Seven things to do in and around the Point

Well, it’s February, and as of this writing, it’s damp and cold and dreary out there. Here are seven events in Point Loma, Liberty Station, and Ocean Beach that should help keep off the SAD.

The 31st Annual Writer’s Symposium by the Sea

Here’s the thing about The New Yorker, the magazine that was famously “not edited for the old lady in Dubuque.” While it was published for a metropolitan audience, it understood that the greatness of a city is that it is not parochial. Great things flow into it. And great things flow out of it. Like New Yorker writers George Saunders and Jamaica Kincaid. Also featured this year: highly decorated TV news personality Judy Woodruff.

• Where: Brown Chapel, Point Loma Nazarene University, Lomaland Drive, San Diego
• When: Monday, February 23, 2026 through Friday, February 27, 2026
• Cost: Tickets start at $21.99
• More info

Electric Waste Band at Winstons

Your humble correspondent has to admit that it’s just possible that you’ve never been to see the “long-established Monday night house act” at Winstons. Grateful Dead tribute act Electric Waste Band “has drawn an adoring crowd of devoted fans each and every week since 1992 — an astounding two decades and counting. Improvisation is their focal point and each member is well-versed in creating magic on the fly. Every performance is a unique journey, one that pays reverent homage to the past while somehow always sounding new and fresh.” At this point, don’t you kind of have to go?

• Where: Winstons, 1921 Bacon, San Diego
• When: Mondays at 8 pm
• Cost: $10
• More info

Beginning belly dance classes

Your humble correspondent’s favorite of earthmoves.org’s 15 reasons to belly dance: “Belly dance, with its circles, spirals and figure-eight configurations describes life at its universal cataclysmic inception. People find that through these creative movements, they can express their unique individuality and personality. The dance frees the spirit and nourishes body and soul. Through dance, people can tune into the rhythms and pulses of the Universe. Dancing like this expresses the human longing to reach out beyond the confines of the ego and the personal body, to connect and become one with the universal body. Dance in its purest form is an expression of the life force. When we dance we are always in the present moment, the now. There is evidence to suggest that Middle Eastern dance was used as a form of Goddess worship in the past.” Universal cataclysmic inception!

• Where: Dorothea Laub Dance Place Studio, 2650 Truxton Road, San Diego
• When: Tuesdays, 6:30 pm to 8 pm
• Cost: $20
• Get tickets

Mostly meditation

Clear your mind. Empty your thoughts. Wait, not so much that you forget about this meditation session for people who live and work in the world! If the internet has taught us anything, it’s that there is the terrifying infinity of an endless succession of Things. Take a moment and see if there are other infinities that are more…serene. Just imagine: calm without chemical assistance!

• Where: Dharma Center, 5059 Newport Avenue, San Diego
• When: Saturday, February 21, 2026, 11 am to noon
• Cost: Free, but $20 donation encouraged
• More info

Puppet making workshop

Your humble correspondent has any number of reasons to feel he’s failed as a father. But high on the list is the fact that his children don’t love the Muppets as much as he does. Tradition means “handing down,” and he dropped the ball pretty badly here. But for you, dear reader, there’s hope! “Create a professional arm-rod-and-mouth puppet of your very own from Rene Rubalcava, owner and puppeteer of LV Puppet Studio of Las Vegas, who learned the art of puppet making from a Jim Henson Muppeteer. There’s no better time to create your own one-of-a-kind fuzzy monster! We guide you from start to finish as you select, cut, hot glue and assemble the pieces and personality of your own customized puppet. Find your puppet’s voice and learn some puppetry basics.”

• Where: San Diego Creative Collective, 2590 Truxton Road, San Diego
• When: Sunday, February 22, 2026
• Cost: $140
• More info

Dali Gras: The annual surrealist ball with a Mardi Gras twist

You want surreal? How’s this for surreal? A Fat Tuesday party happening on a Saturday! Melting clocks, indeed! But at least there will be: immersive experiential art installations, two stages with live music, two bars with themed menus, an interactive parade, a fashion shows, and oh yes, vendors. Because commerce is real, no matter how surreal you like your Mardi Gras.

• Where: The Template, 5032 Niagara, San Diego
• When: Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 5 pm
• Cost: $49.87-$69.87
• Get tickets

Live Arts Fest: Common Ground

Your humble correspondent used to have a book called Culture Made Stupid that included the immortal line: “They say that music is a universal language. If you believe that, try telling an Eskimo that his pants are on fire using a kazoo.” And yet. And yet, I know what the promo copy is getting at when it says, “Common Ground brings together a group of friends and artists from diverse backgrounds to discover a cohesive and universal language through movement. Rooted in trust, collaboration, and a deep sense of listening, this contemporary dance work emerges from genuine connection and collective creation, telling the story of ‘where we came from, where we are, and where we want to go.’”

• Where: San Diego Dance Theater’s Light Box Theater, 2590 Truxton Road, San Diego
• When: Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 7:30 pm
• Cost: $31.60
• Get tickets