After 80 seasons, the turf\u00a0still\u00a0meets the surf at the\u00a0Del\u00a0Mar\u00a0Thoroughbred Club. What began as a Hollywood hotspot in the era of the racetrack\u2019s founder Bing Crosby has blossomed into one of today\u2019s premier Southern California summer destinations. While famous faces and traditions have come and gone, the seaside oval continues to stand the test of time with its unparalleled entertainment and energy. When Del Mar opens its gates on Opening Day July 17, thousands of visitors will get to experience an action-packed seven weeks filled with live music, craft food and beer, cocktails and high stakes competition running through Labor Day Monday, Sept. 2.
\nKnown for its Kentucky Derby vibe set along the Pacific Ocean,\u00a0Opening Day at\u00a0Del\u00a0Mar\u00a0attracts thousands of fans to celebrate the official start of summer with big\u00a0bets,\u00a0and bigger hats. As one of San Diego\u2019s long-standing traditions, fashion-forward trendsetters come dressed to the nines \u2014 from head to toe \u2014 for the Opening Day Hats Contest, where fans with extravagant headpieces will compete for\u00a0more than $5,000 in total prizes.
\nThe summer festivities continue throughout the season with concerts featuring top entertainers, festivals highlighting incredible bites and booze, and buzz-worthy races showcasing the nation\u2019s leading Thoroughbreds, trainers\u00a0and\u00a0jockeys.
\nOffering some of the best entertainment in the region,\u00a0Del\u00a0Mar\u2019s Summer Concert Series\u00a0gives fans the chance to catch a free show most Friday and Saturday nights. This year\u2019s impressive lineup includes Grammy-award winning reggae star\u00a0Ziggy Marley on Saturday, July 20, country crooners\u00a0Midland on Saturday, July 27\u00a0and alternative reggae rockers\u00a0Iration on Saturday, Aug. 3.\u00a0
\nAll concerts are 18 and up and free with the purchase of standard $6 racetrack admission.\u00a0For concertgoers entering after the day\u2019s final race, admission is $30.\u00a0Performances begin shortly after the last race of the day.
\nIn addition to free concerts,\u00a0Del\u00a0Mar\u00a0brings together the best of San Diego\u2019s culinary and craft beer scenes with a variety of events. Beer enthusiasts will enjoy\u00a0Burgers and Brews, which features the region\u2019s top craft breweries and restaurants on\u00a0Saturday, July 20; wine lovers will soon become connoisseurs after having the opportunity to sample a variety of top-notch wines and champagnes at\u00a0Uncorked:\u00a0Del\u00a0Mar\u00a0Wine Fest\u00a0on\u00a0Saturday, July 27; and barbeque aficionados will have the opportunity to devour dozens of smoked meats at\u00a0Del\u00a0Mar\u2019s Turf & Surf BBQ Championship\u00a0on\u00a0Sunday, Aug. 18.
\nWith something new every week, spending a sunny afternoon at\u00a0Del\u00a0Mar\u00a0is always a sure bet. From\u00a0Free and Easy Wednesdays, where guests receive free admission, a free seat and a free program,\u00a0plus deals on tallboys and Brigantine tacos,\u00a0to\u00a0Friday Happy Hour, where all signature drinks are half-off from gate opening until 6 p.m., the famed racetrack keeps fans coming back for more.
\nEvery weekend at the seaside oval makes for a fabulous family outing, but children and parents won\u2019t want to miss\u00a0Del\u00a0Mar\u2019s Family Fun Day and giveaway\u00a0on\u00a0Sunday, July 21. Packed with numerous free attractions for the family in the spacious Infield, little ones will be able to climb rock walls, ride ponies, ride down inflatable slides and much more.
\nMidway through the season,\u00a0Del\u00a0Mar\u00a0will present the richest day in racing with the highly-anticipated,\u00a0$1-million\u00a0TVG Pacific Classic\u00a0on\u00a0Saturday, Aug. 17. The mile and a quarter Grade I testing is one of the\u00a0west\u2019s\u00a0foremost prizes and eligible to attract several of the best Thoroughbreds in the country. The day is made even sweeter with a giveaway. Diamond Club members will receive a free heavyweight Mexican-style beach blanket on Pacific Classic day. Diamond Club is free to join and provides big discounts at the track all season long.
\nSummer racing at Del Mar takes place Wednesday through Sunday with the one exception of Closing Day on Labor Day Monday. First post daily is 2 p.m., except on Friday\u2019s when first post shifts to 4 p.m. (exceptions being Aug. 23 and 30 when first post shifts to 3:30 p.m.). For more information, call 858-755-1141 or visit DelMarRacing.com.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After 80 seasons, the turf\u00a0still\u00a0meets the surf at the\u00a0Del\u00a0Mar\u00a0Thoroughbred Club. What began as a Hollywood hotspot in the era of the racetrack\u2019s founder Bing Crosby has blossomed into one of today\u2019s premier Southern California summer destinations. While famous faces and traditions have come and gone, the seaside oval continues to stand the test of time […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":278833,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11560","_seopress_titles_title":"Del Mar Thoroughbred Club to celebrate its 80th season","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,12360,11560,11551,11553],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-278834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-duplicate","category-la-jolla-village-news","category-news","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278834\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}