Entered by San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA)

The story of Balboa Park is the story of San Diego. Early civic leaders of San Diego established Balboa Park in 1868 when there were just 2,300 residents. That desire to tell the San Diego story lead to the wildly successful 1915 Exposition, which cemented the park as the region’s cultural heart. Balboa Park continues to be a potent mix of what makes San Diego so unique - ethnically diverse, historically rich, culturally abundant, and naturally breathtaking. While beloved by locals, Balboa Park is underappreciated outside of San Diego. Promoting the park to national and international audiences has been a challenge because of a lack of resources and leadership. Balboa Park’s variety of offerings and stakeholders, which include 17 cultural institutions, dozens of community-serving nonprofits, and the City of San Diego, has long made the coordination of messaging and programming difficult.