Table of Contents
Holiday
Jingle Jets Holiday Lighting Celebration
Dec 26 – 28, 2025
If you thought your neighbor’s light display was impressive, the USS Midway is here to say ‘hold my eggnog’ with over a million lights on its flight deck. It’s the perfect way to extend the holiday magic, trading a silent night for an evening with festive fighter jets. Come for the dazzling walk through and Santa photos, but stay because you’re genuinely curious how they got all those lights untangled.
Lightscape
Through Jan 4, 2026
Tired of untangling your own holiday lights? Outsource the effort and just enjoy the glow-up at the San Diego Botanic Garden. This mile-long trail, featuring a massive ‘Cathedral of Light,’ is basically an Instagram fever dream designed to make all your photos look magical, no filter required.
Rady Children’s Ice Rink
Through Jan 4, 2026
Lace up and get ready to wobble for a wonderful cause at Liberty Station’s outdoor rink. This is your chance to show off those triple axels you’ve been practicing in your dreams, or more realistically, cling to the wall for dear life. Either way, every ticket helps support Rady Children’s Hospital, so your lack of grace is actually a charitable donation.
Oz Lightshow & A Holiday in Oz
Through Jan 4, 2026
This year, the Del decided there’s no place like Coronado for the holidays, swapping the North Pole for the Emerald City. Their free nightly light show is the perfect excuse to feel festive without freezing, all set to jazzy tunes. It’s also a great way to distract your family from the fact that our \”winter\” is just slightly less sunny summer.
Holidays at LEGOLAND California
Through Jan 4, 2026
Experience a true San Diego winter wonderland where the only thing frozen is the look on your face after seeing the 30-foot LEGO Christmas tree. Get your holiday photos with LEGO Santa and enjoy festive shows without needing a real winter coat. It’s all the holiday magic with none of the frostbite.
Winter Wonder at Belmont Park
Through Jan 4, 2026
Ditch the actual snow for some beachfront sparkle at [Winter Wonder at Belmont Park](https://belmontpark.com/winter-wonder). It’s your classic holiday light show, but with more palm trees and the faint, comforting smell of funnel cake. Get your festive photos, and maybe even spot Santa checking the surf report.
Jungle Bells at the San Diego Zoo
Dec 26–28, 2025
Ever wonder what a tiger thinks of Christmas lights? Find out at Jungle Bells, where the zoo gets a festive, after-dark makeover complete with live music and roaming acrobats. It’s the perfect excuse to walk off that extra slice of fruitcake and replace it with a specialty churro, because that’s just holiday math.
Theater
Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show
Through Dec 28, 2025
Forget the foggy London streets because this Scrooge is a bonafide, cranky San Diegan. This hilarious, fast-paced reimagining of the classic tale is packed with local flavor and parody carols that feel right at home in America’s Finest City. It’s the perfect holiday outing for anyone who’s ever wondered what a Dickens story with more sunshine and fewer layers would look like.
A Christmas Carol
Through Dec 28, 2025
If you’re already haunted by the ghosts of holidays past, you might as well see a professional do it. Cygnet Theatre’s beloved adaptation is a San Diego tradition featuring original music and creative puppetry that’s guaranteed to de-Scrooge even the grinchiest among us.
Magical Marionettes Show
Dec 26 – 28, 2025
Tired of your family pulling your strings during the holidays? Go watch professionals do it at this classic Balboa Park institution. It’s a quirky, hilarious show perfect for when you need a break from relatives and reality.
Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Dec 26–28, 2025
If your heart didn’t quite grow three sizes on Christmas Day, you’ve still got a few chances to fix that. This San Diego holiday tradition brings the magic of Whoville to Balboa Park, complete with the only guaranteed snowfall in the entire county. It’s the perfect post-holiday pick-me-up for anyone needing to extend the festive cheer just a little bit longer.
A Magical Cirque Christmas
December 28, 2025
If you’ve ever thought ‘Silent Night’ could use a few more world-class acrobats, your weirdly specific holiday wish has been granted. Hosted by the enchanting Lucy Darling, this Vegas-style spectacular pairs your favorite Christmas carols with mind-bending illusions and dazzling circus arts. It’s the perfect excuse to keep the holiday spirit alive just a little longer and is way more entertaining than taking down the tree.
Family
The Dark Knight at Rooftop Cinema Club
Dec 26, 2025
If you’re tired of holiday cheer and need some brooding vigilante justice, this is your event. You get to watch Gotham’s chaos with a cocktail in hand and personal wireless headphones to tune out everything else. It’s the perfect post-Christmas palate cleanser with a killer view of the San Diego skyline.
Roar & Snore Safari
Dec 26 – 28, 2025
Trade your post-holiday houseguests for rhinos and giraffes at this legendary sleepover inside the Safari Park. You get exclusive after-hours guided walks to see what the animals are really up to, plus a campfire and meals included. It’s the only camping trip where the wild animal sounds you hear at night are actually a good thing.
Music
Wild Horses Festival: Mumford & Sons
Dec 27, 2025
Bust out your best flannel and practice your most heartfelt \”ho hey\” for this massive folk-rock party on the Petco Park lawn. You’ll join a sea of stylish, indie-loving fans to stomp and holler along with Mumford & Sons as the sun sets. Just try not to spill your craft IPA while you’re passionately clapping along.
Sports
San Diego Gulls vs. Abbotsford Canucks
Dec 28, 2025
Swap the silent nights for a rowdy one with the San Diego Gulls as they take on their rivals from the great white north. It’s the perfect post-holiday chaos, complete with the thundering ‘Gull Force’ drumline and fast-paced hockey action. This is your chance to burn off those extra cookie calories by yelling at some Canadians, all in the name of sport.
San Diego Clippers vs. Sioux Falls Skyforce
Dec 27–28, 2025
Need a break from the post-holiday family hangs? Escape to Oceanside and watch the San Diego Clippers take on the mysteriously named Sioux Falls Skyforce. You get to see future NBA stars in the slick new Frontwave Arena without taking out a second mortgage for tickets and a pretzel.
