Seasonal Festivities and Halloween
“Kids Free San Diego” returns for its 15th year during the month of October. All month long, kids 12 and under eat, stay and play for free in San Diego. Offers include free hotel stays or amenities, free entrance to theme parks, attractions, and museums and free meals for children with a paid adult throughout the month and region. A complete list of participating partners and special offers is available at KidsFreeSanDiego.org.
San Diego Restaurant Week, presented by the California Restaurant Association, is back September 13-20. For eight days, more than 120 restaurants across 30+ neighborhoods will serve up exclusive prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus starting at just $30, giving food lovers the perfect excuse to explore new spots, revisit local favorites and experience the best of San Diego’s thriving culinary scene.
The San Diego Food and Wine Festival returns to the Embarcadero November 1-8 to showcase cross-border cuisine, celebrated chefs, winemakers and more. The festival also spotlights sustainability, features award-winning chefs including James Beard–recognized talent, and supports culinary education programs through scholarships that benefit aspiring hospitality professionals across the region.
The fourth annual Del Mar Wine + Food Festival returns September 30-October 4. The festival brings together James Beard and MICHELIN-starred chefs, pro athletes, winemakers, and local icons for a weekend of chef-curated dinners, a celebrity pickleball tournament, and community activations, culminating in a two-day Grand Tasting.
La Jolla Art & Wine Festival held in the heart of La Jolla Village is back for its 18th year, October 10-11. This free, two-day open-air festival invites guests of all ages to experience a weekend of world-class art, curated libations, live entertainment and community connection along the iconic streets of La Jolla. Spanning Girard Avenue from Prospect Street to Torrey Pines Road, the festival will showcase more than 170 juried artists from across the U.S. and Mexico.
Howl-O-Scream, San Diego's largest Halloween nighttime event, returns to Seaworld San Diego this fall. Beginning September 11, haunting select nights through October 31. Guests will venture deeper into the darkness than ever before with new scare zones, pulse-pounding live performances, dark speakeasies and themed bars, and sinister surprises lurking around every shadowed corner.
LEGOLAND® California is expanding its family-friendly Halloween event, Brick or Treat, with the debut of Brick or Treat Street, an all-new immersive walkthrough experience featuring six Halloween houses filled with treats, trick, and LEGO build inspired seasonal fun. Returning on select dates from September 19 through November 1, Brick or Treat transforms the Park into mischief town, where kids make the rules, laughter lurks around every corner and Halloween fun is built brick by brick.
The Downtown Chula Vista Association has announced the return of its annual Día de los Muertos celebration on November 1, bringing the community together for an evening of culture, remembrance and tradition in the heart of Downtown Chula Vista. The free, family-friendly event transforms Third Avenue and Memorial Park into a vibrant space that honors loved ones who have passed while celebrating the beauty and significance of the holiday.