On Friday morning, Nov. 13, downtown Del Mar Village will be decorated in pink balloons and ribbons from 8 to 9:30 a.m. That morning more than 2,000 walkers in the San Diego Susan G. Komen 3-Day start their walk south. The Del Mar Village Association's cheering station brings out the Torrey Pines High School cheerleaders, the Del Mar Lifeguards, local business owners and residents to line the street. At 12:30 p.m. the same day, the first race goes off down the road at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
That Friday previews the next six weeks. Del Mar has two holiday hosts this season, and they mostly take turns. The Fairgrounds holds most of the calendar, from the fall racing meet through the Coastal Christmas lights. The Village has one big Sunday, Dec. 6, which falls between the meet's closing day and the first lit night of Coastal Christmas.
Thanksgiving Starts on the Seaside Oval at 8 a.m.
This year the fall meet at Del Mar runs Nov. 6 through Nov. 29 over 13 racing days. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club calls it the Bing Crosby Season, after the entertainer who got the track started in 1937, and this is the meet's 13th edition since it began in 2014. Races run Friday through Sunday, with first post at 12:30 p.m. Thanksgiving is the one exception.
On Thursday, Nov. 26, the track's Thanksgiving schedule opens the gates at 9:30 a.m. and starts an eight-race card at 11 a.m. The club's season announcement says racing will wrap up around 2 p.m., "to allow folks plenty of time to get home to the turkey and all the fixings." Earlier that morning, the 8 a.m. Thanksgiving Fun Run takes families once around the one-mile oval, and proceeds go to the Helen Woodward Animal Center.
There are two ways to eat at the track that day. The Turf Club Thanksgiving brunch includes a three-course Thanksgiving meal at a reserved table that seats up to four, and bottomless mimosas are served until Race 6. The trackside restaurants also serve a Thanksgiving plate. Racetrack admission is listed at $8 on the club's fall ticket page, and grandstand and box seats are listed from $9 to $16.
The Meet Hands Off on Nov. 29
Between now and Thanksgiving, the track fills its weekends with themed days. Uncorked: Derby Days Wine Fest is Saturday, Nov. 14. The Taco & Beer Fest is Saturday, Nov. 21. The annual Toys for Tots Drive and Ride is Sunday, Nov. 22. Every Sunday of the meet is a Free & Fun Sunday, with free admission and seating and discounted food and drinks. That makes Nov. 15, Nov. 22 and the Nov. 29 closing day the lowest-cost afternoons at the track.
The best racing comes on the final weekend. Of the meet's 15 stakes races, nine are on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, and the two Grade I races, each worth $300,000, are both on closing weekend. Many of the stakes are named for Hollywood stars who were part of the track's early years. Here is the stakes schedule for the last three days:
- Friday, Nov. 27: Hollywood Turf Cup
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Hollywood Derby, Seabiscuit Handicap, Jimmy Durante
- Sunday, Nov. 29: Matriarch, Cecil B. DeMille, Bayakoa, Stormy Liberal
Closing day is also a Free & Fun Sunday. After the Matriarch, the racing season is over until next year.
Before that last weekend, the Fairgrounds is already setting up for December. Purdy Tree Farms and SnowJam both start on Nov. 20, and the Houndmouth concert is on Nov. 21.
One Sunday Belongs to the Village
Once the meet ends, the Village gets its turn. Everything the Del Mar Village Association plans for the holidays happens on Sunday, Dec. 6, and on its events page the association calls Winter Taste & Sip "our most significant event of the year in downtown Del Mar Village." The association says the event draws more than 2,000 guests. Here is how the afternoon runs:
- 1 p.m. North Pole By The Sea starts on 15th Street. It includes a holiday VW bus photo stop from Monarch Ocean Pub and a Rad Hatter party-hat craft for kids. St. Peter's Episcopal Church is bringing in real snow for kids to play in, free and open to everyone. Wisdom Properties at 1312 Camino Del Mar has kids' crafts, a photo spot, holiday movies and music. Winter Taste & Sip check-in also opens.
- 1 to 5 p.m. Letters to Santa is on the ocean-view deck at Del Mar Plaza, and carolers and holiday characters walk through the Village.
- 4 p.m. The tasting route closes, and hot chocolate and adult beverages go on sale at the Jim Watkins Amphitheater at L'Auberge Del Mar.
- 5 p.m. The annual lighting of the downtown tree at the amphitheater ends the day.
North Pole By The Sea and the tree lighting are spread across several blocks of Camino Del Mar. Winter Taste & Sip is the only part that needs a ticket.
The Taste & Sip Route Runs Through Familiar Doors
The Winter Taste & Sip restaurant list includes Adelaide at L'Auberge Del Mar, An's Hatmakers, Board & Brew, Coral Del Mar Bar & Restaurant, Haagen Dazs, Harry's, High Marea by Valley Farm, Il Fornaio, Jake's Del Mar, Monarch Ocean Pub, Queenstown Public House, Saffron and Rose, Sbicca, Seaside Yogurt, Tamarindo, The Cottage and Viewpoint Brewing Co. The drinks come from Falkner Winery, Maurice Car'rie Winery, Burtech Family Vineyard, Duckhorn Vineyards, Above Board Liqueurs, Melograno Cocktails, Busa Espresso Martini, Cask & Coast, Surfside and Boutique Beverage Wine, along with Viewpoint's own beer.
There are two ticket options. Taste Only covers the food stops. Taste + Sip adds the drink stops on the route and comes with a commemorative GoVino glass. On the Eventbrite checkout, Taste Only is listed at $60.54 and Taste + Sip at $71.21, fees included. The lower presale prices are sold out, and ticket sales end Dec. 5. Check-in is on 15th Street just west of Camino Del Mar. Every ticket holder checks in individually with photo ID, and Taste + Sip guests pick up their wristband and tasting glass there.
Most of the list is long-established Village restaurants. Del Mar Plaza celebrated Tamarindo's fifth anniversary in October, and in the same month it ran a feature on GARYS' 33 years at the Plaza. Some of the Plaza's newer tenants are close to the route. Desserts By Clément is in Suite 304 and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. La La Land Café has signed a lease for its first San Diego location in the former Pacifica Breeze Café space. A few blocks south, the Urban Girl boutique at 1210 Camino Del Mar had its ribbon cutting with the Village Association in August.
The Fairgrounds Takes the Lights Back on Dec. 11
The Fairgrounds books its own events around the Village's Sunday. Jiu Jitsu World League is there Dec. 5, Young the Giant plays Dec. 8, and Cannons plays Dec. 9. The String Cheese Incident plays Dec. 11 and 12, the same weekend Coastal Christmas opens.
Coastal Christmas fills the Paddock, the Plaza de Mexico and the West Parking Lot. It has a Holiday Light Trail, an eco-friendly Glice skating rink, and private igloos and fire-pit tables. The organizer's 2026 announcement says the event opens on select nights from Dec. 11 through Dec. 26. General admission covers the light trail, live entertainment and photos with Santa. Skating, Frosty's Fun Zone, and food and drinks cost extra. On the current ticket listing, adults 13 and older are $27 and children 4 to 12 are $22, plus fees. Children 3 and under get in free. An igloo reservation includes admission for six, and a fire-pit table includes admission for four. Both come with a server for drinks, and food and drinks are charged separately. Parking is paid and can be bought ahead of time along with tickets.
Several themed nights in the second half of the run lower the price.
- Dec. 17, Community Night: buy one general admission ticket, get one free
- Dec. 18, First Responders & Nurses Night: free admission with ID or badge
- Dec. 20, Military Night: free admission with ID or badge
- Dec. 21, Kids Free Night: children under 12 get in free with a paying adult
- Dec. 23: Country Christmas
From mid-November to late December, the Fairgrounds hosts something almost every week. The Village association plans one Friday morning for the Komen walkers and one Sunday afternoon in December. If you're planning around a single date, choose Dec. 6. That afternoon, the North Pole activities, the tasting route and the tree lighting all happen within a few blocks of Camino Del Mar.
When family and friends come to town for the holidays, we're always happy to suggest a route through the Village or a good Sunday at the track. The Daniels Group has been part of these coastal neighborhoods for decades, and we'd be glad to help you plan your December in Del Mar. Contact Us.
