A Complete Guide to All the Holidays in San Diego

I think taking a Thanksgiving Day Brunch or Dinner Cruise on the San Diego Bay is a unique way to make memories with the people in your life that you're most thankful for this year.

The buffet-style spread includes salads, entrees, and desserts, as well as bottomless mimosas during the cruise. You can expect highlights like hand-carved oven-roasted turkey and cranberry sauce, three cheese macaroni, and delicious apple crisp for dessert to name a few. They all have a selection of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free selections.

And while the Thanksgiving feast will surely be amazing, the views as you cruise through the harbor will be pretty awesome as well. Be on the lookout for sea life as you sail past highlights like the Cabrillo National Monument at Point Loma, the historic Hotel Del Coronado, Seaport Village, Petco Park and many more!

If you like to try new things and making a special memory on Thanksgiving sounds like a good idea, I’d personally recommend you reserve space for your family on this special cruise this year!

While we often feature a 5K turkey trot like the Father Joe’s Village Thanksgiving Day Run for Hope or the Annual O’side Turkey Trot as part of our San Diego holiday activities list, this year we decided to stick with the Thanksgiving basics – good friends and family, incredible food, and a lot of thanks!

The Provisional Kitchen at The Pendry Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter is one of me and my wife’s favorite restaurants in all of San Diego. So when I heard they were hosting a special Thanksgiving dinner this year, I had to add them to our list.

Provisional Kitchen blends coastal Mediterranean and Italian dishes and on Thanksgiving, from 2:00pm to 8:00 pm, their three-course prix fixe menu looks out of this world good!

In addition to hosting Thanksgiving meals in their lavish dining room, they’ll be preparing take away meals you can enjoy from home. You can pick up the feast from 9:00am until 12:00pm on Thanksgiving morning. They will include free-range turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, and pecan apple stuffing without having to shop for or cook a thing.

As a special pre-Thanksgiving treat, they’re also hosting a Chefsgiving 2025 event on November 13th with the city’s top chefs from Provisional Kitchen, Ember & Rye, Serea. Tickets for that event are $150 per person and reservations are required. I’m planning on attending this year with my wife so I will see you there!

If you’re looking for a unique San Diego holiday experience, check out the San Diego Santa Run. Each year in early to mid-December thousands of people clad in Santa costumes fill the streets of Pacific Beach during the annual 5k Santa Run.

As a longtime resident of Pacific Beach, this event is practically in my front yard. My family and I participate each year, 2025 being no exception, and I can tell you that it’s a huge event and an incredible family experience.

All are invited to watch the Santa Run, and if you register ahead of time, you can join in! Be sure to wear a costume if you plan on participating. If you don’t have your own, don’t worry, one is provided with each 5k registration.

The Santa Run also holds an afterparty with fun themed events and the Pacific Beach Holiday Parade following the conclusion of the run.

If you’ve got animal lovers in your family, you can’t go wrong with a trip to either the world-famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park or San Diego Zoo Safari Park in the Escondido neighborhood, both of which hold very festive holiday events. The party at the Safari Park, Wild Holidays, promises a wild good time with captivating lights shows, interactive experiences, and chances to meet Santa.

Exploring the park after dark is one of my favorite aspects of this event. The walk-through light shows at different trails feel like getting to walk around one of those huge Christmas light displays, which thrills my kids, as well as my inner child.

You already know that Balboa Park has lots of my favorite Christmas activities, and that includes picking out a tree! You’ll find one Mr. Jingles Christmas Trees location there, alongside two other locations in Clairemont and La Jolla.

At each lot, they sell five different species of Fir trees, including popular favorites like Douglas and Fraser Firs, plus smaller Silver Tip trees.

Mr. Jingles also offers online ordering and delivery with installation, plus flocking, ornaments, and wreaths. I really like Mr. Jingles Christmas Tree lots because they have healthy, green trees but also for all the extras they have onsite as well.

To me, they’re your one-stop shop for everything you need to decorate your home for the holidays.

I love being able to support local and family-owned businesses, especially during the holiday season. That’s why I suggest that San Diegans in Del Mar and Carlsbad get their Christmas tree at a Purdy Tree Farms location.

With fresh-cut trees all sourced from their family farm out in Oregon, Purdy Tree Farms is an excellent spot to pick up your family’s Christmas tree this year.

You’ll have just as much fun strolling through the lot as you will decorating the tree - and if you’re at the Carlsbad location, you can get a jump on Christmas gifts at The Shoppes, as the trees are sold right nearby in the parking lot.

If you want to spend the last evening of 2025 with your friends or family, head to one of my favorite Mission Hills restaurants to start your New Year’s Eve off right when you dine at Fort Oak. This restaurant is upscale with lots of fresh seafood options, so you’ll feel like you’re really celebrating a special occasion.

Reservations start as early as 5:00 pm, so this is a great opening activity before you head out to a party later - or, if you’re with the family, a fun thing to do in the early evening before getting the noisemakers ready at home.

While I know a good bit about New Year’s Eve parties from many memorable evenings in past years, honestly, my days of parties that stretch into the early hours of New Year’s Day are probably mostly behind me. If you’re like me, for the last day of 2025, a cruise around the bay might be more your style.

You can relax to the soothing sounds of live music and stunning views of the San Diego Bay’s landmarks on a New Year’s Eve Dinner Cruise. Guests on the cruise will enjoy a buffet-style meal topped off with a complimentary champagne toast for those 21 and older.

We love this cruise as a more family-friendly way to celebrate New Year’s Eve, as all ages are invited, with free admission for kids under three!

I can say from personal experience that Wormwood is an amazing restaurant no matter when you visit. So if you can’t make it on February 14th, don’t worry, visit another time. I’d highly recommend it!

But if you can visit on Valentine’s Day, I think it would be the perfect place to celebrate love with its rustic charm and outdoor seating options. The food is varied French cuisine with a bohemian vibe. If you like spirits or special cocktails, they specialize in absinthe which while strong is an interesting twist to the standard experience. They can make a non-alcoholic version as well if you prefer.

There’s a chef’s menu with great wine pairings as a special treat or I can recommend the wagyu tartare, asparagus and steak du boucher, a New York strip steak with wild mushrooms and a bordelaise sauce.

Woodworm is surely a romantic restaurant that my wife and I really enjoy. And if you want to do a whole Valentine’s weekend, consider The Lafayette Hotel, Swim Club & Bungalows. The hotel was renovated in 2023 so it has a fresh feel and is a San Diego landmark worth experiencing.

One more quick tip - get reservations so you can make sure your table is ready when you arrive!

New to our list for 2025, I just couldn’t leave this one off of our best of the best Valentine’s Day activities!

Our team is always looking for new ways to celebrate the holidays throughout the year and a romantic dinner date with luxury oceanfront views in La Jolla and delicious Asian cuisine sounded amazing!

Hosted by Cherrywine Sushi and Burmese Cuisine, diners can expect Japanese and Burmese modern fusion dishes, which for the adventurous eaters is all you probably need to hear. Sushi, curries and shared plates will be on the menu with vegetarian and vegan options next to seafood and meat choices.

If you want to make a night of it, I recommend the iconic La Valencia Hotel. The hotel’s vintage vibes and luxury feel would pair perfectly with a romantic dinner.

Best of all, the dinner is all taken care of for you so all you have to do is show up and enjoy the views, and each other!

What started in the early 1980’s as a one-block parade has grown to an all-day event complete with a festival featuring live music, dance, Irish food and of course delicious green beer!

Kicking-off at 9:00am on Saturday, March 15th, the parade you won’t want to miss which includes floats and plenty of leprechauns starts at 10:30am near Fifth Avenue and Laurel Street. There are rides and games for young kids and food, drinks and entertainment for everyone.

If you like Celtic jewelry, don’t miss the vendors which will have a wide variety plus other handcrafted one-of-a-kind items as well.

I’ve recruited a group of friends and my wife to join me this year as we aim to complete the 3-race PB Run Challenge. Finishers get a pretty awesome medal and this is the first race of the challenge for the 2025 season.

We’ll also plan to run in the Pacific Beach Half Marathon and 5K and the Santa Run both set for the fall. While there is a ‘race’ component to the San Diego Leprechaun 5K, for me and my crew, we’re just looking to enjoy the atmosphere of runners dressed in green and enjoy ourselves.

We’ll all get a t-shirt, medal upon completion and drink voucher as a congratulations for making it to the finish line. The race is literally in my front yard so I had to include this on our list of the best holiday events in San Diego and hope to see you, and your leprechaun friends on the course!

Elmo’s Eggstravaganza at Sesame Place San Diego is a month-long event taking place select nights from March 22nd until April 20th, 2025. Sesame Place always does a really nice job with their seasonal events, from their fall festivities to Christmas fun, the decorations, character meetings, and just the way they interact, especially with young kids, is something that I promise will bring a smile to your kid’s face.

This year’s highlights include a daily golden egg hunt where one visitor a day will receive a special prize, a scavenger hunt Easter egg style, Bunny Hop Dance Party and photos with the Easter Bunny and Sesame Street crew in their Eggstravaganza attire.

All of the festivities are included with your general admission tickets, so while it’s not officially a totally free event, it’s a bonus add on to an already great day you will have with your family at the park.

My second selection for the best-of-the-best Easter egg hunts for 2025 is the EGGstravaganza Spring Festival in Carlsbad. Set for Saturday, April 19th from 10:00am until 1:00pm, the Easter weekend festival is free to attend with $8 activity wristbands on sale for the kids.

I personally like that this event is so big that they do what is called an ‘egg scramble’. What that means is they start at 10:30am and the kids can hunt until 12:30pm, or until all the candy filled eggs are collected. If you’ve never been and can check this one out, watching the kids find so many eggs is a sight you just have to see to believe.

You can expect a fun zone, inflatables, face-painting, cookie decorating, food and drinks and more. So to me, this massive Easter egg hunt in Carlsbad in my opinion may just be the king of all the hunts for the 2025 Easter season!

If you’re looking for a really special meal for Easter in 2025 that you will remember for years to come, you can’t go wrong with the Easter Brunch at the Provisional Kitchen at the Pendry San Diego in the Gaslamp Quarter.

I love the restaurant for a meal any day of the year but when they hold a special seasonal event, Chef Brandon Sloan really offers some really incredible food and drinks. Set for 9:00am until 2:00pm on Easter morning, you can expect everything from Build-Your-Own Parfait and Easter Omelets to a carving station and delicious perfectly prepared seasonal cocktails!

The Provisional Kitchen team knows this is a family event so was sure the kids would enjoy it as well with a visit from the Easter bunny and meal options including the Peep Pancake and Hoppity French Toast.

Tickets are $90 for adults and $34 for kids with reservations required to attend.

While most of the selections on our list this year will be held at some of my favorite hotels in San Diego, we went with a bit of a unique option next by choosing to feature the Sunday brunch at Hanna's Gourmet in North Park.

The brunch on Easter morning will be served from 8:00am until 3:00pm with their ‘tastes of the world’ theme. I like that this is a standard table service event rather than a buffet. My favorite dish is the ‘Eggs a la España’ but you could also order an a la carte sandwich or salad with Hanna’s Bloody Mary.

My only concern with this choice is that Hann’s Gourmet serves really tasty food, and so it can get quite busy. Pack a little patience though and you won’t be disappointed with this Easter brunch choice!

San Diego and surfing go together like peanut butter and jelly. The surf culture runs right through Southern California, and San Diego, so giving it a try is our team’s top suggestion for an activity for families visiting the area for Spring Break.

All-age surfing lessons are available daily and include a surfboard, wetsuits and of course professional instruction. For me surfing is like meditation and when you and your kids ride your first wave, you’ll feel a rush too that I know you’ll be talking about for years.

There are great beaches for surfing all up the coast, many of the La Jolla beaches offering waves that are perfect for beginners. The Pacific Beach area also often has consistent waves, especially at PB Point and Tourmaline Surf Park, so those two would be a couple quality recommendations for the novice surfer as well.

And if you just need to rent a surfboard, the best prices are available with a Go City San Diego pass using discount code GVSD5OFF.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is one of the best attractions in San Diego and whole-heartedly approved by my kids for Spring Break!

Located in Escondido away from the beaches, they have a bit more space to spread out which means the animals can roam more freely. You can take your kids on one of their safaris which will get you up close to some incredible wildlife.

The Safari Excursion is very popular but my daughter would want me to mention her favorite, The Butterfly Jungle Safari! The 20-minute experience runs during Spring Break from March 29th – April 20th, 2025. It’s an $18 add on to the general admission ticket.

Speaking of admission, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park is part of the Go City San Diego pass which with our discount code GVSD50FF will entitle you to admission prices below the advertised rates.

You’ll quickly notice that our team loves food and beer tours, and we think they are the perfect activity for college students as they are interactive, a way to learn, and most importantly include food and drinks!

The 2.5 hour long Gaslamp Quarter Food & Drink Walking Tour includes historical stories about the Gaslamp Quarter. Once a seedy, red light district filled with scandals and debauchery, now a lively street filled with bars, restaurants and late night fun. We’ve done the tour and can attest that you and your college friends will love it!

For $88 per person, know that the food and alcohol is included. And after the tour, stay at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego with its rooftop pool and bar, it’s the perfect place to keep the night going after the tour!

I have teenagers but I think sometimes as young adults, they think they are college students. During our visit last year to the Seven Seas Food Festival at SeaWorld San Diego we noticed that it seemed to be a real hit with those in their 20s and 30s.

So for our 2025 series of the best things to do for college students, we wanted to make sure it was featured! With a menu of more than 150 food and drink items with flavors from around the world, a visit to SeaWorld San Diego during Spring Break on a weekend between March 7th – April 27th, 2025, means thrill rides, animal encounters, and delicious food and drinks!

While you can buy things one-by-one, the best value is when you purchase a 10-item sampler pass for $70 or a 15-item pass for $85.

And if you’d like a hotel suggestion to go along with the food festival, choose the Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa with a convenient location near the park, large pool, well-appointed rooms and Polynesian themed property.

Any day I get to eat at Herb & Wood is a good day in my books.

This is one of my absolute favorite restaurants not just in Little Italy but in all of San Diego, and their Mother’s Day menu is just as exciting as their usual fare.

Featuring a selection handcrafted by their head chef, eating here for Mother’s Day means enjoying a distinctly Mediterranean twist on brunch favorites. It also means fresh, locally-sourced ingredients are star players of every dish, making this a holiday meal you’ll be remembering fondly for the rest of the year.

If you’re looking for a little more than just a meal, Cellar Hand has you covered!

Not only are they serving a specialty menu on Mother’s Day in 2025, but the day before, they’re inviting guests for a side of flower arranging with their brunch.

We think this is a great activity to do together to celebrate your Mom, especially if she really values spending time with her family. Or you could gather a few friends and make some gifts over glasses of wine. Either way, you’ll be making lasting memories and enjoying an incredible meal.

When I think of Old Town San Diego, the first thing that comes to mind is Old Town’s history with the second I must admit being possibly my personal favorite holiday celebration of the year, the Día de Los Muertos celebrations which take place there each year on my daughter’s birthday.

The Old Town Fiesta Cinco de Mayo at Fiesta de Reyes 2025 will take place from 11:00am until 7:00pm on May 3rd with the main street market taking place on Sunday May 4TH, 2025 as well. There will be vendors selling jewelry, souvenirs, tasty foods and surely a few sombreros. There will also be music and dancing and best of all, the event is completely free to attend.

The sister event in the Gaslamp Quarter is also one to consider with six blocks of activities including a meet and greet with Lucha Libre, tasty food and live music.

If you’re looking for an activity to try that will be a bit more relaxed and away from the crowds, I recommend that Sunset Sail Aboard the beautiful San Salvador. This 21+ event is $150 per person or $260 for couples.

Setting sail from the Maritime Museum in the Embarcadero, you’ll be on the beautiful San Diego Bay from 5:30pm until 7:00pm, the perfect time to admire the skyline and look for wildlife as the sunset fills the sky with color.

The ship is a replica of explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s 16th-century Spanish galleon which was the first European ship to explore America’s West Coast in 1542. It will have special sailings on both Saturday the 3rd and Sunday the 4th, 2025 to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. You can expect live Spanish guitar, handmade cocktails, and light Mexican appetizers.

I’ve been on the ship and can say from personal experience that it is awesome! I have yet to try the Cinco de Mayo cruise so if you get to go, I ‘might’ be a bit jealous to say the least. I’d love to hear what you think, so feel free to reach out to me in the Contact section to tell me what you thought!

San Diego has a long and storied military history, and nowhere is that more evident than with a trip to the USS Midway museum on the beautiful San Diego Bay.

With events that start on Friday, May 23rd and last until Memorial Day itself, Monday, May 26th, guests will be treated to a special Remembrance Wall Exhibit, Aviator meet-and-greets, Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony, multiple musical performances and more.

Adding this event as one of our ultimate holiday activities for 2025 was a no brainer as it’s part education, part tribute and a really memorable event for families.

Don’t forget that admission to the USS Midway can be had at a discount with a Go City San Diego pass using savings code GVSD5OFF!

The Vista Strawberry Festival set for Sunday, May 25th, 2025 from 8:00am until 6:00pm will offer family-friendly fun for your entire family.

Celebrating its 14th year in 2025, the festival will start with a 5k run for those that would like to participate or watch. From there you can enjoy live music, a kids zone, pie-eating contest, and a countless number of strawberries!

There will also be a 1 mile and 1/4 kid run so everyone can get involved with a little fitness in San Diego’s incredible May weather before diving into a day full of Memorial Day strawberry treats!

If your Dad is anything like mine, you can’t go wrong by taking him to the ballpark! PETCO Park, home to the San Diego Padres, is the place to be this year to grab a local craft beer (of which they have many), and to get a delicious bite to eat before the teams throw the first pitch!

While there isn’t a home game on Father’s Day weekend in 2025, there is a huge game on June 11th versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. The first pitch is set for 1:10pm with tickets starting at $48 per person. The Padres are doing great this year so far, so it will be fun to see how this game turns out!

The park also happens to be walking distance from the Embarcadero, San Diego Bay, and the Gaslamp Quarter, which features many amazing restaurants and bars.

As a local tip, take the San Diego trolley as it’s super easy to figure out and your best bet to not have to battle for parking.

So I might be a bit biased with this featured Father’s Day activity but as a Dad myself with two teenage kids, this would be the perfect San Diego activity to celebrate Father’s Day in my book!

I highly recommend Tourmoline and Swamii’s, but you can check out our surfing article which includes incredible surf spots up and down the Pacific Ocean coastline. Many of San Diego’s surf breaks are best early in the morning. But hey, if you arrive in the morning you’ll still have time to enjoy the rest of Father’s Day.

If your Dad doesn’t know how to surf, you could opt for a surfing lesson. This is a great gift and will be one for the memory books!

The 5th Annual Juneteenth at the Beach x Paddle for Peace is set for Saturday, June 21st from 8:00am until 4:00pm.

Head to one of my favorite San Diego beaches, La Jolla Shores, for live music, delicious BBQ and a day full of events. Highlights will include a group run led by the Urban Run Club and Rez Runner, a panel discussion hosted by Ya Girl Cedes, and a volleyball tournament in the afternoon.

As a surfer myself, the FREE surf lesson in the morning is a pretty cool offer. You can also expect art, games and vendors offering one of a kind goods.

There is free parking in the area but you could also take the San Diego Trolley and a short San Diego rideshare or use the bus service to get you to the event.

It’s a free event but there is a food ticket which includes burgers, hotdogs, chips, and drinks for just $12.50.

Bring the entire family to Downtown Oceanside on June 21st from 10:00am to 5:00 pm for the Annual Juneteenth Multicultural Celebration. This is a family-friendly event we recommend for Juneteenth because there will be a variety of activities and it’s FREE. Everyone can get on board with that!

When you come down, you’ll see plenty of vendors and food. Be sure to stop by and see their crafts while trying some tasty food. There will also be a Youth Zone where the kids can play games, get their faces painted, and do crafts. Carve out plenty of time in the day so your kids can take advantage of all this celebration has to offer!

Throughout the area, you’ll see different types of performers to keep you entertained the entire day. If you’re putting the location in your GPS, you’ll want to type in 31 N Tremont St Oceanside, CA 92054 for the most direct route.

I’m not sure you’ve truly experienced a San Diego summer until you’ve seen the Big Bay Boom Fireworks Spectacular. This massive, multi-barge fireworks show is literally my favorite fireworks show of the year! It transforms the waterfront into an endless sea of light, color, and sound.

At 9:00pm, the sky lights up over San Diego Bay, with prime viewing spots lining Shelter Island, Harbor Island, the Embarcadero, and Coronado Ferry Landing. Admission is free, the show is epic, and the event is popular. Pack a picnic dinner, grab cozy blankets or comfy lawn chairs, and arrive early to claim the best seats.

Here’s a pro tip: Parking is challenging for Big Bay Boom, so I recommend parking your car at one of the MTS Park-&-Ride lots and using the trolley, bus, or train to get to the event.

For a celebration that embraces San Diego’s storied history, head to Old Town San Diego. In this charming area, the 4th of July unfolds like it did in the 1800s.

The day begins at 11:00am and ends at 3:00pm so there will still be time for my family to enjoy the Big Bay Boom fireworks! The daytime festivities include cannon firings, live folk music, costumed reenactments, and family-friendly games.

I personally love Old Town San Diego and find myself there each year around my daughter’s birthday for their annual Día de los Muertos celebrations. But this may be the year that we also explore their Fourth of July events!

Everyone gets free admission, but some activities require an additional purchase. Expect fun events for all ages, as Old Town offers a true way to connect with the roots of Independence Day, amidst the beautifully preserved surroundings of California’s first settlement.

Parking is free and available just two blocks from the activities at the CalTrans Headquarters lot at 2994 Sunset Street. Alternately, the Old Town Transit Center Park & Ride has free parking spaces and is an easy trolley ride to the festivities. Both options fill up fast, so I suggest that you arrive early to secure your spot.

SeaWorld San Diego may be best known for its sea life and aquarium enclosures, but that doesn’t stop the theme park from having a thrilling Halloween celebration that kicks off annually in mid-September and continues all the way through early November.

SeaWorld San Diego’s separately ticketed Howl-O-Scream event is geared toward teens and adults with scares that may be too intense for younger children. But if you’ve got a teenager who’s learning to appreciate all things spooky and doesn’t mind a fright or two, this is one event that I can say from going myself this year is just as fun for parents as it is for kids.

The event features haunted houses, live scare actors roaming around, chilling decorations and special effects, plus themed shows and musical performances. Of course, the thrill rides that SeaWorld San Diego is known for are open as well. The immersive storytelling throughout the park in every haunted house, scare zone, performance and in some ways even their seasonal food is impressive and that’s why I look forward to taking my family to the event each fall.

While Knott’s Berry Farm hosts an all age, family-friendly, daytime event known as Knott’s Spooky Farm, complete with Peanut’s characters, a pumpkin patch in Ghost Town, and trick-or-treating for the kids, our team at Go Visit San Diego decided to go ‘two for two’ in featuring scarier, teen and adult focused events on our list for 2025.

As someone that grew up not too far from Knott’s Scary Farm, I can say that it’s not for the faint at heart and recommended for kids ages 13 and over. Touted as the longest-running Halloween theme park event in Southern California with over 50 years of thrills and chills, this separately ticketed event features haunted mazes, scare zones, themed shows, and much more!

This year, I can’t wait to experience the new ‘Mary-the Haunting of Worth Home’ haunted house. ‘The Zoo’ is also a new haunted maze attraction with some terrifying lab experiments that look interesting to say the least!

As a local tip, my family likes to fuel up with the Scary Farm Boo-fet Dinner which is plentiful and delicious, plus it gives us enough energy to stay late. But we also like to check out the park’s Halloween-themed food.

The Ghost Town Bakery looks good this year with its witches cupcakes and graveyard mousse cups. I also can’t wait to try the Blood Moon Bat Wings at Boardwalk BBQ. With so much to do (and eat), it looks like another epic year at Knott’s Scary Farm!

There are lots of places to pick a pumpkin in San Diego, from farm stands to stores, but one of our absolute favorites is the Goff Family Pumpkin Patch.

Now spending multiple years as part of our best San Diego holiday activities list, no matter what kind of gourd you’re hoping to take home, the patch has a lot of variety, so you’re sure to find the perfect pumpkin to decorate or carve into a jack-o’-lantern.

Plus, with its location in Liberty Station, you’ll be right by the ARTS DISTRICT. Take some time to walk around and see the sculptures and other artwork on display - just make sure to do it before hitting the pumpkin patch if you’re planning on picking a heavy one!

There are also photograph stations with hay bales and tractors, plus a Tap Truck that serves beer and wine on the weekends for the adults!

Julian Farm and Orchard Harvest Fest is making its first appearance on our list this year for good reason! Located in Escondido not far from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, our team at Go Visit San Diego decided Julian Farm and Orchard Harvest Fest provided 2025’s most complete family-friendly farm and pumpkin patch experience.

In addition to the pumpkins which take center stage from the middle of September to the end of October, the property is HUGE, offering a wide selection of family-friendly activities.

Highlights include tractor rides, yard games, kid play areas, and antique tractors. And new in 2025, they’ve added sandboxes and Little Farmers John Deer Trikes. If that wasn’t enough, they also have cider press demonstration, a scarecrow building contest, a petting zoo, ax throwing, a rock wall climbing, photo stations and more!

In addition to pumpkins, the farm also sells flowers, raspberries, and strawberries. On Saturdays and Sundays, they welcome the Julian Food Truck which serves up delicious seasonal farm fresh food and offers tasty adult beverages for thirsty guys like myself. On the weekends in 2025 you’ll also find professional face painting by Gaby's Facepainting.

With so much for your whole family to do, know that there is a General Admission ticket required at $10 per person with premier add-ons like the ax throwing and rock climbing requiring the ultimate ticket which costs $30 per person.

I look forward to the Día de los Muertos activities and events that spice up Old Town San Diego each year. One of my family’s favorite things to do while visiting is to join in the procession to the El Santos Campo Cemetery which will take place this year on the evening of Día de Los Muertos, November 2nd, 2025.

The candlelight procession will start right after sunset at the Immaculate Church on San Diego Ave. The parade will feature dancers in full regalia, a live Mariachi band, and a large public altar located inside the cemetery.

Both watching the parade and participating are completely free, as well as suitable for all ages. For my family, we choose to participate each year. It’s an exciting cultural event that I can say from personal experience is well worth the time!

To learn more about the 2025 festivities before and during the celebration, including this year’s specific times, performers and more, check out our Complete Guide to the Día de Los Muertos Celebration in Old Town San Diego.

New to our list for 2025, but surely not new to the Old Town San Diego Día de los Muertos month long celebrations, is one of my family’s personal favorite things to do when we visit in October.

In addition to getting our faces painted in the Catrina style like sugar skulls, exploring the streets looking for ofrendas or altars set up outside the neighborhood’s businesses is family-friendly fun and totally free.

We always find the most lavishly decorated altars dedicated to loved ones who are believed to come back to walk among us on the Day of the Dead. Ofrendas often feature pictures of those that have passed with golden Aztec marigold flowers known as cempazúchitl plus food & drinks the person enjoyed.

You’ll hardly need any tips of where to find them as they’ll line the streets on Taylor Street, Twiggs Street, Harney Street, and San Diego Avenue.

You’ll also find altars near the El Santos Campo Cemetery, Fiesta de Reyes, the Cygnet Theater, and the Old Town Saloon plus near historic points of interest such as the Whaley House, the Immaculate Conception Church, State Historic Park, and the Mormon Battalion Historic Site.

This is a fun and free way to join the celebration, one that I also see as heart-warming, educational, and beautiful in so many ways!

While many San Diego celebrations have all the trappings of Día de Los Muertos - complete with face painting, sugar skulls, and Catrinas costumes - few bring the soul of the holiday to the forefront quite like the Día de los Muertos festivities Chula Vista.

Last year, my family really liked the community ofrendas and live performances by musicians and dancers. We enjoyed walking the rows of vendor stalls and noticed that there was a family-friendly movie for kids in the evening.

Chula Vista’s 2025 celebration will feature an Ofrenda Competition and a Catrín & Catrina Ensemble contest. You’ll also get to enjoy a car show, artisan vendors at Mercado by Las Jefas Market, kids crafts, and unbelievably tasty food.

Chula Vista’s Día de Los Muertos event isn’t the biggest in the city, but its wide range of activities and shows that more than make up for it!

The 2025 festivities will be held on Saturday, November 1st from 3:00pm to 8:00pm in Downtown Chula Vista. Attending is completely FREE!

The Día de los Muertos celebration in Barrio Logan is an annual event that centers around Mexican culture and tradition, all with an emphasis on art.

For a few weeks each year, the area transforms into a depiction of the Day of the Dead that’s right out of the history books. Altars, or ofrendas, decorated with marigolds and themed painted skull decorations line the streets of the Cultural District of Barrio Logan.

The neighborhood’s annual festivities are dubbed Espíritu de Xochimilco, or “Spirit of Xochimilco,” a name that calls back to the holiday’s roots and celebrates its Mexican origins. With two blocks of vendors, food trucks, and décor, I especially like the food selection, live musical performances and cultural art displays at this event.

Set for Sunday, October 26th, 2025 from 12:00pm to 7:00pm between Logan Ave & St. Evans Street, I can also say that if you like tacos, Barrio Logan has the best tacos in San Diego and you can try them out when you visit this event!