Attractions and Events

In June 2021, the San Diego Zoo unveiled two brand new opportunities for guests to experience the wonders of wildlife. The Kenneth C. Griffin Komodo Kingdom and the William E. Cole Family Hummingbird Habitat replaced previous habitats with new exhibits where guests can interact with some of the most powerful and delicate species on earth. Komodo Kingdom offers visitors the chance to see giant lizards up close and learn more about the species, the challenges they face, and the work San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is doing to save their species and the delicate ecosystems they call home. The immersive, infinity-loop-shaped Hummingbird Habitat will offer endless flight opportunities to several species of hummingbirds, as well as other rare birds from their native regions in North and South America, featuring streams, cascading water, orchids and other plants reflecting the diversity and beauty of the birds’ native regions. This summer, the San Diego Zoo has extended its hours and will now be open 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. every day through September 6. Visitors can stay after dark and celebrate summer with live music and other amazing entertainment experiences during Nighttime Zoo.
  
Electric Ocean returned to SeaWorld San Diego this June with classic daytime experiences, a variety of new entertainment, and recharged nighttime favorites. Electric Ocean transforms the park into a sea of vibrant colors and energy, allowing guests to travel into an exotic underwater world filled with dazzling lights, electrifying dance music, and a brilliant evening energy that sparks after the sun goes down. Electric Ocean is included with park admission and takes place select days and nights from June 11 through September 6.
  
Experience classical music in a new light with Candlelight Concert Series, coming to some of San Diego’s most magical locations. After having enormous success around the world in cities like Paris, Barcelona, and New York, these sensational concerts invite everyone to relive the greatest works of classical music, from Vivaldi to Mozart to Bach, in an intimate atmosphere. The concerts will run throughout 2021 and will take place at San Diego’s Seaport Village, Chapel by Liberty Station Park, and J11, San Diego's Premier East Village event space.
  
Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is offering extended hours this summer. From July 1-August 31, the aquarium, which has traditionally closed at 5 p.m., will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with the last entry at 6 p.m. During extended hours, visitors can enjoy all exhibits and hands-on activities including the newest touch pool exhibit where guests can touch juvenile sharks and the new 600 cylindrical Moon Jelly experience in the Hall of Fishes. Advanced reservations for a specific time and date are required to visit Birch Aquarium. General admission tickets are $19.50 for adults, $15 for children. Reservations are available online only.
  
San Diego’s most famous fireworks show, the Big Bay Boom will once again light up the skies over San Diego Bay on the Fourth of July. The 20-minute show will start at 9 p.m., with fireworks visible from Shelter Island, Harbor Island, Spanish Landing, North Embarcadero, South Embarcadero, Cesar E. Chavez Park and Coronado Tidelands Park. This year’s show will include $250,000 worth of pyrotechnics and a few special surprises to celebrate its 20th year.
  
San Diego Pride is back with all new events throughout Hillcrest, Balboa Park, and more starting July 10 and going through July 18. These live streaming and in-person events will celebrate San Diego’s many distinct LGBTQ communities in ways that uplift diverse cultural identities and experiences. Events and experiences include Pride: Together Again – Art Exhibition, She Fest, Resilient Community March, Light Up the Cathedral, True Colors Revue, Spirit of Stonewall Rally, and more. 
  
The 2021 horse racing season at the Del Mar Racetrack is back and set to run from July 16 through September 6, 2021, with tickets going on sale starting June 18. Join other fans as they flock to the beautiful racing track where the "turf meets the surf" and bet on their favorite horses. This season will feature some of the nation's top racehorses, trainers and jockeys, and plenty of fun in the sun.
  
The San Diego Symphony has returned with its new, permanent bayfront performance venue along South Embarcadero at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. The first bayside concert venue in the nation, The Rady Shell is where the symphony will host its annual summer concert series with live performances kicking off on August 6 and running through November 14. Performances will range from classical to Latin acts, plus jazz, pop, Broadway, and comedy. Films will be screened as well, backed by a full orchestra playing the score live, including “Rocketman” to “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.” Tickets can be purchased in packages that include several performances here.
  
Live music is back once again in San Diego as the team behind San Diego’s CRSSD presents a new two-day event called DAY.MVS XL, scheduled for August 7 - 8 in downtown San Diego’s scenic Waterfront Park. DAY.MVS XL is pegged as a warm-up to CRSSD’s highly anticipated return possibly later this fall, featuring a stellar lineup, an after-hours boat trip departing from the venue, and plenty of good food and tunes. The lineup features some of the most popular names in house and techno, including Fisher, Lane 8, MK, Nora En Pure, Monolink, Cloonee, Will Clarke, and more.
  
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships return to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on November 5-6, 2021. The Breeders' Cup is the year-end international championship of horse racing and attracts the best horses and jockeys from around the world. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club is one of the world’s most iconic racing venues, located in Del Mar along San Diego’s scenic North County coastline. The Breeders’ Cup made its successful debut in 2017 in San Diego.
  
New Hotels & Renovations
  
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott San Diego Pacific Beach is slated to open July 2021 with 105 guestrooms. Conveniently located near Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego, Mission Beach, Old Town San Diego and Seaport Village, visitors can explore all the wonderful areas and sites San Diego has to offer. Guests can start their day satisfied with the hotel’s complimentary breakfast, packed with a variety of healthy options. Amenities include a fitness center, outdoor pool, and 24/7 market for light snacks or beverages. Guest rooms and suites also include complimentary wifi, ergonomic workstations, mini-fridges and microwaves.
  
Set to debut in July 2021, the Hotel Del Coronado is slated to complete concepts that are a part of The Del's Master Plan, a $400M multi-year, multi-phase plan that, when complete, will have touched every aspect of the property. The Master Plan pays tribute to the hotel’s history, with an investment in restoring and preserving industrial buildings (dating back to the 1880s) and re-creating the experience of the hotel’s original front porch. The concepts include the launch of The Views, previously known as Ocean Towers, an outpost for active guests, located close to the beach; the updated Windsor Lawn with new turf, trees, landscaping, lighting, and power, and a complete restructuring of the Paseo Lawns into one larger space with beach access for a more functional event space. New concepts also include a front porch and lobby restoration and a new landscaped main entry in its original location, which will restore the historic sense of arrival, with a grand view to the hotel’s iconic turret along with a new porte cochere and central fountain.
  
Arts and Culture

Introduced earlier this year and set to run until August 1, 2021, the San Diego Botanic Garden, in partnership with Oceanside Museum of Art Artist Alliance, presents the Wild and Beautiful sculpture exhibition. The featured artworks are inspired by nature and feature a broad spectrum of materials, styles, and creative interpretations. Visitors can explore the scenic trails to discover the 13 diverse artworks placed throughout this floral wonderland. Located in the heart of Encinitas with four miles of garden trails and exotic specimen plants from throughout the world, the San Diego Botanic Garden’s daytime admission – from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays – is always free for garden members. Admission prices for non-members vary. Reservations must be made online before arriving at the garden.
  
The La Jolla Playhouse will offer readings of four new plays over the weekends of July 22 – 25 and July 29 – August 1. The DNA New Work Series offers playwrights and directors the opportunity to develop a script by providing rehearsal time, space and resources, culminating in a public reading. This process gives audiences a closer look at the play development process, while allowing the Playhouse to develop work and foster relationships with established and up-and-coming playwrights. Tickets are free and reservations will be required. The Playhouse will also present a special Pop-Up WOW event featuring five short, Playhouse-commissioned Without Walls works, taking place August 14 – 15 at ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station. All productions for the Pop-Up WOW event will be free and have multiple performance times throughout the weekend.
  
The San Diego Museum of Art is welcoming two new exhibitions this June: Cranach to Canaletto: Masterpieces from the Bemberg Foundation and Everything You See Could Be A Lie: Photorealistic Drawings by Ana de Alvear. Organized by the Bemberg Foundation and based at the historic Hôtel d’Assézat in Toulouse, France, Cranach to Canaletto: Masterpieces from the Bemberg Foundation features more than 80 works produced between 1500 and 1800. Artists represented include renowned Venetian painters, French artists, and Flemish and Dutch painters. Everything You See Could Be A Lie: Photorealistic Drawings by Ana de Alvear features more than 20 works of art by the multidisciplinary, Madrid-based artist Ana de Alvear, with all of the works executed in colored pencil, including two extraordinary, large-scale murals. From Old Master paintings to contemporary, hyper-realistic drawings, works from these exhibitions are rarely seen in the U.S. and will be on view at the museum beginning June 18, 2021, through September 27, 2021.
  
Located in the heart of Balboa Park and slated to open early September 2021, the Mingei International Museum will showcase its rich collection of historical and contemporary folk art, craft and design as never before. As part of a dynamic and welcoming transformation project, visitors will find functional, beautiful and surprising elements in the building’s newly expanded architecture and design. In partnership with Mingei, the nationally recognized firm LUCE et studio envisioned the museum’s physical transformation focusing on artist collaborations, accessibility, functionality, and well-crafted and inspiring design. In addition to the reopening exhibitions, GLOBAL SPIRIT—Folk Art from the Ted Cohen Collectionand HUMBLE SPIRIT / PRICELESS ART, Mingei will feature objects from its permanent collection on the free Commons level in its new Courtyard and at the entrances of the museum.
  
Restaurants, Breweries and Bars
  
Recently opened and overlooking the Naval Air Station North Island, the USS Midway Museum, and the busy San Diego Bay, Pier Café’s upper-level dining room has converted into a speakeasy-style lounge, dubbed Flight Deck. The Flight Deck is a VIP lounge and tribute to Naval Aviation, showcasing a collection of donated artifacts from the Tailhook Association, USS Midway Museum and San Diego Air & Space Museum. The intimate bar offers a variety of hand-crafted cocktails and shared plates, aptly inspired by “midnight rations.” Reservations are required and can be made online.
  
Mike Hess Brewing, one of San Diego’s popular craft breweries, and Quiero Tacos, a new taqueria, have teamed up to bring local craft beers and delicious Mexican bites to its Seaport Village biergarten. Recently opened this spring, the 23-tap tasting room featuring signature craft brews, hard seltzer, kombucha and ciders, offers a plentiful selection of sharable snacks, tacos and burritos, in addition to weekend breakfast offerings.
  
Opened in May 2021, San Diego's newest brunch destination, Breakfast & Bubbles, is an over-the-top, pink dipped restaurant offering bubbles from all over the world, innovative cocktails and unique brunch dishes served all day. Located in Hillcrest, the upscale champagne bar will cater to everyone, serving exceptional American brunch dishes with a few Sicilian chef-inspired specials from Partner and Executive Chef Marco Provino. The menu features a raw bar, champagne flights, caviar service, breakfast charcuterie boards and personalized champagne bottles.
  
Opened in June 2021, chef Phillip Esteban’s White Rice food stall at Liberty Public Market in Point Loma gives diners a taste of the traditional Filipino dishes Esteban grew up on. White Rice is fashioned after a Filipino “sari-sari,” or corner bodega, with rice bowls that feature lechon kawali (crispy pork belly), pinoy BBQ, mushroom-and-tofu sisig, and Filipino spaghetti with hot dog Bolognese. Side dishes include lumpia (spring rolls) and ube pandesal, a traditional Filipino roll made with purple yam. This Filipino rice bowl concept is one of two new eateries by Esteban in Liberty Station. Earlier this month, he debuted Weapon, a Japanese ramen, chirashi, and active listening bar featuring sustainably caught seafood from San Diego’s very own Tuna Harbor Dockside Market in Seaport Village.
  
Callie, San Diego’s newest East Village destination restaurant, opened early June 2021 with a delicious California-Mediterranean-inspired menu. A San Diego native, Chef Travis Swikard is bringing the diversity of Mediterranean cuisines together with fresh ingredients of the greater San Diego region. Set in an open, natural light-filled space, some of Callie’s foundational dishes include share dips (hummus, baba ghanoush, avocado labneh), Aleppo chicken, Tunisian brik, squid-ink linguini, Meyer lemon bucatini, crudos, and cured local seafood. Delicious cocktails include The Olmstead (gin, fresh rhubarb, angelica root, lemon juice, floated with an IPA) and Siren’s Swizzle (Jamaican rum and Guatemalan rum, with amaro, honey, and lime).
  
Food & Wine Best New Chef, James Beard Finalist, Eleven Madison Park and Canlis alum, Jason Franey, joins Juniper and Ivy as Executive Chef this June. Franey will take the lead at the Michelin-recognized eatery, while Anthony Wells, Juniper and Ivy’s former Executive Chef, is promoted to Culinary Director. Franey joins the Juniper and Ivy team with enthusiasm to learn and further cultivate the deep community connections fostered by Chef Wells, which includes relationships that celebrate the region’s wild-capture fisheries, environmentally responsible marine aquaculture, and the vast network of niche, small-acreage growers in the county well-known for their heirloom, and specialty crops. Located in Little Italy, Juniper and Ivy delivers constantly rotating, chef-driven dishes that highlight the freshest in-season selections from the top local farmers and fishermen.
  
Tappers Mini Golf & Cocktails, an 18-hole luxury mini golf course/clubhouse bar & restaurant from the world-class spirits team behind You & Yours Distilling Co, is slated to open this summer 2021, replacing and rebranding The Loma Club at Liberty Station. The historic clubhouse will offer all the standard features and functions for its golfing regulars. Its new look is designed to add to its family-friendly appeal by incorporating fun elements inspired by the owners’ love of classic golf-themed movies like Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore.
  
Kingfisher Cocktail Bar & Eatery, located in Golden Hill, is slated to open this summer 2021. From the owners of Crab Hut in Mira Mesa, the new restaurant and bar will serve authentic Southeast Asian food with a California sensibility. Specialties of the house will include Vietnamese chicken curry, citrus-cooked rare beef salad and olive oil-poached shrimp salad. Until the restaurant fully opens its doors, Crab Hut is hosting monthly Kingfisher pop-up dinners.
  
Slated to open this summer 2021, Tuk Tuk Eatery is a fast-casual Asian-fusion café centered around barbecue-topped rice bowls and tasty bao buns, complemented by a program of craft Asian beers and boba teas. Located in San Diego’s Seaport Village, Tuk Tuk Eatery is part of a multifaceted campaign to reinvigorate the destination. Staking approximately $7.8 million into site enhancements, amenity upgrades, tenant renovations, and community-oriented activations, this undertaking by the Port of San Diego has sprung new life into the bayfront neighborhood attraction.
  
San Diego International Airport – New Flights
  
San Diego International Airport (SAN) added summer seasonal non-stop service to Kalispell, Montana via Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) on Alaska Airlines starting May 20, 2021. Flights operate through September 7, 2021.
  
San Diego International Airport (SAN) added summer seasonal non-stop service to Bozeman, Montana via Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) on Alaska Airlines starting May 20, 2021. Flights operate through September 7, 2021.
  
San Diego International Airport (SAN) added summer seasonal non-stop service to Mesa, Arizona via Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) on Allegiant starting May 27, 2021. Allegiant is offering four flights that operate weekly through August 15, 2021.
  
San Diego International Airport (SAN) added summer seasonal non-stop service to Kalispell, Montana via Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) on Allegiant starting May 28, 2021. Flights operate two times weekly through August 15, 2021.
  
San Diego International Airport (SAN) added summer seasonal non-stop service to Pasco, Washington via Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) on Allegiant starting May 28, 2021. Flights operate two times weekly through August 15, 2021.
  
San Diego International Airport (SAN) added summer seasonal non-stop service to Bozeman, Montana via Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) on Allegiant starting June 3, 2021. Flights operate two times weekly through August 15, 2021.
  
San Diego International Airport (SAN) added non-stop service to Kahului, Maui via Kahului Airport (OGG) on Southwest Airlines starting June 6, 2021. Flights operate once daily and beginning June 27, the route will add a second daily flight.
  
San Diego International Airport (SAN) added non-stop service to Norfolk, Virginia via Norfolk International Airport (ORF) on Southwest Airlines starting June 7, 2021. Flights operate one flight daily, excluding Saturdays.
  
San Diego International Airport (SAN) added non-stop service to Kona, Island of Hawaii via Ellison Onizuka Kona International at Keahole Airport (KOA) on Southwest Airlines starting June 27, 2021. Flights operate once on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, & Sundays and beginning September 7, the route operates once daily.
  
San Diego International Airport (SAN) added non-stop service to Lihue, Kauai via Lihue Airport (LIH) on Southwest Airlines starting June 27, 2021. Flights operate once on Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Saturdays and beginning September 7, the route operates once daily.
  
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is adding summer seasonal non-stop service to Des Moines, Iowa via Des Moines International airport (DSM) on Allegiant beginning July 1, 2021. Flights operate two times weekly through August 15, 2021.
  
Happiness is calling you back to 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.