San Diego Bird Festival opens at Marina Village Conference Center, offering field trips, talks, and free community days

A five-day birding event returns to Mission Bay

The San Diego Bird Festival is scheduled to run from Wednesday, February 25, 2026, through Sunday, March 1, 2026, with primary activities based at the Marina Village Conference Center on Quivira Way in Mission Bay. Organizers have described the festival as a regionwide program built around guided outings, indoor programming, and community access days aimed at a broad audience, from first-time birdwatchers to experienced birders.

Festival programming is structured around ticketed events that require advance registration, with participation varying by activity and capacity. In addition to scheduled field trips and talks, the festival includes workshops and hands-on classes designed to support bird identification skills and nature observation.

What the festival includes: trips, presentations, and indoor exhibits

Programming spans both outdoor and indoor formats. Field trips are designed to place participants in habitats across San Diego County, while indoor sessions at Marina Village and other venues focus on education and speaker presentations. The festival also includes exhibit hall hours at Marina Village, with scheduled blocks throughout the event period, including expanded access on the weekend.

• Guided birding field trips across local habitats, with limited-capacity registration
• Expert-led talks and classes at festival venues
• Workshops and skills-focused sessions, including photography and optics-oriented programming
• Exhibit areas featuring birding-related businesses and conservation groups

Free Community Days set for Feb. 28 and March 1

Two public-facing days are scheduled at Marina Village: Saturday, February 28 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Sunday, March 1 (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.). These “Free Community Days” are planned as open-admission blocks featuring activities intended for families and community members who are not registered for the broader ticketed schedule. The weekend programming includes an exhibit hall, scheduled demonstrations and mini-classes, and additional courtyard activities. A closing “Bird Day Cake” gathering is listed for the Sunday afternoon community program.

Key weekend hours at Marina Village: Saturday, Feb. 28 (10 a.m.–6 p.m.) and Sunday, March 1 (10 a.m.–3 p.m.).

How to plan attendance

Organizers have emphasized that many events require advance sign-up and that space is limited for certain trips and sessions. The festival operates as a multi-location event anchored at Marina Village, and attendees typically build a schedule by selecting individual activities rather than attending a single continuous program.

The festival is presented by San Diego Bird Alliance, which has positioned the event as both a public celebration of regional biodiversity and a structured educational program combining outdoor access with classroom-style learning.