There is a particular Thursday in mid-July when Camino Del Mar changes character. The umbrella stands come out at Powerhouse Park, the valet stand at L'Auberge starts running a second attendant, and every parking spot south of 15th Street is spoken for by 11 a.m. If you live here, you already know this. The question is not whether summer is coming. It is whether you have a plan for it.
This year, the plan is different. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club changed its Friday schedule for the first time in memory, four new restaurants have opened or are about to open along a single stretch of Camino Del Mar, and the village's free summer programming is back on the calendar with a lineup residents can actually build a Tuesday around. Here is how the pieces fit together.
The one schedule change that reorganizes your Fridays
The 2026 meet opens Friday, July 17, and runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 7. That much is tradition. What is new is when the horses actually run. Fridays at Del Mar get a refresh in 2026 with a new, 2 p.m. first post time, previously 4 p.m., creating a consistent schedule across race days. Closing weekend September 5-7 will feature a 1:30 p.m. post time.
Two hours earlier does not sound like much. In practice it moves the entire village calendar. The lunch rush at Pacifica Del Mar and Poseidon starts pushing at 11:30 instead of 1:30. The post-race spill onto Camino Del Mar now happens around 6, not 8, which means dinner reservations at Sbicca and Il Fornaio are going to feel very different than they did last summer. If you have been doing the "walk over after work" thing on Fridays for years, that habit needs a rebuild.
The upside for residents who prefer not to drive: the Coaster and Amtrak still stop at the Solana Beach station, and Del Mar runs a complimentary shuttle to and from the track on race days, with the free double-decker shuttles running roughly every 15 minutes and returning 15 minutes after each race, which beats the parking crush on big days. With the earlier post, the last shuttle back leaves earlier too. Plan accordingly.
The 2026 trackside calendar, in one glance
The stakes schedule and festival days shape which weekends you leave town and which ones you settle in with the neighbors.
| Date | Event | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, July 17 | Opening Day | 87th season kickoff, Hats Contest in Plaza de Mexico, gates 11:30 a.m. |
| Sat, July 18 | Tacos & Tequila | Returning trackside festival |
| Sat, July 25 | Bing Crosby Stakes | $400,000 purse |
| Sun, July 26 | Family Fun Day | New for 2026 |
| Sat, Aug 1 | Uncorked: Del Mar Wine Fest | Trackside tastings |
| Sat, Aug 8 | Turf & Surf Fest | New for 2026 |
| Sat, Aug 15 | Taste of New Orleans | Returning favorite |
| Sat, Aug 22 | Pacific Classic | $1M purse, richest race on the West Coast |
| Sat, Aug 29 | College Day | Returning |
| Sat, Sept 5 | BBQ & Beer Fest | New for 2026 |
| Sun, Sept 6 | Family Fun Day | Second running |
The Pacific Classic is the one to circle. Six Grade I stakes headline the card, anchored by the $1 million Pacific Classic on August 22, the richest race on the West Coast. That is also the Saturday where Camino Del Mar will be least drivable, so if you have a garage project or a grocery run, do it Friday.
Trackside food this year is a step up from previous seasons. Del Mar is reprising its partnership with Chef Bryn McArthur of Amaya at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar to curate a new coastal-inspired menu for Taste of the Turf Club, one of the only ways to experience the iconic Turf Club without a membership.
The four openings on Camino Del Mar you should know by name
Village dining turned over more in the last twelve months than it had in the previous five combined. Four names, in order of how likely you are to hit them this summer.
Coral Del Mar, 1247 Camino Del Mar. A Modern Coastal restaurant and bar emphasizing Baja, Hawaiian, and Southeast Asian flavors, from hospitality professionals Amanda Devine and Gio Morelli. It took over the Zel's space, which had sat in that space since 2010. If you were a Zel's regular, this is the room to reintroduce yourself to.
Queenstown Public House. Queenstown Del Mar just opened May 21 along Camino Del Mar, bringing New Zealand-inspired comfort food, craft cocktails, and laid-back hospitality in a thoughtfully designed indoor-outdoor setting. Queenstown Hospitality Group has spent more than two decades shaping San Diego's casual dining scene, with concepts including Bare Back Grill, Raglan Public House, and Queenstown Village. Good pre-race option because the kitchen moves fast.
Lobster Lab at Sky Deck, 12841 El Camino Real, Suite 200. A fourth location at Sky Deck, expected to open during the second week of July, which puts it live for opening weekend. Fast-casual lobster rolls, which the village has genuinely not had.
Honor Bar, 1404 Camino Del Mar. The new Honor Bar will move into the former Bully's North building, which operated from 1969 until its closure in late 2017, with construction targeting a first-half 2026 opening. The Del Mar location will be Hillstone's first in San Diego County. Nearly a decade in the making. If it opens on schedule, expect a wait list that stretches through August.
The pattern here matters. Del Mar's dining scene has historically leaned toward destination restaurants attached to hotels. What is new is a wave of walk-in village spots at different price points, which changes how residents can eat in their own neighborhood without a reservation booked two weeks out.
The free village calendar residents forget to actually use
Racing gets the ink. The free stuff is often better.
Summer Twilight Concerts at Powerhouse Park. The Del Mar Foundation's Summer Twilight Concerts bring together friends and families to enjoy music, dance, picnic and experience a priceless Del Mar sunset. Select Tuesdays, with opening act at 6 pm and featured act at 7 pm, on June 23, July 14, July 28 and Aug. 11 at Powerhouse Park, 1658 Coast Blvd. Blankets down starting at 8 a.m. the morning of. If you have never claimed a Tuesday sunset spot with a picnic, this is the summer to start.
Live Music Fridays at Del Mar Highlands Town Center. Every Friday, 6–9 pm, June 5 through Aug. 21, at 12925 El Camino Real. Useful because it is inland, air-conditioned, and does not require a Camino Del Mar parking miracle.
Summer Solstice, June 18. For twenty-one and over, the Del Mar Village Association's annual fundraiser at Powerhouse Park and Beach pulls chefs from across the village into one ticketed evening. This event sells out every year.
The locals' playbook, in five lines
- If you drive to the track, use Via de la Valle west and know there is no re-entry. Rideshare pickup and drop-off run on Jimmy Durante Boulevard.
- If you take the train, catch the Coaster to Solana Beach and use the free shuttle. On a Pacific Classic Saturday, this saves an hour.
- Reserve at Coral Del Mar or Queenstown for the first pre-race meal of the season while the tables are still available on short notice.
- Block July 14, July 28, and August 11 for Twilight Concerts. Put chairs in the trunk on Monday night.
- Skip August 22. Or lean all the way in. There is no middle ground on Pacific Classic Day.
What all of this signals about living in Del Mar right now
Summers here have always been busy. What has changed is that the village itself is expanding what it offers to the people who live in it, not just the people who visit for eight weeks. Four new restaurants along a five-block stretch is a real shift. So is a racetrack that finally aligned its schedule with the way people actually work. Add in a foundation-run concert series that has held its shape for more than four decades, and the resident's version of a Del Mar summer is genuinely better than the visitor's version this year.
That is worth knowing if you own here, and it is worth knowing if you have been quietly wondering what your home is worth in the current coastal market. If you would like a considered read on your property or on a specific block within the village, Michelle Williams Real Estate is a call away. Request Your Free Home Valuation and let's talk before Opening Day crowds the calendar.
