Our picks of this week's events

ART

Come all

Only agoraphobics have an excuse for missing ArtWalk this year, because aside from the crowd and all the trouble with parking that comes with it, the annual outdoor art event is pretty darn fun. While it’s not as upscale as Switzerland’s Art Basel, ArtWalk organizers do manage to round up a nice mix of fine art, sculpture and crafts by artists from San Diego, Arizona and Mexico. So, put on your art-buying shoes and head to Little Italy from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27. The main thoroughfares are on India Street and Kettner Boulevard, but make sure to swing by the Mexican Consulate, which has steadily been building a reputation as one of the hotter ArtWalk spots. www.artwalksandiego.org or 719-615-1090. Free.

It’s in: The city of San Diego has apparently decided that The Art of Photography show is a cultural keeper. This year’s juried competition received a record-breaking number of entries, and if last year’s opening is any indication, the Lyceum Theatre Gallery (in Horton Plaza, Downtown), where the event is held, will be flooded with a record-breaking number of attendees. Don’t fight the force of public opinion; instead, join the communal glee and attend the opening yourself from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 25. The exhibit runs through May 23. www.artofphotographyshow.com. Free.

LECTURES

To the core

Carlos Fuentes is everything a good writer should be. His interesting childhood living with diplomat parents made him cultured. His high-end education and training as a lawyer made him smart. And his own experience as a diplomat made him both pigheadedly political and wistfully idealistic. The traits swim just under the surface of The Old Gringo and the rest of Fuentes’ literary works, which eventually earned him the descriptor that seems to follow him wherever he goes: “Mexico’s greatest novelist.” Hear what the Mexican intellectual has to say about globalization at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 24, at Mandeville Auditorium at UCSD in La Jolla. The lecture is brought to you by the good people of UCSD’s Division of Arts and Humanities. calendar.ucsd.edu. 

BOOKS

Ready to read

Author and journalist Valerie Boyd’s 2003 book Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston was the first biography written about the legendary Harlem Renaissance writer in almost 25 years. The book won several awards, and Boyd’s since contributed a fine body of cultural criticism and essays to such publications as Paste, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and Ms. magazine. At 7 p.m. Friday, April 25, Boyd will give a keynote address for The Big Read, part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ campaign to get Americans to read more. The event is free and takes place at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park in Bay Park. www.sandiego.edu/cee.

SPECIAL EVENTS

In between

Occupying the space between Mission Bay and Strip-Mall Heaven—aka Mission Valley—is Linda Vista, a diverse community that doesn’t get a lot of foot traffic, but for 23 years, the Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Fair has been attracting lowlanders to the ’hood for its mix of live entertainment, ethnic cuisine and family activities. This year’s fair features an opening ceremony with speeches by local elected officials, followed by a parade, movie screenings sponsored by the San Diego Latino and Asian film festivals, three stages for music and dance performances, a housing fair and, of course, the obligatory Kids Zone. The day kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 26, along Linda Vista Road between Comstock and Ulric streets. www.lindavistafair.org. Free.

FOOD

Eat big

Everybody loves going out to eat. And enjoying a delicious meal without having to cook or clean dishes is always tempting, even if it takes a big bite out of your wallet. Since its inception in Philadelphia in 1991, Dining Out for Life has provided a great excuse to masticate at a variety of destinations, with proceeds supporting HIV and AIDS programs across the world. On Thursday, April 24, establishments across San Diego will donate at least 25 percent of profits to HIV and AIDS prevention services at The Center in Hillcrest. Participating restaurants include Bread & Cie Bakery, Crest Café, Tioli’s Crazee Burger, Adams Avenue Grill and many others around town. See the website for full list of participants: www.diningoutforlife.com/sandiego.

Um, yum?: In case you didn’t know, cupcakes are super hot right now, and we’re not talking temperature. Why the hipsters of the world have decided to make cupcakes their dessert of choice is beyond us, but it’s likely similar to the reason they’ve chosen leggings and jeans that look like leggings as their pant of choice. Some things are best left appreciated while remaining unexplored. So, while Cupcakes Squared serves its square cupcakes to kids in Ocean Beach, C&C Sweet Factory would like to introduce its own version of the personal-size cake—vegan cupcakes made with no refined sugar, non-hydrogenated oils and zero fat. Sound tasty? No? Let the vegan chefs prove their worth at the first-ever Rock ’n’ Roll Cupcake Social happening at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at the Ken Club, 4079 Adams Ave. in Kensington. E-mail ccsweet factory@gmail.com with questions.

FAMILY

The good stuff

What do mice have to do with beans? Nothing, except that they’re both in the title and focus of Pam Munoz Ryan’s colorful children’s book Mice and Beans, which the San Diego North Coast Singers recently turned into an opera, set to be performed live at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 26, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 27, at the Birch North Park Theater, 2891 University Ave. The story about a forgetful abuelita’s trials and tribulations preparing her mouse-infested casita for her granddaughter’s big birthday party was adapted for the stage by New York composer Cary Ratcliff, a pianist with the Rochester Philharmonic. The result is a kid-friendly opera that parents who appreciate good music will enjoy, too. 760-944-1866 or www.birchnorthparktheatre.net $20-$40.