Events in Lakeside, CA in December 2026: A Dated Calendar

Lakeside, CA events in December 2026 at a glance

Lakeside is a small East County San Diego community, so its December calendar is short but full of hometown character. These are the events we could confirm from organizers’ own pages as of late October 2026. Dates marked “check” had not been published for 2026 yet.

• All month: trout season at Lake Jennings, 9535 Harritt Road. Stocking begins around November and runs through early April.
• December (check): Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Resale Shoppe, run by the Lakeside Historical Society; in past years it has been open for most of December.
• Thursday, December 3, 10:30 am: Kamishibai Storytime, a Japanese street-theater storytime for families, at the Lakeside Library.
• Saturday, December 5, 3 to 7:30 pm: the 28th annual Spirit of Christmas on Maine Avenue, free, with the Community Tree Lighting Ceremony at 5 pm.
• Saturdays and Sundays, December 5-6 and 12-13: the Yuletide Medieval Festival, a ticketed living-history holiday event at El Monte County Park.
• Thursday, December 10, 10:30 am: Sugar Plum Fairy Ballerina Storytime at the Lakeside Library.
• Friday, December 25: no public vehicle access or restrooms at El Monte County Park or El Capitan County Preserve.

Spirit of Christmas and the tree lighting: Saturday, December 5

The Spirit of Christmas is Lakeside’s own Christmas celebration, run by the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce. The chamber’s 2026 page announces the 28th annual event for Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 3 to 7:30 pm on Maine Avenue, and states plainly that admission is free to everyone. It is aimed at Lakeside’s children, with booths run by local clubs, organizations and businesses.

The schedule the chamber has published so far:

• 3 pm: holiday shopping from local clubs and vendors, children’s activities, crafts and treats.
• Through the evening: local youth performances, food, a Mailbox for the North Pole, and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
• 5 pm: the Community Tree Lighting Ceremony at the historic church on Maine Avenue that the chamber lists as the Olde Presbyterian Church, followed by Santa’s arrival, hosted with the Lakeside Historical Society.

What the Spirit of Christmas is usually like

Local coverage gives a good sense of the evening. The East County Californian’s report on the 2016 event described Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving down the street behind the El Capitan High School marching band, an elementary school choir, East County craftspeople selling holiday gifts, and busy local restaurants and shops. Its 2023 preview listed kids’ crafts, carnival games, student performances, food and drinks, and a tree lighting directed by the Lakeside Fire Protection District.

Details change from year to year, so treat those reports as a flavor of the event and the chamber’s page as the word on 2026. Questions go to the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce at (619) 561-1031.

Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Resale Shoppe

The Lakeside Historical Society, whose site on Maine Avenue hosts the community Christmas tree, runs Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Resale Shoppe in December. In 2023, The East County Californian reported it open December 1 to 22 on Tuesdays through Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm, and Fridays from 11:30 am to 3 pm.

We could not find 2026 dates or hours, so check with the Historical Society before you make a special trip. If the shop is open on December 5, it pairs easily with the Spirit of Christmas.

Holiday programs at the Lakeside Library

The San Diego County Library’s Lakeside branch, at 12428 Woodside Avenue, lists two holiday-flavored children’s programs in December 2026 on the county library’s events calendar. On Thursday, December 3, at 10:30 am, a Kamishibai Storytime brings traditional Japanese street-theater storytelling for families with children of all ages. On Thursday, December 10, from 10:30 to 11:30 am, the Sugar Plum Fairy Ballerina Storytime features a reading by a real-life ballerina followed by a craft.

Regular programs continue through the month too, including a baby-and-toddler storytime and an after-school Lakeside Kids’ Crew. The branch is open Monday 10 am to 6 pm, Tuesday noon to 7 pm, Wednesday and Thursday 10 am to 6 pm, Friday and Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, and closed Sundays. Check the library calendar for holiday closures and late additions; the branch phone is (619) 443-1811.

Trout season at Lake Jennings

December is prime time for trout in Lakeside. Lake Jennings says its trout stocking season begins around November and lasts through early April. The lake promotes a Trout Opener each fall; its 2026 date was not posted when we checked, so look at the lake’s website.

You need a California state fishing license, which the lake does not sell, plus a Lake Jennings fishing permit from the campground check-in station. Day use and shore fishing run 8 am to 5 pm daily, with longer fishing and boating hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

December 5 and 12: festival weekends at El Monte County Park

On two December weekends, El Monte County Park, east of town on El Monte Road, hosts the Yuletide Medieval Festival: knights in tournament, a battle pageant, guild encampments, an artisan marketplace, and St. Nicholas, Father Christmas and Krampus. It runs 10 am to 8 pm on Saturdays, December 5 and 12, and 10 am to 6 pm on Sundays, December 6 and 13, and tickets are sold online by day.

That makes Saturday, December 5, Lakeside’s fullest day of the season, with the free street festival in town and the ticketed festival in the valley. Sunset is about 4:41 pm, so both run into the dark.

What isn’t on the December calendar

Lakeside is known for its rodeo, but the Lakeside Rodeo’s events calendar showed no December listings when we checked in late October 2026, so save it for a return trip. The chamber’s December calendar otherwise lists civic meetings rather than public events.

Lindo Lake County Park is still a lovely December walk, but note that the county expects construction on its west basin improvements to begin in fall 2026, so check the county parks website for closures.

How to find more Lakeside December events

Small-town events get announced late. These are the places to check through November and December:

• Lakeside Chamber of Commerce: the events calendar and the Spirit of Christmas page, or call (619) 561-1031.
• San Diego County Library events calendar: filter by the Lakeside branch for storytimes and holiday crafts.
• San Diego County Parks News Center: park events and closures at Lindo Lake, El Monte and El Capitan.
• Lake Jennings: trout stocking news and the Trout Opener.
• Local news: The East County Californian and East County Magazine both cover Lakeside events.
• Lakeside Historical Society: call about the resale shop and museum hours.

Questions