Happy New Year! As 2017 unfolds, San Diego will host its share of big events – from the Farmers Insurance Open to Comic Con, here’s a look ahead at noteworthy local happenings in the New Year.
San Diego Restaurant Week
Jan. 15 through Jan. 22
The tasty tradition continues in 2017 with this semi-annual foodie event featuring eight days of special prix-fixe menus at more than 180 top-notch restaurants spanning several San Diego communities. This year, the first round of San Diego Restaurant Week runs from Jan. 15 through Jan. 22. As always, a second installment is expected to follow in September.
[G] Preview: San Diego Restaurant Week 2017
Farmers Insurance Open
Jan. 26 through Jan. 29
The Farmers Insurance Open is San Diego’s prestigious PGA Tour golf tournament played at the scenic Torrey Pines Golf Course. Several ticket options are available for the tourney, depending on which day you want to head to the green, and what you want to do (mingling, eating, drinking) when you get there. Bonus: Tiger Woods will make his 2017 debut at the tournament.
Big Concerts in San Diego in 2017
All year
Big headliners will take the stage in San Diego in 2017 including Stevie Nicks on March 2 and Bon Jovi on March 5, both at Viejas Arena. Also on March 5: the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Valley View Casino Center. According to the music experts at NBC 7's SoundDiego, these noteworthy acts (to name a few) are also coming to San Diego this year: Daya on March 12 at House of Blues; Green Day on April 8 at Valley View Casino Center; Lionel Richie with Mariah Carey at Viejas Arena on May 8; Shawn Mendes at Qualcomm Stadium on July 14; Coldplay at Qualcomm Stadium on Oct. 8. Also, for all the fan girls out there, New Kids on the Block -- with guest Paula Abdul (!) -- will also play San Diego this year, on June 1 at the Viejas Arena as part of the "Total Package Tour."
[[387815051,C]]
San Diego Padres Home Opener
April 7
The San Diego Padres start the 2017 season on the road in early April against the Los Angeles Dodgers and, on Friday, April 7, will take on the San Francisco Giants in the home opener at Petco Park. The three-game series continues through April 9. Also, for devoted Friars' fans who don't mind traveling, the Padres Spring Training Season starts on Feb. 25 with a game against the Seattle Mariners at the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona.
Memorial Day
May 29
Obviously, Memorial Day is not exclusive to San Diego, but it’s certainly worth jotting down the date in your planner. The unofficial start to the summer lands on May 29 this year, and thousands will flock to our sandy beaches to celebrate. Of course, thanks to the generous sunshine, beach days are standard long before this date in America's Finest City, too.
Local
[NATL] Celebrity Sightings at San Diego's 2016 Comic-Con
San Diego County Fair
June 2 through July 4
Attracting more than 1.5 million visitors each year, the San Diego County Fair is the largest annual local event and one of the largest 10 fairs in the United States. For the 2017 season, the fairgrounds in Del Mar will officially open to the public at 4 p.m. on June 2, and will run through July 4. It will be closed the first four Mondays and first three Tuesdays of the season. This year's theme is "Where the West is Fun," a nod to cowboy culture and the wild west, promising the "rootinest, tootinest fair." For the 21+ crowd, jot down these big days at the fair in your planner: June 10 for the Toast of the Coast Wine Festival; June 16-18 for the San Diego International Beer Festival; June 24 for the Distilled Spirits & Cocktails Festival. Of course, as always, indulgent, fried fair food will also play a large role at the 2017 San Diego County Fair. Come hungry.
[G] Del Mar Opening Day 2016 Hats Contest
Del Mar Opening Day & Opening Day Hats Contest
July 19
On your mark, get set, go! The 2017 Del Mar horse racing season begins July 19 with all of the glitz, glamour and hats (oh, so many hats) of the famous Opening Day celebration. Expect the Opening Day Hats Contest and a large OPening Day crowd, dressed to the nines and hoping to see and be seen. NBC 7 will be there, gathering stories, photos and hosting a livestream of the Hats Contest on NBC7.com. The track's 2017 season starts a little later than usual this year in order to give horses and jockeys more time to adapt to racing surfaces following a string of horse deaths in Del Mar in 2016. This time, the season runs through Labor Day (Sept. 4), with a total of 36 racing days as opposed to the usual 39. Del Mar's racing season will also include dozens of concerts and other summertime events at the venue.
San Diego Pride
July 2017
The annual San Diego LGBT Pride Parade colors the streets of Hillcrest in July, with the parade starting at the Hillcrest Pride Flag at University Avenue and Normal Street. The 1.1-mile route proceeds west on University Avenue, turns south on 6th, left onto Balboa Drive and ends at Laurel Street. Each year, thousands of spectators turn out for the parade, which includes lively floats and hoppin’ dance music. Pride weekend also features live music acts, a street festival, a Pride 5K run and other fun events in the hip Hillcrest community.
[G] Fried Fare at the 2016 San Diego County Fair
Over-the-Line (OTL) Tournament
July 8-9 and July 15-16
A San Diego summertime tradition, Over-the-Line (OTC), is hosted over the course of two weekends every July at Fiesta Island. Put on by the Old Mission Bay Athletic Club (OMBAC), the annual tournament typically gathers approximately 1,200 teams from around the world to play Over-the-Line, a bat and ball sport first played in Mission Beach in the 1950s. The rules are simple: games last three innings, no one had to run bases and the main goal is to hit the ball “over the line” about 55 feet in front of the batter. Teams dress up in wacky costumes and bring tents, chairs, beer and hilarious signs to the beach for the carefree, daytime tournament. This year's 64th annual OTL tournament is planned for July 8-9 and July 15-16.
San Diego Comic-Con International
July 20 through July 23
A signature San Diego event, the enormous pop culture spectacular returns to the San Diego Convention Center in 2017 with celebrity panels, elaborate costumes, sneak peek screenings, exhibits and events galore. As always, Comic-Con badges are hard to come by and the event will sell out. On the bright side, many interactive Comic-Con events are hosted outside the Convention Center, too, as downtown San Diego transforms into a lively hub for fanboys and fangirls of all ages. It really is a unforgettable sight. NBC 7 will offer tons of coverage on the big event on our special Comic-Con section online here.
Clear the Shelters: NBC 7 Viewer Pet Photos
Clear the Shelters
July
NBC 7 will take part once again in Clear the Shelters, a nationwide pet adoption drive that helps find loving forever homes for animals in need. Nearly 700 shelters across the country will team up for this, including many in San Diego County. NBC 7 will bring you live coverage on our website of touching tales as pets find new homes with caring San Diegans.
GALLERY: KAABOO Day Three Grand Finale
KAABOO Del Mar
Sept. 15 through Sept. 17
KAABOO, weekend-long music festival in Del Mar returns this September with a long lineup of artists spanning lots of genres. Of course, the music experts at NBC 7's SoundDiego will keep us abreast of all of the details as the festival draws closer.
[G] Preview: San Diego Restaurant Week 2017
San Diego Beer Week
Nov. 3 through Nov. 12
As a hub for quality craft breweries, it's only fitting that San Diego celebrates the success of the suds industry each year with an entire week dedicated to brews. In 2017, San Diego Beer Week will run from Nov. 3 through Nov. 12 (technically a little longer than a week). The stretch includes hundreds of events a local craft breweries, plus a large festival showcasing the best of beer in America's Finest City. Cheers!
Breeder's Cup at Del Mar
Nov. 3-4
For the first time ever, The Breeder's Cup will be held this year at the Del Mar Racing track in San Diego's North County. The horse races run Nov. 3 and Nov. 4.
San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival
Nov. 13 through Nov. 19
The 14th annual San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival will return this November to shine the spotlight on the best wine, beer and spirit purveyors in the land, as well as top-notch local chefs. For a week, foodies and winos can indulge in different tasty events around town, all leading up to The Grand Tasting -- an epic food festival along the Embarcadero.
Balboa Park December Nights
Dec. 1 and Dec. 2
Each year in early December, Balboa Park kicks off the holidays in San Diego with the bright and merry December Nights, a two-day, multicultural celebration of the season. The event -- in its 40th year in 2017 -- brings more than 350,000 visitors to Balboa Park for festive, family-friendly fun, including live music, arts and crafts, photos with Santa Claus, free entry into select museums, drinks and food from across the globe and, of course, plenty of twinkling holiday lights. At this year's celebration, Balboa Park's International Cottages hope to debut new cottages representing nations from around the world -- part of an expansion of the International Cottages area long in the works.
This is just a sampling of what's to come in San Diego in 2017. If we missed something, comment below.
