Ocean Beach Has a Self-Guided Halloween Decorating Map Up Through Saturday — Then Comes December

Overview

The Ocean Beach Community Foundation runs the neighborhood's calendar, and there's something live right now that's easy to miss.

A Halloween Decorating Map, covering houses throughout Ocean Beach, is up through Saturday, October 31.

It's a self-guided tour of the neighborhood's own decorated houses — the kind of thing that's genuinely better than a ticketed attraction and costs nothing. You have four days left on it, including Halloween itself.

Then Ocean Beach does December properly, and it's worth planning for.

Here's the date to put in your calendar now.

The OB Holiday Parade comes down Newport Avenue on Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 9 p.m.

Newport Avenue at night, closed to traffic, with the whole neighborhood out. Ocean Beach does this better than places with more money, and five to nine is a proper evening rather than a token hour.

What's On in December

• Holiday Tree — December 1 through January 1, at Veterans Plaza Park. Up for a full month
• The OB Holiday Parade — Saturday, December 5, 5–9 p.m., on Newport Avenue
• Holiday Auction — Thursday, December 10, 6–9 p.m., at The Harp, 4935 Newport Ave
• Food & Toy Drive — December 13 through 19, at Point Loma Masonic Lodge #620, 1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd
• The Santa Experience — December, dates to be announced, at Veterans Plaza Park
• Peninsula Singers Holiday Concert — December, date to be announced, at All Souls Church, 1475 Catalina Blvd

Two of those are still TBA, so check back if the Santa Experience or the concert is what you're after.

The Food & Toy Drive runs a full week, December 13–19, which makes it the easiest one to actually contribute to — you don't have to make a single date work.

If You'd Rather Help Than Attend

This is the part of the OBCF calendar nobody writes about, and it runs all year.

Every month, on a recurring schedule:

• Community Clean-Up Series — the last Saturday of every month, 9–11 a.m., at Saratoga Park
• Homeless Services Table — the last Saturday of every month, 8:30–10 a.m., at the OB Lifeguard Station parking lot
• Point in Time Count — the last Sunday of every month, 7–10 a.m., at the Pizza Port parking lot

Two hours on a Saturday morning, same time every month, no sign-up process published. If you've ever thought about doing something for the neighborhood and not known where to start, that's the answer.

Their committees also meet publicly — engagement, events, finance, advocacy, improvement, and a homelessness taskforce — most on Zoom or Google Meet, monthly. Anyone can go.

How to Go

• Halloween Decorating Map — throughout Ocean Beach, through Saturday, October 31
• Holiday Tree — Veterans Plaza Park, December 1 – January 1
• Holiday Parade — Newport Avenue, Saturday, December 5, 5–9 p.m.
• Holiday Auction — The Harp, 4935 Newport Ave, Thursday, December 10, 6–9 p.m.
• Food & Toy Drive — Point Loma Masonic Lodge #620, 1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, December 13–19
• Santa Experience and Peninsula Singers Concert — December, dates TBA
• OBCF notes: "Dates are subject to change based on venue availability."

Good to Know

• The decorating map ends Saturday. Go this week.
• December 5 is the big one. Newport Avenue, 5 to 9 p.m.
• The tree is up for a month, December 1 to January 1, so there's no rush on that one.
• The toy drive runs a full week — the most forgiving date on the list.
• Two events are still TBA. Check back for Santa and the concert.
• Admission isn't published for any of these — see the note below.
• Make it a meal. Hodad's is on Newport Avenue, right on the parade route.

Why It's Worth It

Ocean Beach is the last San Diego neighborhood that still feels like it belongs to the people who live in it, and its holiday calendar is the proof.

A map of decorated houses that neighbors put together. A parade that runs four hours on a Saturday night. A tree in a park named for veterans. A toy drive in a Masonic lodge. A clean-up every month at nine in the morning.

None of it is slick and all of it is real. Drive the Halloween map this week, then put December 5 in your phone.

For more things worth doing, browse our events calendar.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's happening in Ocean Beach right now? A self-guided Halloween Decorating Map covering houses throughout Ocean Beach, up through Saturday, October 31.

When is the Ocean Beach Holiday Parade? Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m. on Newport Avenue.

When does the holiday tree go up? December 1, at Veterans Plaza Park, and it stays until January 1.

When is the OB Food & Toy Drive? December 13 through 19, at Point Loma Masonic Lodge #620, 1711 Sunset Cliffs Blvd.

Is there a Santa event? Yes, at Veterans Plaza Park, but the dates are listed as to be announced.

How much do these events cost? The Ocean Beach Community Foundation doesn't publish admission prices for any of its events. Neighborhood parades and tree displays are typically free, but we'd confirm before planning around it.

How can I volunteer in Ocean Beach? Three recurring opportunities: a community clean-up the last Saturday of each month, 9–11 a.m. at Saratoga Park; a homeless services table the last Saturday, 8:30–10 a.m. at the OB Lifeguard Station lot; and a Point in Time count the last Sunday, 7–10 a.m. at the Pizza Port lot.

Can I attend OBCF meetings? Yes — their committees meet monthly and publicly, most of them online.