Nat at Night events will return to Balboa Park next week

by Pam Kragen

Nat at Night, the popular rooftop event held monthly on the rooftop terrace of the San Diego Natural History Museum, will return Dec. 19 after a multimonth hiatus.

The events were temporarily suspended because the museum is in the midst of a major construction project to replace its 25-year-old atrium roof, which suffered a failure during last year’s heavy rains that caused significant water damage.

The skylight-style roof will be replaced by a flat, solid roof that will be occupied by 200 solar panels expected to produce an estimated cost savings of $200,000 a year. The new roof, which will have a 100-year lifespan, will also offer better temperature control because the glasslike panels were subject to extreme heating from the sun. The $7.5 million renovation project, set for completion early next year, is funded by the state of California and the museum’s philanthropy capital campaign.

The atrium roof of the San Diego Natural History Museum, photogrpahed from the museum's fourth floor. The roof, which suffered a failure that caused rain-related water damage last year, has reached the end of its 25-year lifespan. It be replaced by a solid, flat roof with energy-saving solar panels and a 100-year lifespan. (San Diego Natural History Museum) — The atrium roof of the San Diego Natural History Museum, photogrpahed from the museum’s fourth floor. The roof, which suffered a failure that caused rain-related water damage last year, has reached the end of its 25-year lifespan. It be replaced by a solid, flat roof with energy-saving solar panels and a 100-year lifespan. (San Diego Natural History Museum)

“We are not only stewards of the natural world, but of the building itself,” said Judy Gradwohl, the Nat’s CEO, in a statement. “We welcome nearly 400,000 people each year and maintain a research collection of 9 million specimens that tell the story of life in our region. This significant investment in our infrastructure will safeguard our collection and improve the museum experience for visitors, schoolchildren, volunteers, and staff.”

While contruction continues on the roof, the museum’s fourth-floor exhibits are closed, but visitors attending Nat at Night events will be able to walk through the fourth floor to reach the rooftop terrace.

To kick off the return of Nat at Night, there will be a holiday-themed celebration from 5 to 10 p.m. on Dec. 19. It will feature holiday-themed cocktails, art-making in the galleries with Sketchparty, and food from Wolf in the Woods and The Craft Taco restaurants.

A selection of dishes from Wolf in the Woods restaurant in Mission Hills that were served at past Nat at Night events. (San Diego Natural History Museum)

Wolf in the Woods, a New Mexico cuisine-inspired restaurant in Mission Hills, has created a special holiday menu for next week’s event. It will feature tamale plates with green and red Hatch chiles and choice of cheese or pork, a winter endive salad, New Mexico-style chicken mole tacos, and a “Roman Holiday” tostada. There will also be a $5 quesadilla and chips plate for children.

Nat at Night events will continue in 2026 on the third Friday of every month from January through May, then move to weekly events from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and finally back to monthly events from September through December.

Tickets for Nat at Night includes general admission to the museum and all open exhibits and films. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, military and students, and $7 for youth.