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Destination Spotlight: 8 Epic Reasons to Visit San Diego, California in 2018

San Diego may be best known for its laid-back beaches, but the U.S.’s 8th largest city
 is packing so many big sporting and cultural events into 2018 that visitors might forget
all about the region’s famous coastline.

From amateur soccer to professional baseball and from up-and-coming music festivals to the world’s leading pop culture celebration, the following 8 events will offer visitors to San Diego epic excitement in 2018.

1. March Madness: Visitors planning to head to San Diego during March 15-18 should prep their brackets, as rounds 1 and 2 of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship will take place at San Diego State University’s Viejas Arena. 
2. Chicano Park Day: Located underneath the San Diego-Coronado Bridge overpass and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2017, Chicano Park is the world’s largest collection of Chicano murals. Held on April 21, this free annual event honoring the park celebrates the art and culture of San Diego’s Latino residents with traditional music, dance, a lowrider car show, vendor booths, kids’ arts workshops and more.
3. Tomorrow’s Soccer Stars, Today: Visitors will have the unique opportunity to check out soccer’s future superstars at the U.S. Soccer Summer Showcase, June 18–July 1. Home to 21 full-sized soccer fields on 52.5 acres, the SoCal Sports Complex in the North County city of Oceanside will host the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s popular summer series.
4. The Original Nerd Culture Fest: Others will come and go, but the original started and remains in San Diego. The largest comics and pop culture event in the United States, Comic-Con International attracts thousands of artists, celebrities and fans of comic books, movie memorabilia and all things related to pop culture to the San Diego Convention Center in downtown, July 19-22. 
5. Fall’s Best Music Festivals: Held Sept. 14-16 at the seaside Del Mar Fairgrounds, KAABOO Del Mar features seven stages and more than 100 musical acts, plus a dedicated comedy stage and food and beverages from local and celebrity chefs, craft breweries and local wineries. For electronic music fans, CRSSD offers craft beer, gourmet food, and impeccable daytime vibes alongside world-class music. Dates in October for CRSSD are TBD.
6. The Ultimate of Ultimate Competitions: The pinnacle event for this popular flying disc sport, the U.S.A. Ultimate National Championships will be held Oct. 18-21 at the Surf Cup Sports Park located in the North County city of Del Mar.
7. A Football Rivalry for the Ages: Dating all the way back to 1927, visitors can watch the longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalry in college football when the United States Naval Academy Midshipsmen play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a regular-season college football game on Oct. 27 at SDCCU Stadium.
8. Celebrating 10 Years of Beer: With more than 150 craft breweries in the county, San Diego Beer Week is such a big deal that it has to extend beyond one week into a 10-day celebration every fall. 2018 will mark the 10th anniversary of Beer Week in America’s Capital of Craft Beer. Dates for San Diego Beer Week 2018 are TBD.

Source: San Diego Tourism Authority