Huntington Beach events throughout the year to enjoy. Welcome to event-driven beach destination Huntington Beach. Got Beach? Yeah!

But HB also has plenty of events throughout the seasons to keep your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife or family vacation just awesome. Let's get busy telling you about the annual events calendar chock-full of fun for everyone.

JANUARY - Start off New Year's Day with a Pier Plunge. It's held each January 1 at the Huntington Beach Pier. It's a morning to noon event with a small admission fee that provides funds for some special cause. It is sponsored by a local group and is attended by maybe 100 folks, give or take some. Parking is charged, but is plentiful near the HB Pier and Pier Plaza. The best place to stay for this event is either the Best Western, Hilton or Hyatt. They're all within walking distance.

FEBRUARY  brings a sanctioned, qualifying marathon. It has changed its name but is held every SuperBowl Sunday.  It sells out, attracting around 15,000 participants. It's not quite the Boston Marathon but the ocean front course is lovely.  When former Huntington Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau president Diane Baker fought to keep the event in town, she received much scrutiny but finally won over local residents. Hats off to a good deed, Ms. Baker!

MARCH is the National Professional Paintball League competition tour that launches usually in Huntington Beach, then heads throughout the US, returning to San Diego for its finale most often. HB was initially the home to this NPPL event but it was sold and now is operated elsewhere. It's very popular and was an event that former mayor Pam Julien Houchen fought to introduce to town. Not warmly received by all the community, the merchants and hotels hardily welcome participants who bring families, and seem to be a more affluent audience that spends money locally.

APRIL is often some sort of surfing competition, possibly an Easter Hunt in the park or other such events. This is the month with lots going on and kind of the warm up month to the summer of endless events that never seem to end, especially if you work on the promotional end. April is a good month to travel and still grab some discount rates in the US and especially at the beaches. And in Huntington Beach, it usually is the start of the Surfing Sundays Concert Series featuring surfing bands.

MAY means Duck-A-Thon, for certain. It's been going on for a very long time. It is a fundraiser for community healthcare, and is one of many such rubber duck races throughout California. Sometimes in May the Association of Volleyball Professionals hosts AVP Pro Beach Volleyball. The organizers have almost pulled out several times because the beach regulations do not permit charging for events on our public beaches. The AVP managers say they need the ticket sales to make it worth their time.

JUNE is usually the month in which the Concours d'Elegance car show is held in Central Park. I love cars, so it's one of my favorites.  By this time, the free concerts are in full bloom such as the Surfing Sundays bands sponsored by the Surfing Museum, the City of Huntington Beach Pier Plaza concerts and the Huntington Beach City Band concerts at Central Park. Now, if they could get all these concerts arranged so they didn't overlap, there would be more mileage amongst the pack of bands entertainment produced free of charge for the public.

JULY is the big daddy of events. 4th of July Parade, billed as the largest parade of its kind (there's a qualifier) west of the Mississippi launches the month with a bang. Ever since the city, city council and organizers fought to produce a fireworks show at the beach beginning in 2004, the event has stuck. Gridlock occurs when you try to depart the event. It can take over an hour to get out of the region afterward. The other big event is the US Open of Surfing and Beach Games. There's a week and a half of activities but the time tourists find most inviting is the last weekend with the surfing showdown, skateboard and other activities in full play.

AUGUST features Huck Finn Fishing Derby for kids. It's really cute and loads of fun. When the kids bring their fishing poles and dress up as two favorites characters (Huck Finn & Becky Thatcher) from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you never know what kind of surprises await youth and adults seeking some old-fashioned fun.

SEPTEMBER is the Civil War Re-enactment in Central Park (Labor Day weekend), Boardfest for girls, and the Smooth Jazz all day concert in Central Park. While this is possibly one of the busiest ends to the perfect summer, the big event is the beach itself. Many years the Huntington Beach lifeguards have reported their largest attendance day of the year falls on Labor Day Weekend.

OCTOBER  launches Oktoberfest in Huntington Beach, which actually begins in mid-September. It is a crowd pleaser for beer lovers, chicken dancers and sauerkraut fans. On October 31, there's Halloween and Trick-or-Treat on Main Street event. It's supposed to be for kids, but everyone attends.

NOVEMBER is somewhat laid back.

DECEMBER features the Huntington Harbour Cruise of Lights boat tours fundraiser. Visitors can hop on boats and ride around the harbor for a show of home decorating lights.  This event goes up against some other events such as the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade.

While we can't possibly list all the events going on in HB, the above features some of the highlights. A much better list can be found on the Huntington Beach Events calendar page. We continue the conversation about events throughout our site, and we also do a count on some of Orange County, California's top beach events.

When visiting Huntington Beach and attending events, travelers' preferences for accommodation vary wildly. From the budget Beach Boulevard properties such as Howard Johnson to a luxury resort, Hyatt Regency HB Resort & Spa, the prices can range by several hundred dollars with one room being approx. 3 miles from the beach and the other room having direct beach access.

If the Huntington Beach hotels don't suit your needs, check out Newport Beach to the south or Long Beach to the north.