Across Southern California, holiday festivities will kick off Friday night with parades, musical performances and food. Temecula’s annual Santa’s Electric Light Parade will cheer Southwest Riverside County as thousands line Old Town Temecula to watch marching bands, dance teams and catch a glimpse of Santa Claus. In San Diego, Balboa Park will become aglow in Holiday lights as the area plays host to more than 300,000 guests over two nights.
2011 Santa’s Electric Light Parade in Temecula (File photo: Rachael Recker/SWRNN)
Temecula Santa’s Electric Light Parade
The Temecula parade will begin at 7 p.m. as the parade moves from 1st Street to Rancho California Road. Front Street will be shut down and traffic is expected to slow to a crawl in the area. Visitors are expected to get to the parade early to find a seat along the main street.
Front Street will remain open until about 6:30 p.m. The event kicks off Temecula’s holiday festivities which include a Holiday lights tour and an ice skating rink in front of City Hall. The route map and line-up can be found at the city website.
December Nights
San Diego freeways heading into downtown San Diego will be snarled Friday and Saturday as more than 300,000 people are expected to go to Balboa Park’s December Nights.
The holiday festival kicks off at 5 p.m. Dec. 7 and runs until 10 p.m. Dec. 8. The streets and lawns surrounding Balboa Park will be jammed with food tents, vendors, carolers, artisans and performances. All the museums will open their doors from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
Coordinators and public officials are encouraging guests to take public transit or park for free at nearby City College and ride a shuttle. Guests can also park at Petco Park and take a shuttle for $5. Parking in the area is extremely limited and Southbound Highway 163 comes to a crawl each evening.
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