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

• The San Diego County Fair takes place June 8-July 4 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. This year's theme, "Game On!," spotlights classic and nostalgic games from the past and highlights how games have evolved in today's high-tech culture. The Fair is the largest annual event in San Diego County and features top performing artists and popular attractions like the International Beer Festival, livestock exhibits, home and hobby displays, woodworking and an award-winning flower show.
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• 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. La Jolla's popular 4th of July gathering features spectacular fireworks over La Jolla Cove beginning at 9:00 p.m. LEGOLAND California Resort in Carlsbad celebrates July 4th with Red, White and BOOM! Special family activities are available throughout the day with the fireworks starting at 8:30 p.m.
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• Visitors can be Super Man or Wonder Woman for a day at Comic-Con International, July 17-21, 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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• During August 30 - September 2, 2013, over 300 tons of sand will be carved and molded into beautiful sculptures during the annual U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge and 3D Art Exposition. Held at the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal alongside San Diego Bay, the summer event will feature live entertainment, food trucks and unique rides for kids including a zipline that flies over the show.
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FESTIVALS AND FAIRS

• Encinitas's Classic Car Nights is held 5:30-7:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month, May through September. Visitors can stroll along historic Highway 101 between D and J Streets to view hot rods, Woodies and other classic and vintage cars and listen to live music.
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• The Taste of Little Italy in downtown San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood occurs from 5-9 p.m. on June 19 and offers a chance to sample many of the newly opened and landmark restaurants in this colorful neighborhood. Participants receive a passport that is validated by each restaurant in exchange for a taste of their featured menu item. Appetizers, desserts and specialty beverages are offered as guests stroll through the district and enjoy live musical entertainment.
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• 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 12-14. The event features food, entertainment, dancing and the blessing of the bells. All five mission bells, including an original bell dating back to 1802, are rung during the weekend festivities.
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• Residents and visitors alike show their pride at the 39th Annual San Diego LGBT Pride Parade and Festival, July 13-14, 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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• The 19th Annual San Diego Festival of Beer takes place September 20 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

• Occurring on select dates between May 25 and Sept. 2, Summer Nights at SeaWorld features extended park hours, fireworks and special nighttime animal shows including the killer whale rock 'n' roll show, Shamu Rocks, and the sea lion and otter comedy show, Sea Lions Tonite. The popular acrobatic Cirque de la Mer show returns to Cirque Stadium on Mission Bay, and guests can dance the night away at SeaWorld's Club Atlantis, nightly June 15-Aug. 11.
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• During June 21-September 2, the San Diego Zoo allows guests to roam the park until 9 p.m. for Nighttime Zoo. This year's Australian theme highlights the new Conrad Preby's Australian Outback Exhibit, and entertainment includes a new Australian acrobatics show at the Hunte Amphitheater, a new magic act at the Front Street Stage and hoola hoop contests in the Front Street Plaza.
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• Guests can enjoy a Summer Safari at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, June 29-August 18. This festive summer celebration includes interactive drumming and puppet performances, acrobats who entertain guests throughout the day and unique viewing opportunities of exotic wildlife like a cheetah sprinting just seven feet away from them.
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THEATER AND ART

• The Tony Award-winning Old Globe theatre in Balboa Park presents its annual Summer Shakespeare Festival, June 2-September 29. Guests can watch three productions in repertory; A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice and Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead are performed in nightly rotation in The Globe's outdoor Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.
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• During June 20-July 28, the California Center for the Arts Escondido displays "Art Illustrated: Celebrating Comic Art," featuring original comic artwork from the last 80 years, including San Diego artist, Greg Evans, creator of the "Luann" daily comic strip.
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• On June 22-23, the 27th Annual La Jolla Festival of Arts and Food Fair hosts nearly 200 award-winning local and national artists displaying paintings, sculptures, fine jewelry, photography and more. Guests can also enjoy a variety of cuisines in the festival's food area and listen to live entertainment.
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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 2 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 60th Annual World Championship Over-the-Line Tournament takes place on Mission Bay's Fiesta Island, July 13-14 and July 20-21. 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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• The "turf meets the surf" at the Del Mar Racetrack where fans flock to wager on their favorite horses during the popular, annual Del Mar Thoroughbred Club racing season, July 17-September 4. The races run five days weekly, except Monday and Tuesday; every Friday, guests can catch 4 O'Clock Fridays, a free headliner concert following the day's last race. On August 25, the Grade 1 Pacific Classic treats guests to a prestigious event with a race between the nation's top thoroughbreds for a $1 million purse.
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• On August 17-18, the 37th Annual World Bodysurfing Championships showcases international and U.S. bodysurfers competing to be "the world's best." The event takes place at the Oceanside Pier and Beach in San Diego's North County.
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• On September 8, over 2,000 swimmers will participate in the 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 and has been a summertime tradition since 1916.
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CONCERTS AND MOVIES

• The popular 32nd 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, April through October. This year's performers include Franz Ferdinand, Tegan and Sara, Keyshia Cole, Juanes and more.
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• During the Annual Green Flash Concert Series, the Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla offers a unique summertime experience with live music and spectacular ocean sunsets. The concerts occur on the third Wednesday of every month during May through September on the aquarium's stunning outdoor tide-pool plaza and include food, drinks and a sophisticated mix of national performers. Concerts take place 5:30-9 p.m.; guests must be 21 years and older.
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• Occurring every Wednesday from June 5-August 28, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido hosts Stone Late Night Movies, showing movies on a 12-foot screen in the brewery's gardens. Guests bring lawn chairs and blankets and settle in for a night of classic cinema, snacks and award-winning local craft beer.
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• Balboa Park's 33rd Annual Twilight in the Park offers a free concert series under the stars on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, June 18-August 29. 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 24-August 26. 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, June 27-September 1. This year's performances include KC and the Sunshine Band, En Vogue, Amy Grant, Nathan Pacheco, Burt Bacharach, Michael Bolton, Cirque Musica, Pixar in Concert, Ozomatli, Debbie Gibson and more.
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• Free Summer Concerts by the Sea are held on Sunday July 7 and 21 and August 4 and 18 on the sands of Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. The family friendly outdoor concerts occur at 3:00 p.m. and feature artists performing in a variety of styles, ranging from blues and soul to surf music.
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• The coastal city of La Jolla also hosts Summer Concerts by the Sea every Sunday at 2:00 p.m. from July 7-Sept. 1. The family friendly outdoor concerts take place at Ellen Browning Scripps Park, overlooking La Jolla Cove, and feature artists performing a variety of styles, including blues, country, swing and classic rock.
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• The world's largest gathering of fashion film professionals meets at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego−La Jolla to attend the La Jolla Fashion Film Festival, July 26-27. Top fashion film directors, producers and filmmakers from around the world join the public in nightly screenings, after parties, seminars, art installations and more.
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• During July 31-August 23, the La Jolla Music Society SummerFest 2013 features over 70 world-class classical artists and ensembles performing 16 diverse concerts at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego's Sherwood Auditorium in La Jolla and the Loft on the University of California San Diego campus. A free outdoor concert occurs on July 31 at Scripps Park near La Jolla Cove.
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• Guests can experience a rockin' good time at the San Diego Music Thing (SDMT) at the Sheraton Mission Valley San Diego, September 13-14. SDMT features a live art show, international food court, vendors and a number of musicians performing live on 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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