In Del Mar, the Racetrack Gets November and the Village Gets December
November 12, 2026
November 12, 2026
Fall racing at Del Mar ends on Sunday, Nov. 29, with a $300,000 Grade I race on the turf course. Seven days later, the Del Mar Village Association holds the event it calls the most significant of its year in downtown Del Mar. Five days after that, Coastal Christmas opens its light trail at the Fairgrounds. Through late December, Del Mar's big weekends move back and forth between the Fairgrounds on Jimmy Durante Boulevard and the blocks around 15th Street and Camino Del Mar. Knowing which place has which weekend makes the next seven weeks easy to plan.
The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's Bing Crosby Season opened Friday, Nov. 6. It is the 13th edition of the fall meet, which began in 2014, and it runs 13 racing days through Nov. 29. Racing is Friday through Sunday, plus Thanksgiving Day. First post is 12:30 p.m. on regular days. Friday cards usually have eight races and weekend cards have nine.
Ten racing days are left as of this week. The Saturdays carry most of the extras:
| Date | At the track | Also on the calendar |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Racing, 12:30 p.m. | Susan G. Komen 3-Day starts in Del Mar |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Uncorked: Derby Days Wine Fest, 1 to 4 p.m. | |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Racing, 12:30 p.m. | |
| Fri.–Sun., Nov. 20–22 | Taco & Beer Fest Sat.; Toys for Tots Drive and Ride Sun. | Purdy Tree Farms lot opens Nov. 20 |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving card, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Family Mile Fun Run, 8 a.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Hollywood Derby; Fall Handicapping Challenge | |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Matriarch Stakes, closing day |
Standard admission costs $8 and covers a lot of afternoons. Grandstand and box seats are listed at $9 to $16, and trackside dining tables at $70 to $187. The track is also running Free & Fun Sundays this meet, with free admission and seating plus discounted food and drinks, and free handicapping seminars at noon every Saturday and Sunday.
The two Saturday festivals cost different amounts. Uncorked: Derby Days on Nov. 14 is $84 general admission or $100 for early admission, and both include racetrack admission. Food is sold separately. The Taco & Beer Festival on Nov. 21 runs noon to 4 p.m., and the tasting wristband is $17.50 with food extra.
Thanksgiving starts and ends early at the track. The card begins at 11 a.m. and finishes at 2 p.m., which the club says gives people time to get home for dinner. It includes the Grade III, $120,000 Red Carpet Stakes on the turf. Before that, the Family Mile Fun Run puts families on the one-mile oval. Registration opens at 7 a.m. and the run starts at 8. Entry is $24 for ages 16 and up, $16 for ages 4 to 15, and free for ages 3 and under. Proceeds go to the Helen Woodward Animal Center.
The season builds toward closing weekend. Del Mar has scheduled 15 stakes races worth $2.1 million in total this fall, nine of them on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course. The two biggest, both $300,000 Grade I turf races, are scheduled for closing weekend, with the Hollywood Derby on Nov. 28 and the Matriarch on Nov. 29.
On the first race Friday after this post goes up, downtown has its own morning event. The Susan G. Komen 3-Day starts in Del Mar on Friday, Nov. 13. From 8 to 9:30 a.m., the Del Mar Village Association runs its annual cheering station downtown for more than 2,000 walkers heading south to San Diego. Torrey Pines High School cheerleaders, the Del Mar Lifeguards and local business owners line the streets with pink balloons and ribbons. Details are on the DMVA events page. The Fairgrounds also lists the Komen 3-Day on its Nov. 13 calendar, the same day as an afternoon race card.
Two everyday fixtures run straight through the season. The Del Mar Certified Farmers' Market is open Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m., year-round, on the lower outdoor lot at the Civic Center, 1050 Camino Del Mar. Parking in the garage is free. The state's certified-market list, dated Oct. 1, 2026, shows the same day, hours and address.
The other fixture is a seasonal stop at the Fairgrounds. Purdy Tree Farms opens its lot in the Fairgrounds Main Parking Lot on Nov. 20 and stays through Dec. 15. That covers the last two race weekends, the Village's December day and the first Coastal Christmas weekend. The Fairgrounds listing gives hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Purdy sells Douglas, Noble and Nordmann firs from tabletop size to over 20 feet, along with wreaths, garlands and stands. At Del Mar it also offers flocking, fireproofing, loading and delivery.
The Village's main event falls on the first Sunday after racing ends. Winter Taste & Sip runs from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6. The Del Mar Village Association calls it its most significant downtown event of the year, with more than 15 food tastes from local restaurants, more than 20 pours from regional wineries and breweries, live music, and photos with Santa at Del Mar Plaza. It draws more than 2,000 guests. Tickets are sold through Eventbrite starting at $49.87. Check-in is on 15th Street just west of Camino Del Mar, and you'll need your ticket and a photo ID.
The 2026 restaurant lineup includes:
Falkner Winery, Maurice Car'rie Winery and Duckhorn Vineyards are among the beverage partners.
Households with young children have a free option the same day. North Pole by the Sea runs from 1 to 5 p.m. with a holiday VW bus photo stop and a kids' craft on 15th Street, snow at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Letters to Santa at Del Mar Plaza, and carolers around the Village. Both events end at the Jim Watkins Amphitheater at L'Auberge Del Mar. Hot chocolate and drinks start at 4 p.m., and the downtown tree is lit at 5. Santa and the Grinch are scheduled to appear.
The date keeps the Village's biggest afternoon clear of racing. The meet ends a week earlier, and Coastal Christmas doesn't open until the following Friday.
From Dec. 11, the Fairgrounds is busy again, this time after dark. Coastal Christmas returns to 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. It also ran in 2024 and 2025. Its 2026 announcement calls it an annual event. It isn't open every night. The Fairgrounds calendar lists Dec. 11 to 13, Dec. 17 to 23, and Dec. 26. Gates open at 4 p.m. and close at 9, and the Holiday Light Trail opens around dusk, about 5:30.
General admission on the Fever ticket page is $27 for ages 13 and up and $22 for ages 4 to 12, before fees. Children 3 and under get in free. General admission covers the light trail, photos with Santa and live entertainment. Glice synthetic-ice skating, Frosty's Fun Zone and food are extra, and the Holiday Wine Walk is a separate ticket with eight tastings. Most of the themed nights fall in the week before Christmas:
Concerts at the Sound also continue at the Fairgrounds. The String Cheese Incident plays Dec. 11 to 13, the same opening weekend as Coastal Christmas. Young the Giant plays Dec. 8 and Cannons Dec. 9.
The rest of the season runs through Camino Del Mar. Honor Bar, from Hillstone Restaurant Group, opened in August at 1404 Camino Del Mar in the former Bully's North space, according to Eater San Diego. At Del Mar Plaza, landlord Brixton Capital has signed La La Land Café for its first San Diego location. The café leased 1,168 square feet on the southwest corner of the mezzanine terrace at 1555 Camino Del Mar, in the former Pacifica Breeze Café space, according to the Plaza's announcement.
After Dec. 26, the next big Fairgrounds date comes in early 2027. Cirque du Soleil's LUZIA is scheduled under the Big Top at the Del Mar Fairgrounds from Feb. 3 to March 7, 2027, according to Cirque's tour schedule. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that it will be Cirque's first San Diego run in eight years, in a 2,600-seat tent.
For more on the town between events, my Del Mar neighborhood guide covers the Village, the beaches and the streets around them. Readers comparing nearby towns may also like how Encinitas starts its first December weekend.
If you're thinking about how a season like this one, which moves between the Fairgrounds and the Village, fits into your plans for a home in Del Mar, I'm glad to talk it through over coffee in the Village. Chad Basinger | Let's Connect.
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