San Diego is the ideal summer travel destination, offering a nearly perfect climate, 70 miles of sparkling beaches, popular annual events and new attractions at its world-famous family theme parks. Summertime also brings entertaining street festivals, community celebrations and a dazzling array of visual and performing arts to the San Diego region.
     
Whether planning a weekend getaway or a long leisurely stay, visitors to San Diego have plenty of fun-filled summer activities to choose.

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MAJOR EVENTS

• San Diego celebrates Independence Day with a variety of Fourth of July celebrations throughout the county. Coronado's popular Independence Day Celebration features a two-hour parade followed by a family concert in Spreckels Park and spectacular fireworks over Glorietta Bay. The Port of San Diego celebrates with its Big Bay Boom fireworks extravaganza over San Diego Bay, the largest fireworks display in the county.
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• Visitors can be Super Man or Wonder Woman for a day at Comic-Con International, July 12 – 15, at the San Diego Convention Center. Comic-Con has become a signature summertime event for San Diego; it is the largest comics and pop culture event in the United States, attracting thousands of artists, celebrities and fans of comic books, movie memorabilia and all things related to pop culture.

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FESTIVALS AND FAIRS

• Mission San Diego de Alcala, the first mission in California, celebrates its establishment and the beginning of Christianity in the western United States during the Festival of the Bells, July 13 – 15. The event features food, entertainment, dancing and the blessing of the bells. All five mission bells are rung during the weekend festivities, including an original bell dating back to 1802.
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• Residents and visitors alike show their pride at the 38th Annual San Diego LGBT Pride Parade and Festival, July 20 – 22, one of the most popular events of its kind in the country. Highlights include a mile-long parade through Hillcrest and two-day festival in Balboa Park.
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• More than 60 galleries from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia showcase paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, videos and cutting-edge multimedia artworks during ART SAN DIEGO 2012, September 6 - 9. Held in Balboa Park, the contemporary art fair serves as a marketplace for the world's leading contemporary art galleries; this year's event features NEW ART CITY, a dynamic forum for art, design and creative ideas that draws inspiration from great public spaces.
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• The 18th Annual San Diego Festival of Beer takes place September 21 in downtown San Diego. More than 75 breweries provide samples and tastings alongside live musical performances, vendors and food.

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AT THE ATTRACTIONS

• During Memorial Day weekend, May 26 – 28, and from June 16 through August 19, guests can visit SeaWorld San Diego for Summer Nights at SeaWorld. The summer showcase features extended park hours, nightly firework shows, live music and special nighttime animal performances. This summer, guests also have an opportunity to experience Manta, a new mega-attraction that combines the thrill and excitement of a roller coaster with an incredible marine-life exhibit, featuring a 100,000-gallon aquarium.
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• During June 23 through September 3, the San Diego Zoo allows guests to roam the park until 9 p.m. for Nighttime Zoo: China Celebration and experience special summer offerings. In honor of the Year of the Dragon, guests will be entertained by a 20-foot-long serpent puppet, trampoline acts and performances by breathtaking Chinese acrobats, robotic actors and stilt walkers.

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SPORTING GOOD TIME

• The San Diego Padres' season sizzles during the summer months. Baseball fans can watch the pros in action at the Padres' downtown PETCO Ballpark featuring 46,000 seats, garden terraces, spacious concourses and state-of-the-art amenities.
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• San Diego's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on June 3 is one of the most entertaining marathons in the United States, featuring live music and regional bands playing everything from rock to rhythm and blues on 26 different stages, located along its scenic 26.2-mile route.
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• The 58th Annual World Championship Over-the-Line Tournament takes place on Mission Bay's Fiesta Island, July 14 – 15 and July 21 – 22. A San Diego original, this boisterous, fast-paced beach softball event is open to the public; games begin at 7:30 a.m. each morning and end at dusk.

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MUSIC AND CONCERTS

• The Tony Award ®-winning Old Globe theatre in Balboa Park presents its annual Summer Shakespeare Festival, June 3 – September 30. Guests can watch three productions, Richard III, As You Like It and Inherit the Wind, performed in nightly rotation in the Globe's outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.
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• Balboa Park's 32nd annual Twilight in the Park offers a free concert series under the stars on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, June 19 - August 30. Twilight concerts feature a mix of musical performances, including military bands, Dixieland jazz, big band swing and Latin salsa. Concerts take place 6:15 - 7:15 p.m. on the stage of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.
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• Guests can also visit the Spreckels Organ Pavilion for its free International Summer Organ Festival, occurring at 7:30 p.m. every Monday, June 25 - August 27. San Diego's warm summer nights allow guests to enjoy the majestic sound of the world's largest outdoor pipe organ, while enjoying music played by world-renowned concert and theater organists.
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• The San Diego Symphony's Ashford University Summer Pops features food, fireworks and fantastic orchestral performances under the stars at picturesque Embarcadero Marina Park South in downtown San Diego, July 4 – September 3. This year's performances include Roberta Flack, Doc Severinsen, The Temptations, Wilson Phillips, The Peking Acrobats, Neil Sedaka, Burt Bacharach and more.
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• The popular 31st Annual Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay features top name entertainers performing on an outdoor stage adjacent to a picturesque marina at Humphrey's Half Moon Inn & Suites on Shelter Island, now through October 5. This year's performers include Elvis Costello, Lyle Lovett, Colbie Caillat, Sheryl Crow and more.
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• Guests can experience a rockin' good time at the San Diego Music Thing street fest in North Park, September 14 – 15, featuring a live art show, international food court, street vendors and a number of musicians performing live on three different stages.

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Happiness is calling in San Diego. For more information on San Diego's offerings, including exciting vacation packages and valuable coupons for attractions, restaurants and more, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority's website at www.sandiego.org or call 619-236-1212.

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