For the second year in a row, Fifth Ave., in the Gaslamp Quarter is being blocked off for, of all, things, public pickleball. Called Urban Pickleball, it is just what it sounds like it might be, pickleball played on city streets. In this case it’s Fifth Ave., from Island to K Street and there is also a DJ, vendors with pop-up tents and, more to PubClub.com’s liking, people sitting on the patios of the bars taking in the action while having beers and cocktails.
It happens Thursdays from 4-sunset and lasts through Sept. 3. The viewing is all free and for those who want to play it’s $50 for first-timers and $45 for repeat players; register here.
Fingrs Crzzd, Insomniac, Brazilian Festival & Free Music In Waterfront Park
There’s something happening almost every weekend at Waterfront Park by the County Adminstration Building at Ash & Harbor across from the Maritime Museum. Here’s the lineup and click here for tickets to each.
• Aug. 9 – Fingrs Crzzd: Lane 8 & more
• Aug. 22 – Insomniac: Seven Lions, Said The Sky, Trivecta B2B, Kill The Noise, Last Heroes and Hidden Axis
• Aug. 29 – 17th Brazilian Festival
• Aug. 30 – Blanket Sounds: Free live music & pop-up art
Beer News: Karl Strauss Collabs With Fieldwork Brewing On A New Hazy IPA
Karl Strauss Brewing Company and Berkeley’s Fieldwork Brewing Co., have collaborated on a new limited release beer, Field Trip Hazy IPA. At 6.7% ABV, Field Trip Hazy IPA strikes a balance between bold hop expression and exceptional drinkability. Brewed with Quantum Mosaic® from Abstrax and Citra hops, it delivers intense aromas of tropical fruit, ripe berry, bright citrus, and layered dank hop character, all supported by a soft, pillowy mouthfeel and smooth finish. This limited-run release will be available on draft and in 16-oz four packs across California, Arizona, and Nevada. It is available on draft and in 16-oz four packs across California, Arizona, and Nevada, as well as at Karl Strauss’s nine SoCal brewpubs.
“Collaborations have always been one of the best parts of craft beer,” said Karl Strauss Brewmaster Paul Segura. “They’re an opportunity to learn from one another, experiment with new ingredients, and create something that neither brewery would have made on its own. Working with the talented team at Fieldwork made this beer especially rewarding.”
Bar & Restaurant News
• Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean bring their chart-topping hits to Petco Park on Sunday, Aug. 16, and Borrego Rooftop Kitchen + Cocktails is celebrating with two specialty cocktails inspired by their music. Available for $15 each, the featured drinks are the I Don’t Want This Night to End, made with Sazerac Rye Whiskey, rhubarb liqueur, grapefruit juice and passion fruit puree and Flyover States featuring Traveller Whiskey, Aperol, Amaro Nonino and lemon juice.
• Mission Brewery, which has some of my favorite beers (including the potent Shipwrecked), is closing its location across from Petco Park. It is having a farewell party on Aug. 21-23 with live music, food, games, raffles, and a special souvenir Mission Brewery cup. The brewery wants people to know it still has locations in Del Mar, Miramar, UCSD, and Kensington.
• Knotty Barrel in East Village is having a 15-year anniversary party on Saturday, Aug. 29. From 1-5, it will have a guest “smoker” on the grill making smoked brisket and pork ribs. There will be drink specials, tho they were not specified in the flyer on its website.
• Michelin Guide-recognized Cloak & Petal has launched The Chef’s Table featuring impromptu, intimate pop-up dinners with Executive Chef Robert Cassidy. The restaurant strongly encourages interested diners join the mailing list at https://cloakandpetal.com/chefs-table/ for advanced, first notice of the dinners, which won’t be announced far in advance and are anticipated to sell out quickly. The Chef’s Table is a single seating, fixed menu built for that night only in a small room. There are no à la carte options and no upsells.
• City Tacos is stepping outside the box for its August Taco of the Month; it’s the All-American Taco with 100% smashed beef patty layered with grilled American cheese, tomato, lettuce, bacon, house-made burger sauce, and aioli, for $4. City Tacos has six locations: Encinitas, La Mesa, North Park, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, and Sorrento Valley.
• Valet parking is now available on weekends at the outstading you-should-really-eat-there Fonda del Barrio in Barrio Logan. It is available for both brunch and dinner service on Saturdays and Sundays.
• Temaki Bar: Handroll, Sushi, Sake in Encinitas is featuring wrestling-themed sushi – think the Hitman, the Stonecold Stunner, The Catcus Jack and The Ministry of Darko, among others, for prices ranging from $12-24 – along with special drinks. The Power Bomb Martini has Tito’s Handmade Vodka, pineapple, lime, agave and habanero with a Tajín rim, priced at $16; the Maru-Hi Citrus Seltzer, a Japanese-inspired sparkling cocktail with 5% ABV, priced at $8; and Duck Foot KOOK SLAM, a gluten-reduced West Coast-style IPA with 7.1% ABV, priced at $9.
• On August 9, Gaslamp’s Hasta Mañana Cantina hosted an Industry Sunday Padres pregame event with deals on drinks including $5 Sun Cruisers and High Noons, $6 drafts, Los Cuernos (red blend, brut, sauv blanc, and rose’) along with $8 Los Cuernos Aperol Spritz. The game starts at 5:20 p.m.
• While the Padres are in full swing – dang, why did I write that; I HATE that cliche! – the bars around San Diego are preparing for the upcoming college football and NFL seasons. College football starts on Aug. 29 with eight games, including USC hosting San Jose State at 12:30 p.m. The NFL Hall of Fame game is Aug. 6 – yes, that early! – at 5 p.m.
Football season is almost here and for San Diego bars that’s as significant as any festival. Here’s a quick look at some places where fans meet for games.
San Diego College Football Alumni Bars
• Alabama Crimson Tide – Smoking Gun, Gaslamp Quarter/East Village
• Michigan Wolverines – The Local PB and Tower 13 in Cardiff By The Seas
• Ohio State Buckeyes – American Junkie in the Gaslamp, Break Point in PB, Oggie’s in Del Mar
• Penn State Nittany Lions – Knotty Barrel in East Village
• Texas Longhorns – Home and Away in Old Town
San Diego NFL Bars
• Buffalo Bills – Patrick’s Gaslamp Pub and The Local PB (both sell Labbat’s beer, by the way)
• Kansas City Chiefs – Kansas City Babeque (the “Top Gun bar”) and Home and Away in Old Town
• New England Patriots – Tipsy Crow, Gaslamp
• New York Giants – Knotty Barrel, East Village
• San Diego Chargers – The Deck in East Village and Home and Away
Coming Next Month
- September highlights
- Labor Day
- More college and NFL football
Kevin Wilkerson is the founder of PubClub.com, an award-winning journalist and San Diego-based nightlife expert who has spent years exploring Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and other coastal communities. He has covered destinations, events and entertainment for more than two decades and received an Associated Press award for investigative journalism while working as a newspaper reporter.
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