Your 2019 San Diego Pride Guide

 

People Still Gave Back, and They Gave More in 2020

From April through September 2020, the average quarterly gift from San Diego households increased to $432, from $374 the previous year. Not only did our residents give back more, but the causes they supported shifted, too. A poll by the University of San Diego showed that over 50 percent of people who donated money chose issues they felt were the most pressing: food security, helping essential workers, and social and racial justice. For example, the annual Pack the Pantry food drive, organized by the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, saw a record donation amount (around $50,000), which provided 90,000 meals to community college students at 10 campuses. Here’s hoping this spirit of giving continues into 2021.

Source: 2020 Annual Report, State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy in San Diego; University of San Diego

 

San Diego Steps Up for Social Activism

We can thank our Gen Z-ers and millennials for the “cancel 2020” memes that got us through last year, but when it came to social justice, they also took more concrete action.

Because the beach is always open and the culture trends in the direction of mellowness, San Diego is often miscast as disinterested in the hard conversations the country has about justice. But the younger generations helped organize more than 45 peaceful protests countywide last summer in response to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black citizens at the hands of the police.

The county’s first major protest was in La Mesa on May 29: Dozens of demonstrators assembled outside La Mesa Police Department headquarters after a viral video showed the forceful arrest of an unarmed Black man at the Grossmont Transit Center. On December 9, a city review panel upheld the firing of the officer and on January 4, 2021, the officer was charged with filing a false report. On May 31, a 25-year-old Black woman organized several hundred protestors at the Hall of Justice, marching through downtown San Diego.

But some of the largest protests came in early June. Hundreds joined a caravan from La Jolla to City Heights, National City, and Otay Mesa. Over 2,000 demonstrators marched from the San Diego Police Headquarters to North Park on June 4 and two days later, another 3,000 people gathered at the County Administration Center.

Many of these protests stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, which advocates for nonviolent civil disobedience as a response to racist and violent acts against the Black community. Law enforcement agencies across the county took action, most notably by banning use of the carotid restraint, which is similar to the restraint that led to Floyd’s death. The protests also spurred the passage of Measure B, which establishes an independent review commission on police practices. Measure B passed with 74.6 percent of the vote.

 

Staying Home Helped Sweep the Shelters

With their favorite humans spending much more time at home, our four-legged friends were loving the lockdown. And for those who were still waiting for a home, San Diegans helped sweep the shelters with a record number of new fosters and adoptions at the start of the pandemic. “This county has always been there for animals, but especially so during the shutdown,” says San Diego Humane Society President and CEO Dr. Gary Weitzman. The humane society’s four campuses were virtually cleared last March, when their head count of 3,000 decreased to under 1,000 and 65 percent of their animals went into foster care. And our pets aren’t the only ones to reap the benefits: While the pandemic takes a heavy toll on our mental health, Weitzman suggests that animals are a major cure for the quarantine blues. “We’ve had less animal surrenders, more fosters, and can really feel the love San Diego has for its animals.”

 

Light Testing Began on the Bay

For nearly 15 years, the port has been developing a permanent light installation for the Coronado Bridge that will change colors to reflect what’s happening in the city, much the same way the Empire State Building does for New York—celebrating holidays, sports teams, or visits from international representatives. The project made a huge leap last year when the Port of San Diego temporarily installed 170 lights to gather information on the engineering, design, and sustainability of the project. For longterm associates—like Yvonne Wise, the port’s director of the Waterfront Arts & Activation department, and Commissioner Marshall Merrifield, who spearheaded the fundraising campaign—the test was the result of years of hard work. The next steps are to raise more money (a humble $13 million) and work with an artist on the design.

 

Chula Vista Rolls Out the Red Carpet for All

When life gave Chula Vista lemons, they made lemonade for their new neighbors. The “Lemon Capital of the World” was recently named the most welcoming city for immigrants in the US by the New American Economy Cities Index. This index analyzes immigrant integration on an economic and local-policy level to find insights on how cities can maximize the potential of their newcomers—to become US citizens, small-business owners, and homeowners. Chula Vista landed perfect scores in government leadership, economic empowerment, inclusivity, job opportunities, and civic participation. It’s been a fast and steady climb to the top for the county’s second-largest city, which ranked third on the index in 2018 and moved into second place in 2019. It was a pretty sweet note in an otherwise sour year.

 

Our Local Biotech Industry Tackles COVID-19

It’s the news we’ve all been waiting for: A mass rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is underway. But San Diego local Jaime Yslas already got vaccinated—at least, he thinks he was.

After reading that Latinos and seniors have been underrepresented in coronavirus research, Yslas figured that he checked all the boxes, so he signed up for a double-blind study in which two-thirds of participants received AstraZeneca-­Oxford’s vaccine. In November, he stood in a Chula Vista parking lot beside a bloodmobile that’d been converted into a mobile clinical trial site. “You have to step forward, or we’re never going to find the answer,” he says.

San Diegans have also been stepping forward for clinical trials of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. All three local studies, overseen by UC San Diego, were part of a larger international bid to test whether the vaccines are safe and effective for all.

San Diego has been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 from the start, with a robust strategy of testing, contact tracing, and hatching potential vaccines. “The amount of innovation that’s come out of San Diego is broad and deep,” said Tim Scott, a biotech executive who has tracked local COVID-19 initiatives through a taskforce for the trade group Biocom.

Hologic’s San Diego facility has cranked out tens of millions of tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and the company is ramping up production, thanks in part to a $119.3 million US government contract awarded in November.

“The vast majority of all our molecular diagnostics kits—not just for COVID-19—are made here,” says Hologic spokesperson Suzanne Clancy, who notes that the Massachusetts-based company has 1,100 employees right here in San Diego. “We benefit from the excellent talent pool and thriving life sciences industry in the area.”

Testing demand outpaced supply in San Diego last summer, as it did in many places. To help ease the crunch, the county’s public health department signed a contract with a startup best known for genomics. Helix, an offshoot of San Diego genomics giant Illumina, has raised more than $350 million to study the genetics of large populations to discover new ways to diagnose and treat disease. In a pandemic pivot, the company’s San Diego lab set out to process more than 100 million COVID-19 tests a day for health systems, employers, governments, pharmacies, and other organizations. In order to scale up, Helix was one of the first to win emergency approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a COVID-19 test that directly sequences genetic material, increasing the company’s testing capacity. Other companies rely solely on commonly used PCR instruments that amplify genetic matter to process nasal swab tests.

Researchers have also looked to our smartphones and wearables, like Fitbit, for potential ways to rein in the virus. In a study published in the October issue of Nature Medicine, Scripps Research found that pairing data from wearable devices with symptom self-reporting did a better job of predicting the virus’s spread than either method alone. Last summer, Scripps recorded 35,000 people in the ongoing study, with an eye toward 100,000 participants.

Before a statewide rollout in December, UC San Diego piloted an app, CA Notify, that uses a smartphone’s Bluetooth capability to tell people when they’ve been exposed to someone who was later diagnosed with COVID-19.

As of press time, the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have received US approval. San Diego–based Arcturus Therapeutics and Inovio Pharmaceuticals are still in clinical trials with their vaccines and are being watched closely. Each vaccine works in different ways, meaning one may prove to be best for older adults, for instance.

Only time will tell how the vaccines fare, but San Diego’s exhaustive efforts to fight the virus have helped give the county, and the country, an extra dose of what we need most—hope.

 

We Elected Our First LGBTQ Mayor and Mayor of Color

When Todd Gloria was in the fourth grade at Hawthorne Elementary, he was a finalist in the school’s “Mayor for a Day” essay contest. “I believe the prompt was about building a better city and my response was about more homes and transit for San Diegans,” Gloria says. “I haven’t changed much over the years.” Three decades after entering that contest, Gloria was sworn in as San Diego’s mayor in December.

Gloria’s win is a historic one, as he’s the first openly LGBTQ person elected to serve in the city’s highest office. Today, just three of the eight most populous cities in the country, San Diego included, have elected an openly LGBTQ mayor: Houston (Annise Parker) and Chicago (Lori Lightfoot, in 2019).

The rainbow ceiling isn’t the only one Gloria shattered: He’s also the city’s first mayor of Asian, Latino, and Native American heritage.

During his inauguration, which was done virtually (another first for the position), Gloria said, “As a kid who grew up in Clairemont, I didn’t see people who looked like me leading practically anything—let alone the eighth largest city in the United States. But today, I stand before you as the first person of color and LGBTQ person to ascend to our city’s highest office.” His nephews and nieces watched him get sworn in on TV from their living room, and they dressed up for the occasion.

For his first 100 days in office, Gloria said he’s prioritizing the public health crisis and economic fallout caused by COVID-19, housing issues, homelessness, and the city’s Climate Action Plan, the first incarnation of which he drafted while serving as interim mayor from 2013 to 2014.

 

We’re Moving Into the Fast Lane

Like the so-called sunshine tax, San Diego’s disjointed public transportation has long been considered part of the cost of living here. But there are smoother roads ahead, with the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System laying the final tracks for its $2.1 billion Mid-Coast Trolley Extension from Old Town to University City, with service to begin later this year. It’s the largest light rail extension in the city’s history, adding nine newly constructed stations and a fleet of 45 shiny new trolleys to its roster.

 

The Building Boom Hasn’t Stopped

As of last fall, there were 14 new construction projects downtown alone, including more than 3,000 new apartments. There’s also major housing projects underway in Kearny Mesa (442 units), UTC (over 400 units), and the massive development at Town & Country resort in Mission Valley (over 800 units). The Riverwalk project in Mission Valley is also finally breaking ground this year: When it’s complete, the 195-acre neighborhood will have over 4,000 new homes.

 

COVID Collabs

No sector felt the impact of the shutdown more than San Diego’s small businesses. But where there were struggles, there was just as much support. Last year saw a wellspring of collaborative efforts from restaurant, event space, and retail shop owners helping one another stay open. It took some creativity, but the results just go to show that even during the most dire circumstances, community always comes first.

When Natalie Mitchell and Violet Navarrete faced a series of setbacks shortly after opening their clothing and gift store Timshel Shop—repeated flooding on top of the pandemic, to give you an idea—they made the difficult decision to permanently close their doors. But when they turned to online sales to keep them afloat, fellow female-owned home goods shop Thread Spun had a different idea. They’d had their own experience with flooding (all three owners refer to one another as “floodies,” for flood buddies), and they offered Timshel a long-term pop-up space inside their own store. Over last summer, Timshel donated 20 percent of their pop-up profits to local organizations and raised over $1,000. “Our community may look different now, but we’ve been blown away by the support and lasting relationships we’ve built,” Mitchell says. “Collaborating with other small businesses has been an integral part of building our community.”

Community was always key for Gaslamp Tavern, a relaxed downtown bar popular for its good drinks and happy hour deals before 2020. But the pandemic’s toll on the restaurant industry encouraged owners Estela and Rick Borba to pursue an idea that had been brewing for years. To amplify their offerings and rally behind small pop-up eateries, the duo transformed the tavern into Gaslamp Tavern & Food Hall. Now housing Ghost Fried Chicken, San Diego Tuna Company, and Tacos el Tuerto, the food hall gave emerging businesses a home while bringing more dining options to downtown.

Cucina Urbana has been a vital player in that scene for years, but they struggled last summer when they were unable to create an outdoor dining space (while permitted) due to the layout of their restaurant. Their neighbors, Julep Venue, already had a string of successful virtual events under their belt when they reached out about a backup plan. “We have two large patios that were sitting there unused,” says Julep’s founder and managing partner, Michael Esposito. “It just seemed like the obvious choice to give Cucina Urbana that space.” Over one weekend, the teams got together to work out the logistics of Camp Cucina, a blend of Julep’s eye for design, Cucina’s food, and Snake Oil Cocktail Company’s craft libations. “Everyone has had their own unique challenges during this time,” Esposito adds. “If you can come together to solve those challenges with another business, it’s an absolute no-brainer to do it.”

Just south of Lake Hodges near 4S Ranch and Poway, Rancho Bernardo is a suburban community that blends residential neighborhoods with industrial pockets, elevated by a decidedly diverse food scene.  

Over 60 years ago, this North County neighborhood was once part of a family ranch. Since that time, big tech companies have taken up residence here, including Amazon, Sony Electronics, Oura Ring, HP, Teradata, and ASML. Rancho Bernardo Inn serves as a community hub, with locals frequently meeting at the hotel’s restaurants, golf course, and spa.  

Whether it’s work or a round of golf that brings you to Rancho Bernardo, we’ve taken care of the agenda planning with our guide to the area’s best restaurants, activities, and shops.

Rancho Bernardo Restaurants, Bars, and Coffee Shops

Avant

Sample ingredients plucked straight from Rancho Bernardo Inn’s onsite garden and served at their signature restaurant Avant. One of the neighborhood’s most upscale dining options, they serve a French-inspired menu with nods to California, including many seafood options. Don’t miss their more casual sister restaurant Veranda for al fresco dining.

17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive

The Kitchen at Bernardo Winery

Wood-fired pizzas and handmade pastas are standouts at The Kitchen, Bernardo Winery’s counter-service restaurant specializing in Sicilian flavors. Charcuterie boards and bruschetta make for great starters or snacks while wine tasting.

13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte

Bushfire Kitchen

Fast-casual and family-owned eatery Bushfire Kitchen recently opened a location in Rancho Bernardo, serving sandwiches, bowls, salads, burgers, protein plates, and housemade empanadas. Bushfire prepares comfort food with healthy ingredients, and offers plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.

11962 Bernardo Plaza Drive, Suite 110

The Cork & Craft

Some might call The Cork & Craft an overachiever. This gastropub has an in-house craft brewery and winery: Abnormal Beer and Wine. The more, the merrier. Their sushi menu is definitely worth exploring, but don’t miss other specialties like garlic noodles, chicken wings, and pork belly.

16990 Via Tazon

Carvers Steaks & Chops

You don’t have to leave Rancho Bernardo to get a white tablecloth steakhouse experience. Carvers Steaks & Chops has prime rib (their best seller), filet, ribeye, porterhouse, New York strip, and other cuts, served alongside crab-stuffed mushrooms, wedge salad, French onion soup, potato skins, and other steakhouse specialties.

1940 Bernardo Plaza Drive

Burma Place

This no-frills Burmese restaurant is known for its traditional tea leaf salad that’s topped with sesame and sunflower seeds, garlic chips, peanuts, tomatoes, jalapeños, fried yellow beans, and fermented green tea leaf dressing. Tucked into a nondescript strip mall, Burma Place is a great takeout option when you want to eat garlic noodles, fried rice, chicken curry, and samosas from the comfort of your couch.

16719 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite A

Phở Ca Dao

Find authentic Vietnamese cuisine at Phở Ca Dao, including favorites like phở noodle soup, vermicelli noodles, broken rice dishes, and spring rolls. One of eight locations throughout San Diego, this family-owned chain uses robot servers for food delivery.

11808 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 100

The Kebab Shop

It’s all about the sauce at fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant The Kebab Shop. Smothering your chicken shawarma, gyro, or falafels in garlic yogurt, cilantro jalapeno, fire chili, and dill yogurt sauce is practically a rite of passage. The hardest part is deciding whether to order a wrap, bowl, or salad.

11980 Bernardo Plaza Drive

Casa Lahori

Get a taste of South Asian flavors at Casa Lahori, a Pakistani restaurant noted for its grilled meat kabobs. Other best-selling dishes include beef nihari, chicken biryani, and shahi paneer— best enjoyed with naan bread.

11975 Bernardo Plaza Drive

Kangnam Korean BBQ

Grill your own meat on the tabletop at Kangnam Korean BBQ, an interactive, all-you-can-eat experience that’s well-suited for large groups. Marinated beef bulgogi, grilled galbi short ribs, and spicy pork are served alongside traditional banchan dishes like kimchi, japchae glass noodles, and flavorful stews. Weekday lunch specials provide a nice discount on these filling meals.

11828 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 117–119

Curry & More Indian Bistro

Dig in to your favorite curries and kebabs at Curry & More Indian Bistro. Most entrees are served with a choice of two side dishes, including basmati rice, potatoes with cumin, daal, naan, or mixed greens. Help offset the spice with one of their sweet mango or strawberry lassi drinks.

11808 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 123

Sushi Kami

When three nations and 16 cities come together to host the FIFA World Cup 2026, the scale stops feeling like a tournament and starts feeling like geography. A continent becomes the stage as borders soften into corridors. And Southern California—shaped by migration, sport, entertainment, and constant movement—sits inside that landscape with all eyes on it.

San Diego and Los Angeles have always felt connected. Hop on the Pacific Surfliner, and the trip unfolds in one continuous stretch of coastline, passing beach towns, neighborhoods, and city centers.

Traveling from San Diego, everything still feels slightly suspended as the Pacific Surfliner follows the coast north with ocean on one side and a slow suburban blur on the other. San Diego stays in exhale. Los Angeles is already building toward something louder.

This summer, Los Angeles will host eight matches of the FIFA World Cup at Los Angeles Stadium, including the US Men’s National Team opener on June 11, while the region stretches into 39 days of programming across stadiums, parks, transit hubs, beaches, and neighborhoods. Instead of one massive fan hub, Los Angeles is embracing a citywide celebration, with fan zones spread across its entirety.

But this pattern has been rehearsed here for decades. In 1994, Southern California became one of the defining stages of the World Cup, when matches at the Rose Bowl placed global attention on the region and turned local stadiums into international landmarks, confirming its ability to hold the world at scale.

What distinguishes Southern California is not just infrastructure, but cultural permeability. Fashion, music, film, art, and sport constantly overlap here, creating an environment where identity is flexible and always in motion. From the Venice boardwalk, where skate culture shaped modern street style, to global soccer stars rubbing shoulders with Hollywood celebs, to authentic Spanish cuisine moving up and down the I-5 corridor, everything circulates.

The World Cup is not introducing anything new here, it’s showing up for the summer and showing out, revealing what this city has always known about itself. What follows is a look at the fan zones and how Los Angeles turns itself into a city-wide stage for the tournament, one neighborhood at a time.

Los Angeles Union Station

As the heart of Los Angeles, Union Station is an official Fan Zone June 25-28 during the World Cup, but in practice it never really stops being one.

It is the city’s circulation point, its meeting ground, its pressure valve. Commuters, travelers, match-day crowds, and everyday Angelenos all move through the same space, and everything mixes, overlaps, and scales in real time. In a way, this is where the World Cup stops arriving in Los Angeles and starts moving through it.

The Pacific Surfliner from San Diego to Los Angeles makes that shift feel almost too easy. No stress or  gridlock anxiety, just a straight line up the coastline with ocean on one side and everything slowly becoming more built on the other. It’s one of the rare ways into LA that doesn’t feel like arrival as friction. You can sit with a laptop, watch the Pacific drift past, grab coffee from the café car, and let the city come to you in pieces.

That’s the beauty of arriving at Union Station. Instead of feeling like you’re on the edge of the city, you’re immediately surrounded by it. And, inside, the station already reads like a World Cup nerve center: banners, movement, multilingual energy, the sense that something global is about to funnel through this exact point. The Heart of the City Fan Zone only sharpens that feeling, with simultaneous match screens, DJ sets, meet and greets, and immersive activations built around marquee games like USA vs. Türkiye.

From there, the city splits outward.

ROW DTLA feels like the first exhale after arrival. A converted industrial campus turned creative district where restaurants, retail, and open-air courtyards form a self-contained ecosystem. If you’re looking for the perfect first meal in LA, make it lunch at Pizzeria Bianco. The thin-crust pizza is reason enough to go, but the space leaves just as much of an impression.

What I liked most about ROW DTLA is how quickly it resets you after the train. One minute you are stepping off at Union Station, and the next you are in a space that feels like its own version of LA, a city inside a city with some of the most curated shopping I’ve ever seen.

Bodega hides itself behind a convenience-store front, a sneaker and streetwear space disguised as something ordinary, like LA refusing to make anything feel too obvious. The whole campus moves like that, part retail, part gallery, part neighborhood you are only temporarily inside.

Father’s Day is often the overlooked summer holiday that doesn’t quite get the extravagant brunch treatment or overflowing bouquets that Mother’s Day does. Sure, there’s the annual pair of socks, Padres hat you’re convinced he doesn’t already own, beer subscriptions, phone case doubling as a wallet, plus the classic “Best Dad” keepsakes. But this year, let’s flip the narrative with events, activities, and specials made with Dad in mind.

Whether he wants a quiet dinner, a big screen full of San Diego sports and wings, or a weekend that somehow includes NASCAR, a jazz festival, and a Broadway reimagining, there is something for every dad. Here’s your guide to a memorable Father’s Day in San Diego. 

Jump To: Activities | Bars & Drinks | Dining Specials 

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Father’s Day Events and Activities in San Diego

NASCAR San Diego Cup Series

Nothing says “Happy Father’s Day” like the sound of engines ripping across Naval Base Coronado. NASCAR is turning this into a historic race weekend that feels less like a casual outing and more like a full-scale San Diego moment people will be talking about long after June is over. This is the first time a NASCAR Cup Series race has ever taken place on an active military base, which instantly puts it in “you had to be there” territory.

It’s fast, loud, and very on-brand for a Father’s Day where Dad suddenly becomes an expert on tire strategy, pit stops, and track positions. The bar might be set unreasonably high for every Father’s Day that follows, but that’s a next-year problem, right?

Price: Tickets available on Ticketmaster  
Dates: June 19–21 | Weekend Schedule
Address: Naval Base Coronado 

Father’s Day Jazz Festival

At Humphreys, Father’s Day gets a little more sophisticated. Roger Friend and an all-star lineup of jazz musicians bring decades of international experience to the bay, where dads can lean into their musical side with head nods and shoe taps. It’s smooth, layered, and exactly the amount of jazz you didn’t realize your playlists were missing. 

Price: Tickets available on Ticketmaster  
Time: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Address: 241 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego

Father’s Day Cruise to Belmont Park Car Show

Belmont Park is rolling out a Father’s Day lineup that basically turns Mission Beach into a living garage scene, with a free car show featuring everything from polished 1960s Camaros to classic Bel Airs and lowriders. If he has a ride of his own, vintage car owners can join the lineup for $35 per vehicle. After the chrome tour, it’s straight into a Mission Beach classic: boardwalk strolls, fish tacos on the sand, and rides at Belmont Park.

Price: Free to attend | Register vehicle here
Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Address: Belmont Park, 3146 Mission Boulevard, San Diego

Bob Dylan at The Rady Shell

I think it’s an unspoken rule that dads love Bob Dylan. Mine is already figuring out how he’s getting to San Diego for this. But this isn’t just a Father’s Day activity, it’s a cultural event that happens to land on Father’s Day weekend and immediately becomes the plan. Bob Dylan at ​​The Rady Shell means you’ll be surrounded by city lights sparkling across the harbor, legacy music, and at least one moment where Dad leans over and whispers, “You know, this guy wrote everything.” And honestly? He’s not wrong.

Price: Tickets available on Ticketmaster  
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Address: 222 Marina Park Way, San Diego

San Diego County Fair

The San Diego County Fair returns with fried everything, questionable decisions, rides that definitely looked safer in the 2000s, and Dad’s very confident plan to “just walk around for an hour” that somehow turns into an entire day. It’s also the biggest, longest-running community event in San Diego County, running Wednesday, June 10 through Sunday, July 5, with a “Once Upon a Fair” theme. It basically becomes part of the Father’s Day season whether you planned it or not. So, consider this your annual reminder that “happily ever after” can, in fact, involve Cajun honey dogs, cinnamon rolls, a Ferris wheel you swore you wouldn’t go on, and Dad somehow knowing exactly which booth has the best Spam wonton tacos.

Price: Tickets available here: website
Date & Time: June 10 – July 5 (closed Mondays & Tuesdays) | 11 a.m.
Address: 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar

RENT at Diversionary Theatre 

Maybe it was when Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul drank mezcal with chefs from San Diego and Food Network on the cliffs over Blacks Beach. Or the dinner outside under lights with Alex Morgan, celebrating some of the country’s most badass women chefs. Or the celebrity pickleball tournament hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Drew Brees, where the star of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia made thwacking sounds with locals. Or when Iron Chef winner Beau MacMillan commandeered (some say “stole”) a golf cart and delivered drinks and ice to chefs.

Whatever it is, Del Mar Wine & Food seems to have become the food and wine festival for people who don’t usually like food and wine festivals. The most San Diego thing.

Two years ago, Thrillist named it one of the best food festivals in the country. Last year, 10,000 people came out to experience it, including Guy Fieri. Afterward, the founders spent a couple days trying to put their finger on why it felt so special. They had to name it, lean into whatever that was.

“It all came back to play,” says one of those founders, SDM co-owner Troy Johnson, a longtime San Diego food writer and Food Network judge. “Making world-class bread is serious, but breaking bread shouldn’t be. We gather all these incredibly talented people who take their craft very, very seriously—work their butts off all year to make some of the best food and drink in the country—and then we all just kinda play in the grass. We believe it’s possible to create something of incredible value and make the experience of that thing a laidback, easygoing, unpretentious experience. That’s what this is, and who we are in San Diego. The whole reason we did this was to shine a national spotlight on the people who make our food and drink culture hum.”

The festival dropped its 2026 lineup today.

Headlining the fest are Food Network chefs Jet Tila, Maneet Chauhan, and Aarti Sequeira; Top Chef winner and Michelin-starred Buddha Lo; Iron Chef alum Beau MacMillan; MasterChef winner Kelsey Murphy; MasterChef Latinos winner Michelle Mathelin, chef and Guy’s Grocery Games judge Catherine McCord,  chef and former Masterchef Mexico judge Benito Molina, Top Chef alum Jackson Kalb, Michelin-starred chef Drew Deckman, Michelin-starred chef Javier Plascencia, James Beard award-winning chef Brady Ishiwata Williams, and James Beard-nominated chef Mawa McQueen.

The party kicks off on Wednesday, September 30 at Monarch Ocean Pub with Signature San Diego, a walk-around tasting of the city’s greatest bites, from Baja seafood to bold Mexican flavors. From there, the energy carries into a celebrity pickleball tournament hosted by Drew Brees at Barnes Tennis Center on October 2, pairing friendly competition with an all-inclusive tasting experience in support of Feeding San Diego.

The main event is the two-day Grand Tasting at Surf Sports Park on Oct. 3 and 4. The city’s top chefs, food people from TV lands, and local tastemakers gather on the weirdly perfect grass to serve up everything from juicy Wagyu burgers and beef tallow fries to yellowtail tuna tostadas and veggies dressed up in their Sunday best. Wine and cocktail pairings are designed to round out the whole experience, including activations from Aperol Spritz, Hendrick’s Gin, Tequila Ocho, Mezcal Vago, Rioja wines, and Temecula producers.

A VIP lounge offers exclusive access to curated small plates from Michelin-level chefs and pour from some of SoCal and Napa’s finest wineries and drink makers. The Official After Party at Guesthouse La Valle on October 3, a spirited walk-around tasting just steps from the Grand Tasting, where cocktails take center stage through imaginative bites inspired by the smoky, citrus-forward, and bittersweet flavors of classic drinks.

Zones return with activations including the Big Queer Food Fest celebrating queer chefs and queer-owned businesses; the Wellness Zone led by Novo Dia offering a built-in reset with non-alcoholic mocktails, movement-driven activations, and wellness-forward moments. Coastal lifestyle and locally made brands are also integrated throughout the festival.

“We are excited for the fourth edition of the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival this fall, which has quickly become one of the largest food and wine experiences on the West Coast,” says co-founder Chris Finn. “As the festival continues to grow, we are constantly looking to add events, experiences, and partners that will resonate with our San Diego community, and embody the Southern California way of life.”

Returning as the festival’s partner is local nonprofit Feeding San Diego. To date, Del Mar Wine & Food has raised $100,000 to support their ongoing fight against hunger across the region. 

Stay tuned for additional events hosted by festival partners including Rob Machado, San Diego Wave, San Diego FC, Town & Country, and San Diego Mojo.

Del Mar Wine & Food Fest: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When is the 2026 Del Mar Wine & Food Festival?

The 2026 Del Mar Wine & Food Festival will take place September 30–October 4 throughout San Diego County.

Where is the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival?

The week culminates with the Grand Tasting at Surf Sports Park (formerly the Del Mar Polo Fields) at 14989 Via De La Valle, Del Mar. 

A wide variety of exclusive dinners, drink tastings, and other lifestyle events will be announced soon and available for purchase individually on Del Mar Wine & Food Festival’s website. These festivities include chef-curated dining experiences across San Diego’s hottest restaurants, a celebrity pickleball tournament, wine tastings, and more. 

When is the 2026 Grand Tasting?

The Grand Tasting takes place this year on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4. 

How much are tickets? 

General admission for the single-day Grand Tasting starts at $185. An Early Access option is also available at $235, which includes an extra four hours before general admission to meet, mingle, and feast. For a two-day pass, General Admission starts at $275, while Early Access is $375.

VIP tickets begin at $425 for a single day, offering access to pre-festival experiences, exclusive food vendors, a dedicated VIP area, and more. For the full weekend in VIP, passes are priced at $765.

Where can I buy tickets for the 2026 Del Mar Wine & Food Festival?

Buy tickets today at DelMar.Wine.

Are pets or kids allowed?

Unfortunately, only service animals are allowed at the venue. All attendees must be 21 years or older.

Sponsors: 

• Alaska Airlines 
• Aperol Spritz
• Brandt Beef
• Coola
• Glenfiddich
• Hendrick’s Gin 
• Justin Winery
• La Croix 
• Mezcal Vago 
• Milagro Tequila 
• One World Beef
• Pechanga Resort Casino
• Rioja Spain’s Finest Wine Region 
• San Simeon
• Tequila Ocho
• The Balvenie
• Tito’s Handmade Vodka
• Tullamore D.E.W
• William Grant & Sons

Lifestyle Partners

• Big Queer Food Fest 
• Novo Dia Wellness Experience
• Town & Country 
• San Diego Mojo 
• San Diego FC
• San Diego Wave