Events In Orange County March 2017
February has flown by and right now we’re looking forward to spring and all of the events in Orange County this March 2017. Some of the most exciting events we’re looking forward to are OC Restaurant Week, Babychella (yes, it’s just like it sounds), and the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival.
PORTO’S BAKERY & CAFÉ GRAND OPENING
Wednesday, March 1st
6:00AM
portosbakery.com
Image: Yelp
Did you know that Porto’s Bakery & Café was voted Yelp’s #1 Restaurant in the Country for 2016? Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. The delicious Cuban bakery has three stores in LA County and the Buena Park store will be the first in Orange County. Serving up delectable pastries, savory sandwiches, specialty beverages and their famous potato balls, this is a can’t miss new eatery!
DANA POINT FESTIVAL OF WHALES
Saturday, March 4th – Sunday, March 5th
Saturday, March 11th – Sunday, March 12th
festivalofwhales.com
The Dana Point Festival of Whales includes two weekends of back-to-back events, entertainment and fun. Events for the festival include Sand Sculpting Competition, whale watching, free movie screenings, parade, Art in the Park, lectures, street fair, live music, Rubber Ducky Derby, Sailing & Stand-Up Paddling Clinic and so much more. Check out the full list of events an on the site and plan out your schedule of fun!
BOCA DE ORO: ART & LITERATURE FESTIVAL
Saturday, March 4th
2PM-9PM
bocadeoro.org
On Saturday March 4th, Downtown Santa Ana will be transformed into the Literary Capital of Orange County. Over a dozen art galleries, restaurants, historic buildings and secret spaces will double as houses of letters for literary fans to connect with local and regional writers. The festival will bring together over 100 local and visiting authors to show off their work. For kids, daytime and early-evening activities range from bookbinding workshops and fabric painting to self-expression workshops. Santa Ana Unified School District is bringing over 500 students and faculty downtown to perform a wide variety of arts genres.
ORANGE COUNTY RESTAURANT WEEK
Sunday, March 5th – Saturday, March 11th
Launch Party: Saturday, March 4th @ Irvine Marriott
ocrestaurantweek.com
Excited to pair specialty cocktails with dinner? Interested in Girls Scout cookie inspired desserts? Want the best food in Orange County for a discount? You can have it all during Orange County Restaurant Week this March. In its 9th year, OC Restaurant Week includes 100 restaurants in 21 Orange County cities offering a wide variety of options, from casual and family friendly establishments, to upscale and fine dining. Pre-fixed menus range from $10 lunches to $80 dinners.
NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO WEST
Wednesday, March 8th – Sunday, March 12th
9:30AM-4PM
expowest.com
The world’s largest and premier tradeshow for the natural, organic and healthy products industry is coming to Anaheim! This year will include more than 3,000 exhibiting companies, with more than 600 first-time exhibitors. To accommodate all of these amazing products, they’re expanding the exhibit space to include not only the Anaheim Convention Center, but the Anaheim Marriott Hotel as well. Advance price tickets are on sale now for $55 per day.
DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL
Friday, March 10th – Sunday, April 9th
disneyland.disney.go.com
Each day throughout the festival, celebrate some of the best of delicious California cuisine throughout Disney California Adventure Park. There will be even more Festival Marketplaces to enjoy this year, plus enhanced Festival-inspired menus at existing restaurants and eateries, where you can sip and savor delicious flavors from across the Golden State. Special events throughout the festival include culinary demonstrations, beer and wine tastings and seminars, brew master beer dinners, winemaker dinners, and special Sweet Sunday dessert presentations.
FIRKFEST 3.0
Saturday, March 11th
12PM-4PM
firkfest.com
30 Breweries, 50 casks, 4 hours and unlimited pours. This year expect tropical vibes from Firkfest with special brews featuring tropical note hops, tropical fruit, nuts and possibly rum chips. Held at the Anaheim Farmers Market outside the Packinghouse, the annual Firkfest Cask Beer Festival will include tons of local craft beers, food, DJ and fun. General admission tickets are $55, designated driver tickets for $15.
BABYCHELLA FAMILY ART & MUSIC FESTIVAL
Sunday, March 12th
12PM-4PM
babychella.com
Yes, you read that right. Babychella is an art and music festival geared toward celebrating families with young children. The spring event will be held at William R. Regional Park in Irvine, offering a wide variety of interactive activities throughout the park. Festival tent activities include story time, face painting, family yoga, theme photo booths, bubbles, and interactive arts and crafts. Get you flower crowns and fringe ready!
CORKS & CANVAS AT ANAHEIM GARDENWALK
Thursday, March 16th
5:30PM-7:30PM
eventbrite.com
Enjoy an evening of painting, wine and fun at the Anaheim GardenWalk. During the 2-hour class you will be led by a local artist to paint your own masterpiece. The ticket includes appetizers as well as two glasses of wine provided by McFadden’s Restaurant & Saloon. At the end of the night you get to take home your commemorative wine glass and your gorgeous new art piece!
MUSINK
Friday, March 17th – Sunday, March 19th
Fri: 3PM-10PM; Sat: Noon-10PM; Sun: Noon-9PM
musinkfest.com
Musink is a 3-day tattoo convention, car show and live music concert held annually in Orange County by Travis Barker. Held at he OC Fairgrounds, the event boasts over 300 world-renowned tattooers, 100’s of vendors, and three full days of bands. Headliners NOFX, The Used, Pennywise and Bad Religion.
HUNTINGTON BEACH 4TH ANNUAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
Sunday, March 19th
11AM-5PM
hbcbfest.com
Admission is free to the Huntington Beach Cherry Blossom Festival featuring Japanese music, dance, martial arts, exhibits, games, crafts and food. It’s fun for the whole family and it all takes place beneath the beautiful cherry blossom trees at the Huntington Beach Central Park bandstand. All proceeds from the event benefit the Huntington Beach—Anjo Sister City Student Exchange Program.
OCEAN INSTITUTE JAZZ FESTIVAL
Friday, March 24th – Saturday, March 25th
Friday 6:00PM, Saturday, 5:30PM
ocean-institute.org
The Ocean Institute turns 40 this year and they’re celebrating with two nights of exciting musical entertainment from Michael Paulo, Ray Parker, Jr., Gregg Karukas, and Kevin Toney. Friday night you can enjoy a night of fantastic jazz, delicious food and wine from local restaurants, craft bee and an auction. Saturday is a five-course gala dinner with more jazz, drinks and both a silent and live auction.
THE SWALLOWS DAY PARADE
Saturday, March 25th
11:00AM
swallowsparade.com/parade
The Fiesta de las Golondrinas celebrates the return of the swallows to the San Juan Capistrano Mission on St. Joseph’s Day, which is March, 19th. The parade will run through downtown San Juan Capistrano as one of the nation’s largest non-motorized parades. Take the convenient Shuttle Bus or arrive early as most street closures are in effect by 10AM. The parade runs from 11AM-1PM, the Mercado Street Fair will be open from 9AM-5PM and the VIP Pavilion will be open from 9:30AM-2:30PM.
OC WEEKLY’S FRESH TOAST 2017
Saturday, March 25th
11AM-2PM
ocweekly.com
Come celebrate the most popular meal of the day at OC Weekly’s brunch event, Fresh Toast. With food tastings, drink samples, a bloody mary competition and more, this is one weekend brunch you won’t want to sleep through! The event will be held at Newport Dunes and feature 35+ restaurants, cocktail samples, and artisanal vendors. General admission is $40 and includes entry, unlimited food tastings, and cocktail and beer tastings.
ANNUAL WINE EXTRAORDINAIRE 2017
Sunday, March 26th
12PM-4PM
wineextra.org
The Wine Extraordinaire is well-established event, celebrating its 36th annual tasting experience. Featuring over 400 wines from regions throughout California, this event lets you talk with the winemakers or winery principals to experience their passion for winemaking while tasting their fine wines. Many are award winners at the OC Fair Commercial Competition and other competitions nationwide, sample their winning wines. Tickets start at $75 for general admission.
CRABFEST (ALL YOU CAN EAT CRAB!) CHARITY EVENT
Sunday, March 26th
4PM-7PM
hblionscrabfest.com
Don’t miss this opportunity to eat ENDLESS crab -for a good cause- at the beautiful Old World Village in Huntington Beach. Festivities include a silent auction, live entertainment, and opportunity drawings. Tickets are $70 and available for purchase through March 12th. If you’re looking forward to stuffing your face, buy your ticket now – this event will sell out! The all you can eat Crabfest is held by the Huntington Beach Lions Club and includes salad, chowder, bread and more crab than you handle.
WONDERCON 2017
Friday, March 31st – Sunday, April 2nd
comic-con.org
Image: Yelp
Returning to the Anaheim Convention Center, WonderCon will be filled with all the things you love: comics, movies, TV, animations, books and authors, action figures and collectibles, the Masquerade, anime screenings, portfolio review and games! WonderCon is literally the sister show to Comic-Con International, embracing all the main aspects of that show. Check out the site for a full list of special guests and more details. A 1-day badge to get you in starts at $30 and it is $65 for the 3-day pass.
Thank you for reading. I hope you found this article useful.
Jeff Pittman, Realtor in Ladera Ranch – Orange County, California