Happy Wednesday!

A few events worth grabbing tickets for now…

🎃 Thousands of candles set the mood for a Halloween Candlelight concert featuring music from Psycho, Halloween, Beetlejuice and more. Make a day of it with a tour of the Nixon Library first, then stay after dark for the concert. Only two nights, Oct 22 & 29.

🎵 🎵 Don McLean, the legendary singer-songwriter behind “American Pie,” is coming to The Coach House on Nov 8. I talked to someone there, and they said there are still a few tickets left. Seeing him in a room this small is a pretty rare opportunity.

🍷 Capistrano Crush is back at the Mission Oct 10, with 30 wineries and restaurants, tastings and live music throughout the historic grounds. This always sells out, so grab tickets for early.

To all the new readers, welcome to The Scene… Our motto is: the more you know, the more you’ll go. That’s what this newsletter is all about, sharing ideas big and small to make it easier (and more fun) to get out and enjoy OC.

See you out there!
Lorna & Jason

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🎸 Louisiana Bluesman Tab Benoit ⭐
Grammy-nominated Louisiana bluesman Tab Benoit brings swampy Gulf Coast blues to The Coach House.
Fri, Aug 28 | Show 8pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano

🎻 Juan Gabriel by Candlelight
A string quartet performs “Querida,” “Amor Eterno,” “El Noa Noa” and other Juan Gabriel favorites inside the restored Lido Theater.
Fri, Aug 28 | 6:15pm | The Lido Theater, Newport Beach

🎻 Symphony in Los Rios
Pacific Symphony sets up in Los Rios Park with a surprisingly playful program spanning classical favorites, pop and movie music.
Fri, Aug 28 | 6:30pm | Los Rios Park, San Juan Capistrano

🌍 Around the World in 80 Days
A fast, funny, globe-trotting stage adventure as Phileas Fogg races to circle the world in record time.
Through Sept 13 | Cabrillo Playhouse, San Clemente

🤿 Snorkel Shaw’s Cove
Explore Laguna’s kelp forest during a semi-private tour led by an Ocean Institute naturalist. Gear is included.
Fri, Aug 28 | 9–10:30am | Shaw’s Cove, Laguna Beach

✈️ Top Gun Under the Stars
Bring a blanket for a free outdoor screening of the original Top Gun overlooking Salt Creek Beach.
Fri, Aug 28 | 6–10pm | Bluff Park at Salt Creek Beach, Dana Point

🎶 🎶 Checkout all of this weekend’s Live Music Options

➡️ NEXT WEEK
Scroll down to see events happening next week and beyond.

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🎨 Pageant of the Masters
See masterpieces by Michelangelo, Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Norman Rockwell and more come to life with real people, elaborate sets, and a live orchestra.
Sat, Aug 29 | 8:30pm | Festival of Arts, Laguna Beach

🖤 Depeche Mode + Billy Idol Tribute Night
Devotional channels Depeche Mode while Generation Idol takes on Billy Idol for one very ’80s double bill.
Sat, Aug 29 | 7pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano

Down the Bayou
Explore 75+ Disney-inspired vendors, meet Princess Tiana and Snow White, take the Hidden Mickey Challenge, enjoy live performances and a museum tour.
Sat, Aug 29 | 4–9pm | Heritage Museum of OC, Santa Ana

🛶 Kayak the Harbor
Paddle Dana Point Harbor with a naturalist while exploring its wildlife, ecology and history.
Sat, Aug 29 | 9–11am | Ocean Institute, Dana Point

🌼 Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival
SOLD OUT! Olivia Rodrigo presents a women-led music festival at Great Park, with Stevie Nicks, Sarah McLachlan, and more. What residents need to know about traffic, closures, and loud music.
Sat, Aug 29 | Great Park, Irvine

🕯️ Candlelight: Bach to Beatles
Hear Bach, Mozart and Beethoven meet Beatles favorites like “Here Comes the Sun,” “Yesterday” and “Hey Jude,” performed by a string quartet in a candlelit setting.
Sun, Aug 30 | 5:30pm | The Ritz-Carlton, Dana Point

🕯️ Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer
Hear music from The Lion King, Inception, Interstellar, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean and more performed by a string quartet surrounded by candlelight.
Sun, Aug 30 | 8pm | The Ritz-Carlton, Dana Point

⭐ REDO Vintage & Maker’s Market
Del Prado shuts down for a massive street market with 200+ vintage and artisan vendors, live music, food, drinks and plenty of treasure hunting. Free.
Sun, Aug 30 | 9am–5pm | Del Prado Avenue, Dana Point

🎙️ The Day the Music Didn’t Die
A three-hour concert revisits the music of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.
Sun, Aug 30 | Doors 5pm, show 7pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano

🍷 Sip & Stroll Farmers Market
Browse local vendors while enjoying live music, food, shopping, a petting zoo, and a kids market run by kids.
Sun, Aug 30 | 12–5pm | Giracci Vineyards, Silverado

🐦 Free Birding Tour
Explore The Ecology Center with a birding guide while spotting Cliff Swallows, Hooded Orioles, Red-Tailed Hawks, and other wildlife thriving around the farm. RSVP required.
Sun, Aug 30 | 8–9am | The Ecology Center, San Juan Capistrano

In Case You Missed It…

🥃 There’s a $5 Cocktail Trail in OC & We’re Following It!

☕ Guide to Indie Coffee Shops in South OC

👭 7 Best Girls Day Out Ideas: Orange County

🐶 Real Housewives OC Tamra Judge Welcomes Sweet New Baby

🔥 OC Teen’s AI Wildfire Sensors Go Live in Laguna Beach

🖼️‘The Last Supper’ Marks 90 Years at the Pageant of the Masters

🛍️ New Trader Joe’s Moving into Laguna Niguel in September

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🧐 Trivia Answer:

✅ C - Old Town Orange

Old Towne Orange is home to California’s largest still-intact National Register Historic District, covering roughly one square mile around the iconic Plaza.

Much of its original character survives, with Victorian and Queen Anne homes, Craftsman bungalows, Mission and Spanish Colonial Revival buildings, and early brick storefronts dating from the late 1800s through the 1930s.

And if you guessed Los Rios Historic District was the oldest, you weren’t far off.

Los Rios has a different bragging right: it’s considered California’s oldest continuously occupied residential neighborhood, with three surviving adobe homes dating to around 1794 (When George Washington was president!)

Old Towne Orange wins for the size of its historic district; Los Rios wins for age.

For years, the Circle was better known for antique and thrift shops than nightlife.

That started changing as Chapman grew. Chapman College officially became Chapman University in 1991, and over the following decades Old Towne evolved into much more of a college-town dining district, with restaurants, breweries, cocktail bars and coffee shops joining all those vintage shops. If you havenn’t tried Gabbi’s Mexican Kitchen, you are missing out!

Regarding the other choices:

🥱 Boring Stuff

Publication Disclaimer: Everything included here is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. It is always best to double-check links to be sure event information hasn’t changed if you plan on attending something.

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