(Royalty-free image by Monika from Pixabay.)
by Noella Noelophile®\
Christmas Day, 2023, has become a memory. But the stardust lingers.
And hopefully, it will, all through the year.
Here are several festive events you might like to check out, before Twelfth Night.
Winter Fest OC
(Photo courtesy of Winter Fest OC, and used with permission.)
Billed as “Southern Calfiornia’s largest winter festival”, Winter Fest OC is open from now through Sunday, January 7th. Their website mentions that all remaining tickets are available at their Winter Saver rate.
And, once inside, you can learn to become a “certified elf”. Or go ice tubing, with unlimited rides available. Or indulge in snow play, or carnival rides.
This year, they also offer a new “Arctic Ice Trail” for ice skating, with 45-minute sessions available.
(Photo courtesy of Winter Fest OC, and used with parmission.)
Nightly live entertainment, light displays and photo ops are also part of the fun.
And for New Year’s Eve, Winter Fest OC begins their celebration at 2:00 pm, with tribute bands, confetti cannons. fireworks and TWO countdowns.
Try to buy tickets online, as they’re less expensive than at the door, and be sure to buy them ONLY from Winter Fest OC’s website or at the door as you arrive. Sadly, there are scammers who might try to sell tickets elsewhere, but those, the website warns, aren’t valid for entry.
Winter Fest OC hours are 2 pm to 10 pm, nightly, from now through January 1, at the OC Event Center, 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa. From January 2nd through January 5th, hours are from 4 pm to 10 pm, with hours from 2 pm to 10 pm the final weekend, January 6th and 7th. Here’s a link to their site map and attractions.
DeSTEMber – Aerospace Museum of California
(Graphic courtesy of Aerospace Museum of California, and used with permission.)
Festivities continue as the Aerospace Museum of California wraps up their “DeSTEMber” workshops with “Winter Break Week” activities! Their hands-on workshops for the remainder of this week are as follows:
Tomorrow, Thursday, December 28th – “Snowball Launcher”;
Friday, December 29th – “Code a Candy Cane”;
Saturday, December 30th – “Marshmallow Igloos and Snowflakes”.
Each of their workshops begins at 10 am, continues till 2 pm, and is included with museum admission. Here’s the link for more information.
AND–they’re also planning something special for December 31st!
(Royalty-free image by Gundula Vogel from Pixabay.)
Their “Super New Year’s Eve at Noon” starts at 10 am, that Sunday, and is geared towards the youngest celebrants and superheroes among us.
Attendees are invited to don their own heroic attire and come meet mighty superhero characters from Hummingbird Theatre.
Activities and games such as the Spiderman’s Web Challenge and Hulk Smash Wall. will be a part of the fun, with a countdown to noon to ring in the New Year.
Aerospace Museum of California’s “Super New Year’s Eve at Noon” celebration begins at 10 am, Sunday, December 31st, and concludes at 1 pm. Aerospace Museum of California is located at 3200 Freedom Park Drive, near McClellan Airport in Sacramento. Here’s the link for information.
(Royalty-free image by Amanda Cullingford from Pixabay.)
Ice Skating by the Bay – Custom House Plaza, Monterey
Monterey’s seasonal ice skating rink is open from now through New Year’s Eve! Ice skates are available for rental, and their hours are 11 am to 10 pm, Monday through Saturday, and noon to 8 pm on Sundays.
Ice Skating by the Bay’s seasonal ice skating rink located in Custom House Plaza behind Portola Hotel & Spa. Here’s the link for more information.
Royalty-free image by Lucas Wendt from Pixabay.)
AND–speaking of Monterey–they’re currently gearing up for their 30th “First Night Monterey” celebration, happening Sunday, December 31st in the historic downtown area!
This is a family-friendly, multiple award-winning alcohol-free celebration of the arts which I wouldn’t mind attending, myself!
Starting at 3:00 in the afternoon, this will be nine hours of music, art and dance, at multiple performance venues, with two finales. Here’s a link to the schedule, but with taiko drumming, Celtic music, Aztec dances, rock, blues, reggae, jazz and more, I can all but guarantee you’ll want to be in at least two places at once.
First Night admission buttons can be purchased at this link.
Meanwhile, the starting event sounds like a don’t-miss: there’s a Twilight Procession, which, according to First Night Monterey’s website, is a Mardi Gras-style walking procession with bands, dance groups, large-scale movable sculptures, puppets, and costumed people.
Art Cars, murals to take selfies by, and the Resolution Sculpture are just a few of the sights you’ll see at First Night Monterey.
Would you or your group would like to be part of The Twilight Procession? The website, www.FirstNightMonterey.org, has a form you can complete.
First Night Monterey begins at 3:00 pm, Sunday, December 31st, at Monterey Conference Center, on Pacific Street near Del Monte. The Twilight Procession starts at 5:30 pm on Alvarado Street at Franklin and processes towards Pearl.