46. Lesbian And Gay Celebration
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (619) 297-7683
Description: San Diego’s large gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community comes out en masse for this celebration of diversity. Events include a Friday rally and an elaborate parade complete with bands, floats, and outrageous costumes. The parade moves down Sixth Avenue to Marston Point in Balboa Park at Sixth Avenue and Ivy Lane, where revelers enjoy live bands, great party food from various stands, and a general sense of happy camaraderie. The weekend festival is a two-day affair, with tickets costing $12 per day or $20 for a two-day pass. It’s generally held the last weekend of July.
47. Acura Tennis Classic
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: San Diego’s premier women’s professional tennis event comes to North County at the La Costa Resort and Spa. Past lineups have included superstars Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova, and Steffi Graff. The nine-day event draws in excess of 70,000 spectators, including celebrities, movie stars, and notable Insiders. Tickets range from approximately $20 to $40 for individual days, with packages going for between $80 and $625. There is a charge for parking. See our Spectator Sports chapter for more information on this event.
48. World Body Surfing Championships
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (760) 802-7452
Description: Tried riding waves only to end up eating sand? Watch the experts use their fins to chase the wave’s crest and ride atop the foam to shore. Approximately 200 amateurs compete in heats divided by age and gender. Each bodysurfer has 15 minutes to catch as many waves as possible, with the judges scoring on the best four waves. The contest begins at 6:00 a.m. with the finals beginning at noon, and runs to about 6:00 p.m. Admission is free.
49. Annual Julian Weed Show And Art Mart
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (760) 765-1857
Description: A weed is a weed is a weed when it’s in your garden, but in this show a weed might be a work of art. Come see how the pesky plants can be arranged to delight the senses. Yes, arranged as one would a bouquet. The two-week event, held from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, includes a show of San Diego artists, so in addition to admiring weeds, you can also feast your eyes on paintings, sculpture, ceramics, weaving, and photography. Admission is free.
50. Midnight Madness Spring Bicycle Ride
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (619) 645-8068, (877) 224-4229
Address: 1600 Pacific Highway
Description: Don a wacky costume (pajamas are a popular theme) and hop on your bike for this 20-mile midnight ride through downtown San Diego—surely one of the strangest bike rides you’ll ever enjoy. Before the ride there’s a two-hour party and costume-perfecting event. The cost to participate is $25 if you apply beforehand, $30 if you just show up. Proceeds fund various local youth programs and scholarships. This crazy bike tour usually takes place in mid-August.
51. Julian Fall Apple Harvest
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (760) 765-1857
Description: San Diegans are accustomed to appreciating the small signs of seasonal changes. The best place to feel like you’re in the crisp fall air is in the mountain town of Julian, where apples grow in abundance. The festival includes pie-baking contests, concerts, crafts fairs, and other events scheduled on weekends throughout September. Just driving through the mountains is a joy. Take along your hiking boots and hit the trails outside town to see trees with gold and red leaves.
52. Grape Day Festival And Parade
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (760) 743-8207
Description: Come celebrate the annual Grape Day Festival and Parade with fun for the whole family, especially since this event is free. Celebrated on the first (sometimes second) Saturday in September, it goes from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There’s a tour of the historical sites at the park, creative cooking (with grapes, of course), and performances by local bluegrass and country groups. One year we tapped our toes to the Texas Toothpicks and then sat in awe at the Ballet Folklorico de Cristo Rey dance group. You’ll find mountains of food choices, free grapes, and plenty of kid and adult entertainment.
53. Día De La Independencia
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (619) 296-3161
Description: Old Town celebrates Mexican Independence Day on or around September 16. (Mexican Independence Day actually begins at 11:00 p.m. on September 15 and continues throughout the next day.) You’ll be treated to lots of music, dancers performing traditional steps, and even a salsa-tasting contest. The mariachi bands are incredible. Some cities and neighborhoods in the South Bay also celebrate this festival; check with your local parks and recreation department. There is no admission charge.
54. Rosarito-Ensenada 50-Mile Fun Bicycle Ride
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (858) 483-8777
Description: The annual Baja cycling event attracts more than 10,000 riders of all skill and age levels. From Rosarito Beach the route runs south along the two-lane free (libre) road to Ensenada, where there’s a nightlong fiesta. Though most of the ride is easy, there are some steep hills and nasty curves to overcome, and competition can be fierce. An earlier start time for better riders separates them from the hoi polloi. Entry is $40; the T-shirt is an extra $15.
55. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (858) 577-1000
Description: This is a three-day military and civilian air show and aviation expo that excites the entire family. Parking and admission are free. There are displays and performances that will snatch away your breath, including flights by the Blue Angels. There’s a twilight show on Saturday. Special seating in the grandstand and box-seat area can be reserved by visiting the Web site.
56. Oktoberfests
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Come celebrate fall with German-related festivals in many of San Diego’s communities. Some have an entrance fee, but at others it’s the food that carries a price tag. Insiders say the best Oktoberfest is in La Mesa, held the first full weekend in October in the downtown village area on La Mesa Boulevard, Allison Avenue, and Palm Avenue. There are 400 booths selling food and craft items, as well as the ever-popular beer garden and, of course, brass bands and polka dancing. For more information, call the chamber of commerce at (619) 440-6161.
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
58. Tecate Score Baja 1000
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: This is an annual off-road race for cars, trucks, and motorcycles, and it is much anticipated in the dirt-racing community. The treacherous race covers some of the roughest terrain on the Baja California Peninsula. If you’ve ever driven in the area or flown over it, you know it’s desolate. There’s a substantial entry fee for racing folks; viewing is free. The race starts early in the morning in Ensenada and attracts thousands. At the end in the city of La Paz, there’s a fiesta and rowdy party that some parents might consider to be R-rated.
59. Mother Goose Parade
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Attracting nearly a half million spectators, the parade is usually held the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It begins at noon on West Main and Chambers Streets and continues east on Main to Second Street then north on Second to Madison. This is an old-fashioned children’s affair with lots of local turnout. You’ll see floats, clowns, bands, equestrians, civic leaders, and charitable organizations represented. There’s no admission fee, so bring your lawn chairs or blankets for sidewalk sitting and some cash for the food, peanuts, toys, banners, and candy.
60. Annual Festival Of Lights
City: San Diego, CA
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: Cities and communities throughout the county create imaginative electrical displays to the delight of neighbors and those who drive around to see them. Fireside Drive in Oceanside (off Mission Avenue) puts on a prodigious display, as do numerous other San Diego county neighborhoods. For an official exhibition, bring the family to the drive-through display, with 350 installations, at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Festival of Lights (858-755-1161; www.holidayoflights.com). The cost is $13 per vehicle (up to five people; $18 for six or more people).