My friends in Balboa Park’s Senior Lounge told me the AgeWell Services Holiday Dance was taking place this afternoon, so I had to poke my nose into the Balboa Park Club building to see what might be going on. What did I find? All sorts of fun holiday sights!
Folks were enjoying a break between dances when I arrived, so I just wandered about the big ballroom.
I spied Santa, Frosty, the Grinch, silly elf Minions, very beautiful Christmas trees, and a sparkling variety of colorful holiday decorations! Happy people, too!
Look what I found!
A smiling, dancing Christmas tree!
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I walked around Balboa Park this afternoon and into the early evening. There were so many colorful sights to be seen in San Diego’s big holiday festival…
First up, a couple of Santa’s helpers with Save Starlight smiled for my camera. If you’d like to help this worthy organization revive the historic Starlight Bowl in Balboa Park, please check out their website here.
I was completely surprised to find a honest-to-goodness live reindeer! His name is Murphy. He’s visiting San Diego from Wild Things/Conservation Ambassadors.
Checking out Spanish Village Art Center during December Nights…
This beautiful little Christmas tree was created by artist Helen Munroe, who works out of Studio 34B and 25 in Spanish Village.
Okay, what was going on in the Plaza de Panama?
What was going on at the International Cottages?
I swung by the Spreckels Organ Pavilion when the Peninsula Singers were performing on the stage by the big Christmas tree…
Folks were checking out the Community Christmas Center nativity scenes…
I bought a soda at the Gingerbread House.
Entry to the San Diego Natural History Center was free, so I had to check it out. There’s a dinosaur Santa!
And a Homo sapiens Santa (and friends) by the elevator!
View of Plaza de Balboa and Bea Evenson Fountain from the museum rooftop. December Nights is just getting underway…
Now I checked out the Festival of Trees in the Casa del Prado. The theme for 2025 is Rooted in Wonder!
This cool gentleman is with San Diego Civic Dance Arts. Youth would perform on the nearby stage later in the evening.
Inside the Municipal Gymnasium, families were lined up to greet Santa Claus at the North Pole!
Dozens of food vendors filled the Palisades parking lot!
Superheroes greet visitors to the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park during December Nights!
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This holiday season, if you have a chance, head into Balboa Park’s Botanical Building. You’ll discover 675 poinsettias! That’s what I was told by a representative of Forever Balboa Park!
There are poinsettia displays at the center of the Botanical Building, beside the fountains at either end, along windows, and here and there planted in the surrounding lush greenery.
All that holiday color is a sight to behold!
Enjoy these photographs which were taken during the first day of December Nights…
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The pieces in the gallery were all made with lathes by members of the San Diego Woodturners. You might have seen these artisans demonstrating their craft in the Design in Wood exhibit at the San Diego County Fair. (They’re the folks who create all those tops and wooden pens.)
One of the artists, Hal Gorss, was kind enough today to explain how many of these gorgeous artworks were made. A great deal of effort and skill is required.
The objects include bowls, vases, utensils, trays, decorative art and more. They’re on sale, just in time for Christmas gift giving. So why not head into Gallery 21 during December Nights and check it out!
One other thing–these good people support Turn Around for Vets, which teaches wood turning to active duty service members and veterans at the Naval Medical Center (NMC) San Diego, the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Camp Pendleton and the Veterans Affairs Aspire Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program in San Diego.
Awesome!
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The San Diego Floral Association is putting on another Festival of Trees during this year’s December Nights. The glittering roomful of uniquely decorated Christmas trees is one of the December Night’s most beloved attractions!
A whole host of San Diego and Balboa Park organizations were getting their Christmas trees ready today when I peeked into Room 101 of the Casa del Prado. The trees are decorated to reflect the organization they represent.
The Festival of Trees will actually have a special preview today, Thursday, December 4, 2025. The public can freely enjoy the sparkling displays from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Imagine the room darkened and hundreds of bright tree lights on!
There will be cookies available for purchase, too!
Of course, the trees will be on display throughout December Nights on Friday and Saturday. The Festival of Trees typically has a sign out on El Prado directing visitors in. Look for it!
Hello! Folks from the Balboa Park Senior Lounge, as they added ornaments to their (ever so slightly leaning) tree, gave my camera a big smile!
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With two days to go until December Nights, activity in Balboa Park was in high gear today!
I enjoyed another walk through the park with my camera, catching much of the action. There isn’t much time to finish the immense preparation.
December Nights, one of the largest holiday festivals in the United States, will take place Friday December 5th from 3 to 11 pm, and Saturday December 6th from 11 am to 11 pm.
Make sure to give yourself extra time for traffic and to find parking. Better yet, use public transit or one of the free shuttles. You can find the “Getting to December Nights” webpage by clicking here.
Festive red ribbons are now on the Cabrillo Bridge lamp posts.A sign and wreath bids Welcome to December Nights at Balboa Park’s west entrance.Huge crowds will stream into December Nights by foot, passing the Museum of Us and the archways of the California Quadrangle.Workers getting strings of holiday lights ready in the Plaza de Panama.Cheerful lights will be strung everywhere!Sadly, I suppose San Diego’s Community Christmas Tree encircled by its historical fence will be forgotten again. (I’ve spoken to multiple people about this over the years, but nobody seems to know or care.)The Community Christmas Center’s traditional Nativity scenes are set up already. They must have done that during the last couple days.I saw the enormous Christmas tree on the Spreckels Organ Pavilion stage being assembled!One might say the Organ Pavilion will be at the center of December Nights, with many special holiday performances.Barricades being readied in the Palisades area of Balboa Park, where there will be plenty of December Nights activity, too!Signs are up at the various parking lots.San Diego Parks and Recreation workers were all over the place, cutting grass and making everything perfect.I noticed one of the fences on the west side of the Lily Pond has been removed, now that this section of the new Central Gardens outside the Botanical Building is ready.Getting the annual San Diego Floral Association Festival of Trees ready in Room 101 of the Casa del Prado. There will be a special free preview on Thursday December 4, from 4 to 7 pm!These smiling Balboa Park Garden Stewards were on their way out to beautify the park when I happened by with my camera!Hanging stars at the Museum of Photographic Arts inside the Casa de Balboa!
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Balboa Park is “decking the halls” in preparation for December Nights! Families visiting the park this coming Friday and Saturday will enjoy cheerful holiday sights and sounds and tastes, and yesterday I saw how preparations are underway!
That’s a big wreath in Spanish Village above. Below, ornaments already hang from the trees around the patio…
Spanish Village Art Center will host Holidays in the Village during December Nights. There will be hot cocoa, crafts, Junior Theatre performances, and jolly Santa, too!
There’s a festive wreath on the rear of the Balboa Park Miniature Railroad train…
The stage inside the Casa del Prado courtyard is being resurfaced in preparation for youth performances during December Nights…
Big candy canes have appeared in the House of Hospitality courtyard…
The San Diego History Center has multiple Christmas trees and many poinsettias. Their “Bataan Café” will be serving AleSmith Brewing Company beer during December Nights.
There will be food galore at the International Cottages during December Nights. Many of the cottages are already decked out for the Holiday Season.
Here’s a Christmas tree among piñatas in the House of Mexico cottage…
An angel in the House of Mexico cottage…
Christmas tree in House of Panama cottage…
A small Christmas tree in House of USA cottage…
A tiny winter scene inside the House of Germany cottage…
In the House of Finland cottage, a member was creating Sydänkori heart baskets, perfect for hanging on Christmas trees…
Most Balboa Park museums will be open free to the public in the evening during December Nights.
I found this beautiful Christmas tree inside the San Diego Automotive Museum…
Fill up the Toys For Tots box at the San Diego Automotive Museum!
Jewels of the Season has again filled the Timken Museum of Art with hand made jewel-like ornaments and bright, twinkling splendor!
The Whoville General Store featuring oodles of green Grinch merch is now open at the Old Globe!
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The San Diego Civic Youth Ballet will be performing The Nutcracker on December 10 to 21, 2025. The public was able to experience a free preview of the show this afternoon at the Sunday organ concert in Balboa Park!
The audience was amazed at the poise and grace exhibited by the young ballet dancers as they glided across the hard concrete stage. The dancers earned a huge ovation! If the selected dances in this preview are any indication, The Nutcracker will be sensational!
It was great hearing San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez providing much of the accompanying music. A world-class musician brought Tchaikovsky’s beloved holiday classic to life.
As always, the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet’s holiday performances will take place in the Casa del Prado Theater in Balboa Park. Find out more and purchase tickets by clicking here.
We also learned that 2025 is the 80th Anniversary Season of the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet!
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I captured these sunrise photos early yesterday, while walking through Balboa Park’s Marston Point. I was on my way to watch the start of the Thanksgiving 5K charity “Run For Hope.”
Marston Point lies at the southwest corner of Balboa Park, at the south end of the West Mesa. When there are low broken clouds to the east, the sun rising beyond the trees and distant mountains can be very dramatic.
As you can see, airplanes descending at sunrise toward San Diego International Airport are an additional cool sight!
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The 24th Annual Father Joe’s Villages Thanksgiving Day 5K is being held this morning. It raises funds to help the homeless in San Diego. It’s called the Run For Hope.
Runners (and walkers) converged in Balboa Park for an annual event that draws thousands of participants. I was told there are over 10,000 this year!
The energy was incredible. Families, friends and social groups had come together. Turkey hats and costumes could be seen everywhere in the crowd. I even found Dude Vader wearing feathers, and some smiling Pilgrims!
Before the Thanksgiving 5K began, a huge mass of people streamed over the Cabrillo Bridge from the center of Balboa Park where a festival is being held. They would start the race on the west side of the bridge, then take a course circling the park to the north.
If you couldn’t participate, but you’d like to make a donation to Father Joe’s Villages, click here for their website.
Some fun photos…
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