San Jose, California Events Information

We've heard some of the San Jose locals say there's not enough going on to make California's third largest city the shining star it deserves to be. Indeed, grown out of a small town atmosphere and blossoming into a major metropolitan area has come at a price.

But for its size, San Jose does offer some unique cultural events and opportunities to celebrate ethnic diversity, sports, intellectualism, the whimsical, the wealthy and food, musical entertainment, shopping and the arts.

While we "outsiders" only visit and observe some of the great attractions and events throughout the seasons, we've observed plenty to see and do to make this city more than a business trip, convention hop, or family stop.
 

BeachCalifornia has personally ventured to San Jose just for the pleasure of visiting and enjoying the local scene. What insiders are missing or perhaps don't wish to share is that the downtown is bustling with a sports arena, performing arts centers, museums, unique architecture and a public transportation system that allows us tourists to get from the airport to our hotels without ever taking a taxi or renting a car.

Events that are worth checking out number in the thousands. But a few that have caught our eyes include the annual events such as the Downtown Ice in the Circle of the Palms. It is an outdoor ice rink next to a community park where a fanciful kids' display of artificial snow-covered scenes with animated toys move to the twinkling lights.

In the spring there's a Chinese New Year's Parade celebration that draws large crowds to watch the festive floats, see the bands and brilliant costumes that are part of this heritage and and culture.

For a really special holiday season, fly into San Jose Airport, book a hotel room downtown, and walk over to the ice skating rink and Christmas in the Park for a winter celebration that can easily become a family tradition. In addition to the downtown San Jose attractions such as the annual Ballet San Jose performances of The Nutcracker, be sure to check out Santana Row's holiday tree lighting ceremony.

When visiting Downtown Ice, there's a cluster of convenient and quality hotels (many four diamonds!), that offer guests a special feeling during the holidays. The absolute closest to the ice skating event is The Fairmont located basically next door. It is truly a special place and one of San Jose tourists' favorites for vacations and business travel.