What's New in San Diego this Spring 2026
Attractions & Events
The all-new Denny Sanford Elephant Valley at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park will officially open on March 5. As the largest and most transformative project in San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s 109-year history, Elephant Valley is meticulously designed to foster empathy and a lasting appreciation for elephants, while igniting a desire to protect them and their native habitats. At the heart of Elephant Valley is two-story restaurant Mkutano House. Inspired by the rich and varied culinary traditions across Africa's many regions and blending them with global influences, the restaurant will offer a harmonious fusion of familiar flavors with bold notes.
LEGOLAND California Resort will launch LEGO® Galaxy on March 6, an immersive, space-themed land marking the park’s first new roller coaster in more than 20 years and the largest single in-park investment in its history. The $90 million expansion (across California and Florida resorts) will feature the customizable indoor Galacticoaster, two additional rides, interactive build-and-play zones and galactic-inspired dining and retail. The new land blends cutting-edge technology with hands-on LEGO storytelling and invites families to design spacecrafts, train as junior astronauts and blast off on a fully immersive journey through the stars.
Sesame Place San Diego officially reopens March 27, kicking off its 4th birthday celebration with a day of live shows, character meet-and-greets and festive, family-friendly fun. The West Coast’s only theme park based entirely on Sesame Street® will mark the milestone with dance parties, themed storytimes and limited-time spring offerings, followed by the return of seasonal favorites like Elmo’s Springtacular and Easter Dine with Elmo on April 4 and 5.
The Flower Fields returns to Carlsbad Ranch March 1 through May 10 with 55 acres and nearly 80 million Giant Tecolote Ranunculus in full bloom. This beloved spring tradition in North San Diego County pairs its iconic rolling rainbow hills with new experiences for 2026, including a rotating local pop-up vendor series and an expanded Butterfly Encounter greenhouse featuring exotic varieties like the Blue Morpho. Guests can also enjoy live music, wellness classes, hands-on workshops and family favorites such as tractor wagon rides, the Sweet Pea Maze and U-Pick blueberries.
SeaWorld San Diego’s Seven Seas Food Festival will run through April 26 (Fridays–Sundays), featuring more than 150 globally inspired dishes and drinks curated plus craft beer and wine from top local breweries. The festival also brings high-energy entertainment across six stages and live concerts from chart-topping artists. This spring Seaworld will also debut the all-new Shark Encounter, featuring new shark species in the refreshed and expanded exhibit. Almost all the species at Shark Encounter are listed as at least vulnerable or near threatened, reinforcing SeaWorld’s commitment to education and species protection.
Celebrate the tradition of hanami at the Japanese Friendship Garden Cherry Blossom Festival, returning March 12–15. The four-day spring celebration will feature special cultural performances, a lantern wall installation, community art, family-friendly activities and a vibrant marketplace of local vendors. Guests can savor Japanese cuisine and beverages in the popular beer and sake garden before strolling through the blooming cherry blossom grove for one of San Diego’s most picturesque seasonal traditions.
Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography will host a stop on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Aquarium Tour in partnership with Nintendo of America through March 26. Inspired by the beloved Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the limited-time experience will feature themed activities, character photo ops, interactive stamp rallies and special meet-and-greet appearances. The immersive collaboration brings the game’s virtual creatures to life while spotlighting the aquarium’s real-world conservation efforts.
Coronado Historical Association continues its popular Wine & Lecture Series on April 16 with an evening exploring San Diego’s South Bay railroads. Featuring Bruce Semelsberger, archivist at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, the program will trace how the arrival of the California Southern Railroad in 1885 reshaped the region and ignited the Great Southern California Land Boom. Guests will uncover the ambitions of early rail barons in Coronado and the South Bay during this engaging deep dive into a transformative chapter of local history.
Arts & Culture
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego will be the only West Coast venue to present Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys from April 18 through August 9. Organized by the Brooklyn Museum, the exhibition features more than 130 works by 37 Black American and diasporic artists from Africa, Europe, the United States and the Caribbean, drawn from the personal collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys. Marking the collection’s San Diego debut, the thematically organized show offers a powerful, large-scale exploration of contemporary art and cultural legacy.
The San Diego Symphony will present its highly anticipated Brahms Festival on select dates in February and March, marking the orchestra’s first festival in six years. The musical celebration honors the legacy of Johannes Brahms with performances of his four symphonies, the virtuosic Violin Concerto and the transcendent German Requiem. Bringing together some of the composer’s most powerful and beloved works, the festival promises a rare, immersive experience for classical music enthusiasts and a standout moment in San Diego’s cultural calendar.
The Old Globe San Diego, located in Balboa Park, will present Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler February 20-March 8. Katie Holmes, a renowned film, television, and stage star, will be performing a landmark role in a world-renowned drama, showcasing the unraveling world of a newlywed woman named Hedda, who is bored, restless, and trying to control those around her.
The 2026 WOW Festival, presented by La Jolla Playhouse in partnership with UC San Diego, returns April 23-26. The festival includes four action-packed days of more than two dozen theatre, dance, music, puppetry, and spectacle events, with multiple performances by acclaimed local, national and international artists occurring throughout the weekend, all for no cost to the public. Additionally, the WOW Festival will feature performances of La Jolla Playhouse’s 2026 Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour, Color?n, Colorado, as well as projects created by the San Diego Unified School District Honors Theatre Project.
The Studio Door presents the 12th annual The Crow Show from February 20 through April 3, one of San Diego’s longest-running themed national visual art exhibitions. The show gathers artists from across North America to explore one of the most symbolically complex birds in contemporary art and to continually reimagine and revisit one subject. The Crow Show is free and open to the public.
San Diego Junior Theatre presents Where the Mountain Meets the Moon through March 15 at the historic Casa del Prado Theatre in Balboa Park. Based on the beloved novel by Grace Lin and adapted by Min Kahng, the family-friendly production follows young Minli on a magical quest inspired by Chinese folklore, brought to life by an all AAPI creative team. An ASL-interpreted performance on March 14 ensures this uplifting celebration of storytelling, music and hope is accessible to an even broader audience.
Bivouac Ciderworks will host Un/Grounded, a Women’s History Month exhibition by multidisciplinary artists JenMarie Landig and Maha Bazzari, March 3–31 at its Adventure Lodge in North Park. Blending photography and painting, the duo’s second collaborative show explores texture as a bridge between stability and suspension, reflecting themes of impermanence and connection that mirror the venue’s adventurous spirit. The monthlong exhibition will feature special programming including opening receptions, a mindful movement and sound bath, an artist talk and a hands-on painting workshop.
La Jolla Music Society’s popular free Wu Tsai QRT.yrd Concert Series returns to The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center this spring. Now in its fourth year, the outdoor courtyard series spotlights local talent with five free performances spanning jazz, global music and soul, including tributes, genre-blending ensembles and award-winning vocalists. No tickets are required (RSVPs encouraged), making it an inviting way for audiences to experience live music in an intimate open-air setting.
The Oceanside Museum of Art has announced its Spring lineup, with each exhibit furthering the museum’s goal of sharing the art and stories of living Southern California artists. The exhibits include Aaron Kramer: Sense of Wonder (March 7 – August 23), Artworks by James Hubbell and Bert Hubbell (April 11 – September 6), David Adey: Sacrificial Bodies (April 25 – November 1), and Kate Tova: A Place to Rest (My Tired Mind) (May 2 – September 27).
The Art of Banksy: Without Limits exhibition, showcasing the enigmatic street artist's work, is making its San Diego debut this Spring (March 3 – April 19) at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Attendees can immerse themselves in over 200 pieces of Banksy's art, including original prints, sculptures, installations, and murals, a collection that has captivated over 3 million people worldwide.
Restaurants, Breweries & Bars
TRUST Restaurant Group has opened the doors of its new French brasserie concept À L’ouest in North Park. Chef Brad Wise's menu is rooted in classical techniques and brasserie staples through TRUST Restaurant Group’s lens, including Raw Bar and Charcuterie programs, pâtés, and chicken liver mousse, along with thoughtfully sourced seafood. The wine program was built around French wines with a focus on France's eight major regions, complemented by thoughtful selections from California.
Grand Restaurant Group has officially opened NÓMADA in Carlsbad. Inspired by Chef Alex Carballo’s Sinaloan heritage and extensive travels throughout Mexico’s coastal and agricultural regions, NÓMADA presents a regional approach to Mexican cuisine grounded in tradition and technique. NÓMADA’s menu highlights regional Mexican cooking with a focus on coastal seafood with offerings including Birria Chimichanga Bites, Duck Mole Taco Trio, and Cochinita Pibil.
George’s at the Cove recently reopened its iconic Ocean Terrace rooftop following a three-month renovation. The enhancements included a brand-new foundation and flooring, improved lighting, a four-foot glass perimeter wall without obstructions, and decor all designed to enhance the sweeping ocean views without altering the beloved atmosphere.
The beloved LA-born, family-owned Mediterranean wine bar Bacari made its San Diego debut in February, opening in one of North Park’s most iconic two-story buildings known for its New Orleans–style architecture. Bacari is known for seasonally rotating, shareable Mediterranean-inspired plates, wood-fired pizzas, handmade pastas and robust rotating wine list. The North Park location will span the space’s two floors plus an outdoor patio, bringing Bacari’s signature “elevated dinner party” energy to San Diego for the first time.
Diamond Room is a new 50-seat cocktail lounge located inside the historic Simon Levi Building at Petco Park. The retro-inspired space pairs a late-1970s aesthetic with a cocktail program that reimagines classics with a San Diego twist, alongside elevated bar bites. The venue also introduces interactive “Shaken & Stirred” mixology classes to the market and is available for private events, further expanding the district’s dynamic nightlife scene.
Michelin-seasoned chefs Brandon Jennings and William Treff will open Pastaria Vivi in spring of 2026, introducing a chef-driven fresh pasta destination to the heart of Encinitas. The space will blend multiple concepts into one: a specialty Italian and California-focused retail shop, daily handmade pasta and sauce counter, casual à la carte dining spot, and a monthly pasta subscription box service - the first of its kind in the area.
Locally owned, award-winning Mexican American restaurant group Puesto has debuted its first-ever Puesto Taco Bar in Sorrento Mesa. The new concept delivers Puesto’s signature high-quality tacos and margaritas in an upscale fast-casual format, offering a more relaxed and approachable way to experience the brand. The Taco Bar represents a natural evolution of the brand, blending innovation with Puesto’s commitment to quality and hospitality.
Awards and Recognitions
Arts District Liberty Station was named one of 10 new California Cultural Districts by the California Arts Council, recognizing its role as a vibrant hub for creativity within San Diego’s former Naval Training Center. Over the past 25 years, the 100+ acre campus has transformed 18 historic buildings into a thriving destination home to more than 120 museums, galleries, studios and nonprofit arts organizations. The designation, which runs from 2026–2030, provides state certification, funding and marketing support, further elevating the district’s impact on the region’s cultural economy and tourism landscape.
San Diego’s La Jolla Cove was named the #1 Best Beach in the United States and #7 Best Beach in the World by Trip Advisor’s 2026 Traveler’s Choice Awards. The title celebrates the highest excellence in travel and is only awarded when a high-volume of positive reviews are left over a 12-month period.
Chef Accursio Lota’s newly-opened La Jolla restaurant Dora Ristorante was recently awarded the prestigious Tre Forchette (Three Forks) award in the 2026 Top Italian Restaurants International Guide by Gambero Rosso, becoming the only San Diego restaurant to earn the guide’s highest global honor this year. Sister-concept Cori Pastificio Trattoria also received the Due Bottiglie (Two Bottles) award for excellence in its wine program.
Transportation
San Diego International Airport (SAN) has announced new travel routes to and from San Diego. KLM Airlines returned in February for direct flights to Amsterdam with year-long service. Alaska Airlines will begin service to Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 19 and Southwest Airlines will begin services to Maui, Puerto Vallarta, and Seattle on March 5 and Bozeman and Spokane on March 7.
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ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO TOURISM AUTHORITY
The San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA) is a private, non-profit, mutual benefit corporation composed of more than 1,000 member organizations, businesses, local governments, and individuals seeking a better community through the visitor industry. SDTA members include tourism-related entities in such categories as lodging, dining, arts, attractions, shopping, and transportation, among others, as well as other companies indirectly involved in tourism. Visit sandiego.org to learn more.
The majority of funding received by the San Diego Tourism Authority is derived from San Diego Tourism Marketing District Assessment Funds. Lodging business in the District raise these funds through self-assessments for the purpose of promoting tourism in the San Diego region.