December Nights
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On the first Friday & Saturday of December, Balboa Park hosts a bonanza of activities and entry into some of the museums is free! It is impossible to describe everything that goes on during December Nights because there is so much going on. Here's a list of events from previous years. Keep in mind that things change yearly and there are always some unavoidable last-minute changes.| AIM San Diego West Alice Birney Elementary Annie Ross Dancers Ashwinis Group Bethel Baptist Church Children's Choir Bonita Vista High School Sound Unlimited and the Music Machine California Youth Conservatory Theatre Center for Creative Arts Courtly Noyse Crusader Bells DanzArts Del Cerro Baptist Church - Christmas Story Tree Del Cerro Baptist Church - Christmas Story Tree Flamenco with Roots Freddy & Francine House of Scotland Pipe Band In aChord Kaleo 'O Nalani La Jolla Renaissance Singers Lighthouse Baptist Choir Lis & Di Martin Luther King Jr. Community Choir Messengers from the Mount Metro Dance Mochi Maid Cafe Mystic Dance San Diego Oak Park Music Conservatory Ocean View Praise Choir and Orchestra One Voice Choir Organ Prelude: Carol Williams, Civic Organist |  | Pacific Coast Harmony Pena Andaluza en California Peninsula Singers Performing Folkd Dancers of Balboa Park Piel de Mexico Boys and Girls Club of National City Pomerado Brass Quintet Prince Habib RB Chorale Rock Church RESONATE San Diego Choraleer/Serra-Naders San Diego Chorus of Sweet Adelines San Diego Cloggers San Diego DanceWorks San Diego Gay Men's Chorus San Diego Harmony Ringers San Diego Sun Harbor Chorus San Diego Youth in Action Schola Pacifica Singing Solo Sounds Divine Vocal Jazz Southwestern College Chamber Singers St. Mark's Bell Choir TBD The Winters Tuba4s Uncle Bob and the Earthmovers Valencia Park Dance and Drama Vocal Synergy & Silhoette Voices 4 Christ YMCA Zumba2 |
Food
In addition to the above shows, December Nights at Balboa park offers a lot of good food.
- At the International Cottages, representatives from different countries serve up ethnic snacks, drinks, meals, and desserts. Expect food from Turkey, Colombia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Puerto Rico, and more.
- Food is available at the Cascades Holiday Marketplace on the east end of El Prada near the water fountain. Expect to find pasta, hot dogs, fries, and the like.
- Food is also available at the Paliside Midway near President's Way. Expect to find country-fair treats such as kettle corn, cotton candy, and some real food as well.
Games and Rides
The Paliside Midway, as its name suggests, is a fair-like outfit with rides, games, kettle corn, cotton candy and the like. December Nights 2008 offered a new attraction: a full-sized, outdoor ice skating rink!
Food, rides, and skating require the purchase of tickets at the ticket booths. The tickets are then redeemed for food or fun. When buying tickets, be sure to buy Food Tickets for food and Ride Tickets for fun and games. Food merchants and ride controllers will only accept the corresponding tickets.
Things to See
Just walking around Balboa Park is eventful enough! Keep an eye out for these captivating scenes:
- light canopy courtesy of SDG&E
- Santa and his flying reindeer
- Organ Pavilion with central Christmas tree
- Nativity scenes along the north side of the Organ Pavilion
- the Balboa Park community tree
- Fantasy of Trees
- free entry to participating museums
(from 5 pm to 9 pm)
Location, Hours of Operation, Parking, and Facilities
December Nights
at Balboa Park
The first Friday and Saturday of December:
Friday, December 2, 2010; 5 pm to 10 pm.
Saturday, December 3, 2010; noon to 10 pm
Traffic and parking is terrible. Officials recommend that you take public transportation and that you avoid highway 163 and Park Blvd - it is bumper-to-bumper with no parking in sight.
Off-site parking is recommended and there is a free shuttle that will transport you to and from Balboa Park. Shuttle runs from 4:30 to 11 pm on Friday, and from noon to 11 pm on Saturday. Shuttle will pick up and drop off:
- PETCO Park and Lots around Park Blvd. and Imperial Ave. - Parking is only $3.00/vehicle and there are more than 2,000 parking spaces in this area. Shuttle takes less than 10 minutes and drops off at 6th and Laurel Streets.
- County Administration Building North Lot at 1600 Pacific Highway (corner of Grape St.). Parking is free in the North Lot.
- City College Lots between 16th and "B" Street.
Bathrooms are available in the building throughout Balboa Park and porta-potties are installed especially for these two busy nights.
- read about Balboa Park
- see other attractions in San Diego
- go to Site Map