In Encinitas, the holiday calendar and the downtown map are close to the same document this year. From the Holiday Street Fair on Sunday, Nov. 22, to the end of Deck the Windows on Sunday, Dec. 6, five holiday events take place on the downtown blocks of South Coast Highway 101 or right beside them. On each of those dates the highway does a different job. One week it's a pedestrian fair, then a Thanksgiving race course, then a shopping street on a Saturday afternoon, and finally a parade route after dark. Anyone planning a weekend this season will plan it around that one road.
Fifteen days on one road
| Date | Event | Where | What it means for the highway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Holiday Street Fair, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Six downtown blocks of S. Coast Hwy 101 | Fair blocks given over to vendors and stages |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Encinitas Turkey Trot, 10K at 7:30 a.m., 5K at 8 a.m. | Coast Hwy 101 | All lanes closed from Encinitas Blvd to Chesterfield |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Shop Small Saturday, noon to 3 p.m. | Downtown merchants | Sidewalk sales and live music along the storefronts |
| Nov. 29 to Dec. 6 | Deck the Windows holiday art week | Downtown Encinitas | Holiday art in downtown windows all week |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Holiday Parade, 5:30 p.m. | S. Coast Hwy 101, D St. to J St. | Evening parade route |
Two more items sit at either end of that window. Lightscape opens at San Diego Botanic Garden on Nov. 20, two days before the street fair, and runs well past all of it. On the north end of the same highway, the city's Leucadia construction zone between Jupiter Street and La Costa Avenue is due to wrap up in late fall. Taken together, they mean the holiday season starts away from Coast Highway 101 and peaks on it, with the road's northern stretch still under construction while the downtown blocks hold the events.
Nov. 20: the season opens off the highway
Lightscape comes back to San Diego Botanic Garden for its fifth season, running Nov. 20 through Jan. 3. The Garden describes a mile-long illuminated trail with more than 20 new installations from artists around the world, a few returning favorites, music, seasonal food and cocktails.
It has its own costs and schedule, separate from anything on Coast Highway 101:
- Tickets: General admission starts at $28 for adults and $18 for children, and children 2 and under get in free. Prices change by date.
- Discounts: Military discounts are available, and Garden members get 20% off standard tickets for the whole season. The flat-rate Anytime Access tickets don't qualify for the member discount.
- Parking: It's $15 per vehicle if bought in advance or $20 on site, where spaces are limited and may run out.
- Changes: All sales through Fever are final. Exchanges are allowed up to 48 hours before your visit, with fees.
The Garden says dates sell out quickly. Because Lightscape runs into January, it's the one event this season that a household can save for a slower week, after the busy downtown dates.
Nov. 22: the fair takes over the downtown blocks
Two days later, the holiday season arrives on Coast Highway 101. Encinitas 101's events calendar lists the 2026 Holiday Street Fair for Sunday, Nov. 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fair's official page places it on six blocks of South Coast Highway 101 in the center of old Encinitas, two blocks from the ocean. The calendar lists three stages: the Beer Garden Stage, the Lumberyard Courtyard Stage and a Community Stage. The community lineup includes YMCA Dance, Youth Arts Academy, North County Music Academy and Mo Rhythm Drum School. Some listed set times run past the fair's posted 4 p.m. close, so plan around the official 9-to-4 hours and check the calendar again that week for the final lineup.
That Sunday also has a second market a few miles north. The Leucadia-Encinitas Farmers Market runs every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Oak Crest Middle School, 675 Balour Drive, which means the regular Sunday produce stop isn't on the fair blocks.
A detour that fits the same day: Temaki Bar: Handroll, Sushi, Sake, at 575 S. Coast Highway 101, has reopened after a six-week closure caused by a basement fire on Sept. 1. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the restaurant marked the reopening with The Phoenix, a $10 hand roll with spicy tuna, tempura shrimp, spicy mayo, yuzu kosho and pickled jalapeños. Proceeds from Phoenix sales through Saturday, Oct. 31, went to the Encinitas Firefighter's Association, Local 3787, whose members put out the fire. Check with the restaurant to see whether the roll is still on the menu.
Nov. 26: Thanksgiving morning, the highway closes to cars
The fair turns the road over to people on foot for part of a Sunday. Four days later, the Turkey Trot closes it to cars completely. The Encinitas Turkey Trot is set for Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026. The 10K starts at 7:30 a.m. and the 5K at 8 a.m. In its FAQ, the race lists the closure as all northbound and southbound lanes of Coast Highway 101 from Encinitas Boulevard to Chesterfield.
Thanksgiving morning is also when many households are driving: picking up a relative, collecting a pie order, or heading to an early meal down the coast. Any of those trips that normally use Coast Highway 101 between Encinitas Boulevard and Chesterfield will need another route until the course reopens. Households hosting guests may want to share the closure with them a few days early. People who'd rather take part than drive around it can sign up through the race's volunteer page, where the race says one volunteer shift earns a free race entry.
Nov. 28 to Dec. 6: the storefronts take over
After Thanksgiving, the events move from the roadway to the storefronts. Shop Small Saturday runs Nov. 28 from noon to 3 p.m. The 101 MainStreet Associations and local businesses are hosting live music, sidewalk sales and local specials. The organizers say each community will give away limited-edition prints at participating businesses that day. The 2026 list of participating businesses isn't posted yet. The page still shows last year's list, so check it again closer to the date.
Deck the Windows, the Downtown Encinitas holiday art week, starts the next day. It begins Sunday, Nov. 29, at 1 p.m. and ends Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 p.m. The week runs straight through the parade, so the window displays are still up when the parade fills the highway on Dec. 5. Anyone heading downtown for the parade can walk past the windows before it starts.
Dec. 5: a parade themed "40 and Still Fabulous"
The highway's last big event of the run is the City of Encinitas's Holiday Parade. It starts at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, and runs along South Coast Highway 101 between D Street and J Street. This year's theme is "40 and Still Fabulous," which the city says looks back at Encinitas history and ahead to its future.
The 5:30 p.m. start makes it the season's only evening event on the highway. For local groups that want to march instead of watch, the city has these entry details:
- Deadline: Applications close Nov. 13. Late applications may be accepted if space remains, with a $25 late fee.
- Fees: Entry costs $75 for a nonprofit group, $150 for a private group and $200 for a commercial business.
- Payment: The city contacts accepted entries to arrange payment, and credit card payments carry a 3.7% convenience fee.
For a club, school booster group or neighborhood business planning an entry on this year's theme, Nov. 13 is the first real deadline of the season. It falls a week and a half before the street fair.
The north end of the same highway is still a work zone
All of the events above take place downtown. North on Coast Highway 101 in Leucadia, the same weeks bring construction traffic instead. The city's North Highway 101 Projects page, last updated Sept. 17, 2026, says the Leucadia Streetscape Segment C West and North Coast Highway 101 Drainage Improvements between Jupiter Street and La Costa Avenue started in March 2024. The city expects the work to be finished in late fall 2026.
According to that update, the large storm drain pipes are all in, including the 60-inch, 66-inch and 36-inch lines. Crews were still working on cleanout boxes, storm drain laterals and inlets, water service laterals and the water main. South of La Costa Avenue, on the west side of the highway, they were building new curb, gutter, sidewalk, a bus pad, a bus shelter pad and driveways. The city warns of traffic control with intermittent lane shifts, plus noise, dust, lighting and large construction vehicles. It says access to driveways and businesses will be maintained and asks people to support Leucadia businesses during construction.
"Late fall" is the city's estimate, not a set completion date. For the holiday calendar, the safest plan is to expect lane shifts north of Jupiter Street on the same weekends the downtown blocks host events. A drive from Leucadia to the parade on Dec. 5 may pass through both. The city's project page is the place to check for a new update before then.
Planning the season as one route
Laid out by date, the plan is simple. Book Lightscape tickets and advance parking early, since the Garden says dates sell out. Get any parade entry in before Nov. 13. Spend Sunday, Nov. 22, on the downtown fair blocks, or at Oak Crest Middle School if you need the farmers market. Plan Thanksgiving morning drives around the Encinitas Boulevard to Chesterfield closure. Treat Nov. 28 through Dec. 6 as one stretch of downtown shopping and window displays that includes the 5:30 p.m. parade between D and J streets on Dec. 5, with Lightscape still running into January.
If you're wondering how a home near the highway compares with one a few streets inland, before or after the holidays, Mike Williams and the San Diego Coastal Home Team can walk you through a tailored consultation or a free home valuation built around your Encinitas block.
