View details below regarding San Diego Events in December!

San Diego Events Encinitas Holiday Parade

When: December 1, 2012
Where: Festivities: Lumberyard Shopping Center
967 South Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, CA Begins at 5pm
Parade: D Street to J Street Begins at 5:30pm

Tens of thousands of people are expected to turn out to watch over 90 entries participate in the Encinitas Holiday Parade. The parade will include floats, marching bands and children’s groups. Festivities will take place at The Lumberyard on Coast Hwy 101 in downtown Encinitas, and begin with a Tree Lighting Ceremony before the Parade starts. The parade will head south on Coast Highway 101 from D Street to J Street.

Cardiff Kringle Mingle

When: December 2, 2012
Time: 1pm – 5pm
Where: Cardiff Downtown, 2087 San Elijo Ave Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA
Phone: (760) 436-0431

CARDIFF 101 MAINSTREET invites you to Cardiff Kringle Mingle, a special HOLIDAY CELEBRATION, located in downtown Cardiff.

Enjoy a variety of engaging MUSICAL PERFORMANCES throughout the evening, a GIFT FAIR for you holiday shoppers, YUMMY TREATS from local restaurants to tantalize your taste buds, a children’s CRAFTING TABLE, festive holiday scene complete with a decorated TREE and a PHOTO OP with SANTA. Musical Performances, Gift Fair, Holiday Treats from Local Restaurants, Craft Vendors, Holiday Tree, Photo Op with Santa

La Jolla Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival

December 2nd, 2012
Next our our San Diego events is the La Jolla Parade. Marching bands, floats, equestrians, vintage automobiles and more parade down the streets of La Jolla. The parade ends with a holiday festival featuring craft booths, carnival rides, food, entertainment and a tree lighting ceremony.

Parade Day Events Schedule

Equestrians Begin to Arrive at 10:00 am
Judging of Floats at 12:00 pm
Antique Aircraft Fly over
Parade Begins at 2:00 pm
Holiday Festival Begins at 3:30 pm
Photos with Santa at Rec Center at 3:30 pm
Christmas Tree Lighting at 4:30pm

Holiday Wonderland in Del Mar

When: December 2, 2012
Time: Holiday activities: 2pm-5pm Tree lighting: 5pm
Where: Del Mar Village, Del Mar, CA
Along the historic Highway 101 corridor from 15th Street to 11th Street, including the Del Mar Plaza, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, and Del Mar Library.

Holiday Event Highlights
Holiday Wonderland in Del Mar will take place in the Del Mar Village. Just steps from Del Mar City Beach, the holiday festivities will feature
• Photos With Santa
• Holiday Arts & Crafts
• Music Performances
• Dance Performances
• Snow
• Fun Zone
• Cake Walk
• Horse & Carriage Rides
• Face Painting & Henna Tattoos
• Restaurant Tastes & Much More!

Holiday Tree Lighting | L’Auberge Amphitheater 5pm
West corner of Camino Del Mar/Hwy 101 and 15th Street
Complimentary refreshments courtesy of L’Auberge Del Mar along with live music by Michael Tiernan. Join us for the official tree lighting!

Holiday Tickets
Purchase tickets at the event for holiday activities. Tickets sold in books of 20 tickets for $20.

Balboa Park December Nights 2012

Dec 7 – 8, 2012
Price: Free Region: Downtown

Next on our San Diego events is San Diego’s favorite kick-off to the holiday season. This San Diego event will take place for the 35th consecutive year on Friday, 5:00-10:00 pm and Saturday, noon-10:00 pm. In the spirit of the holidays, participating Balboa Park Museums open their doors free of charge from 5:00 to 9:00 pm both evenings. The largest free community festival in San Diego, December Nights is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors over two days.

Entertainment, wonderful food and holiday cheer are all part of this classic and elaborate San Diego celebration. Long-standing traditions—including food from around the globe at the International Christmas Festival at the House of Pacific Relations Cottages; the charming Santa Lucia Procession at the San Diego Museum of Man; unique gift shopping at the museum stores and with the artisans of Spanish Village; and musical and dance presentations from the San Diego Junior Theatre, San Diego Civic Youth Ballet, Del Cerro Baptist’s Christmas Story Tree and more—fill the heart of Balboa Park. In addition, the various museums open for free from 5:00 to 9:00 pm both nights feature a wide variety of exhibitions and entertainment.

san diego events

Oceanside Harbor Parade of Lights

When: December 8, 2012
Time: 6pm – 9pm (parade begins at 7pm)
Where: Oceanside Harbor (map)
Phone: (760) 722-5751

Boats of all sizes, decorated in holiday lights and ornaments circle Oceanside Harbor while onlookers watch from the beach, harbor, restaurants and boats. It’s also a great time to party, have a beach fire and celebrate. To avoid the hassle of getting a parking spot, come early. No public transportation goes to harbor.

San Diego Bay Parade of Lights

Dec 9th and 16th, 2012
San Diego Bay

Parade Times
Sunday, December 9, 2012 & Sunday, December 16, 2012 5:30 PM until 9:00 PM

This colorfully unique San Diego holiday tradition features more than 100 private boats decorated with holiday lights, sailing along the waters of San Diego Bay. Decorate your boat and join in the parade! Each participant will qualify for a chance to win a Grand Prize package worth over $4,000, plus many other fantastic prizes! This year’s grand prize is a cruise on Star Clippers! Boats are judged on originality and the creative use of decorations depicting the parade theme. Boats are judged in four categories with scores ranging from 1 to 5 for each category.

Carlsbad Christmas Bash

When: December 22 – 24, 2012
Where: C3 Church San Diego, North Campus, 2716 Gateway Road Carlsbad, CA
Admission: FREE, but we do require everyone to register online for tickets
Phone: (760) 804-8524

Multi-day Christmas Bash at C3 San Diego! Live Christmas Carols (performed with a C3-twist Free Christmas Production, Hot cocoa, eggnog, cookies, cakes, snacks & gingerbread houses, a present for every child (ages 0-12 years), Pictures with Santa in his workshop and Christmas Cookie Decorating & much more!

Live Christmas Carols (performed with a C3-twist, An entertaining and fun Acting Production, Hot cocoa, eggnog, cookies, cakes, snacks & gingerbread houses, A present for every child (ages 0-12 years), Pictures with Santa in his workshop, Christmas Cookie Decorating & More!

2012 Holiday of Lights at the Del Mar Fairgrounds

2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd Del Mar, CA 92014
Region: North County Coastal
Date: November 22, 2012 – January 1, 2013
Time: 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM Times vary based on the day of the week.
Price: $15 per vehicle, up to 5 people $20 per vehicle, 6 or more people $50 per bus

Enjoy the dazzling Holiday of Lights taking place at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. This is the largest animated drive-through light show on the U.S. West Coast with more than 400 brilliant holiday light displays. Themed for the holiday season, the Holiday of Lights is a spectacular drive-through light show with crowd-pleasing, family-oriented displays organized into themes, which include: Candy Cane Lane, Toyland, San Diego County Fair, Treasures by the Lake, Del Mar Racetrack, the Twelve Days of Christmas and Elves at Play.

View the lighted and animated holiday creations from the comfort of your vehicle as you drive the 1.5-mile route through the Fairgrounds while enjoying festive holiday music. One trip around usually takes 15-20 minutes.

Take the Holiday Hayride

Enjoy the Holiday of Lights on an old-fashioned Hayride. Available on Fridays, November 23 and 30, December 7 and 14. The Holiday Hayride runs from 5:30 to 9:30 PM. Hayride tickets are $10. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the Fairgrounds Box Office at 858.792.4252