{"id":117385,"date":"2026-01-02T14:10:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T14:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/117385\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T14:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T14:10:14","slug":"jan-2-4-flying-cars-fresh-starts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/117385\/","title":{"rendered":"Jan. 2-4 \u2013 Flying Cars & Fresh Starts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Heather Chirtea, the nation\u2019s first female flying car owner\/pilot, with fellow pilot Tim Lum. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego)<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve made it through the apocalyptic rain and now it\u2019s time to ease gently into 2026. This San Diego weekend, two of the city\u2019s biggest events are calling \u2013 stroll, spin and cheer on red-blooded American fun. Plus, don\u2019t miss Saturday night\u2019s first full moon of the year, the Wolf Moon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Are you a car fanatic or in the market for new wheels? The beloved San Diego International Auto Show<\/a> is firing on all cylinders at the San Diego Convention Center through Sunday. General admission is $18, but head out on Sunday for Family Day to snag free tickets for those 12 and under. Highlights: Pivotal Blackfly, billed as the first consumer-delivered \u2018flying car,\u2019 and the return of the indoor electric vehicle test track<\/a>, where you can take select models for a spin. Doors open daily at 10 a.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Vintage cars at this year\u2019s San Diego International Auto Show. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times of San Diego) <\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s Holiday Bowl is about more than just the game. Downtown festivities have been a San Diego tradition since the inaugural bowl in 1978, with a full slate of events leading up to kickoff:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

8 a.m. \u2013 Lace up for a healthy start to the festivities with the Port of San Diego Game Day 5K Run\/Walk<\/a> along the downtown waterfront, with same-day registration and bib pickup at 8 a.m. and the race gets underway at 9:45 a.m. near Harbor Drive and Ash Street, followed by a post-race party with music, snacks and prime parade viewing.\u00a0
\n10 a.m. \u2013 \u201cAmerica\u2019s largest balloon parade<\/a>\u201d marches rain or shine along Pacific Highway from the County Administration building to North Harbor Drive near Seaport Village. The action includes 25 giant balloons (think Macy\u2019s Thanksgiving parade), 11 bands, three floats and dozens of local San Diego groups. Viewing is free along the bayfront or via live stream on the CBS 8+ app.\u00a0
\n5 p.m. \u2013 The 46th annual Trust & Will Holiday Bowl<\/a> kicks off at Snapdragon Stadium, marking the first time the game has been played in January. The 17th-ranked Arizona Wildcats face the SMU Mustangs in a matchup televised on FOX. Gates open at 3 p.m., with the first 10,000 fans receiving one-day tickets to SeaWorld San Diego. The event also features a controversial halftime \u201cinheritance toss<\/a>,\u201d in which a contestant can win $10,000 by throwing a football into a festive casket. General admission starts at $50.<\/p>\n

Get ready for a totally tubular night when the San Diego Gulls<\/a> are back on home ice, facing the Coachella Valley Firebirds Friday at 7 p.m. at Pechanga Arena in the Midway District. It\u2019s 90\u2019s Night, with throwback vibes throughout the game and a Friday Night Concert series show featuring Cassie B\u2019s 90s Remix performing live after the game. Tickets start around $30 and the concert is included.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you missed the Polar Bear Plunge on New Year\u2019s Day, join Gut Check Fitness for its annual Panda Bear Plunge<\/a> \u2013 perhaps more apropos to San Diego \u2013 at Torrey Pines Gliderport from 9-10 a.m. Saturday. The session starts with a workout followed by a brisk group dip into the Pacific Ocean plus a photo for social media. A $20 drop-in fee applies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The annual King Tide Challenge<\/a> sets off at 12:30 p.m. Saturday from the north end of La Jolla Shores parking lot, with no formal check-in, but plenty of hellos, free sunscreen and lip balm from sponsors. The free, donation-based 11-mile beach walk in support of skin cancer research at Moores Cancer Center winds north through Black\u2019s Beach, Torrey Pines, Del Mar and Solana Beach, finishing in Cardiff-by-the-Sea at Tower 13, where all finishers receive a lei and donors are invited to an after-walk celebration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The San Diego Sockers<\/a> are taking on the Empire Strykers Saturday at 7 p.m. at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside. Future\u2019s so bright gotta wear shades \u2013 there will be a free Sockers sunglasses giveaway (while supplies last). Tickets from $15-$81.\u00a0<\/p>\n

El Cajon\u2019s VIP School of Music<\/a> mini tour makes its Music Box debut Sunday. Some of the school\u2019s most advanced students will take the stage with a crowd-pleasing set of covers ranging from Billy Joel to Alice in Chains, joined by local professional bands Dusk Drama and Celina Rescott and the Embers. Doors at the Little Italy venue open at 2 p.m. and the show starts at 3 p.m. Tickets are $16.52, including fees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking of entertainment, there is plenty to see and hear this weekend:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Comedian Brett Ernst, of Cobra Kai and \u201cVince Vaughn\u2019s Wild West Comedy Show\u201d fame, is headlining The Comedy Store La Jolla<\/a> Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. both nights. Tickets are $77, including fees.
\nFor a Super Bowl-style halftime show teaser, a Candlelight Tribute to Bad Bunny<\/a> lights up the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park at 7 p.m. Saturday.
\nBone Thugs-N-Harmony takes the stage at The Observatory<\/a> North Park Saturday at 7 p.m., with general admission tickets at $82.\u00a0
\nDuran Duran brings its hits to Viejas Arena<\/a> at San Diego State University at 8 p.m. Sunday, with remaining tickets available from $103.\u00a0<\/p>\n

READ NEXT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Heather Chirtea, the nation\u2019s first female flying car owner\/pilot, with fellow pilot Tim Lum. (Photo by Adrian Childress\/Times…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":117386,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[62401,62402,62403,62404,62405,48167,62406,62407,13097,74,32859,76,62408,75,62409],"class_list":["post-117385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-bone-thugs-n-harmony","tag-brett-ernst","tag-candlelight-tribute-to-bad-bunny","tag-duran-duran","tag-el-cajons-vip-school-of-music","tag-holiday-bowl","tag-king-tide-challenge","tag-panda-bear-plunge","tag-parade","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-gulls","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-international-auto-show","tag-san-diego-news","tag-san-diego-sockers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}