San Diego is one of the most coveted vacation destinations in the summer, but did you know that it is also equally amazing in the winter? With holiday traditions, seasonal activities, and all-year-round bucket list items, San Diego is the perfect place to go for a winter holiday. Here are 9 things to do in San Diego in December that you won’t want to miss!
1. Watch the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights
As far as San Diego Christmas events go, the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is one of the most “San Diego” of them all. Without the traditional white Christmas experience, we’ve had to get a little creative with our celebrating…so with a beautiful bay right here in San Diego, it just makes sense that we’d need to make use of it for a unique holiday parade!
This holiday tradition involves locals decking out their boats in the theme of the year, which usually includes lots of dazzling lights and Christmas cheer. It’s been happening for 50 years now and always awes the crowds with the lights and decorations!
If you plan to attend, you’ll be delighted to know that it’s free to experience…you just have to find somewhere to park (which can be a bit challenging, so get their early). Learn more about this year’s event here!
2. Experience Balboa Park December Nights
Of all the things to do in San Diego in winter, Balboa Park December Nights is likely one of the biggest and most anticipated events. It happens on a weekend early in December, and last year there were over 350,000 people in attendance!
This festival event involves all sorts of bands, choirs, and entertainers on the Spreckels Organ Pavillion stage, colorful lights all throughout the park, stunning poinsettia displays in the botanical building, free admission to Balboa Park’s museums, and of course lots of delicious food (including amazing international delicacies found at the International Cottages section of the park).
With all of these fun attractions and more, you will love spending the evening soaking up the beautiful weather and kicking off the holiday season in San Diego! Check out what’s happening at this year’s December Nights.
3. Go Whale Watching
Whale Watching may not be a holiday activity per se, but it is a perfect San Diego winter activity as December kicks off gray whale watching season here.
Every year, 20,000+ gray whales travel from Alaska all the way down to Baja California to give birth to calves in the warm waters of Baja. That’s a 10,000 mile round-trip journey! Luckily for us in San Diego, we’re along their route so whale watching is amazing from mid-December (when the whales start migrating to Baja) to April (when the calves are strong enough to make the return journey north to Alaska).
You may be able to see whale spouts at certain times from the shores of San Diego, especially if you use binoculars, but to get the full experience I highly recommend going out on a boat to get closer to these amazing giants. Learn more about whale watching in San Diego and what to expect here!
4. See How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the Old Globe Theatre
The Old Globe Theatre is one of my favorite parts of the San Diego arts and theater scene all year round, but around Christmas time they always put on an incredible production of Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
This musical is based on Dr. Seuss’s classic book of the same name, and while you may have seen the Jim Carrey movie version before…well, there’s nothing quite like seeing it in a live play! So come on out and experience some holiday spirit right alongside Whoville! Check out more about this year’s performance or buy tickets here.
5. Visit San Diego Theme Parks for Holiday Cheer
San Diego is home to many world-renowned theme parks, and of course they deck themselves out for the holidays! So if you’re looking for things to do in San Diego for Christmas, this can be a great time to explore these amusement parks and get in the Christmas spirit.
Sea World in December offers seasonal shopping opportunities like the Christmas Shoppe, festive food and drinks, and Christmas-themed live shows like Clyde and Seamore’s Christmas Special. And of course, there is a 40-foot tree, plenty of sparkling Christmas decorations, and Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for you to meet. Learn more about SeaWorld’s holiday events here!
Legoland California, meanwhile, creates holiday cheer by building amazing Christmas-themed Lego creations…including a life-sized Santa and a 30-foot Lego Christmas tree! But besides the decor, there are also some fun Christmas shows for the whole family to enjoy. Discover more about December events in Legoland California here!
And of course, the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park also offer plenty of Christmas cheer with twinkling lights and decorations, performances, and holiday foods. You can check out the zoo website for more information as the holidays approach.
6. Go Ice Skating at the Hotel del Coronado
Another delightful holiday tradition (and one of the best San Diego December events) is the Hotel del Coronado’s Skating by the Sea®. All throughout December, the Hotel Del has a stunning beachfront ice rink where you can skate while enjoying spectacular views over the Pacific Ocean! This is an event you won’t want to miss, so be sure to get your tickets early!
If you prefer, there are also other ice rinks you can visit in December…including the Viejas Ice Rink (the largest outdoor ice rink in Southern California!) and the ice rink at Liberty Station. I still think the Hotel Del’s ice rink is the most unique of the ice skating Christmas activities in San Diego, but these other ice rinks are enjoyable as well.
7. Watch a Winter Sunset at Sunset Cliffs
If you’re looking for the best things to do in San Diego in the winter, you can’t go wrong with watching a San Diego sunset. Southern California sunsets in the winter are some of the most amazing sunsets in the world, so if you visit in December you will definitely want to experience these brilliant sunsets for yourself. The orange and bright red hues are simply stunning!
There are plenty of wonderful places to watch the sunset in San Diego, but Sunset Cliffs is one of my favorite so I highly recommend watching from here if you have to choose just one. The cliffs themselves turn bright orange as the sun goes down, while the vibrancy of the colors over the ocean is simply breathtaking.
8. Visit Julian for Julian’s Country Christmas
Julian is a cute little town up in the mountains in San Diego County, and if you have time for a day trip while in San Diego this is one of the top places you should go!
If you’re around in late November, you can attend the tree lighting ceremony that happens here every year…but even if you aren’t here for the first lighting, you will still enjoy visiting Julian in December. There are lots of cute boutique shops to explore, the enormous lighted tree every year, and of course delicious Julian Pie that will make you want to return here again and again. This is the perfect place to get a little taste of a country Christmas celebration!
9. Hike at Torrey Pines State Reserve
Because the winters in San Diego are usually so mild, you can easily continue to experience all that the outdoors has to offer in this beautiful part of Southern California. One thing you won’t want to miss is hiking at Torrey Pines State Reserve!
There are lots of amazing trails to explore at the reserve, but one of my favorites is the Beach Trail that (unsurprisingly) leads down to Torrey Pines State Beach. This is a beautiful hike to do all year round!
But if you visit on Christmas day, be sure to keep an eye out for a family with a mini Christmas tree on the beach. This family has been bringing a Christmas tree and props for pictures to the beach on Christmas day for many years…at first simply for their own holiday family photo, but then when they realized how much others also enjoyed using their Christmas tree to take family photos they decided to make it a Christmas tradition! After they take their own photo, they stick around and offer the tree and props to others to take photos for free as well. This is as San Diego Christmas as it gets!
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