When is December Nights 2026 in Balboa Park, and how do I get there without parking?
December Nights is Fri., Dec. 4 (4-10 p.m.) and Sat., Dec. 5 (noon-10 p.m.) in Balboa Park. It's free. Clay Aiken plays the Organ Pavilion at 7:25 p.m. Saturday. Skip parking: take a free shuttle from City College, downtown or Little Italy.
- Dates
- Dec. 4-5
- Cost
- Free
- Crowd
- ~350,000
- Headliner
- Clay Aiken
Fri 4-10 p.m., Sat noon-10 p.m.
Food and shopping extra
Over two days
Sat. 7:25 p.m.
The short version
- December Nights runs Friday, Dec. 4, 4-10 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 5, noon-10 p.m., 2026; admission is free.
- Clay Aiken headlines the Spreckels Organ Pavilion at 7:25 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5.
- The tree lighting is Friday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. on the Organ Pavilion stage.
- Free shuttles run from City College (16th Ave. & B St.), downtown (3rd Ave. & A St.) and Little Italy (Beech St. & Kettner Blvd.).
- Balboa Park museums open free in the evening, and the city expects about 350,000 visitors over the two days.
December Nights is the City of San Diego's two-night holiday festival in Balboa Park, now in its 49th year. The city calls it California's largest free holiday festival and expects about 350,000 people over the weekend. There are five entertainment stages with more than 1,600 performers in 70 groups, more than 200 food and retail booths, and free evening entry to the park's museums.
Dec. 4-5
2026 dates
First weekend of December
$0
Admission
No tickets
200+
Food and retail booths
5
Entertainment stages
The schedule
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4, 4 p.m. | Festival opens | Throughout the park |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 6 p.m. | Tree lighting with Council President Joe LaCava | Spreckels Organ Pavilion |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 10 p.m. | Day one ends | |
| Sat., Dec. 5, noon | Festival reopens | |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 7:25 p.m. | Clay Aiken holiday set | Spreckels Organ Pavilion |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 10 p.m. | Festival ends |
Fri., Dec. 4, 4 p.m.
- What
- Festival opens
- Where
- Throughout the park
Fri., Dec. 4, 6 p.m.
- What
- Tree lighting with Council President Joe LaCava
- Where
- Spreckels Organ Pavilion
Fri., Dec. 4, 10 p.m.
- What
- Day one ends
Sat., Dec. 5, noon
- What
- Festival reopens
Sat., Dec. 5, 7:25 p.m.
- What
- Clay Aiken holiday set
- Where
- Spreckels Organ Pavilion
Sat., Dec. 5, 10 p.m.
- What
- Festival ends
City of San Diego news release, Nov. 2, 2026. Full stage schedules post at DecemberNights.org.
Getting there: use the shuttles
The city says parking is limited and asks visitors to use other transportation. Free shuttles drop off and pick up at Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street, at the park's west edge.
| Option | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Free shuttle + free parking | City College garages, 16th Ave. & B St. (first come, first served) | Free |
| Free shuttle | Downtown, 3rd Ave. & A St. | Free |
| Free shuttle | Little Italy, Beech St. & Kettner Blvd. | Free |
| MTS bus | From the City College transit hub to the event | Regular fare |
| Bike valet (SANDAG) | West entrance of the Laurel Street bridge; east side of Village Place near the Natural History Museum lot | Free |
| Paid parking | Lots in and around the park; buy ahead for select lots | Varies |
Free shuttle + free parking
- Where
- City College garages, 16th Ave. & B St. (first come, first served)
- Cost
- Free
Free shuttle
- Where
- Downtown, 3rd Ave. & A St.
- Cost
- Free
Free shuttle
- Where
- Little Italy, Beech St. & Kettner Blvd.
- Cost
- Free
MTS bus
- Where
- From the City College transit hub to the event
- Cost
- Regular fare
Bike valet (SANDAG)
- Where
- West entrance of the Laurel Street bridge; east side of Village Place near the Natural History Museum lot
- Cost
- Free
Paid parking
- Where
- Lots in and around the park; buy ahead for select lots
- Cost
- Varies
City of San Diego news release, Nov. 2, 2026.
What's there
- Food: global dishes at the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages, plus Food Truck Alley at Village Place.
- Museums: Balboa Park museums open free to the public in the evening.
- Family Zone: free Ferris wheel rides, a light show on the San Diego Museum of Art facade, free holiday crafts, and Santa photos.
- Skateboarding: half-pipe demos in Palisades Plaza.
- Giving: SDG&E and Jewish Family Service collect socks and underwear for people in the city's Safe Parking lots.
Making a night of it? See the rest of December's holiday events and the tree lightings and holiday markets that same weekend.
Is this still right?
We last checked this tip against its sources on November 9, 2026, and we re-research every tip on a schedule. Things in San Diego change, sometimes overnight.
Event dates, times and prices are set by the organizers and can change or sell out. Confirm with the organizer's own page before you plan around them.
This is general information, not legal, financial, tax, medical or safety advice.
KEEP READING
SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
City of San Diego · Nov. 2, 2026
Dates, hours, headliner time, shuttles, parking, bike valet, museums, rules
- PrimaryBalboa Park December Nights
City of San Diego · Checked Nov. 9, 2026
Official event page
KPBS · Nov. 2, 2026
Coverage of the headliner announcement