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By Miriam Raftery
September 21, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- As autumn arrives and Halloween draws near, East County has a wealth of festivals and events coming up. These include Julian’s Autumn Jubilee and an Heirloom Apple Festival, Oktoberfests in La Mesa and El Cajon, the Borrego Days Desert Festival, Haunt Fest on Main in downtown El Cajon, a Pumpkin Bash and Spooky Campover at Lions, Tigers and Bears in Alpine,and a Pumpkin Express train ride in Campo.
Plus there are live entertainment stars taking stage in East County, including comics Paula Poundstone and Randy Rainbow at The Magnolia, the rock artist Sting at SDSU, and El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells with his band in a benefit concert to help the homeless in El Cajon.
Scroll down for details on all of these events and more.
JULIAN AUTUMN JUBILEE: WEEKENDS FROM SEPT. 23-OCT. 29
The Julian Autumn Jubilee takes place each weekend from September 23 through October 29. Enjoy Julian’s famous apple season with activities including a hayride, cider pressing demonstration, hoedown and jug band show, petting zoo, pumpkin patch, reptile interactions, candle dipping and painting craft.
There’s also an adventure package option if you want to try your hand at archery and tomahawk throwing. Other options include U-pick veggies, herbs and berries, fairy and dinosaur garden crafts and more.
For tickets and details, visit fortcross.com.
LA MESA OKTOBERFEST SEPT. 29-OCT. 1
From Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, La Mesa Oktoberfest will be celebrating 50 years of Bavarian festivities in an effort to top its traditions for the past half-century.
Festivities include three stages of non-stop music featuring everything from traditional Bavarian and German music to live oompah bands, traditional rock bands, DJs, cover pop and more, plus German cuisine and multiple beer gardens.
The family-fun event also features dachshund races, a kinder carnival, Ferris wheel, rock climbing wall, Glüclich games, an artisan market and food fair, Deutsche dance square, and keg tapping ceremony.
For more information, a schedule of events and biergarten tickets, you can visit .lamesaoktoberfest.org/
COMIC PAULA POUNDSTONE PERFORMS IN EL CAJON SEPT. 29
Paula Poundstone will be performing at The Magnolia in El Cajon on Friday, September 29 at 6:30 p.m. The iconic comedian has starred in several HBO specials, hosts a weekly comedy podcast, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone, and is a panelist on NPR’s comedy news quiz show, Wait Wat…Don’t Tell Me!
She was the first female comic to perform standup comedy at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Her HBO special, Cats, Cops and Stuff, marked the first time a female comedian won Best Comedy Special in the Cable Ace Awards. Paula’s awards. For tickets, visit concerts.livenation.com.
MAYOR WELLS AND FRIENDS CONCERT TO HELP THE HOMELESS SEPT. 30
El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells and his all-star band will revisit pop and soul classics in a concert to benefit the East County Transitional Living Center, a facility which helps homeless individuals and families transition off the streets and transform their lives.
This year’s concert will be held on Saturday, Sept. 30 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Magnolia theatre in downtown El Cajon.
For tickets, visit magnoliasandiego.com/.
EL CAJON OKTOBERFEST SEPT.28-OCT. 1 and OCT. 6-8
The German-American Societies of San Diego will host two weekends of Oktoberfest at their El Cajon headquarters on Sept. 29-Oct. 1 and Oct. 6-8.
An opening day parade and keg tap kicks off the festivities Friday event, Sept.29 when the Oktoberfest Queen will be crowned.
A band direct from Germany will perform traditional German music just as you’d hear in the beer gardens of Bavaria. You can also watch folk dancing, compete in games and contests, visit craft vendors, and take children to a kids’ zone. Plus savor authentic German food, such as bratwurst, ox-on-the-spit, potato salad, potato pancakes, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and German pastries as well as German beers.
A raffle will also be held – and the grand prize is a trip for two to Germany. Tickets are available online at events.germanclubsandiego.org/.
LATE SEASON HEIRLOOM APPLE FESTIVAL OCT. 1-30
Ranchita del Reo in Julian invites you to a Late Season Apple Festival October 1st through 30th from 9:30a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Rancho is located at 1711 Highway 78 in Julian.
Visitors can savor several varieties of heirloom apples grown in Julian and available just once a year. You can also taste apple cider made from the ranchita’s heirloom apples, pick apples and stroll through the vintage orchard.
Home-made jams and preserves will be available, as local foodies and apple enthusiasts share their specialties. For more information, visit Ranchita Del Reo on Facebook.
STING IN CONCERT AT SDSU OCT. 4
Famed rock artist Sting, otherwise known as Gordon Sumner, will perform live on October 4th at the Cal Coast Amphitheatre at San Diego State University.
The English musician was frontman for the Police before going solo. He has received17 Grammy Awards and won Song of the Year for “Every Breath You Take.” He’s also received a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and four Academy Award nominations for best original song. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hallof Fame in 2003, has performed at Buckingham Palace, Kennedy Center and the White House, among other prominent venues.
Tickets are available at the SDSU Cal Coast Amphitheatre website.
PUMPKIN EXPRESS OCT.7-29
The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo invites you to take a ride aboard the Pumpkin Express. You can celebrate Halloween aboard the decorated vintage railcars on an excursion through San Diego’s backcountry each Saturday and Sunday from October 7th through October 29th.
After the train returns to the museum grounds, passengers will head to the display building, where children and their parents can decorate pumpkins from the museum’s pumpkin patch. Guests can also viewi Halloween scenes and haunted train cars. Pumpkins are included in the purchase of every toddler and child ticket on the Pumpkin Express; additional pumpkins may be purchased.
Passengers of all ages are encouraged to arrive in costume. For tickets, visit the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum website at PSRM.org.
RANDY RAINBOW COMEDIAN AT THE MAGNOLIA OCT. 14
The “Randy Rainbow for President” comedy show is coming to the Magnolia Theater in El Cajon on October 14.
Randy Rainbow is a three-time EMMY nominated American comedian, producer, actor, singer, writer and satirist best known for his popular YouTube series, The Randy Rainbow Show. His musical parodies and political spoofs have garnered him worldwide acclaim and two EMMY® nominations. In 2019 he landed a spot on The New York Times Best Performances list, and in 2020 The Washington Post proclaimed Rainbow as Best Parody.
For tickets, visit magnoliasandiego.com.
HAUNT FEST ON MAIN OCT.20
El Cajon presents Haunt Fest on Main, a family friendly Halloween season festival on Friday, October 20 from 4 p.m.to 9 p.m. in downtown El Cajon.
The 10th annual Haunt Fest on Main features live music on two stages plus other performances, costume contests, expanded carnival rides and games; a car show; candy challenge, Kidz Zone, face painting, pumpkin patch, craft and game booths; LED rock wall; Inflatables for kids; plus a surprise feature of Movies In The Park.
Find more information at http://hauntfest.org.
BORREGO DAYS DESERT FESTIVAL OCT. 21
The 57th annual Borrego Days Desert Festival, produced by the Borrego Chamber of Commerce, will be held Oct. 21st and 22nd at Christmas Circle Community Park in Borrego Springs.
The festival includes live musical entertainment, art exhibits, a kids’ zone, food vendors, artisans. a beer garden, a car show and more. For details, visit borregodays.com.
SPOOKY CAMPOVER AND PUMPKIN BASH OCT. 28-29
Lions, Tigers and Bears in Alpine invites you to two wildly eerie events: A family-friendly pumpkin bash on October 29 and a Spooky Campover October 28-29. These events sell out quickly, so early reservations are recommended.
Camp out in the countryside and sleep under the stars with the sanctuary animals during the annual Spooky Campover fundraiser. This family-friendly spooktacular overnight event includes campfire songs, pumpkin carving, a Halloween costume contest, and an all-ages haunted house. Enjoy the fun of the animal trivia challenge, make s'mores by the campfire, and sip hot cocoa at the big cat and wildlife sanctuary.
The next morning is the Pumpkin Bash, during the morning sanctuary visit. Come dressed in your best costume and watch the rescued big cats and bears devour their pumpkin treats. Pumpkins carved by campers the night before are stuffed with all kinds of delicious goodies. This event will take place rain or shine.
For tickets and details, visit https://www.lionstigersandbears.org/
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