Named to Bloomberg’s prestigious “Where to Go in 2025” list and ranked the No. 2 big U.S. city by Condé Nast Traveler, San Diego is very much the place to be in the new year. From elephant encounters to sports spectaculars, check out our guide to 25 new and notable things to see and do here in 2025!
The Safari Park’s elephants are getting brand-new stomping grounds with the late-2025 opening of Denny Sanford Elephant Valley — the world-renowned park’s biggest project since it opened more than 50 years ago. Elephant Valley promises to put visitors practically alongside the world’s largest land animal as the pachyderms roam the Safari Park’s savanna.
SeaWorld San Diego, has made a big splash of late with exciting new rides and other offerings, and now the world-renowned park is set for yet another opening: Jewels of the Sea, the Jellyfish Experience. The new aquarium, with a signature walk-through arch, 18-foot cylindrical display and giant viewing wall, promises to be interactive, immersive and about as close as you can get to the fascinating jellies without plunging in for a swim. SeaWorld is also re-envisioning its Journey to Atlantis ride for a reopening in 2025, with a re-envisioned storyline and other fresh elements.
The new year is stacking up to be a fun one at LEGOLAND California with the planned return of the popular World Parade this summer, plus ongoing adventures at the newly opened Dino Valley and other family-friendly features. And if you haven’t visited in a bit, take time to check out the park’s amazing re-creation of San Diego as part of Miniland USA, with detailed small-scale versions of such San Diego icons as Petco Park and the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.
San Diego has gained a stellar reputation as one of America’s top theater towns, birthing numerous Broadway-bound productions. And 2025 is shaping up to be another banner year for big shows: The Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park is staging five world premieres (including two musicals and three plays), while La Jolla Playhouse is producing the world-premiere musicals “Working Girl” (with music by ‘80s icon Cyndi Lauper) and “3 Summers of Lincoln” plus several other new works.
And speaking of theater: This summer brings the long-awaited official opening of the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center at ARTS Center Liberty Station in Point Loma. Affectionately known as The Joan in memory of Joan Jacobs, a beloved arts patron and philanthropist (alongside her husband, Irwin), the center will serve as a permanent home for Cygnet Theatre.
San Diego takes its arts acumen outside in 2025 with numerous awesome outdoor happenings. La Jolla Playhouse’s WOW (Without Walls) Festival returns to its home base of UCSD in April with 20-plus boundary-busting arts experiences. Annual art walks once again roam the streets and pathways of Little Italy, Liberty Station, Leucadia and Carlsbad. The Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival returns in May to enchant music lovers and light up the Embarcadero. And the San Diego Symphony’s stunning Rady Shell at Jacobs Park brings a full summer season of waterfront entertainment under the stars.
The San Diego Symphony once again has an indoor home to complement its hugely successful outdoor Rady Shell: the Jacobs Music Center, which has been beautifully restored as part of a four-year, $125 million renovation project. In 2025, the historic Downtown concert hall will host its first full year of performances since 2019.
The beautiful seaside Del Mar Racetrack is fast becoming the go-to home for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, a premier event in Thoroughbred racing. Following successful meets in 2021 and 2024, the Breeders’ Cup will once again land in Del Mar in 2025, bringing excitement and worldwide attention to the track where “the turf meets the surf.”
The long-awaited debut of San Diego’s first Major League Soccer team finally arrives in Spring 2025, as San Diego FC takes the pitch at Snapdragon Stadium. The club, partly owned by the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, becomes the 30th franchise to join MLS. San Diego FC joins another groundbreaking pro soccer franchise, the San Diego Wave, which will launch into its fourth season of great National Women’s Soccer League action.
And in more confirmation of San Diego’s rising profile as a soccer and sports epicenter, the Concacaf Gold Cup returns to Snapdragon Stadium in Summer 2025, with key matches among national teams in both men’s and women’s soccer. Plus, Snapdragon hosts the final round of the 2025 SheBelieves Cup in February, with the top-ranked U.S. Women’s National Team going up against Japan, while Australia takes on Colombia.
San Diego is also known as a paradise for runners, and the city that served as the birthplace for the now-international Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series will notch another milestone in September 2025, as the first U.S. location to host the World Athletics Road Running Championships. The best part is that everyday runners get to participate alongside world-class athletes in the event’s three races: the mile, 5K and half-marathon.
The 2025 holiday season will be another bustling one for San Diego sports. The Rady Children's Invitational (produced by Sports San Diego) will once again field four elite college basketball teams from around the country for rousing competition at LionTree Arena on the seaside campus of the University of California San Diego. And the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl returns to beautiful Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley, with a game that matches top college football teams and is part of a festive weekend that includes a parade in Downtown San Diego and much more.
San Diego’s vibrant food scene ranges from Michelin-starred restaurants to world-class neighborhood taco joints and everything in between. Among the great new dining options coming our way in 2025:
Combine San Diego’s great outdoors with the city’s culinary pizazz and you have the ideal recipe for awesome foodie festivals. Fall brings both the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival and the San Diego Food + Wine Festival, as well as San Diego Beer Week for fans of the region’s famous craft brews.
When it comes to amazing local food, it’s game on at San Diego’s sporting venues. You can find a range of great local bites and brews at the San Diego Padres’ Petco Park and at Snapdragon Stadium (home to the San Diego State Aztecs as well as San Diego FC and San Diego Wave soccer) -- and now at the new Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, whose food purveyors include Seaside Market and Gelati & Piccati.
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A San Diego icon, Belmont Park has been a vibrant part of the Mission Beach boardwalk since 1925, drawing visitors to its vintage Giant Dipper roller coaster, nostalgic beachside treats and perfect endless-summer vibe. And this year, Belmont marks its centennial with a series of special events throughout 2025, including a lifetime-pass giveaway.
San Diego is a collection of amazing neighborhoods, and their sense of place is enhanced by the treasured neighborhood signs that are a fixture in many of them. The newest one celebrates the Convoy District, renowned for the richness of its pan-Asian culture. It’s well worth a visit to the district to see the inventive Convoy sign and then immerse yourself in everything else the community has to offer, from amazing restaurants and shops to seasonal festivals.
Come summer and fall, San Diego will once again host a pair of major pop-culture events. First comes Comic-Con International: San Diego, the globally renowned celebration of comics, Hollywood and much (much!) more. Then, October brings TwitchCon, focused on the wide world of live-streaming and gaming. Both of these spectacular events unfold at the San Diego Convention Center.
The San Diego area’s latest great sports and music venue is now open in Oceanside: Frontwave Arena, which will host everything from concerts to soccer to special community events. It’s an inviting addition to the entertainment scene in San Diego’s North Coastal region.
If you’re visiting San Diego with kids, October totally rocks – and not just because the month is topped off with the sweet satisfactions of trick-or-treating. The month brings balmy weather, quiet beaches and the much-loved Kids Free San Diego program, which lets young visitors eat, play and stay for no charge when they visit many of San Diego’s amazing attractions, hotels, restaurants and more with their families.
The signature Victorian architecture of the Hotel del Coronado might be this grand hotel’s defining feature. And now the Del’s original, red-spire-topped central structure has been revitalized as part of a $160 million restoration project. All the more reason to visit this haunt of Hollywood stars on the sweeping sands of Coronado Beach.
One of the most distinctive sights in Balboa Park, San Diego's cultural heart, is the Botanical Building -- built in 1915 and recognized as one of the largest wood-lath structures in the world. Now, the graceful domed structure has reopened after a complete rebuild. Visitors can once again enjoy the Botanical Building’s hundreds of rare, tropical and indigenous plants, or soak in the views of the serene Lily Pond from this one-of-a-kind vantage point.
Exciting things are happening at San Diego International Airport, as the New T1 project brings a completely revamped terminal to the downtown-close airport, with 19 new gates set to open in 2025. A wealth of great new dining options for hungry travelers is also on the way, including such local favorites as Kettner Exchange, Puesto and Cutwater Restaurant & Bar.
San Diego is a big place, and one great way to embrace it is by taking the 59-mile Scenic Drive that loops its way through the city's charming neighborhoods and byways, offering views of everything from the stunning Pacific coastline to the sparkle of Downtown's skyline. The tour makes for the perfect sampler of the region’s beauty and diversity.
And of course, San Diego just wouldn't be San Diego without its amazing beaches, offering year-round surf, sun and fun. While there are always lots of new things to do and see in this ever-dynamic region, you can always count on our 70 miles of coastline — from its beaches to its boardwalks to its bays — to make a visit here one for the memory books.
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