jan. 25-31
Tee party
One of the top events on golf’s PGA Tour, the Century Club of San Diego Invitational (known in pre-recession days as The Buick), has had its share of dramatic moments, not the least of which was last year’s come-from-behind win by Nick Watney. Watney, who remembered the difficulty of La Jolla’s Torrey Pines Golf Course when he played there for the 2008 U.S. Open, didn’t take the lead until the final shot of the tournament, scoring 277 to secure his second career victory. The few hundred thousand spectators lucky enough to snag tickets to this year’s event will have a chance to watch the world’s best professional golfers face off during the week-long festivities, which kick off with an admission-free practice round on Monday, Jan. 25. The official tourney runs Thursday through Sunday.

DEC. 4-5
december nights Usher in the holiday season with Balboa Park’s biggest event, featuring park-wide entertainment, ethnic foods, arts and crafts and free entry to museums.

DEC. 4-20
the nutcracker There’s no shortage of Sugar Plum Fairies around town: among them, San Diego Ballet’s Nutcracker Dec. 17-18 at UCSD’s Mandeville Auditorium and City Ballet’s staging of the classic ballet at downtown’s Spreckels Theatre Dec. 11-13 and 18-20.

DEC. 5, 28, 30; JAN. 2, 16; FEB. 26-27
san diego sockers Indoor soccer returns to S.D. with matches against rivals from Denver, Stockton, Tijuana, Edmonton and more at the Del Mar Arena.

ONGOING
whale watching The West Coast’s grey whale migration passes through S.D. waters from mid-December through March; tour companies like Adventure Rib Rides, Hornblower and Harbor Excursion get you up close and personal.

DEC. 20, 23, 30; JAN. 3, 8
Football Hut, hut, hike! ‘Tis the season for gridiron action. Catch college ball during the Poinsettia Bowl (Dec. 23) and Holiday Bowl (Dec. 30) while the NFL’s San Diego Chargers play home games Dec. 20 and Jan. 3. Prefer your linebackers dressed in lace? Watch as the Lingerie Football League’s San Diego Seduction takes on the Denver Desire Jan. 8.

JAN. 13-FEB. 21
whisper house Pop singer turned Broadway composer Duncan Sheik world-premieres his follow-up to Spring Awakening at the Old Globe. Whisper House tells a story about an imaginative little boy sent to live with his reclusive aunt in a lighthouse during World War II.

JAN. 24
itzhak perlman The world-renowned violinist appears at Copley Symphony Hall for a one-night-only engagement.

ONGOING
san diego opera The Civic Theatre is the place to catch opera stars on the rise as SDO’s 2010 season kicks off with Puccini’s La bohème (Jan. 30, Feb. 2, 5, and 7), followed by Verdi’s Nabucco (Feb. 20, 23, 26 and 28).

FEB. 10-21
san diego jewish film festival Celebrating its 20th anniversary, this esteemed festival presents 40 shorts, documentaries and features exploring the Jewish experience.

FEB. 16
mardi gras in the gaslamp Celebrate Fat Tuesday, San Diego-style, as this raucous block party and parade take over downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter for a bead-filled, 21-and-up extravaganza.