There Will Be Real Snow in Del Mar on December 6, Four Blocks From the Pacific

Overview

North Pole by the Sea takes over Del Mar Village on Sunday, December 6, from 1 to 5 p.m., finishing with a tree lighting.

And the headline item is the one that will matter to any child under ten.

There will be real snow, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Snow. In Del Mar. Four blocks from the Pacific. The organisers describe it as "a free, family-friendly experience open to the public," and it is the single most reliable way to make a San Diego six-year-old's December.

The rest of the afternoon is spread across the village rather than penned into one site, which is the right way to do it — you walk from one thing to the next with the ocean at the end of the street.

The Afternoon, Hour by Hour

1 to 4 p.m.

• Snow — at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. Free and open to all
• A VW bus holiday photoshoot — on 15th Street, presented by Monarch Ocean Pub. (A Volkswagen bus as a Christmas backdrop is a very Del Mar idea and it will be the photo everyone takes)
• The Rad Hatter party hat kids' craft — also on 15th Street
• Kids' craft, a photo opportunity, holiday movies and music — at the Wisdom properties

1 to 5 p.m.

• Letters to Santa — on the ocean view deck at Del Mar Plaza, dropped into what the organisers call a "North Pole mail room"
• Carollers and characters roaming the village

4 p.m. onwards

• Hot chocolate and drinks — at the Jim Watkins Amphitheater at L'Auberge Del Mar. Adult drinks are available for sale

5 p.m.

• The holiday tree lighting — at the Jim Watkins Amphitheater at L'Auberge Del Mar

So the shape of it is: snow and crafts early, letters all afternoon, then everyone converges on L'Auberge for cocoa and the tree at five.

Writing letters to Santa on an ocean-view deck is a genuinely lovely piece of staging, and it's the detail that tells you somebody thought about this.

How to Go

• When: Sunday, December 6, 2026, 1–5 p.m. Tree lighting at 5 p.m.
• Where: throughout Del Mar Village — 15th Street, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Del Mar Plaza and the Jim Watkins Amphitheater at L'Auberge Del Mar
• Admission: not published; the snow is explicitly free — see below
• Organised by the Del Mar Village Association, 1442 Camino Del Mar, Suite 212, Del Mar, CA 92014 · (858) 735-3650

Good to Know

• Snow runs 1 to 4, so don't arrive at half four expecting it.
• It's a Sunday afternoon, not an evening event — the whole thing is done by five past five.
• Park once and walk. Everything is within a few blocks of Camino Del Mar.
• Letters to Santa runs the full four hours, so that's the flexible one.
• Be at L'Auberge by five for the tree. That's where the afternoon ends.
• Del Mar Village is small and parking is limited — go early rather than at two. (Parking isn't addressed by the organisers at all)
• Bring a jacket. It's a coastal village in December and the light goes early.
• The beach is at the bottom of the hill if anyone needs running around.

Why It's Worth It

San Diego's December problem is that it doesn't feel like December. Seventy degrees and sun is lovely and it is not Christmas.

Del Mar's answer is to truck in actual snow, put a mail room for Santa on a deck overlooking the Pacific, and finish with a tree lighting at an oceanfront hotel. It leans into the contradiction rather than pretending.

Four hours, one village, no ticket queue, and it's over in time for dinner. For families with small children it's one of the better December afternoons in the county.

One scheduling note: the Saturday before is extremely busy. The Fallbrook Christmas Parade, the Ocean Beach Holiday Parade and the Chula Vista Starlight Parade are all on Saturday, December 5. North Pole by the Sea is the Sunday — so you can do a parade on the Saturday and Del Mar on the Sunday without choosing.

For more things worth doing, browse our events calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is North Pole by the Sea? Sunday, December 6, 2026, from 1 to 5 p.m., with the tree lighting at 5 p.m. It's a single day, not a multi-weekend run.

Where is it? Across Del Mar Village — 15th Street, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Del Mar Plaza and the Jim Watkins Amphitheater at L'Auberge Del Mar.

Is there really snow? Yes. Real snow at St. Peter's Episcopal Church from 1 to 4 p.m., described by the organisers as free and open to the public.

How much does it cost? The organisers don't publish an admission price. The snow is explicitly free. Adult drinks at the amphitheater are sold.

Will Santa be there? The published programme includes "Letters to Santa" with a North Pole mail room, plus roaming carollers and holiday characters. The organisers don't state that Santa himself appears — we'd ask before promising a child.

What time is the tree lighting? 5 p.m., at the Jim Watkins Amphitheater at L'Auberge Del Mar.

Is there parking? The organisers don't address parking. Del Mar Village is compact with limited street and lot parking, so arrive early.

Who runs it? The Del Mar Village Association — (858) 735-3650.

Do I need tickets? No booking or ticketing is mentioned anywhere by the organisers.