Okay, this is a good one.

Last Sunday was quiet. This one isn't — the free concerts at Moonlight Beach are back, which pretty much decides your Sunday afternoon for you. Around that: one last garden night before the season closes, music at the farm on Friday, and the usual market runs. Here's how I'd spend it.

Summer Nights at the Botanic Garden Music 5:30–7:15 PM · San Diego Botanic Garden, 300 Quail Gardens Dr · free with admission, reserve ahead If you've been meaning to catch a Summer Night, don't sit on it — this is the last one of the year. The garden stays open late, there's live music on the Gazebo Lawn, and you can wander the trails at dusk with a glass of wine in hand. This closing night also carries the garden's Survivor Tree Ceremony, a quiet moment around a ginkgo grown from a tree that lived through Hiroshima. Reserve ahead — the lawn fills up. 🔗 sdbg.org

Sunset Sessions at Fox Point Farms 5:00–8:00 PM · The Lawn @ Fox Point Farms (1200 Fox Point Farms Ln) · Free, all ages This is my favorite way to land into a weekend. A different local act plays every Friday as the light drops behind the fields — you grab a taco from Huerta, a wood-fired pizza, maybe a $10 margarita, find a patch of grass, and just stay a while. There are tractor-train tours and giant Jenga if the kids get restless. Bring a blanket and don't be in a hurry. 🔗 foxpointfarms.com/events (this week's lineup)

Not in a farm mood? Try Solterra. Live music Fri & Sat evenings · Solterra Winery, 934 N Coast Hwy 101, Leucadia. Solterra pours its own wine and puts on live music through the weekend — a smaller, mellower spot a couple blocks from the water if you'd rather trade the farm for a barrel room.

Cardiff Farmers Market 10:00 AM–2:00 PM · MiraCosta San Elijo Campus, 3333 Manchester Ave · Free The Saturday standby — organic produce, local makers, and a few food trucks. It sits right across from the San Elijo Lagoon, so the move is to shop first and then walk the trail while your coffee's still warm. 🔗 cardiff101.com

Moonlight Beach Concert: ZB Savoy 3:00–5:00 PM (Gate 5 opens at 1:00) · Moonlight Beach · Free Build your Sunday around this one. ZB Savoy plays Americana right on the sand from 3, with Gate 5 warming things up at 1 — all free. It's the first beach concert in two weeks, so the good spots go early. Pack a picnic, stake out some sand, and settle in. There aren't many better ways to end a weekend around here. 🔗 encinitasca.gov concerts

Leucadia Farmers Market 10:00 AM–2:00 PM · Oak Crest Middle School, 675 Balour Dr · Free Hit the market in the morning, save the beach for later. Ninety-odd booths of produce, flowers, and food, with live music while you browse. Bring a tote and small bills — and maybe throw a beach chair in the car for the concert. 🔗 leucadia101.com

A few happy hours worth timing your week around:

Stone Steps Beach, Leucadia — There's a beach most people drive right past. Stone Steps sits at the bottom of a long staircase off Neptune Ave — no big lot, no signs pointing the way, just a quieter stretch of sand the locals mostly keep to themselves. Go early for a swim before the day heats up. Fair warning: those stairs are a lot more fun going down than coming back up.

That's your week, neighbor. Now go do something with it. ☀️

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See you on the sand. 🌊

— Encinitas Weekender · Encinitas · Cardiff · Leucadia