Ready to make your weekend plan?
There’s a lot going on, so if you’re not sure where to start, the big highlights are the garden tours and pre–Earth Day events (see April 18 below).
Also worth noting: Record Store Day is Saturday. Hundreds of records are pressed just for this day, so if you’re into vinyl, this is your moment. See the article below.
Random, but kind of genius:
🍊There’s a new app called Pick Fresh that lets you sell fruit straight from your backyard to neighbors nearby.
They’ve JUST opened in OC and are looking for sellers, so, if you have extra fruit, this turns it into easy cash. (I just spoke to a seller who’s making $100 per week.) If you have extra fruit this could be for you!
Events worth highlighting
💃 The English Beat is playing The Coach House on May 9 and May 23. This is the real band (not a tribute), with classics like Mirror in the Bathroom and Save It for Later. These shows will sell out!
🍽️ Mother’s Day brunch at Oso Creek Golf course includes a full spread with carving stations, waffles, seafood, and more, plus live jazz and golf course views. Book early, this one fills up!
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
What's Inside...
🗓️ THIS WEEKEND’S PICKS
~~ FRIDAY APRIL 17th ~~
🎤 The Winehouse Experience
A full-band tribute to Amy Winehouse with horns, backup singers, and all the hits from “Rehab” to “Valerie.” Come for the nostalgia, stay for the vocals.
Fri, Apr 17 | 8pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano
🌌 Immersive Dome Experience
A 360° mind-bending visual journey blending music, art, and full-dome imagery. Save 10% with code BEAUTIFICASOUL or 25% with SURVEYTHANKS
Fri, Apr 17 | Orange Coast College Planetarium, Costa Mesa
🕊️ The Birds
A chilling stage adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s classic tale, where isolation, paranoia, and terror take flight as strangers face an unexplained avian uprising.
Apr 10 – May 3 | Times vary | Cabrillo Playhouse, San Clemente
💃 Salsa Night at River Street
An open-air evening of salsa dancing, music, and good vibes—no experience needed.
Fri, Apr 17 | 6–9pm | River Street Marketplace, San Juan Capistrano
🎶 🎶 Checkout all of this weekend’s Live Music Options
➡️ NEXT WEEK
Scroll down to see events happening next week and beyond.
~~ SATURDAY APRIL 18th ~~
🌺 Holo Holo Music Festival Hits Irvine
Island and reggae beats take over Great Park Live for a full day of music.
Apr 18 | 1pm | Great Park Live, Irvine
🍽️ Taste of Aliso Niguel
Local restaurants, bites, and sips all in one big community food fest.
Sat, Apr 18, 2026 | 6-11pm | Aliso Niguel
🍹 Tiki Party at Doho Café
Tiki drinks, live music, and amazing views.
Sat, Apr 18 | 4:30pm | Doho Café, Dana Point
🍻 Pub-chella at Patsy’s
Everyone’s at Coachella… so this is the local version. Expect a DJ, drink specials, and dancing.
Sat, Apr 18 | Evening | Patsy’s Irish Pub, Mission Viejo
🌙 Spring Madness Night Market
An evening market with live music, local makers, food and a beer garden.
Sat, Apr 18 | 5–9pm | North Paseo at Los Osos, Mission Viejo
🐾 Pet Expo 2026
Adoptable animals, vet services, vaccine clinics, vendors, food trucks, live music, and a pet-friendly lounge.
Sat, Apr 18 | Lake Forest Sports Park, Lake Forest
🍷 Orange County Wine Fest 2026
Two days of tastings from top wineries.
Sat–Sun, Apr 18–19 | OC Fair & Event Center | Costa Mesa
🎨 Community Arts Day
A free, all-ages creative day with hands-on art projects, workshops & live demos.
Sat, Apr 18 | 10am–1pm | Potocki Center for the Arts, Mission Viejo
🌿 Garden Tours & Earth Day
If you’ve been meaning to get outside and pretend you have a green thumb, this is your weekend. Garden tours, beach clean-ups, and Earth Day events are happening all over South OC on April 18th!
Garden Tours
🌿 Gardens With Style Tour & Expo — RSM
🌵 NatureScape Garden Tour — Laguna Niguel
🌼 California In My Garden Tour — Irvine
Earth Day Events
🌱 Volunteer Garden Day + Plant Sale — Laguna Niguel
🌎 Earth Day at the Bay — Newport Beach
🌊 Beach Cleanup + Fair — San Clemente
🥾 Guided Hike + Compost Demo — Irvine
A soulful, hands-on gathering where creativity meets intention.
When: Saturday May 2nd at 10am
Where: Laguna Niguel
In this guided art experience, you’ll paint your own pot, plant flowers and/or seeds, and infuse your creation with a personal intention for growth.
Surrounded by a supportive circle of women, this class blends art, reflection, and connection, leaving you with something beautiful to nurture both physically and symbolically.
~~ SUNDAY APRIL 19th ~~
🌸 Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival
A free family festival with taiko drumming, traditional dance, live music, bonsai demos, and cherry blossom-themed activities.
Sun, Apr 19 | 11am – 3pm | Bowers Museum, Santa Ana
🍷 Taste of Dana
Eat, drink, and wander your way through the harbor.
Sun, Apr 19 | 4–7pm | Dana Point Harbor, Dana Point
🐾 Pints & Pups
Meet local rescues, chat with pet pros, and maybe leave with a new best friend.
Sun, Apr 19 | 12–4pm | OC Local Taproom, Laguna Niguel
🍓 Berry Cute Brunch Market
A brunch lover’s market with fancy sips, vintage finds, live music, and a paint-and-sip experience.
Sun, Apr 19 | 10am–2pm | Inn at the Mission, San Juan Capistrano
🕵️♂️ The Maltese Falcon
A classic noir comes to life as a detective hunts for the elusive statue through a maze of lies and danger.
Thru Sun, May 3 | Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach
🎶 🎶 Checkout all of this weekend’s Live Music Options
➡️ NEXT WEEK
Scroll down to see events happening next week and beyond.
Live Music 🎶 🎶 🎶
Whether you’re looking for some relaxing acoustic guitar, an upbeat jazz ensemble, a folky singer-songwriter, or some good old rock ‘n’ roll… we have it listed!
Hundreds of live music events from all your favorite locations around South OC…
New events added weekly !
🤔 Trivia Time
Richard Nixon boarding Marine One on August 9, 1974.
Which Orange County city was home to President Richard Nixon’s famous "Western White House," the estate where he hosted world leaders and eventually retired?
A. Yorba Linda
B. Laguna Beach
C. San Juan Capistrano
D. San Clemente
(Scroll to bottom for answer)
Vinyl Lovers, This is Your Super Bowl!
Record Store Day is back this Saturday April 18, turning indie record shops into treasure hunts for limited releases and deep cuts. The big draw: hundreds of records are pressed specifically for this day, many in small batches you can only buy in-store.
If you’ve never gone, get there early, bring coffee, and be ready to hover. The best stuff goes fast, but half the fun is walking out with something you didn’t expect.
11 Record Stores in Orange County
Here are some of the best shops to hit around Orange County. Each one has its own lane, from indie and obscure to classic rock, jazz, and soul.
1. Blind Dog Records, Costa Mesa
2. Crème Tangerine Records, Costa Mesa
3. Moldy Toes Records, San Clemente
4. Port of Sound Records, Costa Mesa
5. Sound Spectrum, Laguna Beach
🗓️ NEXT WEEK…
✏️ Add these events to your Calendar
MONDAY APRIL 20th
🤠 Free Country Two-Step Lessons
Learn the basics of country two-step with free weekly lessons. No partner required, just show up ready to dance.
Mondays | 6–7pm | Swallow’s Inn, San Juan Capistrano
TUESDAY APRIL 21st
😂 Comedy Night at the Playhouse
Host Mark Christopher Lawrence brings a fresh lineup of top comedians for an evening of stand-up, drinks, and big laughs. Enjoy free small bites and rotating acts each show.
Tues, Apr 21 | Laguna Playhouse, Laguna Beach
Tuesday Night Trivia…
OCLocal Taproom, Laguna Niguel
Stadium Brew Co, Aliso Viejo
Wigz, Laguna Beach
🤠 Line Dancing Night at Hangar 24
Kick up your boots with guided line dancing, plus beer, food, and a lively crowd.
Apr 21 | 5:30–8:30pm | Hangar 24, Irvine
WEDNESDAY APRIL 22nd
🌎 Earth Day at the Mission
A full day of garden tours, bee demos, honey tastings, and hands-on crafts inside one of OC’s most historic settings. Bonus: free wood butterfly for early arrivals.
Wed, Apr 22 | 9am–2pm | Mission San Juan Capistrano
🎶 LAZERDOME: U2
A full-sensory trip through U2’s biggest hits, set to immersive laser visuals inside the planetarium.
Wed, Apr 22 | 6pm | OCC Planetarium, Costa Mesa
🌿 Windowsill Herb Garden
Grow herbs indoors with a setup perfect for small spaces.
Wed, Apr 22 | 11am & 3pm | Library of the Canyons, San Juan Capistrano
THURSDAY APRIL 23rd
🤠 Line Dancing
Neighbor’s Bar, Laguna Hills
Bigshots Billiards, Lake Forest
Inn at the Mission, San Juan Capistrano
FRIDAY APRIL 24th
💃 Madonna Tribute at The Coach House
Dance through Madonna’s biggest hits while supporting 7 local Chambers of Commerce, with proceeds going back into local communities. High energy, great cause.
Fri, Apr 24 | 8pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano
🍷 Sunset Rare & Reserve Tasting
Sip hard-to-find wines by the ocean with a champagne welcome and elevated bites, all set against a golden-hour coastal backdrop. Dress up a little, this one leans elegant.
Apr 24 | 6:30–9 pm | Laguna Cliffs Marriott, Dana Point
💃 The Wildest Bingo Night in OC
Not your grandma’s bingo—this is a full-blown stage show with comedian MCs, throwback anthems, dance-offs, lip-sync battles, confetti blasts, and real bingo rounds with prizes. 21+
Fri, Apr 24 | 5pm or 8:15pm | Dave & Buster’s, Orange
SATURDAY APRIL 25th
🌱 Mission Viejo Green Expo
Celebrate Earth Day & Arbor Day with tree planting along Oso Creek Trail plus eco-friendly activities, exhibits, and hands-on tips for water conservation, recycling, and pollution prevention.
Sat, Apr 25 | 8am–12pm | Oso Creek Trail (Jeronimo Rd to Casta Del Sol), Mission Viejo
🍇 Beachside Wine Festival
Hundreds of wines, craft brews, live music, and a full spread of food stations take over a palm-lined park.
Apr 25 | 1–4 pm | Sea Terrace Park, Dana Point
🚗 Floral Park Home & Garden Tour + Classic Car Show
Tour historic homes and gardens while checking out a lineup of vintage cars, plus a vendor market, live music, food trucks, and a beer & wine garden. Car show is free to view.
Apr 25–26 | Floral Park Historic District, Santa Ana
🥾 Guided Hike at Upper Chiquita Canyon
Explore a rarely accessed 1,100+ acre conservation area on a guided hike led by ecologists and wildlife experts. Registration required
Apr 25 | 8–11am | Upper Chiquita Canyon, Rancho Santa Margarita
🎤 Locked Out of Heaven: Bruno Mars Tribute
Get ready for a high-energy night of Bruno Mars hits—from “24K Magic” to “Uptown Funk.” This tribute brings the vocals, the swagger, and just enough sparkle to make you forget it’s not the real thing.
Sat, Apr 25 | 8pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano
SUNDAY APRIL 26th
🌎 Earth Day Market at High Tide Coffee
Shop 25+ local vendors, sip coffee, and wander through face painting, a flower bar, tarot readings, live music, and hands-on crafts that make this feel more like a mini festival than a market.
Sun, Apr 26 | 10am–2pm | High Tide Coffee Co., San Clemente
🌿 Nature Meditation Walk
A guided, slow-paced walk with mindfulness exercises, playful pauses, and a closing tea ceremony using native plants.
Sun, Apr 26 | 9–11am | Aliso & Wood Canyons, Laguna Niguel
🎨 Picasso Paints at Patsy’s
Paint, sip, and see what happens. This adults-only Sunday session mixes guided painting with cocktails, $5 drink specials, and just enough chaos to make it fun even if you “can’t paint.”
Last Sunday of the month | 1–4pm | Patsy’s Irish Pub, Mission Viejo
🎳 Lucky Strike Bowling Night- Save 20%
A polished take on bowling with full bar service, upgraded food, and a sleek lounge feel.
Any night | Lucky Strike / Bowlero | Aliso Viejo or Ladera Ranch
✏️ PLAN FURTHER AHEAD:
To see what’s happening even further ahead, check out our full Event Finder listing. There’s 100’s of ideas, and fun things to do, to help you get out and enjoy OC.
New events added daily !
📸 This Weeks Snapshot
We just got back from a few relaxing days in Paso Robles, but couldn’t resist trying a few more glasses of wine in Laguna Beach.
The OC Food and Wine Celebration at the Festival of Arts location didn’t disappoint. There was plenty of wine, spirits, craft beers and delicious eats to try.
Best of all though, is that it supports the Roosters Foundation of Orange County, which funds local programs for disadvantaged children.
📍Explore Paso Robles wine country, Michelin-star dining, activities, adventures and more.
🏨 If you want to go to Paso Robles we highly recommend the hotel we enjoyed for a few nights, the Allegretto Vineyard. Everytime we walked through the corridors we were amazed by the collection of beautiful art and memorabilia.
About Us:
Lorna’s an OC native who has lived in Spain, France and New Zealand but always returns home for the tacos, the trails, and the beautiful tree-lined streets of Mission Viejo.
Jason’s a Brit who swapped pub life for paddleboards and now splits his time between aquascaping and crafting perfect cocktails. We started The Scene because there’s so much to see, do, and savor.
Thanks for letting us be a small part of your weekend.
🧐 Trivia Answer:
✅ D — San Clemente
While Richard Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, his famous "Western White House" was located in San Clemente.
He purchased the stunning Spanish Colonial Revival estate, La Casa Pacifica, in 1969. The home was originally built in 1927, perfectly fitting the "Spanish Village by the Sea" architectural vision established by the city's founder, Ole Hanson.
During his presidency, the estate became a hub for global diplomacy, most notably hosting Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev.
Even after his 1974 resignation, Nixon remained a familiar figure in the community, often seen by locals enjoying the quiet beauty of the South OC coastline.
Want more OC Trivia? Here’s a quiz.
It’s A Wrap..
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🥱 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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