For those of you who staunchly refuse to smile at a Christmas tree or hum a bar of your favorite carol until after Thanksgiving, I have just the activity for you to kick off the Christmas celebrations.
December Nights, a two-day Christmas celebration in San Diego’s Balboa Park, is the largest free holiday party in the city. The celebration has a 32-year legacy and attracts several hundred thousand visitors each year. The Christmas festivities happen Dec. 4 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Dec. 5 from noon to 10 p.m.
Balboa Park is the largest urban cultural park in the country and includes 15 museums, the San Diego Zoo, excellent venues for performing arts, historic buildings and sculptured gardens.
December Nights hosts both international and traditional Christmas celebrations. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. both nights, various museums will open their doors to the public for free. The park’s many stages will host various ensembles, choirs and dance groups, including the San Diego Junior Theater and the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet.
Along with the performances, the celebration will include the International Cottage Christmas Festival, showcasing crafts, music dance and Christmas celebrations from over 30 countries. International Christmas cuisine will also warm the palate and take the tongue on a trip around the globe.
Holiday lights will illuminate the Spanish architecture while you can finish some of your holiday shopping at the Cascades Holiday Market, which offers global gifts and cuisine. The Spanish Village Art Center will also be selling gifts from the 37 art studios.
In the middle of the Park, the Barona Band of Mission Indians re-creates a traditional Native American village. Realistic representations of traditional food and culture are accompanied by traditional Native American storytelling, authentic dancing, rock and gourd painting and samples of Indian fry bread.
For a small fee, visitors can take a ride on the Balboa Park Carousel or get an aerial view of the festivities on the San Diego Zoo’s Skyfari Aerial Tram Ride.
At the Old Globe, stop in for scenes of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” then head on over to the San Diego Museum of Man, which will treat visitors to traditional Swedish Christmas cuisine and Santa Lucia processions at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. both nights.
The San Diego Civic Dance Association will be dancing hourly in a variety of styles, from jazz to breakdance. Excerpts from “The Nutcracker” will also be featured at 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., and the San Diego Junior Theater will also have performances by students of holiday songs and musical numbers.
The San Diego Floral Association will feature decorated trees themed for each of the states in a display titled “Celebrating Our 50 States.” Visitors can also view the 23rd Annual Poinsettia Display at the Botanical Building.
For a unique Christmas celebration, the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater will have 20-minute puppet shows throughout the day and for a more traditional experience, the Community Christmas Center will be sponsoring a nativity scene and lighting up the Christmas tree. The San Diego Air and Space Museum will also have flight simulators and the U.S. Navy Quintet and Carolers.
But all of these activities are just a brief sampling of what December Nights has to offer.
