Springtime in San Diego for All Ages

Travel to a new city with the family can be daunting: What to do, where to do, when to travel? There’s a lot to consider.

Planning a getaway with your crew can be made (a little) easier when traveling for a specific event. Find something everyone can get excited about and work it into your schedule, or simply use a fun festival as an excuse to get out and enjoy the city for the day.

One of the best ways to explore San Diego like a local is with the locals, and locals love a festival — luckily, there is always something going on in this City in Motion. After a long, cold winter, break away for the West Coast, just in time for San Diego’s spring festival lineup.

International Mariachi Festival

Celebrate Mexican arts and culture during the annual International Mariachi Festival. This San Diego tradition honors Mexican heritage with music — and lots of it. Festivalgoers head to Chula Vista’s Bayside Park, March 8, 2020, for live mariachi music, colorful costumes, traditional Mexican cuisine, an adults-only beverage garden, live ballet performances, folk dancing and more. Families have an entire area catering to all ages, with a children’s stage, face painting and rock-climbing wall.

Mariachi culture in San Diego. Photo: Scott Jones | Dreamstime.com

Peg Leg Smith Liar’s Contest

San Diego’s wild history of prospectors and gold rush opportunists come back to life April 6, 2020, at the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This unique tradition kicks off at dusk (around 7:15 p.m.) with storytellers and, well, liars, competing in the Peg Leg Smith Liar’s Contest. In honor of 1800s mountain man and famous storyteller Thomas L. Smith, or “Peg Leg” Smith, web-spinners of all ages can enter in the competition to be judged on presentation, props, originality, costumes and theme.

Annual Fallbrook Avocado Festival

Did someone say avocado? While it may sound like millennial bait for your adult children, Annual Fallbrook Avocado Festival has actually been a beloved tradition since the 1960s. The April 19, 2020, event includes live entertainment, avocado-themed goods, cooking contests, guacamole-making contests, beer gardens, crowning of Little Miss and Little Mister Avocado and, of course, plenty of chances to sample the local product.

Chicano Park Day

San Diego’s diverse population of Chicano and Mexican residents celebrates its 50^th anniversary with a free event, April 25, 2020. Home of the largest collection of Chicano murals in the world, Chicano Park hosts the free event, filled with dancing, music, indigenous traditions, a low-rider car show and art workshops for kids.

San Diego Surf Film Festival

With a strong surf culture and artistic side, this city expertly blends the two with an international surf film festival: San Diego Surf Film Festival. Guests can meet filmmakers and local artists at a luncheon, or just enjoy the live music, art and festivities each May.