Fall festivals and fun in San Diego
The San Diego region is a popular vacation spot year-round, with attractions like the San Diego Zoo, LegoLand and SeaWorld. But in the fall, the city and surrounding area also host numerous special events, from harvest fairs to Fleet Week. Fleet Week events actually unfold over six weeks, September 17-October 27. Events include the Sea & Air Parade September 29, free ship tours at the Broadway Pier September 29-30 and October 6-7 and the MCAS Miramar Air Show, October 12-14; http://www.fleetweeksandiego.org. The apple harvest in the town of Julian, September 15-November 15, gives visitors a chance to enjoy foliage, fresh apples and the countryside of the Cuyamaca Mountains; http://www.julianca.com. The 32nd annual Harvest Festival, October 26-28 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, is one of the largest art and gift shows on the West Coast, with 300 artists and craftsmen, food, music and a pumpkin patch; http://www.harvestfestival.com. The 13th Annual Pacific Islander Festival, September 22-23, is a free event that showcases the cultures and customs of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, at Mission Bay's Ski Beach, the event also features tempting food and unique crafts; http://www.pifasandiego.com. Several communities around San Diego County celebrate Oktoberfest, including La Mesa, which has one of the largest festivals of its kind on the West Coast, October 5-7; http://www.lmvma.com. The San Diego International Film Festival returns to the Gaslamp Quarter September 27-30, while the San Diego Asian Film Festival takes place October 11-18. http://www.sdff.org and http://www.sdaff.org. Old Town's Most Haunted offers night walking tours of San Diego's original downtown Thursday-Sunday year-round at 9 p.m.; http://www.oldtownsmosthaunted.com. Ghostly Tours in History also offers haunted tours at http://www.ghostlytoursinhistory.com. On October 28, the city of Oceanside, located 45 minutes north of downtown San Diego, celebrates Dia de los Muertos by transforming its downtown streets into a Mexican plaza with more than 30,000 marigolds, used to create "ofrendas" or altars as memorials. There will also be music, food, dancing, and the Chalk Cemetery, an interactive area that allows guests to use flowers, candles and chalk to create a memorial for lost loved ones; http://www.msoceanside.com. Visitors can also see elaborate altars honoring the dead in Old Town's Bazaar del Mundo, October 1-31, for Dia de Los Muertos; http://www.bazaardelmundo.com. At the Del Mar Fairground you'll find the Scream Zone, open September 28-29 and October 5-7, 12-14, 18-21, and 24-31, with a ghost maze, a house of horror, haunted hayride, and midway rides; http://www.sdfair.com/screamzone. San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter also hosts an annual haunted house, September 28-October 31: The Haunted Hotel, 424 Market St., with rooms from Hollywood's favorite horror films; http://www.hauntedhotel.com. |
