{"id":1063,"date":"2019-12-06T11:42:19","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T19:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apartmentsbstg.wpengine.com\/?p=1063"},"modified":"2025-07-21T16:06:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T23:06:56","slug":"family-friendly-holiday-events-orange-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.irvinecompanyapartments.com\/family-friendly-holiday-events-orange-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Orange County Residents Enjoy Holiday Fun at Irvine Spectrum Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the holidays fast-approaching, school will be out soon! And with no snow due to the warm Southern California climate, Orange County<\/a> residents are wondering what Christmas activities they can do with kids.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Things to Do in Orange County During the Holidays<\/b><\/h2>\n

Winter Fest at the OC Fair & Event Center<\/span><\/a> is Orange\u2019s most popular winter tradition, running from December 19 through January 5, a winter wonderful packed with more than 20 wintry activities. See Santa and his reindeer fly over the fairgrounds for six nights only before heading back to the North Pole on Christmas Day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tickets start at just $10, while season passes are also available for all 18 days of Winter Fest OC. Admission includes ice tubing, bounce houses, craft making and much, much more!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Hot<\/b><\/h2>\n

Sawdust Winter Fantasy<\/b><\/h2>\n

Yes, it snows in Laguna Beach. Well, at the Sawdust Winter Fantasy at least. Peruse the unique artwork by 180 artists, enjoy live holiday entertainment, outdoor dining, ceramics classes, a petting zoo, Santa and much, much more! With unique art gifts for sale, the Sawdust\u2019s Winter Fantasy is the perfect way to shop and enjoy Laguna\u2019s beloved artisan culture<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holiday Events at Irvine Spectrum<\/b><\/h2>\n

Irvine Spectrum Center<\/span><\/a> is a hub of holiday fun! <\/span>With a gorgeous 50-foot holiday tree that is lit nightly, as well as ice skating, a Ferris Wheel and the best in holiday shopping, there\u2019s plenty of ways to celebrate the Christmas season in Orange County.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s our list of several family-friendly holiday events you can attend at the Irvine Spectrum Center this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tree Lighting<\/b><\/h3>\n

Prepare to be awed at the nightly tree lighting event through January 1st! Taking place every half hour between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. visitors can stop by and admire the center\u2019s 50-foot holiday tree decorated in dazzling, color-changing LED lights, choreographed to holiday music. Be sure to take a tour of the grounds to admire the 225,000 lights, festive garlands and snowflake light projections, and don\u2019t forget to snap a selfie and post to social using the hashtags #IrvineSpectrum #HolidayStyleOC.<\/span><\/p>\n

Santa!<\/b><\/h3>\n

Each day through Christmas Eve, you can take the kids to meet Santa at his beach-inspired surf shack where he\u2019ll be ready to take photos and Christmas wish lists. Located in Carousel Court, Santa\u2019s home will be the backdrop for several holiday events, including Cookies & Milk with Santa every Friday in December from 11 a.m. \u2013 12 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ice Skating<\/b><\/h3>\n

Ice skating at Irvine Spectrum Center has arrived! Now open in Giant Wheel Court, skate under the stars seven days a week through the month of January. Ice skate well into the evening, with doors closing at 11 p.m each night. To add to the excitement, join the fun on Themed Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., for live DJing, prizes, a $5 discount when you dress in holiday apparel and a chance to win a $100 gift card.<\/span><\/p>\n

Menorah Lighting<\/b><\/h3>\n

On December 17th, Chabad of Irvine is celebrating Hanukkah with a Menorah Lighting. Honoring traditions with lively music and entertainment, this is sure to be a wonderful holiday event.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holiday Shopping at Irvine Spectrum<\/strong><\/h3>\n

And as always, you can always holiday shop \u2018til you drop! There are also holiday dining specials, with contests to win gift cards! Through the month of December, you can receive a $10 bonus card for every $50 purchased in gift cards at <\/span>Paul Martin\u2019s American Grill<\/span><\/a>. Each day, <\/span>BRIO<\/span><\/a> will post a question related to the holiday season and those who respond with the correct answer will have the chance to win gift cards, brunch for six, a chef\u2019s dinner, a Happy Hour party for 12 and unlimited BRIO for a year. To enter, become a BRIO fan on Facebook and follow them on Instagram. BRIO is also offering seasonal menu items and cocktails throughout the holidays.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Shop<\/strong><\/p>\n

Live Irvine Spectrum<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Looking for apartments near Irvine Spectrum? <\/span>Experience the very best with upscale, on-site amenities, open lawn space and parks, and impeccable customer service – all within walking distance of Irvine’s finest shopping, dining, entertainment, scenic trails, and innovative office spaces.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find Irvine Spectrum Apartments<\/span><\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Looking for family-friendly holiday events in Orange County? Irvine Spectrum Center has ice skating, tree lighting, Santa and more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":1064,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[139],"tags":[70,69,22,80,11],"class_list":["post-1063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-neighborhood-guides","tag-christmas","tag-holiday","tag-orange-county","tag-restaurants","tag-shopping"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.irvinecompanyapartments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.irvinecompanyapartments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.irvinecompanyapartments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.irvinecompanyapartments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.irvinecompanyapartments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.irvinecompanyapartments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.irvinecompanyapartments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.irvinecompanyapartments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.irvinecompanyapartments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.irvinecompanyapartments.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}