El Salon is San Ysidro’s first community theatre space. Inaugurated by Casa Familiar in 2020, it stands as a part of the multidisciplinary project, Living Rooms at the Border, designed by Estudio Teddy Cruz + Fonna Forman in partnership with Casa Familiar, and the support of Studio E Architects. Design and construction of Living Rooms at the Border was funded by the PARC Foundation and a grant from ArtPlace America, among other sources, and financial support from Civic San Diego, Capital Impact Partners and Citi Community Capital.
El Salon is a restoration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, built in 1927, and is now a multi-media theatre performing space.
We host theatre & dance performances, events, and workshops by different companies throughout the year.
Upcoming Events:
The FRONT Gallery presents:
Valgur‘s Tour Fantasias 2026
Featuring Nicole Hernandez, Lady Blanca, & Eugenio P.C.
Saturday, July 18th from 6pm to 10pm
Doors open at 6pm
Join us for a special evening of free music, drag shows, and prideful fun
All Ages
The FRONT Gallery presents:
Tijuana Noise Mashup – San Ysidro Session
Special Guests: Ghost Magnet Roach Motel, Ryan Ebaugh, Francisco Eme, Cameron Presley, Roberto Romero-Molina, & Jonathan Piper
Saturday, August 1st from 8pm to 11pm
Doors open at 8:00pm
A noise concert with notable noise musicians
All Ages
El Salon Events Calendar:
SUMMER 2026
Events from June to September
El Salon is San Ysidro’s first theatre & arts space inaugurated by Casa Familiar.
Imparted in collaboration with UCSD Center on Global Justice.
The UCSD-Casa Community Station is a partnership combining cultural, social, and economic programming co-curated between Casa Familiar, UC San Diego and the community of San Ysidro. Projects involve workshops, performances, & outreach.
El Salon extends its services as a performing arts space for collaborators. Each year, we offer residency programs to performance companies and collectives to create, & execute productions. Our space has held a wide variety of events. Including but not limited to: Concerts, art installations, exhibitions, theater performances, dance, screenings, workshops, and seminars.
Residency Highlights
Dialogos Danzados was a dance project directed by Miroslava Wilson and Briseida López, professional choreographers from the border region. They offered free dance workshops, as well as performances for the community.
Learn more about their past residencies here.
Camino23 is a bilingual, bicultural, and binational theater collective. We had the pleasure of welcoming their team to our theater, where they hosted workshops, performances, and previews of their productions.
Learn more about their past production here.
Previous Events at El Salon
Living Rooms at The Border was conceptualized as a parcel-size infrastructure made of cultural and social spaces, anchoring ten diverse units of affordable housing. It is a collection of small buildings: a community theater, social, immigration and health services, and an open-air civic classroom, led and managed by Casa Familiar and residents. The interface between programmed public space and social housing is essential to assure sustainability and inclusion.
We value any propositions or projects you’d like to have with us. Request an event here.