San Diego hosts several annual festivals and events. In February, get ready to party at Mardi Gras and Brazilian Carnaval celebrations. Spring brings major league baseball to Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, while summer marks county fair season at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and the original Rock & Roll Marathon, a race that lines its sidelines with live bands and cheerleaders and donates proceeds to charity. The last weekend in July is the San Diego LGBT Pride Festival, and on the first weekend in August, Comic-Con hosts the nation’s largest comic book and pop culture convention. Fall marks football season for San Diego’s beloved Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium and the San Diego State University Aztecs, and football madness continues into the winter at the Poinsettia Bowl, an NCAA college football bowl game. Throughout the year, the San Diego Civic Theater hosts several Broadway plays, operas, dance, and comedy shows.
