From San Diego FC's debut and San Diego Pride to music festivals and Comic-Con, we’ve got a lot to look forward to this year in America’s Finest City. Bust out the 2025 calendar and pencil in these important local events.

San Diego Rodeo

Friday, Jan. 10-Sunday, Jan. 12 | Petco Park
OK, it's not the ballpark's first rodeo, but it is the venue's second rodeo. For three days, Petco Park will host the world’s top cowboys competing for big prizes. Meanwhile, post-rodeo concerts at Gallagher Square will feature acts like Elle King, Ryan Bingham and the Texas Gentlemen, and Colter Wall. Lasso your tickets — they’re galloping away fast.

SoCal native Max Homa won the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego — who'll take the title in 2024? | Photo via Farmers Insurance Open

Farmers Insurance Open

Wednesday, Jan. 22-Saturday, Jan. 25 | Torrey Pines Golf Course
The prestigious PGA Tour competition returns to one of the most scenic golf courses in San Diego with a range of ticket options depending on the experience you’re into. And locals know, this tourney is as much about the mingling as it is about the golf.

Let's eat, San Diego | Photo via San Diego Restaurant Week

San Diego Restaurant Week

Sunday, Jan. 26-Sunday, Feb. 2
The longtime foodie event returns for its 2025 edition with select restaurants across the county offering special prix fixe menus for eight delicious days. No ticket required — getting in on this event is easy as pie. We do recommend making reservations if you can, though. Bonus: This event returns for a second round from Sunday, Sept. 14-Sunday, Sept. 21.

Taste of Little Italy is so big, it's a two-day affair. | Photo via Little Italy Association

"Taste of" Events

February-November | Locations vary
San Diego's food scene sizzles. Many local communities host their own "taste of" events throughout the year — from Chula Vista and Hillcrest, to Little Italy and East Village.

Snapdragon Stadium will be the home of San Diego's new MLS team. | Photo via Monica Garske + SDtoday

San Diego FC's big debut

Inaugural home match: Saturday, March 1 | Snapdragon Stadium
Our city's new MLS team kicks off its season on Feb. 23, 2025, but the team's hometown debut is on March 1, 2025. SDFC will go on to play 16 more regular season home matches at Snapdragon Stadium and 17 matches on the road through mid-October 2025. See how the roster is shaping up.

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch will help usher in spring in SD. | Photo via Sam Loera + The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch

Saturday, March 1-Sunday, May 11 | 5704 Paseo del Norte
North County’s beloved springtime tradition — running 60+ years strong — features an annual burst of colorful Giant Tecolote Ranunculus blooms blanketing nearly 55 acres. It is truly a sight to behold. Start planning your trip.

ShamROCK will take over the Gaslamp Quarter on March 15, 2025. | Photo via Eric Scire

ShamROCK

Saturday, March 15 | Gaslamp Quarter
The annual St. Patrick's Day music + beer festival will take over downtown San Diego with nonstop Irish rock and tribute band performances across three stages, plus other shenanigans. Get your tickets.

San Diego Wave FC Home Opener

Saturday, March 22 | Snapdragon Stadium
Kristen McNabb. Kailen Sheridan. Melanie Barcenas. Those are a few of the soccer superstars leading the NWSL team in its fourth season at Snapdragon Stadium. Single match tickets are expected to go on sale in early 2025.

Let's go, Padres. | Photo via Monica Garske + SDtoday

San Diego Padres Home Opener

Thursday, March 27 | Petco Park
Let’s go, San Diego. After an incredible 2024 season, we're hoping for serious momentum + more magic moments for our home team going into 2025. The Padres open at home in a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves from Thursday, March 27 to Sunday, March 30.

Boots in the Park

Saturday, April 5 | Waterfront Park
The country music festival returns to the Embarcadero with headliners Old Dominion, Chris Young, Tyler Hubbard, Parmalee, Tayler Holder, Presley Tennant, and DJ Luwiss Lux. Get your tickets.

This annual event shines bright in Little Italy. | Photo via Candice Audick + Mission Fed ArtWalk

Mission Fed ArtWalk

Saturday, April 26-Sunday, April 27 | Little Italy
Running four decades strong, this fine arts festival along India Street showcases 250+ visual artists, music stages, interactive art, and food. Pro tip: Don't miss ArtWalk Liberty Station in August and ArtWalk Carlsbad in North County in September.

Gator by the Bay features 100+ musical acts. | Photo via Jeff Beeler

Gator by the Bay

Thursday, May 8-Sunday, May 11 | Spanish Landing Park
The lively, Louisiana-themed festival takes over the park at San Diego Bay with 100+ musical acts across seven stages. Bring your appetite — 10,000 pounds of crawfish will be trucked into SD from Louisiana and there will be vendors aplenty, too. Tickets go on sale soon.

Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego

Saturday, May 31-Sunday, June 1 | Balboa Park
Lace up those sneakers and start training — the race that’s been around since 1998 returns to Balboa Park and downtown San Diego. Register for the 5K happening on May 31, or the marathon or half marathon happening on June 1. You've totally got this.

Del Mar Fairgrounds: Where the wheel meets the sea. | Photo via San Diego County Fair

San Diego County Fair

Wednesday, June 11-Sunday, July 6 | Del Mar Fairgrounds
This summertime staple began as an agricultural fair in 1880 before moving to its current location in Del Mar in 1936. Today, the fair season features 2,000+ attractions, 1,700+ performers, and a highly-anticipated concert lineup. This year’s theme is “Summer Pet-tacular,” a celebration of our furry friends. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 14.

OTL is just so, so San Diego. | Photo via Duane Bazzel + @ombacsd

2025 Over-The-Line World Championships

Saturday, July 12-Sunday, July 13 + Saturday, July 19-Sunday, July 20 | Fiesta Island
OTL — the ball + bat sport invented on South Mission Beach in the 1950s — is synonymous with San Diego beach culture and returns each summer with a championship tournament on Fiesta Island. Sign-ups will likely begin sometime in early May, so start scouting your squad and brainstorming wacky team names.

A past Pride Parade in the heart of Hillcrest. | Photo via San Diego Pride

San Diego Pride

Saturday, July 12-Sunday, July 20 | Hillcrest
A major source of pride in San Diego, annual celebrations include The Spirit of Stonewall Rally and raising of the Pride flag, the Pride 5K, and the San Diego Pride Parade on Saturday, July 19, in the heart of Hillcrest. The Pride Festival at Marston Point in Balboa Park rounds out the festivities from Saturday, July 19 to Sunday, July 20.

And away they go... Del Mar summer racing returns on Friday, July 21. | Photo via Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

Del Mar Racing

Friday, July 18-Sunday, Sept. 7 | Del Mar Fairgrounds
Cue the trumpets and fancy hats. The annual horse racing season returns to “where the turf meets the surf” at the peak of summer. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 9. Oh, and fall horse racing season — aka Bing Crosby Season — typically kicks off in late October or early November.

It's all about the cosplay. | Photo via @sdconventionctr

San Diego Comic-Con International

Thursday, July 24-Sunday, July 27 | San Diego Convention Center
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the biggest pop culture event of the year. The iconic Con descends on the streets of downtown San Diego — transforming both the convention center and the Gaslamp Quarter into a metropolis straight out of the pages of fantasy. See you there.

CityFest

Sunday, Aug. 10 | Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest
The free, all-ages arts and music festival takes over nine blocks the heart of Hillcrest with live bands, EDM DJs, and arts, crafts, and food vendors. It's a summertime staple, that’s for sure.

Del Mar is about to be the talk of the culinary town this September. | Photo via Del Mar Wine + Food Festival

Del Mar Wine + Food Festival

Wednesday, Sept. 10-Sunday, Sept. 14 | Del Mar
North County’s celebration of food and winemakers features several culinary events, including the Grand Tasting at Surf Sports Park on Sept. 13 + Sept. 14 showcasing top-notch pours and bites. This fest is star-studded, too, from celebrity chefs to famous partners like Alex Morgan and Drew Brees.

Adams Avenue Street Fair

Saturday, Sept. 20-Sunday, Sept. 21 | Adams Avenue
This Normal Heights music fest rocks — expect ~75 acts across seven stages during this two-day event spanning 10 blocks in the hip uptown neighborhood.

Another MCAS Miramar Air Show takes off. | Photo by Corporal Jessica Y. Lucio

MCAS Miramar Air Show

Friday, Sept. 26-Sunday, Sept. 28 | MCAS Miramar
It's a bird, it's a plane — it's America's largest military air show, returning to SD's skies. As always, this three-day event will include military demos, aerial solo acts, vintage aircraft + warbirds.

Beers by the beach, an OB Oktoberfest staple. | Photo by @oceanbeachca

Oktoberfest Celebrations

Late September-Early October | Locations vary
Prost! San Diego sure loves its Oktoberfest celebrations. From Oktoberfests in East Village (Sept. 20) and OB (Oct. 10 + Oct. 11) to El Cajon (Sept. 26-Sept. 28 + Oct. 3-Oct. 5), Encinitas (Sept. 28) Liberty Station (Sept. 19-Sept. 28), and La Mesa (Oct. 3-Oct. 5) there are so German-inspired shindigs around SD this time of year.

Embark on a visit to the USS Midway in October with the kids. | Photo via San Diego Museum Council

Kids Free San Diego

Wednesday, Oct. 1-Friday, Oct. 31 | 60+ local museums
We already know San Diego is kid-friendly, but every October, America’s Finest City is a true parentdise for curious kiddos and families. The San Diego Museum Council and San Diego Tourism Authority partner to host Kids Free San Diego, a monthlong program that offers free admission to more than 60 local museums and attractions to kids age 12 and under with a paid adult admission. Check out our guide to 20 of these year's deals.

Mission Bayfest

Friday, Oct. 17-Sunday, Oct. 19 | Mariners Point
This reggae music festival takes over Mission Bay for three days during fall (aka "Locals Summer"). This year's lineup includes OB's very own Slightly Stoopid, Sublime, Rebelution, Pepper, 311, Steel Pulse, Rome, and so many more. Grab tickets.

Beer Week 2023 is all about smaller events; Guild Fest returns in February 2024. | Photo via San Diego Brewers Guild

San Diego Beer Week

Friday, Nov-7-Sunday, Nov. 16 | Locations vary
As the Capital of Craft, of course we have an chunk of the calendar dedicated to our local craft brewing industry. This annual fall celebration is organized by the San Diego Brewers Guild and includes the collaborative brewing and release of the Capital of Craft IPA, beer tasting events, release parties at local breweries, and the return of the Capital of Craft Beer Fest on Saturday, Nov. 8.

Beer Bonus: If you're looking to celebrate local suds over the summer, the San Diego Brewers Guild will also host its SD Beer Weekend from Friday, June 27 to Sunday, June 29, which includes the Rhythm & Brews music + beer festival in Vista on Saturday, June 28.

Fleet Week San Diego

Saturday, Nov. 1-Sunday, Nov. 9 | Locations vary
This annual event honors the contributions of our US military service members through a series of public + military events, including the Veterans and Military Boat Parade on San Diego Bay on Saturday, Nov. 8 and the 5K Race & Family Walk on Sunday, Nov. 9. Fleet Week 2025 will also celebrate the 250th birthday of the US Navy and Marine Corps.

The San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival returns this week. | Photo via San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival

San Diego Food + Wine Festival

Friday, Nov. 7-Sunday, Nov. 9 | Locations vary
Dubbed the best wine festival in the US by USA Today’s 10Best in 2023, this beloved culinary event will return for its 21st anniversary in 2025. The celebration will showcase 300+ chefs, wineries, farmers, artists, and brands partaking in more than 30 special events throughout the week, including the main event — the renowned Grand Tasting set for Nov. 8, at Embarcadero Marina Park North.

December Nights signifies the start of the holiday season in San Diego. | Photo via Monica Garske + SDtoday

December Nights

Early December 2025 | Balboa Park
There’s nothing quite like this festive event to usher in the unofficial start of the holiday season in San Diego. The city’s biggest holiday celebration brings live performances, entertainment, twinkling lights, free admission to select museums, and food galore to the landmark.

The boat parade usually features about 80 vessels, trimmed to the nines. | Photo via Marv Sloben Photography

San Diego Bay Parade of Lights

Sunday, Dec. 14 + Sunday, Dec. 21 | San Diego Bay
The holiday tradition — chugging along into its 55th year — will return to our waterfront for two consecutive Sundays in December. The 2025 theme is "Out of This World," so expect participating boats decked out in space-themed decorations. You can count on us to share all the pro tips for navigating the event, and pretty videos, too.

2025 Holiday Bowl

Jan. 2, 2026 | Snapdragon Stadium
The annual college football game is typically played in SD in late December but for the first time in its 46-year history, it'll be played in early January 2026. Kickoff is at 5 p.m. and tickets should go on sale soon. The event also brings the Port of San Diego's Holiday Bowl Parade — aka "America’s largest balloon parade" — to the streets of downtown SD. The 2025 celebration will take place on Jan. 2, 2026 at 10 a.m.; volunteers are welcome.