A Fantastic Fall in San Diego
When autumn arrives, a crisp soothing breeze sweeps over San Diego complementing the region’s warm temperatures and welcoming vibe. As the San Diego Chargers gear up for another exciting football season, and the sweet aroma of homemade apple pies escapes from Julian, visitors can enjoy a variety of annual festivals and fairs, haunting Halloween celebrations and diverse cultural entertainment.
FAIRS, FESTIVALS AND PARADES
- A San Diego tradition “as American as apple pie” is the popular Annual Julian Fall Apple Harvest, September 15 – November 15, celebrating this historic mountain town’s famous homemade apple pies and ciders. Visitors can also enjoy acres of colorful fall foliage, charming bed and breakfast inns, art shows, quaint antique shops and live entertainment. www.julianca.com
- The 34th annual Harvest Festival, October 22 – 24 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, is one of the largest art and gift shows on the U.S. West Coast. The event includes gourmet food samplings, live music, a pumpkin patch and more than 300 artists and craftspeople featuring unique handmade works. www.harvestfestival.com
- The cool desert breeze and vast landscape welcome visitors to the Borrego Springs 45th Annual Desert Festival, October 28 – 31. The celebration, themed “Art & Soul,” includes a parade, the Miss Borrego pageant, dance parties, live music, art and craft exhibitions and more. www.borregospringschamber.com
- On November 7, the 10th annual Gaslamp Quarter Fall Back Festival brings alive the history and culture of downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. The event features entertainment, food, demonstrations and lots of fun for children and families and occurs 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Island Avenue between Fourth and Fifth Street. www.gaslampquarter.org
- The largest one-day street fair in California, the Carlsbad Village Street Faire takes place along Grand Avenue in the San Diego North County city of Carlsbad on November 8. The event occurs 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. and features hundreds of exhibitors, international food, live entertainment and children's rides. www.carlsbad.org
- On November 21, the 64th Annual Mother Goose Parade, the largest parade in San Diego County, brings crowds of spectators to the city streets of El Cajon. The parade kicks-off the holiday season and features whimsical floats, clowns, bands, equestrians and celebrity appearances. www.mothergooseparade.org
EVENTS FOR FOODIES - The 16th Annual San Diego Festival of Beer goes on tap September 10 in downtown San Diego. Seventy-five local brewers will be in attendance, providing samples and tastings of their signature and award-winning beers. The event also features live music, vendors, food booths and more. www.sdbeerfest.org
- San Diego’s culinary community joins forces during September 12 – 18 for San Diego Restaurant Week. Approximately 180 of the region’s top restaurants offer prix-fixe, three-course dinner menus, at just $20, $30 or $40 per person. Visitors can sample the signature cuisine and sophisticated style that makes San Diego’s dining scene one of the region’s top attractions. www.sandiegorestaurantweek.com
- During November 5 – 15, hundreds of beer-centric events will take place during San Diego Beer Week, a countywide festival that highlights San Diego’s award-winning craft beer, breweries and pubs; event dates, times and locations vary throughout the week. http://sdbw.org
- The San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, the region’s largest wine and culinary event, takes place November 17 – 21. Held at venues throughout downtown San Diego, the festival includes gourmet food, celebrity chefs, wine tasting, cooking demonstrations and more. www.worldofwineevents.com
MUSIC, DANCE AND FILM Banjos twang full force in the historic town of Julian during the 40th Annual Bluegrass Festival, September 18 – 19. The oldest bluegrass festival in California, many of the genre’s stars of today started on this stage. Festivities include banjo playoffs for all levels and foot-tappin’ fun. www.julianbluegrassfestival.comThe San Diego International Film Festival returns to the Gaslamp Quarter during September 29 – October 3, with a full slate of films showcasing the best in American and International full-length features, documentaries and shorts. Additional activities include Q&A sessions with the directors, workshops, panel discussions, guest appearances by film and video artists and more. www.sdff.orgSouthern California's largest free two-day musical festival, the 29th Annual Adams Avenue Street Fair returns to Normal Heights on September 25 – 26 with three beer gardens, six stages and more than 70 musical acts. Performing rock, country, folk, TexMex and more, the fair offers something for everyone; it also features arts and crafts, carnival rides, food vendor booths and street performances. www.adamsaveonline.com/streetfairJean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theater and the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System present the 12th Annual Trolley Dances, September 25 – 26 and October 2 – 3. Guests riding the San Diego Trolley are treated to site-specific choreographed dance performances on and off the trolley at unexpected locations. Dances will be performed on the fly, taking inspiration from the surroundings and energy at each stop. This year, dances will be performed en route in downtown San Diego from One American Plaza to the Hilton Bayfront hotel. www.sandiegodancetheater.orgDuring October 21 – 28, the 11th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival presents films, videos and workshops that celebrate the work of Asian artists from around the world. Screenings are held at the UltraStar Mission Valley Cinema in Hazard Center and showcase feature films, shorts and animation. www.sdaff.orgShowcasing over 25 bands from throughout the United States and Canada, the 31st Annual San Diego Thanksgiving Dixieland Jazz Festival, held November 24 – 28 at the Town & Country Resort in Mission Valley, presents nationally acclaimed musical performances to kick-off the holiday season. www.dixielandjazzfestival.org
CULTURAL EVENTS The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation presents the 21st Annual Sycuan Pow-Wow, September 10 – 12. This traditional celebration features Indian song, dance, arts and crafts, games and food. The free event is open to the public and takes place on the Sycuan Indian Reservation in San Diego’s East County. www.sycuan.comVisitors become a part of history and celebrate the discovery of San Diego during the 47th Annual Cabrillo Festival, September 25 – 26. Guests enjoy cultural festivities, educational activities, music, food, dancing and a reenactment of the landing by explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo on the shores of San Diego Bay in 1542. www.cabrillofestival.orgThe 16th Annual Pacific Islander Festival, September 25 – 26, is a free event that showcases the cultures and customs of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia with continuous entertainment throughout the day. Held at Mission Bay’s Ski Beach, the event also features food, music and specialty crafts unique to each culture. www.pifasandiego.comBratwurst, beer gardens and oompapa bands can only mean one thing—Oktoberfest! A number of communities throughout San Diego County celebrate this traditional German holiday, but Oktoberfest in La Mesa, October 1 – 3, is the largest festival of its kind on the U.S. West Coast. Visitors enjoy dancing, food, Bavarian bands and 300 crafts and commercial booths along La Mesa Boulevard. www.lmvma.com Little Italy in downtown San Diego presents the 16th Annual Little Italy Festa on October 10. A grand celebration of Italian culture, this traditional street festival offers music, fine foods, specialty crafts and Gesso Italiano, a classic Italian street chalk painting exhibition. www.littleitalysd.comOn October 31, the city of Oceanside hosts the 10th Annual Dia del los Muertos celebration at Mission San Luis Rey when the mission grounds transform into a Mexican plaza with thousands of marigolds that create ‘ofrendas’ or altars as memorials. Guests enjoy music, dancing, food booths, a retail mercado and the Chalk Cemetery, an interactive area that allows guests to use flowers, candles and chalk to create a memorial for lost loved ones. www.sanluisrey.org
HALLOWEEN HAUNTS Halloween makes a splash at SeaWorld San Diego during its Halloween Spooktacular at SeaWorld celebration. This family-friendly program features trick-or-treat stations, a Sesame Street-themed Halloween show, special Halloween-themed sea lion show and interactive Halloween characters along the pathways of the park. The event takes place every weekend in October. www.seaworldspooktacular.com LEGOLAND California joins in the Halloween fun every Saturday in October with its annual Brick-or-Treat celebration, featuring a one-of-a-kind, 4-ft. tall LEGO jack-o-lantern. Children ages 12 and under can participate in fun-filled costume contests and trick-or-treat with a souvenir goodie bag along the park’s Brick-or-Treat Trail, a kid-sized cul-de-sac of spooky LEGO homes featuring fun and creepy creatures. www.legoland.com Old Town’s Most Haunted offers nightly walking tours of Old Town San Diego’s original downtown, led by a real ghost hunter. Offered Thursday through Sunday year-round, the tour is based on the ghost hunter’s own paranormal experiences and research in the historic neighborhood. Guests have the opportunity to visit after hours some of Old Town’s oldest buildings, including the Whaley House, constructed in 1856 on a former gallows site and believed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. www.oldtownsmosthaunted.com Ghostly Tours in History presents a frightseeing 3-hour adventure that takes guests to some of the oldest areas of San Diego, unearthing local ghosts and legends and their favorite haunts. Some of the spooky sights include Tesoro, a Gaslamp Quarter restaurant that was once one of San Diego’s first mortuaries, and Villa Montezuma, a grand Victorian mansion that was home to the eccentric San Diego spiritualist, Jesse Shepard. Ghostly Tours in History operates year-round. www.ghostlytoursinhistory.com More thrills and chills await guests at the Del Mar Fairground's massive Scream Zone, September 24 – October 31, with featured frights including a 3-D ghost maze, 25-room house of horror, haunted hayride and thrilling midway rides. www.sdfair.com/screamzoneDuring September 24 – October 31, screamin' good times await in downtown San Diego at the Gaslamp Quarter's popular haunted house, The Haunted Hotel, and at the Haunted Trail of Terror in Balboa Park. Guests venture through rooms and hallways inspired by haunts from Hollywood’s favorite horror films at the Haunted Hotel and run for their lives through an outdoor maze of walkways at the Haunted Trail of Terror. www.hauntedhotel.com Night crawlers enjoy the annual Monster Bash in the Gaslamp Quarter occurring 6 p.m. to midnight on October 31. This annual outdoor music festival takes over the downtown streets with live musical performances on multiple stages, beer gardens and an extreme costume contest. This ticketed event is for guests ages 21 and older. www.gaslampquarter.orgSan Diego's uptown community of Hillcrest offers devilish delights during Nightmare on Normal Street, an annual Halloween street party and costume contest at the San Diego LGBT Community Center. Festivities include music, food, a beer garden and other ghoulish entertainment. Dates TBA. www.thecentersd.org
SPORTING GOOD TIMES The 80th Annual La Jolla Rough Water Swim, the largest rough-water swimming competition in the U.S., takes place at picturesque La Jolla Cove in La Jolla on September 12. www.ljrws.comDuring September 17 – 19, the thrilling San Diego Bayfair features thunderboat racing, tunnel hulls, drag boats, hydroplanes, fireworks and concerts, as well as specialty vendors and food, along and on the waters of Mission Bay. www.sandiegobayfair.orgStarting in September, the National Football League’s San Diego Chargers begin their 2010 season with home games at Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley. The first home game of the season pits the Chargers against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 19. www.chargers.comProfessional rodeo cowboys from around the country compete during the 37th Annual Poway Coors Rodeo, September 24 – 25. Guests can watch contestants compete in everything from barrel racing to “mutton bustin.” www.powayrodeo.com
MILITARY HERITAGE Fleet Week San Diego is heralded as the largest military appreciation event in the nation and features a variety of events and activities throughout the fall season. During September 25 – 26, guests can experience free U .S. Navy Ship Tours along with fast-paced fun during the Coronado Speed Festival, held at the Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado. This thrilling event includes an auto race with race cars and vintage classics in addition to military flyovers and a variety of exhibitions. Guests can also enjoy Fleet Week San Diego’s annual MCAS Miramar Air Show, October 1 – 3, showcasing several types of aircraft, including vintage biplanes, Air Force Thunderbirds, a Navy Super Hornet and numerous stealth fighter jets. The event includes simulated combat demonstrations, a Twilight Show with the Great Wall of Fire and a firework grand finale. www.fleetweeksandiego.org
# # # Joe Timko (619) 557-2812
Kate Buska (619) 557-2889
Stephenie Medina (619) 557-2838
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