GREER’S BEST BUYS:

Celebrate Earth Day on Sunday at the SoBeCa District’s 15th annual Earth Day festival at two of our favorite shopping centers for eco-friendly enthusiasts and trend-setting shoppers: the Camp and the Lab in Costa Mesa.

The free event starts with the first annual electric car parade beginning at South Coast Toyota (on Harbor Boulevard) in Costa Mesa and ending at the Camp green retail center.

Prizes go to cars with the highest mileage, the best decor and more at 11 a.m. The two centers plan an afternoon of fun earth-friendly tips, live music, children’s arts and crafts, artisan displays and demonstrations from noon to 4 p.m.

Learn about green moving, eco car washes, healthy eating options, and use your artistic skills in an Earth Day community art project. The free event also features food and drink samples, raffles and giveaways! The Camp and Lab are at 2930-2981 Bristol St.

Film festival

Attention film lovers. You are about to get one week of pure movie bliss!

The 10th annual Newport Beach Film Festival will kick off its eight-day run at 7 p.m. Thursday with the opening night screening of Lymelife at Edwards Big Newport.

It closes with the West Coast premiere of Fox Searchlight’s “(500) Days of Summer” at 8 p.m. April 30 at Regency Lido Theatre.

Following the red carpet screening of Lymelife, the festival will host an opening night gala at the Bloomingdale’s Courtyard in Fashion Island with more than 20 Newport restaurants, a fashion show presented by Bloomingdale’s and Fashion Island, and a special performance by Cirque du Soleil’s Zumanity.

The closing night celebration will take place at the Via Lido Plaza Courtyard following West Coast premiere screening of “(500) Days of Summer” with more than a dozen restaurants, live entertainment and other festivities.

The festival will showcase more than 400 international films, and an ambitious and inspiring selection of full-length features, shorts, documentaries and animation along with nightly special events, red carpet galas, post screening receptions, compelling conversations with filmmakers, international spotlights, industry seminars and retrospectives.

Tickets for screenings and galas are on sale now.

To buy tickets and for more information about the film festival, go to www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com.

Special dinner

Five Crowns in Corona del Mar is hosting a special multicourse dinner at 7 p.m. Tuesday with Anne Willan, one of the preeminent authorities on French cooking.

The dinner, based on her recipes, will be paired with French regional wines. Willan will discuss her work and book “Country Cooking of France.”

The menu starts with passed hors d’oeuvres, tarte flambée from Alsace, tartine aux poivrons et aux pignons from Provence and gougères from Burgundy, accompanied by Pierre Sparr Brut Rosé N.V. Crémant d’Alsace.