San Diego Weekend Guide: Dec. 6-8 – Holly Jolly

You can host a holiday party this San Diego weekend but when fests and parades abound, why bother? Head out your door and find festive sights all around.

Perhaps we should open with some alternatives to the nitty-gritty of Christmas – and one comes with chili:

• Gingfest – catch up with the underground music scene at SOMA on Sports Arena Boulevard, 7:30 p.m. Friday, with Gingsu, Silver Bullet, Big Fun and more. Tickets start at $13.
• NoSurf Fest – at the Oceanside Museum of Art, 6 p.m. Saturday, with two stages – indie and house. Features Ashes to Amber, Buppy and Monción. Tickets, $40.
• SoNo Fest & Chili Cook-Off – at Thorn and 32nd streets, on the border of South Park and North Park, 11 a.m. Sunday. Try the best chili from dozens of chefs at neighborhood restaurants. Mmmmmm. Tickets start at $25.

But we know you’re here for the holidays. Two of the biggest local events kick off this weekend:

• April Nights? June Nights? Nope, December Nights, Balboa Park’s free holiday festival with oh, so much to see and do (and chew). See more than 1,000 performers on four stages and try goodies and find gifts at 120 food and retail vendors. Some museums will offer complimentary admission too. Gates open at 3 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.
• Entries in the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights glide through the bay beginning at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Eighty boats are expected. See them from Shelter and Harbor islands, Seaport Village, the Embarcadero, Cesar Chavez Park and Coronado’s Ferry Landing.  

But communities throughout the region are bringing the spirit this weekend. Share in the merriment:

• Coronado presents its holiday parade and tree lighting, at 6 p.m. Friday, featuring a 120-foot tree adorned with 18,175 twinkling lights at Rotary Plaza on Orange Avenue.
• Santa arrives on the Holiday Express at Village Walk in Chula Vista’s Eastlake at noon Saturday. Kids ride the train free and get to create a holiday craft too. Enjoy the weekend light show and carolers too.
• Winter Wonderland at Wells Park in El Cajon begins at 2 p.m with train rides, photos with Santa (and letters for the big guy too), arts and crafts and a late movie.
• The crooked tree is up just in time for the OB Holiday Parade down Newport Avenue at 5 p.m. Saturday. And the theme? “Hippie Holiday Hoedown,” you know, just like you might have guessed. Can’t attend? Watch on the Newport Cam!
• La Jolla’s Christmas Parade & Holiday Festival – the theme is “Palm Trees & Poinsettias – A California Christmas” – go back to back. At 11:30 a.m. Sunday the fest opens at Girard and Wall streets; the parade follows at 1:30 p.m. at Kline Street and Girard.
• North Pole by the Sea in Del Mar begins at 1 p.m. Sunday with Santa, carolers and a holiday tree lighting at 5 p.m.; at Del Mar Village, 1540 Camino Del Mar.
• The North County Kiwanis clubs host their 27th annual Holiday Parade, “Toys on Parade” at 1 p.m. Sunday in San Marcos. The route stretches 2.5 miles from Palomar College east on Mission Road to the Civic Center.

Need to get a little shopping in? We can help with that too:

• The Makers Arcade Holiday Fair begins a three-day stay at Broadway Pier, with over 140 handmade vendors, cocktail/mocktail and beer bars, food truck court, make-and-take stations and live music. Opens at 2 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $7.
• Before the San Marcos parade, there’s the fifth annual Chamber of Commerce Holiday Market at North City with more than 140 vendors, treats, a beer garden and a rescue row for pet adoptions. Starts at 10 a.m. Sunday. Look for Santa between noon and 3 p.m.