California Corner

Festivals, Feasts & Fairs

CHULA VISTA--Up and down the California coast, seaside cities showcase their harbors, boats and piers in splashy holiday festivities. Among these events is the eighth annual Winterfest Celebration, 4-9 p.m. Saturday in the Chula Vista Marina, 550 Marina Parkway. Santa Claus and three elves parachute in at 4:30 to throw the switch and illuminate the decorated vessels in the harbor. With the boats lit, a fireworks display fills the sky. Live Motown music is played in Bayside Park, children’s activities are planned, and free tours are offered on our state’s official tall ship, the Californian--a replica of the C.W. Lawrence, the first revenue cutter to patrol the Pacific Coast. Interstate 5 south to the J Street exit, go west to the water. (619) 691-1860.

SANTA ANA--Las Posadas, the traditional holiday procession re-creating Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter, is the centerpiece of a celebration on Saturday, 6-9 p.m. at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2002 N. Main St. The free event also features carol singing, refreshments, pinatas and other Mexican Christmas festivities. Interstate 5 south to the Main Street or 17th Street exit, and follow signs. Museum is on the corner of Main and 20th streets. (714) 567-3600.

SAN DIEGO--More twinkling lights reflect on the water at the 21st annual San Diego Harbor Parade of Lights, tonight and next Sunday. The nautical procession in San Diego Bay begins at 6 p.m. at the southwest end of Shelter Island, moving past Harbor Island, the Embarcadero, Seaport Village and ending next to the San Diego Convention Center. The parade, themed “The Spirit of Christmas,” is approximately two hours long. (619) 523-1010 (a recorded message).

EUREKA--If you want to be more than a spectator on the shore, the M.V. Madaket, an 82-year-old restored launch boat on Humboldt Bay, offers Christmas caroling cruises at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and Dec. 21-24. On Dec. 20, a cruise puts you on the water for the Boat and Bay Lighting at 7 p.m. Visitors on the vessel, used in days past to carry millworkers to their jobs, can view the seaport’s historic Victorian architecture while sipping hot holiday beverages. $8.50, general admission; $7.50, juniors 12-18 and seniors 60 and over; $5.50, kids 6-11; free for kids under 6. Take U.S. 101 north (becomes Broadway in Eureka), go right on Fifth Street, then left on C Street. (707) 445-1910.

INDIAN WELLS--New Year’s Jazz at Indian Wells, Dec. 31-Jan. 3, features 30 bands and artists from five countries. Dixieland, big-band, swing, mainstream jazz, zydeco, gospel, blues, be-bop, ragtime and steel drum music are among the featured sounds at the fifth annual event, held at the Stouffer Esmeralda Resort, 44-400 Indian Wells Lane, and the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort, 44-600 Indian Wells Lane. Music is from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Two New Year’s Eve parties are hosted: “Blues, Bebop and Beyond,” for contemporary jazz fans, and “A Paradise for Hot Jazz Lovers,” featuring music from the turn of the century through the ‘40s. Special concerts are staged daily, including a gospel service at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 3. Tickets: $15-$125. Hotel packages and a New Year’s Eve dinner are also available. Interstate 10 east to the Washington Street exit, go right to California 111, turn right and go straight to Indian Wells Lane and turn right again. (310) 799-6055.