At 5 a.m. on Saturday, December 12, Garnet Avenue closes between Mission Boulevard and Ingraham Street. It stays closed until 4 p.m. During those eleven hours, a field of runners in Santa suits runs a 5K down the street. Kids and dogs follow with their own mile races. Then the 46th annual Pacific Beach Holiday Parade starts at 1 p.m. on the same pavement. Once the street reopens, the action moves to the bay. The Mission Bay Boat Parade of Lights is listed for 5:30 p.m. SeaWorld's fireworks open it.
The morning race raises support for the afternoon parade. Meanwhile, the rest of PB's holiday calendar has thinned out, so this Saturday now carries most of the neighborhood's season. If you live here, it helps to plan your December 12 the way you'd plan a holiday dinner, by working backward from the times you can't change.
The Morning Race Backs the Afternoon Parade
On paper, the San Diego Santa Run is a fun run. The organizers list it as the 14th annual edition, say more than 45,000 Santas have taken part over the years, and note that USA Today readers voted it Best Fun Run for four straight years. The race's FAQ says the event benefits the Pacific Beach Holiday Parade:
"The parade does not happen without the generous support of local businesses and residents. Now with San Diego Santa Run, we'll be helping to ensure this Pacific Beach staple will continue for future generations."
Local businesses and residents still back the parade. The race adds a second source of support, and it shares the parade's day and its stretch of Garnet. The Santa Run's start and finish line is at 912 Garnet Ave., next to the Bank of America, and the race page lists the PB Holiday Parade at 1 p.m. on its own schedule.
Registration runs $54.99 for the 5K and $39.99 each for the Kids 1 Mile and the Dog 1 Mile, with fees included in those prices. Runners who are 21 or older get a drink ticket on their bib. It can be used at Mavericks Beach Club, Tavern on the Beach, 710 Beach Club or Bar Ella, so the post-race crowd spreads across several Garnet-area bars instead of just one.
December 12, Hour by Hour
Each event's timing depends on the one before it. The race page asks 5K participants to keep a 20-minute-per-mile pace so the later events stay on schedule. Here's the day as currently listed:
- 5 a.m.: Garnet Avenue closes from Mission Blvd to Ingraham St.
- 8 a.m.: First Santa Run 5K wave.
- 10 a.m.: Second Santa Run 5K wave.
- 11:30 a.m.: Kids 1 Mile, for runners 12 and under, starting and finishing at 912 Garnet.
- Noon: Dog 1 Mile, same start and finish.
- 1 p.m.: The 46th annual Pacific Beach Holiday Parade steps off on Garnet, running from Haines Street to Bayard Street. Discover PB lists it from 1 to 3 p.m.
- 4 p.m.: Garnet's closure window ends.
- 5:30 p.m.: The Mission Bay Boat Parade of Lights begins. The San Diego Tourism Authority lists it from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. as a free event.
Which Blocks Close, and When
Garnet is the obvious closure. The side streets matter more if you park on one, live on one, or have guests coming. The Santa Run posts separate windows for no-parking rules and for full street closures, and some side streets reopen at noon while others stay closed until 4 p.m.
| Street segment | No parking | Street closed |
|---|---|---|
| Garnet Ave, Mission Blvd to Ingraham St | 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Cass St, alley south of Garnet to Turquoise St | 5 a.m. to noon | 8 a.m. to noon |
| Bayard St, Hornblend St to Felspar St | 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Hornblend to alley north of Garnet, 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Felspar St, Gresham St to Ingraham St | 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Haines St, Felspar St to alley south of Garnet | 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Listed on the race's road-closure page |
Pay attention to the Cass Street row. Its no-parking window begins at 5 a.m., three hours before the street itself closes at 8 a.m. If you park on that block of Cass on Friday night, plan to move your car before dawn. The Santa Run page also links a map of paid lots near the start line for out-of-town guests. Check the race's road-closure tab again the week of the event in case anything changes.
Why This Saturday Carries the Season
The parade itself has changed a little from last year. In 2025, Discover PB ran the 45th annual parade on Saturday, December 13, on the same Haines-to-Bayard route at 1 p.m., under the theme "Candy Coated Holiday." This year it's one calendar day earlier, and the theme is "Holiday Magic."
The bigger change is what's missing around it. Discover PB's October 30 Zombie Crawl and Trick or Treat, which appeared in the organization's January events lineup, is now marked canceled on its event page. PB's last holiday market was on Saturday, December 6, 2025. Discover PB's 2026 events lineup doesn't list a market for this year. For December it lists two events, Christmas on Crystal Pier and the parade.
So the business-district holiday calendar has shrunk to two dates a week apart, and the second one stacks three events into a single day. If you've treated the parade as a nice side trip in past years, this year it's most of what the neighborhood calendar offers.
The Warm-Up on Crystal Pier, One Week Earlier
The first of those two dates is Saturday, December 5, at Crystal Pier, 4500 Ocean Blvd. Discover PB's listing for Christmas on Crystal Pier includes photos with Santa and a tree lighting. According to the 2026 lineup, Santa photos run from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and the tree lighting is at 4:45 p.m. The event page describes the window as "2pm to Sunset," so if you're bringing kids for photos, the lineup's 4:30 cutoff is the safer time to plan around.
This event is smaller and more contained than the Dec. 12 events: one afternoon, one pier, with no road-closure table. It suits neighbors who want a holiday photo without spending a whole Saturday working around closed streets.
After Dark, the Action Moves to the Bay
Garnet reopens at 4 p.m., and 90 minutes later the bay side of Pacific Beach gets busy. Mission Bay Yacht Club lists the Boat Parade of Lights for Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. Discover Mission Bay notes that the yacht club has organized and hosted the parade for decades. It also says the evening opens with SeaWorld's fireworks, followed by decorated boats viewed from designated spectator areas along the route.
For PB residents, the route is what matters. Last year, Times of San Diego reported that the parade started near Crown Point and ended near De Anza Cove, which is the stretch of water along PB's bay side. That was the 2025 route, so check the yacht club's listing for this year's details before you pick a spot.
If you'd rather watch from somewhere with food, waterfront venues have hosted viewing parties before. In 2025, KPBS listed a parade-night event at The Dana on Mission Bay, running 4 to 6:30 p.m., with holiday characters and food and drink specials. The Dana advised guests to reserve on-site parking in advance. Treat that as an example of last year's options, not a 2026 listing.
Where to Eat Inside the Closed Stretch
The closed blocks include some of PB's newer spots. Taconora, a Sonora-style taqueria at 956 Garnet Ave., held its grand opening this past March, according to Times of San Diego. It's a short walk from the 912 Garnet start line. Farther east, Rush Bowls at 1418 Garnet Ave. opened in April as the Colorado chain's first California location, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. If you're timing a family day, the gap between the noon dog mile and the 1 p.m. parade is the natural lunch window. Then you have from 3 p.m. until the boats at 5:30 to get from Garnet over to the bay.
If December 12 is the day your out-of-town family sees PB, I'm glad to help plan it, from which streets to avoid at 7 a.m. to where to stand once the boats come around. And if that visit gets you thinking about your own place here, whether that means buying, selling or renovating, Ben Smith and Horizon Real Estate Group are a phone call away. Start Your Home Journey and book a free consultation.
