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December Nights in Balboa Park is a quintessential holiday event in San Diego. The largest free community festival in the county, December Nights is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors over two days.

Scheduled for Friday, December 7, 5:00-10:00 pm, and Saturday, December 8, noon-10:00pm, this marks the 30th consecutive year for the festival, if you include the good old days when it was called "Christmas on the Prado." The event spans almost the entire park and is spread out over 2 nights for a reason - there's so much to do and there is truly something for everyone.

For the cultured, participating Balboa Park museums open their doors to the public free of charge from 5:00 to 9:00pm both Friday and Saturday. Don't miss checking out local artisan's wares at the Spanish village behind the San Diego Natural History Museum.

For the religious, traditional hymns are performed at the Speckles' Organ Pavilion, and scenes depicting the Biblical Christmas Story, as told in the New Testament, are housed in life-sized dioramas left of the stage.

For the traveler, the international houses west of the Organ are all open to visitors and will feature authentic music, crafts, dance, and other holiday traditions from more than 30 countries. Helpful volunteers are more than willing to share knowledge of their ancestry.

For the musical, strolling carolers meander through the event just incase you get out of earshot of the many performance stages. The Scottish Bagpipers in the International Cottages are a must see. Just keep an ear out for them and follow the haunting melodies.

For the carne, carnival rides are up and running in the Palisades Midway, the area between the Automotive Museum and the Hall of Champions.

For the hungry, seasonal and fair food is literally everywhere! Hotspots are just across the bridge from the Museum of Man, along the Prado, between the fountains, the International Cottages, and the Taste of December Nights setup in front of the San Diego Museum of Art.

For the alcoholic, there are now two places for you to go; the new Beer and Wine Garden in the Museum of Art Sculpture Garden and my favorite place: The International Spirits Garden. At The International Spirits Garden you can circumnavigate the globe through the miracle of booze - literally getting a taste of a dozen countries each with a unique and proud heritage.

International Spirits in the beer garden
Austria Cocoa with rum
Danish Gløgg, Danish Carlsberg beer, akvavit, schnapps
Finland Finlandia vodka, hot spiced wine, Gloggi, Cloudberry & Salmiakki shots
Hungary Hot spiced wine
Ireland Irish coffee, Irish whiskey, Guinness, Harp
Lebanon Arak, wine, beer
Mexico Coffee and tequila shots
Peru Pisco Sour
Scotch Whiskey and Scottish beer
Swedish Glögg
Turkish Beer, hot wine and traditional Liquor Raki
Ukraine Kozak coffee, Ukrainian vodka and Ukrainian beer

Insider tips for those in the know:
- Bring cash, many items range from $3-6, and most venders don't take plastic
- Parking is impossible. You're fighting 100,000 other San Diegans for roughly 5,500 spots - and valet will be closed. Get there early or get creative. The trolley has a free shuttle from the City College stop, and free parking shuttles run throughout the park.
- It's crowded - calm down and enjoy your self.