On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, the Holiday Street Fair takes over South Coast Highway 101 in downtown Encinitas. Last year the road closed between D Street and J Street at 3 a.m. so crews could set up for more than 450 vendors, a beer garden and three stages: the Beer Garden Stage, The Lumberyard Courtyard Stage and The Hansen's Community Stage. It reopened at 5 p.m.
Four days later, runners have the same pavement. Nine days after that, floats roll down it. Between Nov. 22 and Dec. 5, downtown Encinitas gives its main street over to the Holiday Street Fair, the Turkey Trot and the Holiday Parade. If you live in Encinitas, your holiday plans have to work around those three events.
The Highway's Calendar, Date by Date
Here is how the rest of November and the first week of December look on and around the 101.
| Date | Event | What it does to the 101 |
|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Holiday Street Fair, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Set along the downtown 101. In 2025, the closure ran from D St. to J St., 3 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Encinitas Turkey Trot | All northbound and southbound lanes closed from Encinitas Boulevard to Chesterfield |
| Sun., Nov. 29 to Sun., Dec. 6 | Deck the Windows: Downtown Encinitas Holiday Art Week | A downtown storefront event with no closure listed |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | City of Encinitas Holiday Parade, 5:30 p.m. | Parade route from D St. to J St. In 2025, the highway closed at 4 p.m. |
The Turkey Trot closure is the biggest of the three. The street fair and the parade both stay between D and J. The Encinitas Turkey Trot closes every lane from Encinitas Boulevard south to Chesterfield, which takes in all of downtown and continues toward Cardiff. In 2024, The Coast News reported that the highway was closed from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m. on race day. If you're driving to Thanksgiving dinner through Cardiff and downtown, that morning window is the one to plan around.
Why This Year's Parade Theme Carries a Number
The City's parade theme for 2026 is "40 and Still Fabulous." The parade page says the theme reflects "on our history and looking forward to our future." The parade itself is much older than 40. The City called last year's event its 68th annual parade, and the 2025 theme was "Peace by the Pacific."
The 40 lines up with the city's age. Encinitas incorporated in 1986. The Coast News marked the anniversary in September with a story on how incorporation brought together five communities: Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Leucadia, Historic Downtown Encinitas, New Encinitas and Olivenhain. Carolyn Cope, president of the Encinitas Historical Society, told the paper that residents "did not want to surrender their individual identities," and that is "why we still have the welcome signs in each area."
The same Coast News story says Historic Downtown grew up around the railroad and once had a major lumberyard with its own rail spur. The city's formal birthday party was held Saturday, Oct. 3, at Moonlight Beach and Pacific View Arts Center. The program included a sandcastle exhibition, an exhibit at the 1883 Schoolhouse, chalk art, a BETAMAXX concert and an outdoor showing of "Back to the Future." The parade on Dec. 5 is the anniversary year's next big public event on the 101 itself.
Planning Each Closure
Each event draws on the same small set of downtown parking lots, so the closures are easier to handle once you know which lots each organizer points people to.
Sunday, Nov. 22: Holiday Street Fair
The Encinitas 101 MainStreet Association lists four parking options: City Hall, the Moonlight Beach lot, and the two Coaster Station lots on Vulcan Avenue at D Street and E Street. The fair runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but the 2026 music schedule has some sets going until 5 p.m. Last year the beer garden stayed open until 5 p.m. as well. In practice, the afternoon will likely run past the posted closing time. This is the 42nd year of the fair, since the Union-Tribune covered last year's as the 41st.
Thursday, Nov. 26: Turkey Trot
The race organizer suggests parking at the Encinitas Library, City Hall, the Coaster Station or Moonlight Beach, or on 2nd and 3rd Streets. If you plan to take the train to meet family elsewhere that day, NCTD's Thanksgiving 2026 schedule has five COASTER round trips. BREEZE and FLEX buses run Sunday schedules, and NCTD+ is off for the holiday.
Saturday, Dec. 5: Holiday Parade
The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. and travels the D-to-J route. Last year the City set up free parking at San Dieguito Academy, at Nardo Road and Melba Road, and at Ecke Sports Park and the YMCA on Saxony Road. Free shuttles left from both sites starting at 4 p.m., ran about every 20 minutes, and made their last downtown pickup at 8:30 p.m. at the NCTD bus station on Vulcan Avenue. ADA-accessible shuttles left from San Dieguito Academy. That was the 2025 plan. Check the City's parade page before you go to see whether this year's setup matches.
Holiday Events Off the 101
Encinitas also has holiday events that don't use the highway at all. Two are in Cardiff and one is inland, so they're good options on the days downtown is closed.
- Lightscape at San Diego Botanic Garden. Lightscape's fifth season runs Nov. 20 through Jan. 3. New installations this year include Airquarium, Haze Arches, Moon and Stars, Spark Ballet and Flock, along with returning features. The event is at 300 Quail Gardens Drive, off Ecke Ranch Road. The garden charges $15 per vehicle for parking bought in advance and $20 on-site if spaces are left. Parking entrances are at 230 and 300 Quail Gardens Drive. If you want to go on a holiday night, check the ticket calendar for that specific date.
- Kringle Mingle in Cardiff. On Sunday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Aberdeen Drive hosts a free market with makers' stalls, live music, children's crafts, holiday treats, coffee and hot chocolate. It falls the morning after the parade and on the last day of Deck the Windows, so you could fill that weekend without going near the downtown closures.
- Cardiff 101 Holiday Passport. The Holiday Passport promotion runs from Nov. 28 through Jan. 31, 2027. You can pick up a passport at the Cardiff Farmers Market, Kringle Mingle, California Coast Credit Union's Encinitas branch or the San Diego County Library's Cardiff Branch.
In Leucadia, the City began work on the La Costa Avenue Pedestrian Pathway on Oct. 26, and construction is scheduled through spring 2027. The project will add about a half-mile of path on the south side of La Costa Avenue between I-5 and Vulcan, plus a buffered bike lane and 15 ADA curb ramps. The City expects no road closure, but weekday noise and temporary traffic effects are likely. If you head north toward Batiquitos Lagoon over the holidays, plan for some weekday delays on that stretch.
The Weekend That Ties It Together
The busiest stretch is Dec. 5 and 6. Saturday night brings the parade down the D-to-J blocks, during the last weekend of Deck the Windows in downtown storefronts. On Sunday morning, Kringle Mingle fills Aberdeen Drive in Cardiff, and Lightscape is open in the evening at Quail Gardens Drive. That weekend, downtown, Cardiff and Quail Gardens Drive each host a holiday event on a different street.
If any of these events shape where you'd like to live, or if you're working out how the downtown closures would affect getting to and from a particular street, Chad and Yo at Pagni Real Estate can walk you through it block by block. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll help you find a home that suits the way you spend the holidays here.
