Whether you’re sourcing stocking stuffers for your loved ones or searching for a white elephant gift the whole office will want to steal, a good gift is hard to find. So we rounded up dozens of locally sourced and national products to help you check off everyone on your list this holiday season. Welcome to America’s finest holiday gift guide, curated by our in-the-know editors.
Local brand Corridor Candle Co. pours the smells of San Diego into local landmark–inspired candles that actually last. The brand’s festive holiday-only scent, December Nights, adds lemon, amber, and moss notes to fir and cypress to make that classic Christmas tree aroma sexier.
Courtesy of Hardworking Gentleman
Hardworking Gentlemen Daily Face Duo – $30–40
Shop Moniker
Get the hardworking gentleman in your life a much-needed skincare set from an Encinitas-based brand. A great pick for teen boys new to self-care, the duo (DIYable at Liberty Station outpost Shop Moniker) contains a face wash and moisturizer infused with aloe and coconut and tea tree oils, clearing complexions without obliterating moisture barriers.
Courtesy of Scisters Salon
Element Shea Butter Lotion – $12
Scisters Salon
Element’s shea butter lotion provides enduring hydration ideal for San Diego’s notoriously warm, dry climate. Free of animal products, gluten, paraben, and fragrance, the vitamin E–packed product is friendly to sensitive skin, though those craving a little aromatherapy can mix in an essential oil of their choice.
Courtesy of Morrow Soft Goods
Honey Gingham Sleepwear Set – $200
Morrow Soft Goods
Subtly hint to a lover or roommate that it’s time to let go of that holey college t-shirt they wear to bed by gifting them these lightweight French-linen jammies. Sustainably minded brand Morrow adds bamboo-derived rayon to their gingham sleepwear set to balance linen’s slight natural stiffness and ensure the fabric is soft from the very first sleep.
Courtesy of Gold Leaf
Alaia Robe – $148
Gold Leaf
The Ritz Carlton of robes. If you listen closely as you enshroud yourself in organic Turkish cotton, you can hear the wheels of a room service cart headed to your penthouse suite. The Alaia robe is both lightweight and cozy, perfect for a night of hot chocolate, snuggling, and holiday movies.
Courtesy of Esquina Wine Shop
Abbondanza Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – $20
Esquina Wine Shop
This sessionable, chillable organic red offers an approachable foray into low-intervention wines, making it a fab hostess gift for both kinds of pals: the one who’s hosting a vegan, gluten-free holiday potluck and the one who will serve beenie weenies at the white elephant exchange.
Courtesy of Home Ec
Art School Dropout Infused Glass coaster – $20
Home Ec
Checker-print is one of the biggest home trends of the last few years—but gifting a pal an area rug can feel a bit presumptuous. Instead, offer a small dose of stylish squares with these handmade coasters from local small biz Art School Dropout.
Courtesy of Maya Moon Co
Chakra Chocolate Truffles Gift Box – $25
Maya Moon Collective
Eating chocolate already feels like a spiritual experience. Snacking on this box of seven truffles can be a literal one—every box includes a link to guided meditation to complete while trying each flavor.
Courtesy of Home Ec
Black Slip Babes Crab Plate – $28
Home Ec
About 10,000 stitches behind on your plan to knit everyone scarves for the holidays? Go the handmade route without the finger cramps at Little Italy outpost Home Ec, which vends one-of-a-kind, artisan creations like this funky Black Slip Babes Crab plate from local artist Kim Nguyen.
Photo Credit: Becka Vance Photography
Movie Night Snack Basket – Prices Vary
The Mighty Bin
Treat your favorite film buff to an earth-friendly movie night snack basket: jars of sweet and savory eats from the bulk bins at zero-waste North Park shop The Mighty Bin. We recommend grabbing popcorn, garlic powder, gummy mix, and carob-covered almonds.
Courtesy of Upton
Hersham Print – $185
Upton Home
Vista artist Mike Upton designed for breakout local brand Brixton before launching Upton Home with his wife Mariel. Rendered in soothing neutrals and soft colors, their big canvas prints (equipped with eyelets for quick hanging) match almost any décor.
Courtesy of The Surfer’s Journal
Surfer Magazine, 1960–2020 by Grant Ellis – $55
Surfer Magazine
Informed by his 17 years as Surfer Magazine‘s photo editor, North County resident and surf photographer Grant Ellis traces the publication’s sixty years of history in this coffee table tome featuring breathtaking shots of the world’s best surfers riding breaks in California, Hawaii, and other spectacular spots.
Courtesy of +COOP
Beyond the Canyon: Inside Epic California Homes by Roger Davies – $65
The Book Catapult
Got a pal who keeps up with Architectural Digest celebrity home tours like they’re new episodes of Love Is Blind? Get them some analog décor inspo with Beyond the Canyon, a roundup of incredible architecture, California design, and, yes, celeb abodes shot by prolific SoCal photographer Roger Davies.
San Diego Magazine One-Year Subscription – $10
The biggest no-brainer on this list, if you ask us. A subscription to SDMis the gift that keeps on giving—lucky recipients will find thoughtful stories on our region’s coolest restaurants, businesses, art, and culture in their mailbox each month (for less than the price of two issues off the newsstand).
Courtesy of Thread Spun
Culotta Creations Four-Element Geometric Drop Suncatcher – $75
Thread Spun
Brighten up a loved one’s day amid SD’s sometimes-gloomy winter weather with a stained-glass suncatcher that courts light and scatters colorful shadows. You can find the handmade piece at Thread Spun, a charming Encinitas boutique focused on sustainable goods.
Courtesy of You Need Ther-Happy
Mini Mists Gift Set – $54
You Need Ther-Happy
Friends who consider four-letter words a form of therapy will appreciate the cheeky names of these essential oil mists, each designed to help you wake up, chill out, or wind down. Each spray in the mini set makes a super stocking stuffer (and fits in a purse, offering an instant assist next time the little ones are melting down in a Target).
Courtesy of Adobe by Jess Vargas
Brass Round Trays (Set of Three) – $76
Adobe by Jess Vargas
These multipurpose solid brass trays from Carlsbad homegoods shop Adobe by Jess Vargas arrive in three sizes: 3.75 inches (hello, pretty incense holder), 5.1 inches (an ideal jewelry-storing spot), and 5.75 inches (fancy snack platter).
Courtesy of Adobe by Jess Vargas
Bath and Meditate Bundle – $36
Adobe by Jess Vargas
If gifting a spa weekend is out of the budget this year, remind your bestie to unwind in a subtler way with this Bath and Meditate Bundle, which pairs a yummy-smelling vegan soap with palo santo and incense sticks.
Courtesy of Salt & Stone
Salt & Stone Hand Cream – $20
Shop Good
Help your mom beat dry winter mitts with a squalane and snow mushroom–boosted hand cream from natural skincare company Salt & Stone. It comes in two scents: bergamot-and-hinoki and santal.
Courtesy of KYPRIS Beauty
Kypris Lip Elixir Balm – $49
Shop Good
Some folks are Chapstick people, some are Carmex people. Some are just trying to find a lip balm they like enough to not lose. Help those in the latter category out with Kypris’ lip elixir, a luxurious balm packed with peptides, plant butters, and hyaluronic acid.
Courtesy of Ibiza Passion
“Be Fierce” Removable Mini Hearts Earrings – $90
Ibiza Passion
Say “I love you” with earrings shaped like hearts. Say “I’ll love you, even if you change” with heart-shaped earrings that shapeshift—wearers can detach and reattach hearts to turn the baubles from simple, gold-plated studs to statement danglers.
When shopping for home décor obsessives, a map of our city can feel a little on-the-nose. Gift quiet local flair with this botanical print depicting the greenery from which South Park’s streets get their names, including juniper, date, olive, and laurel.
Courtesy of Gold Leaf
Moroccan Babouche Slippers – $40
Gold Leaf
Put down the “Best Mom Ever” coffee mug. Instead, spoil her with leather slippers. They’re handmade in Morocco and pretty enough for her to wear while hosting at home.
Tiled Planter – $12.95
Casa Xovi
Casa Xovi‘s Mexican tiled planters house sweet succulents and add color and culture to windowsills, bedside tables, and patios.
Courtesy of Shop Good
KNC Beauty Eye Mask – $5
Shop Good
Fun for middle schoolers curious about skincare, KNC’s star-shaped eye mask provides under-eye hydration in the form of soft, sparkly, selfie-ready stickers.
Courtesy of PAR KER Made
Linefaces Throw – $149
Par Ker Made
When he’s not collabing with Vans, local artist and BMX pro Parker Heath makes funky apparel and homegoods in abstract patterns. This thick, comfy blanket can also function as an eye-catching tapestry.
Courtesy of Pink Floyd
The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd – $33.99
Vinyl Junkies
Widely considered Pink Floyd’s best album, The Dark Side of the Moon sat on the Billboard charts for nearly 15 years after its release in 1973. Available at South Park record store Vinyl Junkies, this LP set also includes posters and stickers.
Courtesy of Amazon
The Velvet Underground and Nico – $29
Vinyl Junkies
A must-have for rock fans starting a record collection, 1966’s The Velvet Underground and Nico (instantly recognizable thanks to its iconic Andy Warhol cover) is the album that launched a thousand genres, influencing punk, indie, and shoegaze, among other styles.
Courtesy of Linda Ronstad Music
Canciones de Mi Padre by Linda Ronstadt – $26.99
Vinyl Junkies
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer released her first mariachi album, Canciones de Mi Padre, in 1987, with music inspired by her Mexican-American upbringing in Arizona. Some of her earliest brushes with the songs came from Chicano musician Lalo Guerrero, who often visited her family home when she was a child.
Red and White Kitchen Company California Blue Flour Sack Towel
Sea Hive Station
The chef is your life is probably inundated with fancy olive oils and salts every year—so pivot to something that will brighten up their kitchen as they cook. Red and White Kitchen Company’s flour sack towel depicts California’s most popular destinations (and actually absorbs water, unlike decorative cloths made of microfiber).
Courtesy of Esquina Wine Shop
Schplink! Grüner Veltliner – $38
Esquina Wine Shop
Divest yourself of sad college-party associations with boxed wine: Schplink!’s crisp Austrian white is organic, low-intervention, and worlds away from a slappable bag of Franzia. The three-liter box holds as much vino as four regular bottles, making you the MVP guest at the dinner party.
Courtesy of Maya Moon Co.
Classic Drinking Cacao – $36
Maya Moon Collective
Serve a cozy, Santa-approved mug of hot cocoa (without the sugar high). Normal Heights cacao shop Maya Moon Collective offers their nourishing mix in a take-home bag sweetened with maple syrup.
Courtesy of Amazon
Puff Vibrator – $48
Unbound
Okay, so maybe you don’t want to stick this one under the tree—but as far as useful gifts go, this discreet, palm-sized suction sex toy from woman-owned company Unbound ranks high (and has the rave reviews to prove it).
Courtesy of Shop Good
At-Home Facial Package – $38-115
Shop Good
Time to do some reconnaissance on your bestie’s skin type. The holistic estheticians at local clean beauty outpost Shop Good will create two personalized treatment masks based on your friend’s needs and goals and package them with reusable rounds, a playlist to inspire self-care, and other products.
Photo Credit: Becka Vance Photography
Holiday Gift Guide: For Outdoor Lovers
Courtesy of Oiselle
Firecracker Earband – $24
Oiselle
Runners racking up steps in the early morning chill will appreciate this cozy headband, which warms ears with a sweat-absorbing reflective fabric that helps joggers stay visible, even beneath the foggy haze of SD’s marine layer.
Courtesy of Oiselle
Runglasses – $28
Oiselle
The appeal is in the name. These glasses withstand slippery sweat mid-marathon (or during a half-mile Hot Girl Walk. No shade). Affordable and scratch-resistant, Oiselle’s sunnies are a perfect gift for seasoned athletes and jogging newbies alike.
This sleeveless mock tank from major Encinitas brand Vuori is breathable enough for a barre class but cute enough for brunch. Friends who are forever on the go will thank you.
Courtesy of Road Runner Sports
Garmin Forerunner 965 – $599
Road Runner Sports
Garmin’s fitness tracker comes equipped with all the James Bond–esque capabilities: race widgets, built-in maps, and 23 days of battery life, so it can stay superglued to your loved one’s wrist, no steps left uncounted.
Courtesy of Vuori
Studio Pocket Legging – $98
Vuori
Whether we’re talking dresses, jeans, or leggings, women often want one thing: pockets. These Vuori workout bottoms feature three—two on the sides for phone- and credit card–stashing and a hidden one on the waistband that holds lip balm, a key, or other small necessities.
Courtesy of Brooks Running
Brooks Cascadia 17 GTX – $170
Road Runner Sports
Running shoes need replacing every 300 to 500 miles—which, for serious joggers, can be as often as every few months. Help your favorite sprinter be more sustainable with Brooks’ earth-friendly Cascadias. Each pair is created with recycled materials equivalent to 10 plastic water bottles.
Courtesy of Dick’s Sporting Goods
Osprey Skimmer 20 Hydration Pack – $130
Dick’s Sporting Goods
A favorite accessory of intrepid hikers and shirtless guys at music festivals, the Camelbak-style pack is practical, but not especially chic—until now. Osprey’s take offers a sleeker version that holds 20 liters of water.
Courtesy of Sand Cloud
Surfrider Towel – $50
Sand Cloud
In most parts of America, gifting a beach towel in the winter is a cruel taunt—but here, whoever gets one will be able to use it before New Year’s. SD brand Sand Cloud collabed with local nonprofit the Surfrider Foundation to create these organic cotton towels that dry quick and repel sand.
Courtesy of Honey Stinger
Honey Stinger Energy Chews – $32 and GU Energy Gel – $13
Topo Designs Mountain Accessory Shoulder Bag – $54
Shop Moniker
Here’s one for your hiking buddy: a lightweight shoulder bag ideal for short treks. Topo Designs’ crossbody has practical pockets for keys, phone, and snacks without any extra bulk. Now all your friend has to worry about is the elevation increase.
Courtesy of Poppy & Pout
Poppy & Pout Lip Balm – $10
Scisters Salon
The last thing climbers need is a potted lip moisturizer that must be applied with chalky, dusty fingertips. Instead, equip them with Poppy & Pout’s tinted balm, which comes in a recyclable cardboard tube.
Courtesy of SurfDurt
The OG Sunscreen – $25
SurfDurt
This cruelty-free, made-in-SD sunscreen is kind to coral, making it a thoughtful gift for surfers and swimmers. The zinc oxide–based product stands out for lacking the white cast that plagues many a mineral sunblock.
Sunski Dipsea Polarized Sunglasses – $68
Thread Spun
Sunski’s unisex polarized glasses offer a nice upgrade for buds endlessly battling the breakable nature of drug-store sunnies (while leaving room in your budget for everyone else on your list).
Courtesy of Lauren Groff
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff – $28
The Book Catapult
The staff at South Park shop The Book Catapult selected Lauren Groff’s The Vaster Wilds as one of the best books of 2023. Set in the 17th century, the novel follows a young girl’s escape from a colony into an unplumbed wilderness.
Courtesy of ThermoFlask
ThermoFlask 32 oz. Stainless Steel Water Bottle – $33
Amazon
Healthy teens require at least 64 ounces of water every day (more if they play a sport). Help the high schoolers in your life stay hydrated from Spanish class to soccer practice by gifting them a stainless-steel water bottle from ThermoFlask (plus a few stickers to decorate it).
Courtesy of REI
Skyward Chair – $60
REI
REI’s staple Skyward chair is a must-have for two key facets of the San Diego lifestyle: outdoor adventuring and beachside chilling. Weighing in at just over seven pounds, it’s a foldable, portable camp seat that also suits tailgaters, soccer parents, and open-air concert fans.
Courtesy of Cotopaxi
Teca Half-Zip Windbreaker – $80
Cotopaxi
With an El Niño winter on the way, SD may see more rain this winter. Help folks on your gift list weather any storm with this packable half-zip windbreaker. See a shade they’ll love? Snap it up—Teca makes ’em with repurposed materials, meaning each colorway is limited.
Courtesy of Parks Project
Parks Project Two-Person Hammock – $105
Small Batch
The woods are for lovers. Treat your sweetheart (and yourself) to cozier camping trips with this trippy printed hammock that fits two.
Holiday Gift Guide: For The Kids
Child’s Dress – $25
Casa Xovi
Woman-owned Barrio Logan boutique Casa Xovi vends Mexican goods from an eclectic collective of shops in Barrio Logan. The store slings colorful kids’ clothes for babies, toddlers, and older children.
Courtesy of Sibley Guides
Sibley Backyard Birding Jigsaw Puzzle – $20
Small Batch
Short winter days can prevent birdwatching jaunts, but this illustrated puzzle allows bird lovers to ogle avian life from the comfort of their couch. At 1,000 pieces, the puzzle is best for kiddos over 12 (or smaller solvers with very patient parents).
Courtesy of Plan Toys
Plan Toys Waffle Set – $55
Shop Moniker
Little chefs can safely hone their cooking skills with this sustainable toy rubberwood waffle iron complete with silverware, dishes, and pretend waffles, syrup, and fruit.
Courtesy of Amazon
ABCs of California by Sandra Magsamen – $13
Sea Hive Station
Teach children the wonders of living on the West Coast with Sandra Magsamen’s ABCs of California, which traces the state’s most magical qualities from A (for awesome, “because that’s what California is, in every way!”) to Z (for zoo, “where sea lions swim around and bark”).
Holiday Gift Guide: For Fashionable Friends
Courtesy of Small Batch
Guy Fox Tyler Cologne – $68
Small Batch
Gift someone a signature scent. The rare fruit-forward fragrance directed more at dudes, this locally produced cologne offers a zippy blend of citrus notes, coconut, sage, and juniper, plus a touch of moodiness from patchouli and cedar.
Courtesy of Adobe by Jess Vargas
Dilo Hinoki Sesame Perfume – $84
Adobe by Jess Vargas
Sexy and fresh, Dilo Hinoki Sesame melds bergamot, sandalwood, and cedar will its namesake notes (sesame seeds and hinoki, a type of Japanese cypress). Fans of Le Labo’s hinoki-scented bath and body products will dig this for an extra layer of lemony, foresty goodness.
Courtesy of Thread Spun
O My Bag Vicky Leather Bag – $298
Thread Spun
The scent of new leather wafting from a gift bag is its own delight—and O My Bag’s vegetable-tanned purse delivers with a sharp, interesting shape in a warm, goes-with-everything color.
Courtesy of SF Mercantile
La Ranchitas California Trucker Hat – $28
Sea Hive Station
The solution to your dad’s insistence that he doesn’t need anything? Probably a cap. La Ranchitas’ trucker hat celebrates SD’s seaside culture with a detailed decal featuring sun, sand, surf, and waves.
Courtesy of Number 1926
T-Shirt – $65
No. 1926
Leave the souvenir sweatshirts to Embarcadero tourists. Instead, help your loved ones rep local spots with soft, vintage-inspired tees from SD-based No. 1926. The shirts shout out county hot spots like Solana Beach, Del Mar, and North Park.
Courtesy of Rhythm Livin
Rhythm Corduroy Shirt – $99
Shop Moniker
This durable, timeless corduroy shirt from Rhythm is the ideal San Diego winter layer, keeping wearers warm when it hits 6 p.m. and it’s no longer 70 and sunny. Tragic.
Courtesy of Road Runner Sports
Korsa Transfer Full Zip Hoodie – $100
Road Runner Sports
San Diego running goods shop Road Runner Sports designed this comfy hoodie, adding strategically placed fleece and subtle venting to balance body temps during cold-weather workouts.
Courtesy of Topo Designs
Topo Designs Global Puffer Hoodie – $271
Shop Moniker
Topo Design’s puffer hoodie is ready to take on everything, from everyday wear to summiting mountain peaks. This lightweight, waterproof layer will take recipients to new heights (even if those heights are merely reaching up to place a star at the top of the tree).
Friends who consider Daisy Jones and the Six the ultimate style inspo will dig a saucy robe from Jennafer Grace. It wears just as well at home paired with a glass of red wine as it does atop a silky slip dress for a night out.
Courtesy of BKIND
BKIND Nail Polish – $16
Scisters Salon
Vegan and free of 21 potentially harmful ingredients typically found in nail polish, this holiday gift guide favorite—BKIND’s nail polish—comes in tons of colors, from a holiday-ready cherry red to a soft, pearly white.
Holiday Gift Guide: For Pets
Courtesy of Little Beast
Knickerbocker Sweatshirt – $45
Little Beast
Humans aren’t the only ones enjoying sweater weather—our dogs love it, too. Get your four-legged friend a stylish look for their next holiday shindig, like this striped turtleneck from quirky pet clothes company Little Beast.
Courtesy of Shop Moniker
Wild One Collar – $44
Shop Moniker
Remember how your parents would sneak in a few pairs of socks amid the toys on Christmas? Give your four-legged baby the same treatment with an eternally practical accessory: the dirt- and odor-resistant Wild One collar. In a battle against skunks, mud, and the million other smells puppies get into, this collar will always win.
Courtesy of Amazon
Tonbo Avocado Toast Dog Bed – $40
Sea Hive Station
Keep pets warm and comfortable in the most California way possible: with a bed shaped like avocado toast. The machine-washable sleeper comes with an avo toy and is available in person at local-biz outpost Sea Hive Station.
Courtesy of Naked Beasts
Naked Beast Hoki Dog Treats – $14.75
Sea Hive Station
Pup-focused purveyor Naked Beast makes natural, vitamin- and omega-loaded bites for pets of all sizes. The brand’s hoki treats are made from dried, wild-caught white fish. Sea Hive Station carries dozens of other single-ingredient snacks, including nutrient-dense organ meats.
Courtesy of Wild One
Wild One Leash – $66
Shop Moniker
If your dog is still hitting the streets hooked up to the ragged cotton leash they gnawed on as a pup, offer them an upgrade with this durable leash that repels dirt, water, and odor.
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Amelia Rodriguez is a writer and journalist and winner of the San Diego Press Club's 2023 Rising Star Award and 2024 Best of Show Award, she’s also covered music, food, arts and culture, fashion, and design for Rolling Stone, Palm Springs Life, and other national and regional publications. After work, you can find her hunting down San Diego’s best pastries and maintaining her five-year Duolingo streak.
Before, during, and after the Fourth of July, San Diegans can commemorate America’s 250th anniversary with an abundance of stars, stripes and local celebrations. America The Beautiful: 250 at The Rady Shell and Lamb’s Players Theatre’s revival of American Rhythm will look back at the many songs which define our country. Liberty Station’s Anchored in Freedom celebration and the Independence Day Carnival offer community-centered fun and loads of family-friendly activities. And who can possibly forget the Big Bay Boom, which will resume its reign over San Diego Bay as the state’s biggest fireworks show. Outside of the holiday festivities, this week brings the yearly return of Little Italy’s Summer Sera and the Athenaeum Summer Festival, as well as a slate of championship matches for All Elite Wrestling.
Sip on refreshing beverages and savor a panoramic rooftop view this Friday from 6-8 p.m. during the 21-plus Sunset & Spritz at Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar. There will be a live DJ (until 9 p.m.), appetizers, pool and cabana access, a photo booth, and a cash bar (until 11 p.m.). To accentuate the summer theme, guests are invited to dress in white, pink, and orange attire. Tickets are $29 and come with a welcome aperol spritz.
616 J Street, Gaslamp
The 250 Grand Tasting Menu at Amaya
July 3 & 4
Bring a patriotic palette to the Fairmont Grand Del Mar for The 250 Grand Tasting Menu at Amaya this Friday and Saturday from 5-8:30 p.m. Patrons will be treated to a five-course tasting menu, curated to exhibit a selection of standout regional flavors and culinary concepts that have shaped our country’s distinct food heritage. The meal will also include beverage pairings with each course, such as wine, cocktails, and artisanal drinks. Reservations are $330 per person (with tax and 20% gratuity) on OpenTable.
Don Toliver thrives at being the life of the party (and the “After Party”). His fifth album Octane, released in February, is indicative of his thrill-seeking nature. As with his earlier releases, Octane sees Toliver operating in the space between hip-hop and R&B, with warbling vocals and blaring beats that are best heard at a high volume. This Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Toliver will play at Pechanga Arena, with rappers SoFaygo, Chase B and SahBabii—who had a guest verse on Octane standout “K9”—as special guests. Tickets start at $156 for this concert.
What makes musicals like Wicked, Cats, Chicago, and Jersey Boys so timeless is the legion of excellent songs that makes fans out of those who’ve never even watched the show. This Friday at 7:30 p.m. during Blockbuster Broadway! at The Rady Shell, conductor Evan Roider, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and veteran vocalists Alex Getlin, Jessica Hendy, Scott Coulter, and John Boswell (also on piano) will perform an all-star theater soundtrack. In addition to the shows named above, audiences can expect songs from A Chorus Line, The Phantom of the Opera, Annie,and more. Tickets range from $57 to $129 for this concert.
222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero
America The Beautiful: 250 at The Rady Shell
July 4
One night after recognizing the brilliance of Broadway, The Rady Shell will ring in the United States’ landmark anniversary with America The Beautiful: 250 this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Conductor Byron Stripling, joined by a five-performer ensemble and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, will lead a night of ballads that best resemble the red, white, and blue, including songs sourced from the Great American Songbook. After the show, concertgoers are invited to watch the nearby Big Bay Boom from their seats. Tickets range from $71 to $139 for this concert.
222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero
Athenaeum Summer Festival at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
“This is insane!” the guy filming it seems to proclaim. “It’s the best fireworks show ever!” a companion confirms, inspiring a debate lasting over a decade.
All told, 7,000 fireworks exploded in the span of 25 seconds over San Diego Bay on July 4, 2012. A Michael Bay amount of unison. $125,000 worth of shells, cakes, Roman candles, and skyrockets had been placed on a barge—enough for 17 minutes of decorative sky flares—and…
Boom.
The sky looked like someone had set a giant Rorschach test on fire. Or as if whatever we all see in our Rorschachs—butterflies, clowns, tongue kissing, dads—was being electrocuted and lifted heavenward, amen. It was shocking how bright it was, how much it sizzled the local cosmos. Could’ve been one of those sci-fi films where a hole is ripped open between warring universes. But angstier, more metal—the work of some methy creator in a sleeveless concert tee.
The sound?
Lou Reed once released an entire album that contained 64 minutes of mindflaying guitar screeches and machine noises. No regular songs, just a fascinating amount of ear distress. His record label reps no doubt heard the melodic outro of their careers, but everyone else was in pain and stumped. That album still sounded better than the bay did that night. The bay sounded like a god who struggled with emotional regulation had blown his speakers and was working through the anger stage of AV grief.
In the left frame of the video, a middle-aged woman is attempting to drag her husband off by the hand. In no way does he want to go, possibly because he had missed the time Roseanne Barr sung the national anthem at a Padres game, simultaneously disemboweling and amusing America through the power of song. He would not willingly abandon an equally worthy San Diego trainwreck.
Another woman in the video appears to have just filled her beer, rushing to sit down for the show. She pauses mid-sit and returns to the full and upright position to properly bear witness. What was supposed to be prolonged entertainment has been so radically shortened that she will have to find another reason to drink. Lucky for her, drinking will be the only way to adequately process.
Locals remember the conspiracy theories. People wondered if the fuses had been tripped by a saboteur who was sympathetic to dogs, fish, or the growing suspicion that late-stage capitalism is a gorgeously branded but impossible dream sustained by remarkably efficient top-tier wealth retention and the soft compliance of fireworks-watchers who can no longer afford a house, a beer, or the personal impacts of human reproduction.
Speaking of being terrified of babies, babies were terrified. The children who witnessed it probably still can’t go near a candle store. But those kids will be tougher, perfectly scarred kids. They’ll write better songs.
That night helped us absolutely dominate the national news cycle. For a hot minute, we became America’s water-skiing squirrel. Now, years later, when you Google “fireworks gone wrong,” San Diego is always a top contender, along with that poor Nebraska family who nearly wiped out a couple generations in their front yard, their minivan somehow turning into a howitzer of recreational TNT.
There is still debate as to whether Big Bay Boom 2012 is the worst or greatest fireworks show of all time. But the advanced parts of civilization arrived at the truth as quickly as the women in the video did. It was undeniably amazing.
First of all, the point of Fourth of July fireworks isn’t “the intricate choreography of sky fire over a guaranteed amount of show time.” It’s about creating a vivid memory shared with some people you like, love, or would like to love.
BBB2012 used large-scale chemical fire to create the ultimate memory.
Sure, some people who iron their jeans subjected their family to a sermon about how San Diego managed to botch America’s birthday like a Disney princess-for-hire who smelled of quite a few Sauvignons.
The rest of us saw how perfectly it nailed the actual feeling of being an American. Because only a miniscule percentage of us bake postcard apple pies where every inch of crust is perfectly laminated like the wood in an Irish bar. Very few of us can paint on par with Picasso. The rest of us—despite truly believing in our America-activated abilities to achieve greatness in almost any field of our choosing—burn pies. We try to paint only to realize it looks like our fine motor skills have entered active death.
That’s why BBB2012 was the most perfectly American fireworks show ever: A wildly ambitious idea galvanized thousands upon thousands of people to both work on it and come to hold a beer and gawk at it, only to have it fail in the most glorious TMZ-level spectacle.
America isn’t about immaculate, storyless wins. It’s about how the framework of a country is solid enough that we can accidentally detonate our entire lives—a few times—and still probably be OK.
No one has America’d quite like San Diego did on that day. It was performance art. Lou Reed’s heart slow-clapped. Any brief municipal embarrassment quickly became a pride of our people. I can only hope the same for the Nebraskan yard family whose Dodge Aerostar became a hyperactive Death Star.
P.S. Local writer Maya Kroth compiled a quite great oral history of that night for Thrillist. The bottom lines for me were—it took nine months to prepare, no one was hurt, and even though the pyrotechnics company tried to zero out the bill, Big Bay Boom founder H. P. “Sandy” Purdon refused and paid them in full. This year will mark the 25th Anniversary of the yearly Big Bay Boom.
Troy Johnson is the magazine’s award-winning food writer and humorist, and a long-standing expert on Food Network. His work has been featured on NatGeo, Travel Channel, NPR, and in Food Matters, a textbook of the best American food writing.
If absence makes hearts (and stomachs) grow fonder, then shuttered restaurants quickly become the hottest tickets in town—something a number of iconic institutions found out after taking very public hiatuses after historically long runs. For instance, following a lengthy (and extremely flip-floppy) closing process after 92 years in business, Las Cuatro Milpas reopened two blocks away in Mercado del Barrio. Similarly, Carlsbad butcher shop Tip Top Meats reopened in the same location (albeit a smaller space) after the death of founder Joachim “Big John” Haedrich in 2023. Finally, after a whopping decade out of business, Sami Ladeki and chef Alfie Szeprethy brought back Roppongi to its original Prospect Street space, where it was the talk of the town in the late ’90s. All came back under the same proprietors, so they weren’t third-party nostalgia-licensing deals. The algorithm may have ravaged our attention spans away from all but the newest and shiniest, but this proves there’s still hope for our collective prefrontal cortex.
Other local eateries honored their pasts by bringing in new perspectives. The Lion’s Share in Embarcadero, Milton’s Deli in Del Mar, Dudley’s Bakery in Santa Ysabel, and J-K’s Greek Cafe in La Mesa handed over the keys to new owners willing to take on a big task: maintain the soul of icons through particularly rough economic circumstances for restaurants, navigate big feelings from longtime regulars (who often don’t take kindly to change), and make some necessary changes to keep going for another few decades. Taking over a project in process can be a lot harder than starting from scratch. But building that feel-good nostalgia doesn’t happen overnight, so it sure helps to have a well-established playbook of success passed down from those who came before.
Courtesy of Sugarfish
The Expansion Class Arrives
It wasn’t just restaurant groups from Los Angeles that decided to put down roots en masse, although San Diego saw plenty of LA transplants recently (Sugarfish, Mr. Charlie’s, For the Win, Katsuya Ko, Bacari). Global brands like Chef Fei, Zuma, and Pepper Lunch have locations of their own on the way, and upscale Canadian eatery Joey joined to the inescapable gravitational pull of Westfield UTC’s culinary cosmos for its first spot in America’s Finest City. Good to see the rest of the world is catching up with what we’ve been seeing the last few years—San Diego is a dining destination already on the rise.
Choosing To Not Choose
Between the never-ending news cycle of doom and perimenopause brain fog, I’m at the stage in life where I’m more than happy to let someone else make a decision for me, especially when it comes to what’s for dinner. And based on the way a lot of menus look right now, I’m not alone. It seems like half the places I visit offer some version of a prix fixe, omakase, or tasting menu. Restaurants are embracing the curated experience to solve the problem of affordability (a fixed menu reduces food and labor costs, guarantees an acceptable check average, etc.) and critical thinking in one fell swoop. Omakase (meaning “I leave it up to you”) is far from a new concept in high-end Japanese sushi culture, but now that it’s popping up everywhere from coffee experiences to grab-and-go sushi and sandwiches, it’s gone from somewhat niche to nearly omnipresent.
Courtesy of Rikka Fika
Local Coffee Hit the World Stage
The world got an up-close look at San Diego’s coffee industry when we hosted the premier specialty coffee expo World of Coffee for the first time this April. San Diego’s long and rich coffee history stretches back to the late 19th century. Things percolated fairly quietly for around a century before really picking up steam. Today, there are nearly 200 specialty roasters and cafes across the county, with many earning national accolades like the Good Food Award (Steady State Roasting, 2020; Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 2023, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2016), Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine (Mostra Coffee, 2020; Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 2012), and the Specialty Coffee Association Coffee Design Award for packaging (Rikka Fika, 2026). Now that we’ve moved past the comically insufferable coffee snob era of the early 2000s, even java newbies can feel comfortable walking into pretty much any coffee shop in San Diego, asking questions, trying a few things, and feeling confident they’re going to get great service and a great beverage.
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
Implementing a farm-to-table model hardly deserves acknowledgement these days. It’s not a stretch. It’s not innovative. “It’s the bare f**king minimum,” says Herb & Sea‘s executive chef Aidan Owens.
When I arrive at the Encinitas restaurant, I’m ready to talk sustainability, farm-to-table stuff, with Owens. “Did you see the chin on that?” he says of the extra big jiggly chin on the sheephead that just arrived with the day’s fresh catch. I did. It was Jay Leno adjacent.
I learn quickly that he somehow oozes both charm and stone-cold honesty. Maybe he could construct a new dish with chin goo, like he did when he had a bunch of tuna scraps and voila’d it into a smooth and crowd-pleasing ‘nduja. “I want to know what’s in there,” he says.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
The instinct to look closer, to dig into what others might discard, says a lot about the chef’s approach. I guide him back to our topic, but he has something else on his mind. “We’re overcomplicating food—what happened to just cooking good food and having fun with it?”
Owens grew up on a farm in Byron Bay, Australia, where sustainability wasn’t a concept you chat about so much as a way of life. Think dirt roads, backyard chickens, pulling vegetables straight from the ground, and a mother who believed that if you couldn’t pronounce the ingredients on a package, you shouldn’t eat what was inside.
Food wasn’t precious or performative. Making it was what you did because you were hungry and that’s still what inspires Owens today. “I like to cook good food because I like to eat good food,” he says.
His approach to sustainability at Herb & Sea began so naturally that it felt just like instinct. “I was just like, ‘Let’s order food from the people who live and work here,’” he says.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
And why wouldn’t he when lives in San Diego? Cities all over the world vie for our goods. Our tuna is sent overseas. Our spiny lobsters hit dinner plates in China and Japan. Not to mention California’s producing a third of the country’s vegetables and three-quarters of its fruits and nuts.
“Why would we outsource when it’s all here?” Owens asks.
Sustainability, in this context, is about cooking what exists in abundance, nearby, right now. “I love the local fish here. It’s f**king delicious and San Diego citrus, I mean, it is so f**ing good,” he says.
Instead of importing ingredients, Owens also looks for nearby alternatives. “You can find really cool things in the local waters,” he says, pointing out that stingray cheeks taste similar to scallops.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
Whatever he finds in that sheephead chin might just be the next substitute for marrow. But to make this work, it means getting diners amped up about the slightly unfamiliar.
Tasting menus, where diners are completely in his hands, become an opportunity to gently push boundaries. “I’ll serve mackerel, because people think they hate it,” Owens says, noting that the abundant local fish can have some fishiness. “But when it’s fresh, it’s arguably one of the best fish in the ocean.”
He also tweaks the language on the menu so people might feel more compelled to give dishes a try without preconceived notions. He might use “lengua” instead of “tongue.” “Whelk” instead of “snail.” When he puts “stingray throat” on the menu, he disarmingly calls it “skate.”
To reduce waste, scraps aren’t always discarded but rather turned into something new. Sometimes they’re smoked, cured or fermented. Apples going bad turn into apple ponzu. Lemons turn to marmalade, which stretches their usefulness far beyond peak season. “And it’s super tasty on our pizza,” he says.
What makes the food even richer, is the relationships he’s built with farmers. Though it didn’t always feel natural, Owens sought personal connection first. He recalls approaching a fisherman at the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market. “I was awkward,” he says. “I went up to him and said, ‘I like your fish.’”
Owen’s is now so close to his suppliers—like fishermen Ryan Sebo and Joe Daly—that he gets texted pictures of fresh catches right as they flop on the boat. The messages always ask if he wants first dibs. “I say yes to a lot of fish,” Owens says, noting that Herb & Sea can go through 2,000 pounds of seafood a week.
Courtesy of Herb & Sea
The next evolution of sustainability, in his view, will be chefs working directly with producers such as his alliance with Sebo, cutting out middlemen and purveyors where possible. “It will put more money in the pockets of the people doing the work,” he says.
It will mean that chefs can’t just know their local farmers and producers, but they’ll choose to work with the ones who have the best practices. Dining and sustainability will become much less about the final plate. “It will be more about the impact that plate has on the Earth,” he says.
Ultimately, he believes sustainability doesn’t need to be loud. It doesn’t need hashtags. It just needs to be honest.
“We aren’t saving lives. We’re feeding people good food,” he says.
And yet, in feeding people well—simply, thoughtfully, responsibly—something meaningful happens. Guests leave satisfied. Ingredients are respected. Local ecosystems are supported and food returns to what it has always been at its core: nourishment, pleasure, and a quiet reflection of the place it comes from.
Summer has officially kicked off, and San Diego is celebrating the sunny season with a myriad of fun events. From San Diego Pride week and a fairytale performance at Civic Theatre to a Santigold concert and Comic-Con, there are dozens of opportunities to make memories worth adding to your scrapbook. Here are all the best things to do in San Diego this July:
Divine inspirations, operatic ballads, and symphonic pop production elevate Rosalía’s Lux to heavenly levels. Hear angelic vocals ascend—in up to 13 languages—during her performance at Pechanga Arena.
Enjoy a night of feel-good indie rock and sing-along anthems at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre courtesy of Young the Giant and special guest Cold War Kids.
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Santigold collects genres like gold stars: musical accouterments that brighten her uniquely alternative sound. See her live in concert with dancehall producer Troy Baker Sound at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.
Two male government workers pursue a secret romance amid the Lavender Scare in the San Diego Opera’s production of “Fellow Travelers” at the Balboa Theatre.
Audrey Hepburn. Marlon Brando. Salvador Dalí. What do these icons have in common? Each was the enigmatic focus of a Cecil Beaton portrait. Step inside Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World, an alluring showcase of 20th-century style at San Diego Museum of Art.
Courtesy of San Diego Pride
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month
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The Little Italy Mercato will trade morning rays for golden-hour glow through its free Summer Sera, an expansion of the neighborhood’s farmers market with live music, artisanal finds, and a fetching amount of pet activities.
11–19
San Diego Pride week starts with a Dyke March and ends with the two-day “Pride Shines On” festival. The days in between? Run a 5K, march in the parade, visit the rainbow-lit St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, and more.
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Dress up for a Mediterranean-themed tea time at the Estancia La Jolla, a laid-back yet refined afternoon planned for the resort’s monthly Tea in the Garden series.
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Nerd culture’s biggest gathering returns to the Convention Center. San Diego Comic-Con welcomes fans of everything from comic book cinema to ultra-rare collectibles for panels, exhibits, sneak peeks, and much more.
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
There are two types of San Diegans in July: those who have their Pride Festival tickets, and those who wish they’d bought them sooner. Summer in San Diego already feels like a fever dream of sunshine and saltwater, and with Balboa Park turning it up to a level best described as joyfully unhinged, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
That’s right: San Diego Pride 2026 is bigger, louder, and more necessary than ever. From July 18–19, expect a full, unapologetic, flags-everywhere kind of weekend where the city opens its arms and means it. Here’s everything you need to know about San Diego Pride 2026.
When and where is the 2026 San Diego Pride Festival?
The San Diego Pride Festival takes over Marston Point in Balboa Park (6th Ave. & Laurel St.) on Saturday, July 18 (12 p.m. to 10 p.m.) and Sunday, July 19 (12 p.m. to 9 p.m.).
How much are San Diego Pride Festival tickets?
Buy tickets early because prices go up closer to the weekend. Regular GA is priced at $45 for a single day or $75 for the full weekend. Once Pride Weekend pricing kicks in, that bumps to $48 for one day and $85 for two days. VIP Weekend starts at $269, and if you want a Meet & Greet with Hailie Sahar on July 18 at 2 p.m., tickets are $106.
Seniors 65 years and older can grab a ticket at the box office for $15, and high schoolers and younger get in free, though they still need to stop by the box office for a ticket before entering. Regular pricing is available through July 17, so don’t wait until the last minute.
What to expect at the festival?
The San Diego Pride Festival isn’t just a typical party. Expect Balboa Park at maximum capacity and maximum heart with five stages, hundreds of vendors, and more joy per square foot than anywhere else in the city that weekend.
At the heart of it all is the Stonewall Stage, the main event where legends and newcomers alike make their San Diego Pride debut. The Mundo Latino Stage brings Rock en Español, DJs, drag shows, and multicultural performers to the mix. The Movement Stage offers a full celebration of Black LGBTQIA+ arts, music, and culture through hip hop, urban contemporary, and local DJs, plus a Queer Locals Marketplace full of LGBTQ-owned small businesses selling handmade art, wellness goods, literature, community resources, and more.
For the people who came to actually dance, the Euphoria Stage delivers electronic music and groundbreaking talent. Prism For All is where art, libraries, and history collide, with workshops, performances, and a makerspace hosted by Art of Pride, the San Diego Public Library, and Lambda Archives. And the Youth Zone gives LGBTQIA+ young people their own dedicated area to meet, get creative, play, and find support.
Who is featured on the 2026 San Diego Pride Festival lineup?
The San Diego Pride Festival 2026 runs on the energy of over 2,000 volunteers every year. With more than 30 departments to choose from, whether you’re a people person, a behind-the-scenes organizer, or just someone who wants to do something good in a great outfit, there’s a spot with your name on it. Head to the San Diego Pride website to sign up.
When and where is the San Diego Pride Parade?
San Diego’s Pride Parade calls the parade “the region’s largest single-day civic event,” drawing more than 250,000 attendees annually. This year it takes place on Saturday, July 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and starts at University Avenue and Normal Street. Then it travels west on University Avenue, south on Sixth Avenue, and ends near Balboa Park/Quince Drive.
When and where is the San Diego Pride 5K and Walk?
The Pride 5K Run & Walk is one of the highlights of Pride Week, drawing as many as 1,700 runners and walkers from around the world and raising approximately $40,000 for charity partners San Diego Pride and The LGBT Center’s Youth Housing Project. This year it also takes place on July 18, just a bit earlier at 8 a.m., at the corner of Centre and University Ave in Hillcrest.
Of course, buying a ticket is a guaranteed good time, but it’s also funding something real. San Diego Pride is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and proceeds go toward supporting organizations that host community events, programs, and fundraisers advancing pride, equality, and respect for LGBTQ+ communities locally, nationally, and globally.
That includes virtual youth programming like Pride’s Youth Leadership Academy, which reaches more than 4,000 LGBTQ children and young adults, as well as coalitions like the QAPIMEDA Coalition, Black LGBTQ Coalition, and Latinx Coalition, and more than 30 LGBTQ programs and events throughout the year.
What items are prohibited at the San Diego Pride Festival?
The prohibited items list is lengthy (no balloons, no selfie sticks, no bubble-making devices, trust us they’ll make up for it elsewhere), but the big ones to keep in mind: clear bags only (max 12″x6″x12″), no outside food, no alcoholic beverages, no glass, no large umbrellas, and no knives or weapons of any kind. Leave the drone at home too. For the full list, head to sdpride.org/entry-policies.
Isabella Dallas is a freelance writer for San Diego Magazine and the Arts and Culture Editor at The Daily Aztec in her final year at San Diego State University. She previously worked as an editorial intern for SDM, but when she’s not writing, you can find her trying the best coffee spots in SD, devouring the latest rom-coms, and indulging in anything and everything pop culture.
SeaWorld dazzles with a drone show, big-name entertainers, new animal adventures and more
By Partner Content
Nights are heating up at SeaWorld San Diego. The quintessential summertime staple on Mission Bay is transforming into a destination for unforgettable day-to-night adventures, bringing back some of its most popular Summer Nights programming and introducing exciting new experiences sure to delight both kids and adults alike.
The 2026 Summer Day to Night at SeaWorld San Diego is the park’s most ambitious season yet. SeaWorld has planned a highly anticipated entertainment lineup that features nine weeks of throwback concerts featuring R&B and hip‑hop favorites from the ‘90s and early 2000s, including Jordin Sparks, Too $hort and Warren G, Ashanti, and an array of boy band heartthrobs performing together as part of the Pop 2000 Tour.
New this season is perhaps the park’s most visible update: a nightly drone show, Ocean of Dreams, which illuminates the sky with hundreds of synchronized sparklers. Drones form sea otters, sharks, dolphins, and a majestic orca that tell a breathtaking 12-minute story of marine life and underwater ecosystems. The show culminates with a spectacular electric neon finale celebrating hope, wonder, and ocean stewardship.
Nighttime visitors are also in store for animal adventures that fuse education with high-energy fun and the dreamy ambiance of nighttime. The park has launched two all-new animal presentations: Shamu’s Celebration:Light Up the Night and Dolphins: Touch the Sky. Shamu’s Celebration:Light Up the Night features vibrant lighting, music, and dynamic choreography that celebrates the power and beauty of killer whales. Dolphins: Touch the Sky showcases playful bottlenose dolphins and the special connection between humans and the natural world. And back by popular demand is fan-favorite Sea Lions Tonite. See the charming pinnipeds splash, play, and parody pop culture in this refreshed crowd-pleaser.
More must-sees: a newly reimagined Shark Encounter, one of the country’s more immersive exhibits highlighting 11 different species up close, SeaWorld’s beloved BMX Blast! stunt show, and high-seas escapade, Pirates Ahoy! The Battle for Mermaid Cove. And don’t miss the park’s all-new Deep Sea Disco, which encourages guests to dance the night away under the glow of the SkyTower, and vibrant closing time laser light display Laser Reef Summer Spectacular.
Amp up the nighttime vibe with local craft beers, curated cocktails, and nostalgic theme park treats with $1 beer all summer long. SeaWorld is the place for day to night summer fun. When the sun goes down, SeaWorld lights up, and inspires guests of all ages to embrace their inner whimsy and see why generations of San Diegans head to SeaWorld to make memories they’ll never forget.
