San Diego to shine bright In 2024

As 2024 unfolds, San Diego is primed to offer a year filled with new experiences for visitors.

The first US city to be designated a World Design Capital, serves up a host of compelling reasons for a visit in the new year.

“Whether you’re a family looking for new attractions, a culinary enthusiast, or an arts lover immersed in music festivals, museums and global design, San Diego has you covered in 2024,” said Julie Coker, president and CEO, San Diego Tourism Authority.

Attractions
LEGOLAND Debuts Dinosaurs
LEGOLAND California is celebrating its 25th birthday (aka “brickday”), and will open a new themed area called Dino Valley as well as hosting North America’s very first LEGO World Parade. Dino Valley will include two brand-new rides as well as plenty of interactive features for young visitors.

SeaWorld’s Jellyfish Showcase
SeaWorld San Diego, which has been adding numerous new rides and attractions, presents another twist in 2024: An aquarium called Jewels of the Sea: The Jellyfish Experience. With its walk-through arch and giant viewing wall, the aquarium promises to be a fully immersive experience.

Botanical Building Reborn
One of the most distinctive structures in San Diego’s Balboa Park, the Botanical Building was built in 1915 and is recognized as one of the largest wood lath structures in the world. This home to hundreds of rare, tropical and indigenous plants has undergone a major reconstruction intended to restore the building to its original design, and will reopen in 2024.

A Big Birthday for The Nat
The venerable Natural History Museum in Balboa Park marks its 150th birthday in 2024. Now the oldest scientific institution in Southern California, The Nat will celebrate with free birthday admission, a new Nature Garden and giant-screen movie, plus a whole lot more.

Arts and Entertainment

World Design Capital a Binational Coup
Two years after San Diego and Tijuana jointly received designation as World Design Capital 2024 — a major global honor — the year-long WDC24 celebration is about to kick off. San Diego is the first US. city to be named or co-named World Design Capital, and the city teamed with its cross-border neighbor of Tijuana, Mexico. Now the two cities will mark WDC24 with an extended series of events and happenings centered on the theme of “Home.”

Wonderfront Festival
After taking a hiatus in 2023, the sprawling Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival will again return along San Diego’s sparkling Embarcadero, with three days of music, food and fun. The fest is moving from its previous November slot to a new time frame (dates and artists have yet to be announced).

Concours d’Elegance a Vehicle for Dreams
The art of exquisite automotive design will get a world-class showcase here in 2024 —with a breathtaking setting to match — as the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance unfolds at La Jolla Cove in April. From a “Porsches on Prospect” sports-car extravaganza to the vintage spritz of the event’s “Roaring ‘20s and Glamorous ‘30s” theme, the Concours d’Elegance promises to be a car-lover’s nirvana. It will showcase more than 170 classic vehicles on display.

Copley Symphony Hall 
Historic Copley Symphony Hall — the longtime indoor home of the San Diego Symphony — will stage its much-awaited reopening in 2024 after a $125 million renovation. Improvements to the nearly 100-year-old Downtown performance space (formerly the Fox Theatre) include a reconfigured stage, a reshaped main seating level, improved acoustics and more.

KAABOO Gets an Encore
Some five years after its last edition in Del Mar, the popular KAABOO music festival is making its return in 2024. While the lineup of artists has yet to be announced, the fest attracts big-name performers.

Sports
Gallagher Square Gets a Glow-Up
Gallagher Square is already a much-loved focal point of Petco Park — home of the San Diego Padres. Now a $20 million glow-up, set for completion in 2024, will bring even more great features to the family-friendly square, including a new Tony Gwynn Terrace viewing deck and picnic space. There is also a dog park, temporary pickleball courts, and public art displays.

Petco Park Marks a Milestone
The Downtown ballpark, which hosts not only MLB baseball but pop concerts, college football’s annual Holiday Bowl and many other special events, marks its 20th anniversary in 2024. Look for the Padres to host plenty of happenings as the big anniversary season unfolds.

Saddles in the Outfield
And there will be yet another exciting new development at Petco Park in 2024: The Padres, in partnership with C5 Rodeo Company Inc and Outriders Present, are presenting the ballpark’s first-ever rodeo in January. The three-day event will transform the park into a Downtown rodeo zone, with the world’s top cowboys competing for more than a half-million dollars in prize money.

Rady Invitational Returns
With the stunning success of the San Diego State men’s basketball team, which made a thrilling run to the national title game in 2023, San Diego has cemented itself as a basketball hotbed. The new Rady Children’s Invitational builds on that, bringing top college hoops teams from around the nation to the UC San Diego campus for the second edition of this exciting Thanksgiving Weekend tournament.

Breeders’ Cup Rides Again in Del Mar
The Del Mar Racetrack is fast becoming a go-to home for the Breeders’ Cup, one of the most prestigious annual events in Thoroughbred racing. The two-day event, with awards and prizes in excess of $30 million, will take place in Del Mar in both 2024 and 2025 .

Pro Volleyball
Excitement over women’s professional volleyball is spiking big-time, especially with the 2024 debut of the San Diego Mojo, a Pro Volleyball Federation club owned by Olympian and beach-volleyball luminary Kerri Walsh Jennings. The Mojo begins play in February at Viejas Arena on the San Diego State University campus.

State Games Make San Diego Home
San Diego’s ever-growing rep as a sports town is exemplified by the return in 2024 of the State Games of America, an Olympic-style national event held every two years and showcasing matchups among State Games medal winners from more than 30 U.S. states. Some 12,000 amateur athletes are expected to compete in more than two dozen sports here, from archery to figure skating to surfing.

Outdoor fun and beaches
Pickleball and more on the Embarcadero
Waterfront Park along San Diego’s scenic Embarcadero is adding to its already expansive offerings with a $3 million project to bring pickleball courts, an off-leash dog park, shaded seating and more to the 12-acre oasis, which boasts picturesque views of San Diego Bay.

San Diego’s beaches
It just wouldn’t be San Diego without its amazing beaches and the world-famous plenitude of surf, sun and fun. While there are always lots of new things to do and see in the city, you can always count on the 70 miles of coastline — from its beaches to its boardwalks to its bays — to make a visit memorable.

For more information visit: www.sandiego.org 

Related News Stories:  Major League Soccer coming to San Diego     SeaWorld San Diego hit with rent arrears lawsuit     San Diego Tourism Authority and Tripadvisor Launch First-of-its …     What’s New in San Diego this winter     San Diego Tourism launches immersive mural art experience …     Scott Dunn opening second US office     SeaWorld San Diego’s ‘Tidal Twister’ ride makes waves     SeaWorld San Diego unleashes new Emperor coaster ride …     UK luxury travel company acquires San Diego based safari …     Splash into summer at San Diego’s Campland