California Corner

BIG BEAR LAKE--Fireflies will fall on Snow Summit--or so it will appear--when the annual New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade gets underway. Watch from the Snow Summit Resort deck or from across the lake as the lights go out on the mountain and skiers descend carrying torches. Begins 7 p.m. Free. Parties follow in resort lounges (admission $10). (909) 866-5766.

SAN DIEGO--Even if you don’t have tickets to the game, you can score a seat for the Culligan Holiday Bowl Parade. The colorful floats and balloons will travel down Harbor Drive downtown Dec. 30 at 10 a.m. Marching bands from Nebraska and Arizona will represent their schools in the parade--and later on the field at the Holiday Bowl. Parade free. (619) 283-5808.

MISSION BAY--How warmblooded are you? Find out at the 35th annual Penguin Day Ski Fest on New Year’s Day, 9 a.m.-noon. No wetsuits are allowed, and if you brave the chilly water at De Anza Cove, you’ll earn a Penguin Patch. Free to water skiers and spectators; equipment provided. Mission Bay Boat and Ski Club, exit I-5 at Clairemont Drive. (619) 270-0840.

INDIAN WELLS--Put on your dancing shoes at the free kickoff event for the four-day New Year’s Jazz at Indian Wells. On Dec. 30, jazz and swing bands will keep the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort hopping from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. The free Le Jazz Hot ’99 on Dec. 31, 11 a.m. to noon, at Hahn Amphitheatre in Palm Desert is geared toward families and includes a Mardi Gras-style parade. Single-day tickets to the rest of the festival are $40-$100; four-day pass $160-$270. (562) 799-6055.

SAN FRANCISCO--Get a final helping of holiday cheer at the Fisherman’s Wharf Festival of Lights, through Sunday, Jan. 3. Boats and buildings along the wharf are aglow with holiday lights while carolers cruise the wharf nightly. Entertainment begins at noon at Hyde Street Pier, Ghirardelli Square, Anchorage Shopping Center and the Cannery. Free. (415) 626-7070.