Ve Neill's Vampire Weekend 2025 promises three days of spooky fun with special effects makeup workshops, horror film screenings, and guest appearances by industry professionals. Don't miss this immersive experience for horror enthusiasts.
In 11 days· Jun 12
From $18
Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Du…
The San Diego County Fair opens June 12th at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and the cheapest ticket starts at $18 — the going rate for the single most SoCal-summer thing you will do this year. Jimmy Durante Boulevard leads you in. The smell of funnel cake and sunscreen meets you before the parking lot ends.
Del Mar in June means a particular kind of heat that doesn't apologize — the kind that makes the lemonade taste better and turns a crowd of strangers into people all in it together. You walk past livestock barns and end up at a stage where someone is playing to three hundred people like it's their last show on earth. You eat something fried that has no business existing and don't regret a single thing. The Midway lights come up as the sun drops behind the grandstands and suddenly you're twelve again, which is the best thing the fair does — it gives everyone permission to stop being jaded for one afternoon. The concerts run every night. The rides don't care how old you are. The strawberry shortcake line moves slowly for a reason. Go on a weeknight for room to breathe. Go on a Saturday to feel the full weight of Southern California in summer. That's worth feeling at least once.
Jun 19 – Jun 21, 2026
Naval Base Coronado, Coronado, CA …
For the first time in history, NASCAR comes to San Diego — and the setting alone makes this unlike anything the sport has staged before. Naval Base Coronado hosts a three-day street circuit race weekend honoring the 250th anniversary of the United States Navy. Friday, June 19: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Saturday, June 20: NASCAR Xfinity Series. Sunday, June 21: NASCAR Cup Series — the main event. The track winds through one of the most recognizable military installations in the country, with the Pacific as the backdrop and the Coronado Bridge visible from the grandstands. San Diego's first-ever major motorsport event, and NASCAR's most anticipated race weekend of 2026.
Jun 19 – Jun 21, 2026
See Ticketmaster
Naval Air Station North Island, Co…
Naval Base Coronado becomes the most unlikely racetrack in NASCAR history on June 19–21, 2026 — and that is exactly the point. For the first time ever, an active United States military base will host a NASCAR race weekend, placing the Craftsman Truck Series, the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, and the crown jewel NASCAR Cup Series Anduril 250 against a backdrop of aircraft carriers, fighter jets, and the wide blue sprawl of San Diego Bay.
The Coronado Street Course features 16 turns carved through Naval Air Station North Island, offering sightlines no traditional oval can match. Turn 16 sits at the edge of the bay. The grandstands look over the flight deck toward downtown San Diego. This is not a race at an anonymous speedway — it is a race inside a working carrier air base during the peak of summer.
Getting here requires planning. All guests 18 and older must show a government-issued ID to access the federal installation. US citizens need a Real ID-compliant license; foreign nationals need a passport. Vehicles enter through designated checkpoints on Third Street in Coronado. Parking inside the base is limited — the official transportation plan recommends shuttles from the Coronado Ferry Landing and from off-site lots in downtown San Diego.
Sunday grandstands are already sold out. Friday and Saturday tickets remain available through Ticketmaster. General field access on Saturday is still open. If you are going, Friday's truck race is the insider move: shorter crowds, faster access, full speed on the street circuit. The Cup Series Sunday finale is the main event for casual fans, but the Truck Series is where the driving gets interesting.
This is a one-of-a-kind SoCal event. No road course in the country shares a runway with active military aircraft. The inaugural year is the one to catch.
Jul 1 – Jul 3, 2026
✨ New
$6
285 W Huntington Dr, Arcadia, CA 9…
The 626 Night Market returns to Santa Anita Park for the Fourth of July weekend under the SPARKLING LA theme — the right framing for an Asian-American cultural institution on a weekend that has historically centered a narrower version of American identity. Three days of the country's most diverse food market, live music, independent vendors, and the electricity that July 4th weekend creates when the crowd is actually vibrant. The 626 Night Market is twelve seasons in and has become a calendar institution for SoCal's Asian-American community and for anyone who has learned what a night market is supposed to feel like. Food coverage spans the full range: Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Filipino, Chinese regional, and every hybrid format the San Gabriel Valley has invented. The SPARKLING LA feature adds themed entertainment and activations across the weekend. Runs Friday July 1 through Sunday July 3. Gates open at 3 PM each day, close at 11 PM. General admission is six dollars. Parking at Santa Anita is free. This is the best version of a July 4th weekend in LA.
Anime Expo weekend doesn't end when the convention floor closes. Sonicboombox throws the biggest AX afterparty of the year on July 4 at Catch One — and you don't need an Anime Expo badge to get in.
Five rooms. Two floors. A massive outdoor patio. DJs spinning anime-adjacent music across hip-hop, trap, pop, EDM, and emo — Anime Nightclub 3, DJ Taylor Senpai, and a full lineup that treats anime soundtracks like the bangers they are. There's also a game room with Beyblades, a photobooth with printed photos, and the kind of crowd that has the right opinion about the Chainsaw Man opening.
Presented by Girltaku, Newtown HQ, and Kaiju Jukebox — organizers who have run Anime Expo adjacent events for years and know exactly what this crowd wants on a Saturday night in July.
Catch One is one of the best venues in Los Angeles: legendary sound system, multiple rooms, and enough space that it never feels like a sweaty anime convention overflow. It's more like the after-party that's actually better than the main event.
July 4 also happens to be Independence Day. The Anime Expo crowd treats this as its own national holiday — cosplay optional, enthusiasm mandatory. Doors open at 8:30 PM and the night runs until 2 AM. 21+ only. Rideshare recommended.
Located on West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles. This is the Anime Expo afterparty the community has been running to for years. If you're in LA for AX weekend, this is the Saturday night plan.
Jul 5, 2026
From $18
Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Du…
The final weekend of the San Diego County Fair at Del Mar. Last rides on the Ferris wheel, last funnel cake, last walk through the livestock hall you keep meaning to skip but never do. The last-weekend energy is different — it's the city saying goodbye to summer. Don't miss it.
Opening Weekend Saturday at Del Mar on July 18 carries a different energy from Opening Day — the crowds have sorted themselves from the spectacle-seekers into the more serious racing audience, and the Saturday card tends to be sharper. Del Mar's summer meet runs Wednesdays through Sundays from mid-July through Labor Day, and the Saturday cards consistently draw the meet's best fields. The Thoroughbred Club has attracted the West Coast's top horses since 1937, and a Saturday afternoon in mid-July under the San Diego sun with Grade-quality horses going five and a half furlongs on the turf course is as good as racing gets anywhere in North America. First post at 2pm. The grandstand has seating or you can stand along the rail for free and watch the horses warm up before the crowd fully assembles.
The Malibu Chili Cook-Off runs Labor Day Weekend September 4–7, 2026 at Malibu Bluffs Recreation Area with views of the Pacific Coast Highway and the Santa Monica Mountains. One of the oldest outdoor food events on the California coast, it combines competitive chili judging with carnival rides, artisan vendors, live music, and a community fair atmosphere that draws Malibu locals and visitors from across Los Angeles County.
Chili teams compete across multiple categories including traditional red, salsa, and specialty divisions. Celebrity chefs and local restaurants enter alongside neighborhood teams who have been perfecting their recipes for decades. Attendees vote in People's Choice categories throughout the weekend. Beyond the chili, the event features artisan food vendors, a craft beer and spirits garden, kids activities, and a full entertainment lineup across multiple stages.
Labor Day Weekend is reliably cooler in Malibu than inland LA — ocean breezes keep temperatures comfortable even when the Valley hits triple digits. Pacific Coast Highway can be congested during the event; arriving early or using the PCH bus route is recommended. Parking available in designated lots near the venue. A strong annual tradition for families and friend groups looking to close out the summer season on the coast.