The San Diego Festival of the Arts has made the difficult decision to cancel this year's festival which was slated for this coming weekend, September 10 and 11, at San Diego Surf Sports Park in North San Diego.
The safety of our guests, volunteers, artists and their artwork, team members and support staff is our greatest concern and due to forecasted dangerous weather and potentially hazardous conditions, we have elected to cancel this year's event.
This annual festival generates funds for local adaptive sports programs supporting thousands of San Diegans with disabilities. Ticket sales, the silent auction and wine and beer sales all benefit The San Diego Festival of the Arts Foundation, Inc., which has raised more than $2.7 million for this cause since 1987.
All existing ticket holders can elect to either receive a refund or may choose to donate their ticket cost to the benefitting foundation; instructions will be sent via email.
We would like to thank all of our friends and community partners for their unwavering support as we planned this year's event; for those that would like to still help raise funds for these adaptive sports programs even without a physical event to attend, please scroll down and click the donate button below.
Thank you again and stay tuned for updates about plans for the 2023 San Diego Festival of the Arts.
September 10, 2022
@10:00 am - 6:00 pm
September 11, 2022
@10:00 am - 5:00 pm
San Diego Surf Sports Park
14989 Via De La Valle
Del Mar, CA
92014
Get behind-the-scenes experience at this year’s festival by signing up as a volunteer—soak up the sun, work with creative people, and help support San Diego Festival of the Arts Foundation, Inc.’s community service initiatives. Volunteer options include:
Thank you for your interest in the 36th San Diego Festival of Arts™.
The San Diego Festival of Arts™ is scheduled for September 10-11, 2022. The Festival is located at the San Diego Surf Sports Park near Del Mar (formerly the San Diego Polo Fields).
Please ensure that your Zapplication account is up-to-date, as it is required to register for the 2021 Festival.
As you prepare for the Festival, please use this page as a guide and refer to it for any questions you may have.
Check back June 1 for our 2022 artist lineup
The origin of the San Diego Festival of Arts™ doesn’t have much to do with art at all. It all started with an idea … and a pelican.
After Sue Erhardt, who had lost her leg in a water skiing accident, had a reawakening learning to snow ski on the slopes of the San Juan Mountains, she wanted other people with disabilities to have access to the same life-changing experience. She enlisted the help of her husband, Ross, a member of the Torrey Pines Kiwanis, to convince his fellow club members to contribute to this worthwhile cause.
For the first few years, the Kiwanis group sold candy to raise money to send people for adaptive ski lessons on the powdery peaks of Durango, Colorado. Then a new member, noted photographer Dallas Clites, suggested a charitable art show. Clites had previously used his work to illustrate the dangers of pesticide DDT on wildlife, specifically the brown pelican, and snapped his now iconic photo of a revitalized pelican soaring like a phoenix from the ashes for the Festival’s inaugural poster.
The first iteration of the San Diego Festival of the Arts™ in 1987, then called the Golden Triangle Festival of the Arts, was little more than a small exhibition and taco bar. It grew into the successful La Jolla Festival of the Arts and has expanded its reach even more as the San Diego Festival of the Arts™.
Proceeds from the Festival have sent more than 500 differently abled San Diegans to Durango with all travel expenses paid. The Festival has also benefitted dozens of nonprofit organizations including San Diego City Schools Adaptive Physical Education, St. Madeline Sophie’s Center, Challenged Sailors, and the Wheelchair Dance Organization Program. Since its founding, the Festival has raised more than $2.5 million and impacted about 40,000 people.
The San Diego Festival of Arts Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization, which is 100 percent volunteer and distributes funds to organizations that provide sports and recreation programs to San Diegans with disabilities. We’ve been doing it for more than 30 years! The San Diego Festival of Arts™ is the sole fundraiser for the Foundation. Whether it’s getting a wounded warrior back on a surfboard, a quadriplegic at the tiller of a sailboat, helping a blind person snow ski, or donating adaptive sports equipment to local schools, we’re here to help.
The following programs have received funding from the San Diego Festival of the Arts Foundation, Inc.
The San Diego Festival of the Arts Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit under the IRS code section 501 C(3). The Federal Tax ID Number is 33-0329642
From San Diego:
Take I-5/805 north to Exit 36, Via de la Valle
Use the right lanes to turn right (east) on Via de la Valle
The entrance is on the right, 2.8 miles from the freeway
From North County:
Take I-5 south to Exit 36, Via de la Valle
Turn LEFT (east) on Via de la Valle
The entrance is on the right, 2.8 miles from the freeway
