Kilowatt Brewing is celebrating 11 years of pouring beer in Kearny Mesa with a free, all-ages party on September 12 that folds in a night market, live music, and a rare local appearance by veteran Disney and Warner Bros. animator Willie Ito. The event runs from 4 pm to midnight at the brewery's Clairemont Mesa Boulevard location and doubles as a joint celebration with Convoy Nights, the neighborhood's recurring night market and cultural showcase.
According to KPBS, the anniversary party includes new beer releases, AAPI-inspired cocktails, live cultural performances, and more than 40 local makers, artists and food vendors. The Doghouse Blues Band is slated to perform, and the market portion of the event runs from 4 pm to 9 pm, while the brewery itself stays open until midnight. Organizers note that event dates and times are subject to change and recommend attendees check the organizer's website for the latest schedule.
A Disney Legend Takes the Stage
The night's centerpiece is a 9:15 pm screening of the animated short Hello Maggie!, followed by a conversation with its co-producer and illustrator, Willie Ito, alongside Disney animator James Lopez, per the same KPBS listing. Ito, now in his 90s, is known for animation work on Lady and the Tramp, Looney Tunes and The Flintstones, a résumé built over more than 50 years across Disney, Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera, according to Intermountain Histories. Born in San Francisco in 1934, Ito was forcibly relocated during World War II to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah, where he taught himself to draw by sketching in the margins of Sears department store catalogs before launching his animation career.
Hello Maggie! is based on a 2007 children's book written by former WWII detainee Shigeru Yabu and illustrated by Ito, depicting Yabu's real-life friendship with a wild magpie while he was incarcerated at Wyoming's Heart Mountain camp, as detailed by Sheridan College. The film premiered in July at the Heart Mountain Pilgrimage. Ito's career has continued to draw recognition well into his 90s: he received the animation industry's Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement at the 2021 Annie Awards and picked up another Lifetime Achievement Award at Canada's SPARK Animation Festival in 2025, the Powell Tribune reported.
Moderating the discussion is animation historian Mindy Johnson, who regularly collaborates with Ito, including moderating a Conversation with an Animation Legend panel with him at WonderCon in March 2026, according to Rafu Shimpo.
Convoy Nights Brings the Neighborhood Together
Convoy Nights, which takes place in the Convoy District, is a free night market and cultural event. The San Diego Night Market is an outdoor evening event first launched in 2013 that has drawn average crowds of 15,000 visitors, per the Convoy District Partnership. The pairing places the anniversary party squarely within a neighborhood that San Diego's City Council officially designated in October 2020 as the Convoy Pan Asian Cultural and Business Innovation District, an area spanning the zone between Interstate 805, State Route 163 and State Route 52.
Kearny Mesa is among the largest Pan-Asian business districts in the country and is home to high-profile dining spots like Michelin-recognized Menya Ultra ramen, according to the Convoy District Partnership's own history page. The area is a commercial and cultural hub.
A Brewery Built on Experiential Touches
Kilowatt Brewing's Kearny Mesa taproom sits at 7576 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. Kilowatt's Kearny Mesa complex is part of the brewery's presence in the neighborhood.
The milestone lands within San Diego County's competitive craft beer sector. In that market, experiential touches can be a way for independent breweries to stand out.
The anniversary event is free and open to all ages, and organizers advise attendees to check the event page for any last-minute schedule changes ahead of September 12.
