Tijuana’s municipal government opened registration this week for its annual Recreativo de Verano summer camp program, which will offer free activities to roughly 6,000 children across 30 locations in the city from July 21 through August 8, 2025. The program targets children ages 6 to 12 and runs Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., providing structured recreation during the long summer break when many working families scramble for childcare options.
Tijuana Has Run Recreativo de Verano for Over a Decade
The Recreativo de Verano program is coordinated by Tijuana’s Instituto Municipal del Deporte (IMDET), the city’s sports and recreation agency. IMDET operates public sports facilities across the municipality and organizes youth athletic leagues year-round. The summer camp is one of its flagship annual programs.
This year’s edition will operate at 30 sites spread across Tijuana’s urban footprint. Activities include soccer, basketball, volleyball, athletics, and boxing, along with non-sport programming like art workshops and dance classes. Each location is staffed by trained instructors, and children receive snacks, hydration, and a participation kit that includes a t-shirt, cap, and drawstring bag.
The program is entirely free. Registration opened this week and can be completed online through the Tijuana municipal website or in person at IMDET’s central offices on Boulevard Gustavo Díaz Ordaz. Parents need to present a birth certificate, a recent medical certificate confirming the child is fit for physical activity, and a signed liability waiver. IMDET officials noted that spaces fill quickly each year and encouraged early registration.
Tijuana’s population skews young. The city has over two million residents, and a significant share of households depend on dual incomes from maquiladora factory work or cross-border employment. Free summer programming fills a real gap. Public school in Mexico typically ends in early July and resumes in late August, leaving families with roughly seven weeks to cover.
30 Camp Locations Span Tijuana’s East and West Zones
IMDET has not yet published the complete list of all 30 locations for 2025, but past editions have used a mix of municipal sports complexes (unidades deportivas), community centers, and public parks. Locations typically include facilities in both the western zones near Playas de Tijuana and the sprawling eastern colonias toward Terrazas del Valle and Valle de las Palmas.
The geographic spread matters. Tijuana’s public transit system is limited, so a camp across the city is effectively inaccessible for families without cars. By distributing sites across 30 neighborhoods, IMDET aims to put a camp within walking or short bus distance for most families. Previous years have included locations at Unidad Deportiva Cerro Colorado, Parque Morelos, and the CREA community center near Otay.
For families in mixed-status or binational households, the program’s documentation requirements are worth noting. The birth certificate requirement means the child must have a Mexican acta de nacimiento or equivalent. Families with U.S.-born children who live on the Tijuana side of the border may need to obtain an apostilled birth certificate or a Mexican consular registration. The medical certificate, called a certificado médico, can be obtained from IMSS (Mexico’s social security health system) clinics or private doctors. It typically costs between 100 and 300 pesos (roughly $5 to $15 USD) at a private clinic.
Three Weeks of Daily Activities From July 21 to August 8
The camp runs for 15 weekdays total. Each day’s schedule runs four hours, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. That timeframe covers the coolest morning hours before Tijuana’s summer heat peaks in the afternoon. July and August temperatures in Tijuana generally range from 70 to 85°F, milder than inland Baja cities but warm enough that midday outdoor activity requires precaution.
Children rotate through different sport and art stations each day. IMDET assigns trained monitors to each group, typically maintaining a ratio of about one instructor per 20 children. The agency has historically recruited university students studying physical education and sports science from institutions like UABC (the Autonomous University of Baja California) to staff the camps.
Parents can register now through IMDET’s offices on Boulevard Díaz Ordaz or via the Tijuana city website at tijuana.gob.mx. The program’s 6,000 spots are allocated on a first-come basis across all 30 locations. Camp begins July 21, 2025. Details were reported by El Imparcial.