Written by Taylor Fourier
One of San Diego’s biggest events for the holiday season occurred over the weekend, but not like normal. Due to the recent shift to purple tier, Balboa Park’s “December Nights” transformed into “Taste the December Nights,” a three-day, COVID-friendly, drive-thru event featuring over 20 food trucks offering popular, international dishes.
For more than 40 years, the San Diego community has welcomed in the holiday season by celebrating the annual December Nights at Balboa Park. Due to the current pandemic conditions, we are saddened that our beloved gift to the region cannot occur as we know it. Instead, the City of San Diego is offering a “Taste of December Nights.”
From December 4th to December 6th, visitors were able to pick up food between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. Staying inside their vehicles, of course. There was also a mask requirement and walk-ups were prohibited. Safety protocols were strictly enforced.
The traditional form of the multi-cultural celebration typically draws around 350,000 guests to the park over two days, featuring family-friendly activities accompanied by live-music and seasonal decorations.
December Nights was one of the many regional events reinvented due to the ongoing pandemic. Though some events converted to virtual versions, such as San Diego Pride and San Diego Comic-Con, others like the fourth of July Fireworks were canceled altogether.
Despite the beloved event being a fraction of what it usually is, the safe opportunity to enjoy a little taste of normalcy is something San Diego has been craving for a while.
Photo via SanDiego.gov
