Things to Do in San Diego in December 2026

The short answer: December 2026 highlights

If you only have room for a few plans, build them around the big, dated events. These are confirmed on the organizers’ own 2026 pages:

• Balboa Park December Nights: Friday, December 4, 4 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, December 5, noon to 10 p.m. Free.
• La Jolla Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival: Sunday, December 6, in La Jolla village, with the parade starting in the early afternoon and festival activities from 1 to 5 p.m.
• San Diego Bay Parade of Lights: Sundays, December 13 and 20, starting at 5:30 p.m. Free to watch from shore.
• Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at The Old Globe: November 4 through December 31.
• Skating by the Sea at Hotel del Coronado: November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027.
• Wild Holidays at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park: select evenings, including December 18 to 23 and December 26 to January 3.

Free holiday festivals and parades

December Nights is the City of San Diego’s largest free holiday festival, filling Balboa Park with lights, music on several stages, food vendors and shopping. In 2026 it runs Friday evening, December 4, and all day Saturday, December 5, until 10 p.m. Expect big crowds on Saturday night; arriving early or coming on Friday tends to be calmer.

The La Jolla Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival celebrates its 70th year on Sunday, December 6, 2026. The parade runs about 90 minutes through La Jolla village, and the festival side runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at the La Jolla Recreation Center. Organizers say the event is rain or shine.

On the water, the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights brings decorated boats along the bayfront on two Sunday evenings, December 13 and 20, 2026, starting at 5:30 p.m. This year’s theme is “Liberty Lights the Bay – Cheers to 250 Years.” The route follows the bayfront toward the Chicano Park pier before turning toward Coronado, so you can watch from either side of the bay. Organizers warn that the best spots fill up, so arrive early.

Holiday lights and evening events

Two of the region’s best-known light events are run by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and both are included with regular admission or membership rather than sold as a separate ticket.

At the San Diego Zoo, Jungle Bells adds holiday light experiences from 5 to 8 p.m., along with seasonal entertainment and photos with Santa on select days. It usually runs from mid-December into early January; check the zoo’s official page for 2026 dates before you go.

At the Safari Park in Escondido, Wild Holidays runs on select evenings from November 28, 2026 through January 3, 2027: November 28 and 29, December 18 to 23, and December 26 to January 3. On those dates the park stays open until 8 p.m. The Safari Park’s page also lists daytime Santa photos on the weekends of December 5 and 6 and December 12 and 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ice skating, theater and classic holiday outings

Few places let you ice skate a few steps from the Pacific. Hotel del Coronado’s Skating by the Sea runs November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027. In early December the rink opens weekday afternoons and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends; from December 18 it is open daily from 10 a.m. The hotel notes the schedule is subject to change.

The Old Globe in Balboa Park stages Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! for its 29th year, running November 4 through December 31, 2026. The Globe is also bringing back Ebenezer Scrooge’s BIG San Diego Christmas Show, November 20 through December 27, and is staging a full Spanish-language production of the Grinch, ¡Cómo el Grinch robó la Navidad!, for four performances, November 19 to 22.

Get outdoors: whales, trails and lakes

December is a good month to be outside in San Diego: it is cool, usually clear and far less crowded than summer.

Gray whales migrate from Alaskan waters to the lagoons of Baja California each winter. The National Park Service says the whale watching season at Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma runs from late December to mid-March, so the second half of the month is when sightings from shore begin.

Inland, Mission Trails Regional Park covers about 8,000 acres of hills, valleys and open space within the City of San Diego, with trails for every level. Farther east, El Capitan County Preserve near Lakeside has some 11 miles of rugged trail with views of three reservoirs; the county rates its main hike as strenuous, with little shade, so start early and carry plenty of water.

Day trips to East County and the mountains

East County has its own winter character. Julian, about an hour east of San Diego in the Cuyamaca Mountains, is known for its 1870s gold rush history, historic buildings, small shops and apple pie, and the town says the holidays there bring a nip in the air and the smell of wood fires. Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, about 15 miles south of Julian, has more than 100 miles of trails through oak and pine woodland.

Closer in, Lakeside’s El Monte County Park sits below the rocky face of El Cajon Mountain. On two December weekends in 2026 (December 5 and 6, and December 12 and 13) it hosts the Yuletide Medieval Festival, a living-history holiday event set in England in 1420, with jousting knights, guild encampments, St. Nicholas and Father Christmas. It is one option among many for a full day out east of the city.

December weather in San Diego

Based on NOAA’s 1991-2020 climate normals, San Diego’s Lindbergh Field averages a December high of about 66°F and a low of about 50°F, with about 1.7 inches of rain for the month. Inland valleys swing wider: the El Cajon station averages a December high of about 68°F but a low of about 42°F, with about 1.8 inches of rain.

In practice, that means:

• Daytime is usually pleasant for walking, parades and outdoor festivals in a light layer.
• Evenings cool off quickly after sunset, especially inland. Bring a warm jacket for boat parades, light shows and anything in East County after dark.
• Rain is possible but most days are dry. Check the National Weather Service forecast a few days ahead, since many outdoor events run rain or shine.
• Mountain towns such as Julian are much colder, and Cuyamaca Rancho State Park can see winter storms.

Planning tips for a December visit

• Book timed or popular tickets early: The Old Globe’s holiday shows and skating sessions at the Hotel del are in high demand.
• The weekend of December 5 and 6 is crowded: December Nights (Saturday) and the La Jolla parade (Sunday) fall on the same weekend.
• For the Bay Parade of Lights, pick one shore and arrive early rather than trying to follow the boats.
• Zoo and Safari Park holiday events are included with admission, so a single day ticket can cover both daytime animals and evening lights.
• Always confirm dates, hours and prices on the official site before you go; holiday schedules change.

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