17 Things to Do for the Holidays That Are Uniquely San Diego
San Diego does the holidays its own way. Think ice skating a few steps from the sand, boats strung with lights on the bay, and a whole park full of music and food the first weekend of December. These are the traditions locals plan their season around.
Go Skating at The Del
Ice skating with the Pacific as your backdrop is about as San Diego as the holidays get. Skating by the Sea is back at the Hotel del Coronado, with a beachfront rink framed by palm trees and some of the best sunsets on the coast.
The Del donates $5,000 from Skating by the Sea to Make-A-Wish® San Diego every year, a partnership now more than 20 years running.
The move is to book a Frostbite Lounge, with plush seating around a fire pit, holiday drinks, and bites, or watch the rink from Sun Deck, Babcock & Story Bar, or Serẽa. Tickets run $35 to $45 for a 90-minute skate, rentals included.
📆 November 20, 2026 – January 3, 2027
📍 1500 Orange Ave, Coronado
🎟️ Reserve skating tickets here
Catch the Coronado Holiday Parade
Coronado has been throwing its Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting for more than 50 years, and the whole island still turns out for it. Floats, bands, and local groups roll down Orange Avenue, and the night wraps up with the big tree lighting up at Rotary Park.
Make a night of it with a skate at The Del, a short walk down Orange Avenue.
📆 Friday, December 4, 2026 | Parade starts at 6 PM
📍 Orange Ave, Coronado
See the Bay Lit Up
San Diego’s favorite boat parade is back for its 56th year, and this one comes with a birthday party. The 2026 theme for the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is “Liberty Lights the Bay – Cheers to 250 Years,” a nod to the country’s 250th, so expect the boats to dress the part.
It’s free, it’s on the water, and around 80 boats make the trip from Shelter Island to Coronado. Stake out a spot at Cesar Chavez Park – the parade passes by there before making the turn to Coronado, and it’s usually a little less crowded.
Can’t make a Sunday? The Mission Bay Christmas Boat Parade of Lights runs Saturday, December 12, starting at 5:30 PM, and SeaWorld’s fireworks open the show.
📆 Sunday, December 13 & 20, 2026 | Parade starts at 5:30 PM
🎟️ Join the parade here
Grab a Seat for Noel Noel at The Rady Shell
The San Diego Symphony’s Noel Noel is the holiday concert with the best view in town, right on the bay at The Rady Shell. This year Jason Mraz joins in to perform his new holiday single, “Snow in San Diego,” alongside the San Diego Master Chorale and San Diego Children’s Choir.
The move is the Sunday show. It wraps in time to watch the Parade of Lights pass The Shell, expected between 6:10 PM and 6:40 PM.
📆 Friday, December 18 – Sunday, December 20, 2026
📍 222 Marina Park Way, San Diego
🎟️ Buy your tickets here
Party for the Pups in the Gaslamp
Get ready to deck the paws! The Gaslamp Pet Parade takes over the streets of the Gaslamp Quarter again this December, and every kind of pet is welcome to strut their stuff, from dogs and cats to bunnies and bearded dragons.
Registration is $30, and your fur baby will be part of a festive lineup with floats, marching bands, and eight costume contest categories. Not parading? You can still soak up the cuteness for free from a nearby patio.
And don’t skip the Pups in the Pub Party at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter. Expect holiday photos with Santa and friends, pup-friendly games and treats, caricatures, seasonal drinks (including kid-friendly ones), and a big awards ceremony to crown Best in Show.
📆 Mid-December, 2026 (TBC)
📍 Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego
🎟️ Register your pet here
Plan a Neighborhood Lights Crawl
No snow required. San Diego neighborhoods go all out every December, from Christmas Card Lane in Rancho Peñasquitos to Candy Cane Lane in Poway, and some of these streets have been at it for decades.
We rounded up the best neighborhoods for Christmas lights in San Diego, the streets worth a drive with the windows down. See our top picks here.
Step Into Holiday Wonderland at Petco Park
Petco Park is going full festive with the return of Holiday Wonderland, and this one’s worth bundling up for. From walk-through light displays and nightly snowfall (yep, real snow) to Santa sightings, carousel rides, a Christmas train, and a sledding hill, it’s basically a holiday theme park inside Gallagher Square.
Grown-ups get festive drinks, seasonal bites, and local artisan shopping, and tickets start around $25 with every attraction included. It works for families, date nights, or anyone who wants snow without the drive to the mountains.
📆 Select dates, December 4 – 23, 2026
📍100 Park Blvd, San Diego
🎟️ View ticket options here
Walk Lightscape at San Diego Botanic Garden
Lightscape turns San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas into a one-mile trail of light, with more than 20 new installations this season. Winter Cathedral, the tunnel built from tens of thousands of LED globes, is back for its fifth year, and a giant glowing moon rises over the Bamboo Garden.
Plan on 60 to 90 minutes and wear real shoes, since there are dirt paths and a few inclines. Bring a layer too, because it cools down fast after dark. Food and drinks are sold along the trail.
📆 November 20, 2026 – January 3, 2027 | Entry times 5 PM – 8 PM
📍 300 Quail Gardens Dr, Encinitas
🎟️ Get your tickets here
Join the Bowl Parade on the Bayfront
The Port of San Diego Holiday Bowl Parade is back on the bayfront, and if you’ve never watched giant balloons float through downtown, now’s your chance.
Organizers bill it as America’s largest balloon parade, and it brings marching bands, drill teams, and colorful floats along for the ride.
It all kicks off at 7:45 AM with the Port of San Diego Game Day 5K Run/Walk, so if you’re feeling ambitious, lace up and earn that finisher medal before the parade rolls.
Street-side viewing is free, and grandstand seats are the move if you want a guaranteed spot. Make a full day of it: the Holiday Bowl kicks off at 2 PM at Snapdragon Stadium.
📆 Monday, December 28, 2026 | Parade starts at 8 AM
📍 North Harbor Dr, San Diego
🎟️ Apply to be in the parade here
Visit Who-ville at The Old Globe
Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! returns to The Old Globe for its 29th year, transforming the stage into a snowy Who-ville that’s bursting with heart.
This whimsical musical stays true to the classic Seuss tale, with all the songs you know: “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” “Santa for a Day,” and “Welcome, Christmas.”
Whether you’re a longtime fan or introducing it to the next generation, it’s the perfect way to wrap yourself in holiday cheer (and maybe even grow your heart a few sizes). New this season, the Globe is also staging ¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad!, a Spanish-language production, November 19 to 22.
📆 November 4 – December 31, 2026
📍 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego
🎟️ Buy tickets here
Be Part of Las Posadas in Old Town
If you’ve never experienced Las Posadas in Old Town, this is the year to go. It’s one of those holiday traditions that really brings the community together – and it’s such a special way to slow down and soak up the season.
We’ll follow Mary and Joseph through six stations in Heritage County Park as they reenact the search for shelter. At each stop, there’s live narration, call-and-response verses, and a whole cast of shepherds and angels to bring the story to life.
After the procession, stick around for live music, refreshments, and that cozy, festive vibe you only get when the whole neighborhood comes out to celebrate.
📆 Saturday, December 12, 2026 | Time TBA
📍 Heritage County Park, 2454 Heritage Park Row, San Diego
ℹ️ More info here
Watch the La Jolla Christmas Parade
The La Jolla Christmas Parade turns 70 this year, and it has never once been cancelled. It steps off at Kline Street and Girard Avenue and winds through the Village to the La Jolla Recreation Center, about 90 minutes of bands and floats from start to finish.
The Holiday Festival runs at the Rec Center all afternoon, and Santa visits need a reservation, so book that first. Streets close for the parade, so park outside the event area and walk in.
📆 Sunday, December 6, 2026 | Parade starts at 1 PM | Holiday Festival: 1 PM – 5 PM
📍 The Village of La Jolla (Kline St & Girard Ave)
ℹ️ More info here
Stroll Through Little Italy
Little Italy goes all in for the holidays. The whole neighborhood is decorated, lit up, and in a festive mood. Head down there in the evening without a plan and just enjoy the scene.
Grab a seat at the Piazza for some of the best people-watching in town, then pick a spot on India Street for dinner.
📆 Tree Lighting & Christmas Village: Saturday, December 5, 2026 | 4 PM – 8 PM
ℹ️ More info here
Go Skating and Explore Liberty Station
Liberty Station’s Salute the Season lineup runs from Thanksgiving weekend into the new year, with something for every age. Here’s what we’re checking out this year:
- Holiday Tree Lighting – The season kicks off Friday, November 27, from 5 PM to 9 PM, when the 88-foot Norfolk pine lights up, with live entertainment, firetruck rides, and a screening of The Grinch.
- Nutcracker Tea Party – Holiday treats, a performance by San Diego Ballet, and a visit from Santa, with seatings at 11 AM and 3 PM on Sunday, December 6.
- Hanukkah Celebration & Menorah Lighting – Entertainment, treats, and the menorah lighting on the Central Promenade next to the ice rink, hosted with the Chabads of Downtown San Diego and Pacific Beach. The menorah stays lit every night of Hanukkah.
- Rady Children’s Ice Rink – Skate under the stars daily from November 19 to January 3, 10 AM to 10 PM. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for kids through December 20 ($30 / $20 after), skates included, and the rink is in its 30th year raising money for the Thriving After Cancer program at Rady Children’s Hospital.
ℹ️ More info here
Board the USS Midway for Jingle Jets
Jingle Jets is back on the USS Midway for its fourth year. If you haven’t been, this is your chance to see the aircraft carrier wrapped in more than a million lights, with nightly carolers, a talking tree named Admiral Evergreen, Reindeer Games, and a model train along the way.
It hits the sweet spot between wow-worthy and family-friendly, with a view of the bay that’s hard to beat. Book ahead, since tickets are sold online only, and kids three and under get in free. We’re making it a yearly thing, and you probably will too.
📆 Select nights, November 27 – December 30, 2026 | 5:30 PM – 9 PM (last entry at 7:30 PM)
📍 910 N Harbor Dr, San Diego
ℹ️ More info here
Celebrate December Nights in Balboa Park
December Nights takes over Balboa Park the first weekend of December, and it’s the City of San Diego’s largest free holiday festival. Expect twinkling lights, live music, and food from around the world, two nights only
Participating museums open for free (the San Diego Museum of Art stays open free from 5 PM to 9 PM), every corner has a performance going, and the food alone is a reason to come hungry. More than 350,000 people come through over the two days, so take the free shuttle and plan to wander.
📆 Friday, December 4 (4 PM – 10 PM) & Saturday, December 5, 2026 (12 PM – 10 PM)
ℹ️ More info here
Stay Late for Jungle Bells at the San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo stays open until 8 PM for Jungle Bells, and the zoo after dark is a whole different trip. Take the Holiday Light Trek along Tiger Trail, catch the Holiday Light Symphony at Africa Rocks, and wander the Holiday Forest at Polar Bear Plunge.
It’s all included with zoo admission, so the move is to arrive mid-afternoon, see the animals while it’s light, and stay for the lights from 5 PM.
📆 December 19, 2026 – January 3, 2027 (no Jungle Bells activities December 24) | Lights 5 PM – 8 PM
📍 San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park
🎟️ Included with admission (1-day pass from $78 adults / $68 kids)
ℹ️ More info here
Make Your Plans!
The season moves fast, and the best of it lands on a handful of nights. Save this, pick your dates, and get them on the calendar now.
See you there, San Diego!
