10 Things to Do in San Diego in November

November is one of the best months to visit San Diego, as temperatures are warm and it is low season, so the city does not receive as many tourists. In this month you'll find plenty of things to see and do in San Diego, with something for everyone.

From traditional Day of the Dead and Thanksgiving celebrations, to whale watching cruises, jazz and food festivals and ice skating days, there are plenty of options for you to enjoy your stay in the city to the fullest. Here you will find a selection of the most outstanding activities, so you can start planning your next visit to the city.

On the 1st and 2nd of November the city celebrates the Day of the Dead, the traditional Mexican holiday that honours the ancestors. This celebration begins in October in San Diego and fills the city with colour, parades, altars and skull art exhibits, which are usually free to enter.

In addition to the ghost tours that are popular around this time, Old Town hosts the traditional Candlelight Procession every November 2nd, which usually goes from Immaculate Conception Church to El Campo Santo Cemetery around 6pm.

There is also a Day of the Dead Festival in Old Town during the first days of the month, and many restaurants, museums and shops display altars honouring public figures. In the cemetery you'll find a public altar, where locals leave remembrances of their ancestors.

The Sherman Heights Community Centre 's Day of the Dead celebration, which began in 1994, is traditional. There you can enjoy concerts, live performances, processions, themed workshops and tastings. You can also see the altars in the neighbourhood's houses and buy souvenirs at an arts and crafts market.

Interesting facts

• Date: end of October and first days of November.
• Immaculate Conception Church: 2540 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110.
• El Campo Santo Cemetery: 2410 San Diego Ave, San Diego, CA 92110.
• Sherman Heights Community Center: 2258 Island Ave, San Diego, CA 92102.

Thanksgiving is a typical celebration in the United States, held on the fourth Thursday in November. It is a day when families gather to eat and give thanks. Its origin goes back to the thanksgiving of a group of settlers to the Wampanoag Indians, because they had taught them farming techniques.

The most traditional food on this day is turkey, which is usually offered in several restaurants in the city. One of the most typical places to eat is the Hotel del Coronado, where you can enjoy a seaside dinner with live music if you book in advance. A second good option is to book a dinner cruise, where traditional meals are also often served.

Another custom is to watch baseball games in San Diego before or after eating the turkey. It is also traditional to participate in charity events such as the Father Joe' s 5k marathon, which ends with a festival with live music and food in Balboa Park. Donations go to the homeless.

Finally, one more custom is to go to the Mother Goose Parade, which takes place in El Cajon on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Some 400,000 people attend the parade, which has been held since 1947. There you can see floats, giant inflatables and marching bands. El Cajon is about 26 km from Old Town and can be reached in about an hour by bus.

San Diego is a special place for whale watching, as some 20,000 grey whales migrate from September to January from Alaska to Baja California, returning from February to March. In addition, you can see blue whales feeding off San Diego in the summer and dolphins all year round.

The best way to see the whales is on board a cruise ship, but it is important not to get too close, to respect the animals and their habitat. It is therefore best to hire a tour with a specialised company. They usually have a guide who can give you a lot of information about these cetaceans. Another option is to see the whales from the cliffs of Point Loma.

Grey whales are one of the largest cetaceans in the ocean, measuring between 11 and 15 metres long. Every year they travel some 9,000 kilometres from Alaska to Baja California, where they breed.

San Diego Beer Week takes place in San Diego the first or second week of the month on the docks of the Port. During the event, some 150 breweries offer different varieties of this classic drink, tastings of which are included in the price of admission.

In addition, in all the city's breweries you will find proposals related to this celebration, and people often share photos with different slogans on social networks. It's a great time to go on food tours around San Diego to make sure you hit the best bars and restaurants.

Beer Week usually closes with an event featuring a variety of food prepared with beer by world-renowned chefs. This event, one of the most exclusive of the festival, is known as Beer Garden and is usually held in different locations. The entrance fee includes all tastings.

Interesting facts

• Date: first or second week of November.
• Ticket price: about 35 € and about 130 € for the Beer Garden.

Fleet Week is a series of events designed to honour the United States military. It is usually held every year in the first or second week of November, with some events beginning in October. It is a culturally significant event in San Diego, a city that has the largest naval fleet in the world and is a major recruiting centre.

One of the highlights is the Veterans Day Boat Parade, which takes place between 10 and 12 November. The participating ships are decorated with military themes, such as U.S. Air Force or U.S. Navy. You can watch the parade from the San Diego Pier, Shelter Island, Seaport Village and other locations around the city.

You can also join the parade if you own a boat and register in advance on the Fleet Week website. If you're interested in learning more about the country's naval history, it's a good idea to visit the USS Midway Museum, one of San Diego's best museums, where you can tour an aircraft carrier built in 1943.

Interesting facts

• Date: between 10 and 12 November.
• Hours: usually takes place in the morning.

The San Diego Bay Food & Drinks Festival takes place the second week of November for 4-7 days, where you can sample the best local and international wines and food prepared by world-renowned chefs. It is an ideal event for those who want to live a complete gastronomic experience in the Californian city.

The event takes place at the Embarcadero Marina Park North, a large green space near downtown San Diego, by the sea. It usually runs from noon to dusk, but there may be an event in the morning or evening. It's best to visit the festival' s website to find out what's on offer and buy your ticket in advance.

During the festival, you can take part in talks, classes, workshops and concerts. Ticket prices usually include all food and drink. Without a doubt, this festival is a unique opportunity not only to taste gourmet dishes and signature drinks, but also to meet the renowned chefs and sommeliers who offer the tastings.

Interesting facts

• Date: around the second week of November.
• Location: Embarcadero Marina Park North, San Diego, CA 92101.
• Hours: usually from noon to dusk.
• Entry fee: from €180 per person.
• Remarks: There may be age limits to participate in some activities.

Legoland is a Lego theme park located about 50 km north of San Diego, in Carlsbad Ca. This Lego universe is perfect if you go to San Diego with kids in November, when the whole park adopts a Christmas decor.

This month, the park turns on the lights of a Christmas tree made entirely of Legos about 10 meters high. You can also see curious reindeer carts made of Legos, and elves, goblins, elves and even a Santa Lego interacting with the children. Without a doubt, visiting this park is one of the best things to do at Christmas in San Diego.

At Legoland, Christmas and New Year's celebrations are held from mid-November and continue into December in San Diego, with events and activities designed especially for children. These take place mainly on weekends, and consist of shows, live music, choral performances, musicals and even fireworks.

Interesting facts

• Date: from mid-November.
• Location: One Legoland Dr, Carlsbad, CA 92008.
• Hours: daily from 9.30am to 10pm.
• Entry fee: about €90 per person.
• How to get there: Legoland California can be reached by bus in about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

November's San Diego Jazz Festival is one of the city's oldest jazz festivals, dating back to 1980. It's a 2-4 day event that brings together leading musicians in traditional jazz, blues, swing blues, rockabilly and ragtime.

The festival takes place on Thanksgiving weekend, near the end of the month, and is usually held at the Town & Country Resort. It features large concerts with a dance floor, as well as smaller venue concerts, which offer a more attentive listening experience.

San Diego is a city with a long jazz tradition, where you can find concerts to attend year-round. If you are a fan of this style of music, don't hesitate to check the concert schedule on the city's websites, as you might hear your favourite jazz musicians or meet up-and-coming ones.

Another outstanding jazz festival in this city is the San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival, which takes place every year in June, and combines concerts with gastronomic delights. On the other hand, one of the best things to do at night in San Diego is to visit the city's jazz bars, which often feature live concerts.

Interesting facts

• Date: Last week of November.
• Location: 500 Hotel Cir N, San Diego, CA 92108.
• Ticket price: from €120 per person for a ticket package to all festival events.

From15 November, the city of San Diego starts displaying Christmas decorations, trees and lights, so it's the perfect time for you to take a night tour of the city's main attractions. It's definitely one of the best things to do in San Diego at night.

One of the most anticipated events is the lighting of The Old Globe Christmas tree in Balboa Park, which takes place in mid-November, usually in the evening. It's also traditional to catch a performance of The Old Globe's musical Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! which is usually performed around this time.

Although Christmas decorations are at their peak in December, you'll see plenty of festive lights and decorations on your evening tour of San Diego starting in November. Some of the must-see sites include Balboa Park, the Coronado Bridge and ferry port, the Little Italy and Gaslamp Quarter and the Star of India sailboat at the Maritime Museum.

And if your stay extends into December, don't miss the San Diego Botanic Park, which becomes a truly magical place when the more than 100,000 lights decorate the place.

From mid-November, although the weather is warm, the city's permanent and seasonal ice rinks become popular as winter approaches in San Diego in December. Some of these rinks are located outdoors and others in indoor arcades.

One of the most special places for ice skating is the Hotel del Coronado, where you have the possibility to ice skate by the sea. The hotel runs the rink from mid-November until the first week of January in the city.

If you prefer the more wintry atmosphere of an indoor rink, a good option is the UTC Ice Sports Centre ice rink, which is in the La Jolla shopping centre, about 20 km from downtown La Jolla. You can also go to a rink in downtown San Diego, the Kroc Center Ice Arena, which also offers hockey lessons.

Interesting facts

• Hotel del Coronado: 1500 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118.
• UTC Ice Sports Center: 4545 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92122.
• Kroc Center Ice Arena: 6845 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92115.
• Hours: from 10 am to 4 pm, but may vary depending on the rink chosen.
• Ticket price: from €20 per person for 2 hours, including skate rental.