By Margie Palmer | SDUN Reporter

On Dec. 3, residents throughout the county will once again return to Balboa Park to kick-off the holiday season.

This much-beloved tradition, entitled December Nights, is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors over the course of the two-day celebration.

“There are a few things I’m really excited about for this year,” said December Nights event manager Allison Ryne.

“We’re adding another stage, which is exciting because more people will get to perform within the park. The Cohn Restaurant Group will be bringing its new food truck that’s done by executive chef Deborah Scott of Indigo Grill, Kemo Sabe and Island Prime, and we’ll once again be lighting the Moreton Bay Fig Tree,” Ryne explained.

Ryne said that the tree, now 100 years old, is a staple within the childhood memories of countless San Diego natives.

“If you were a little kid in San Diego you climbed on that fig tree,” she said.  “When you went on a field trip you either ate on the grass underneath it or you climbed on it. But now that it’s older, it’s fenced off, so we’ve started a tradition of lighting it.”

The event, now in its 33rd year, has grown remarkably since its inception, said Ryne. And many residents say they look forward to sharing the tradition they remember from their childhood with the children they now have.

“I remember my parents bringing me there when I was a kid,” said Brock Watson, 30, who will be attending this year’s event with his two year-old son.  “I remember seeing Santa Claus, and I remember seeing the reindeer, and I remember enjoying that sense of family closeness.”

Watson hopes that as his son grows up, he too will have fond memories of attending the holiday festival.

“I hope to build family memories with him,” he said.  “I want this to be something he can look back on one day and think hey, I remember doing this with my pops.”

Local community activist Benny Cartwright also recalls attending the event as a child, and believes December Nights is among Uptown’s most beloved traditions

“I’ve always remembered going to Christmas on the Prado, as it used to be called when I was a kid,” Cartwright said, further indicating the change in name from Christmas on the Prado to December Nights. The city changed the name in 2001 to allow for greater inclusivity within the community.  “The thing I think I remember most is that they gave away cider out in front of the Museum of Man, and the reindeer — I loved the reindeer.”

In addition to helping families make memories, Ryne hopes that this year’s event will once again inspire that warm, fuzzy holiday feeling.

“The holidays really can’t start until after Thanksgiving, and I’m always sad seeing Christmas commercials on TV after Halloween,” she said.  “So I feel that December nights is that true kick-off to the holiday season, and when I walk away, at least, I think yep, OK, the holidays are here.”

December Nights will take place on Dec. 3 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Dec. 4 from noon-10 p.m.  A free shuttle service is available from Petco Park, the County Administration Building North Lot, and the City College Lots. The December Nights Shuttle runs from 4:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. on Dec. 3 and from noon until 11 p.m. on Dec. 4.  The last shuttle leaves all sites at 8:45 p.m. and the last shuttle from the park is at 10:45 p.m.  Participating Balboa Park Museums will have their doors open free to the public from 5 p.m. to 9

p.m. both nights.  For more information visit Balboapark.org.