December Nights — Balboa Park’s two-day festival of lights, music, theatrical entertainment, food and free admission to participating museums — is back this year to kickoff the holiday season. San Diego’s largest free community festival will take place Friday, Dec. 3 from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 4 from noon to 10 p.m. Participating museums will open their doors free of charge from 5 to 9 p.m. on both evenings. Some new features at the festival this year include Cohn Restaurant Group’s Chop Soo-ey food truck, the first annual Winter Coat Drive hosted by San Diego Padres pitcher Chris Young, and a free iPhone application that allows visitors to easily navigate their way through the 1,200-acre park. TRANSPORTATION: Free shuttle service is available from Petco Park, the County Administration Building north lot and City College lots. The shuttle will run from 4:30 to 11 p.m. on Friday and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday. The last shuttle leaves all sites at 8:45 p.m. and the last shuttle from the park leaves at 10:45 p.m. FOOD: Cohn Restaurant Group owner David Cohn is teaming up with executive chef and partner Deborah Scott to introduce Chop Soo-ey, a gourmet food truck showcasing Scott’s Asian fusion barbecue cuisine. Inside the colorful truck designed with a cleaver-wielding samurai pig, Scott will be serving savory dishes including lime soy glazed carne asada tacos, BBQ pork wings, and curly tail fries with blue cheese and crispy pork belly. • Also new, Cohn Restaurant Group and The Prado at Balboa Park have teamed up to operate the 2010 December Nights Holiday Spirit Lounge, located at The Prado in Balboa Park’s House of Hospitality. In addition to mouth-watering appetizers, the Spirit Lounge will offer an array of seasonal cocktails including, The Prado’s famous sangria, “grown-up” hot chocolate and Karl Strauss beer. • For a taste of something different, the House of Pacific International Relations will feature food and spirits from around the world at the International Cottages. Visitors are able to try unpronounceable dishes such as Ukrainian varenyky, Dutch aebleskiver and Indian palak paneer, to name a few. Beer, wine and specialty cocktails will also be served in the nearby beer garden. KIDS ACTIVITIES: Children’s activities are featured all around the park, including Reuben H. Fleet’s interactive “Kid City,” popcorn and a photo opportunity with The Grinch at The Old Globe, and the annual LEGO train exhibit at the Model Railroad Museum. A three-minute holiday ride on Santa’s Express Miniature Railroad and Skyfari aerial tram ride gives everyone in the family a chance to rest their tired feet while enjoying views of Balboa Park and downtown. Santa’s Railroad and the Skyfari tram are located near the San Diego Zoo exit. The cost is $2 for a ride on Santa’s Railroad and $4 for the Skyfari tram. HOLIDAY LIGHTS: The light display that covers the center of the Plaza de Panama is one of the highlights that visitors return to see year after year. In addition, SDG&E will illuminate the park with energy-efficient LED lights to create a canopy over the plaza. • For more information, visit www.balboapark.org or call (619) 239-0512.