Hey {{first name | friend}},

Welcome to The Scene… Our motto is: the more you know, the more you 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.

Have fun!
Lorna & Jason

🧟‍♀️ Scroll Down For Halloween Haunted Houses!

🍷 Hall-O-Wine at Frisby Cellars
Sip wine or beer, dance to a live DJ, and join the costume fun with prizes and harbor views.
Fri, Oct 31 | 5–9pm | Frisby Cellars, Dana Point Harbor

🕺 Hive & Haunted: Halloween Disco
Dance under the stars, skyline views, and spooky cocktails. Costumes encouraged.
Fri, Oct 31 | 7pm | Hive & Honey Rooftop Bar, Irvine

🍹 The Lost Inferno Costume Party
Tiki cocktails and costumes till midnight. Walk-ins welcome.
Fri, Oct 31 | 7pm–12am | Lost Inferno, San Clemente

🎃 Patsy’s Halloween Party
DJ, dancing, and costume contest.
Fri, Oct 31 | 9pm–1am | The Original Patsy’s Irish Pub, Laguna Niguel

👻 Cook’s Corner Halloween Party
Adults-only bash with cash prizes and live music.
Fri, Oct 31 | 7pm | Cook’s Corner, Trabuco Canyon

🎸 Flashbax Halloween Block Party
Live 80s music from Flashbax, candy, and treats for all ages at this cul-de-sac bash.
Fri, Oct 31 | 6:30 PM | 20 Via Tranquila, Rancho Santa Margarita

👻 Ghost Hunter: Immersive Horror
Enter an abandoned toy factory to uncover what happened to a missing team of ghost hunters. 3,500 sq ft, 20 rooms, and 100 minutes of relentless scares.
Now Open | Escape Room Era, Lake Forest

🪓 Throw Axes at Horror Movie Villains
Hurl axes at horror icons like Michael Myers and Chucky inside a cursed-cabin bar.
Through Oct 31 | Slashers Axe Throwing & Ales, Costa Mesa

Scroll down to see what’s happening next weekend and beyond:
➡️ PLAN AHEAD…

🎶 🎶 Checkout This Weekend’s Live Music Options

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🎬 Coast Film & Music
Nine days of films, live music, and coastal culture.
Nov 1–9 | Various venues | Laguna Beach

🌴 Holo Holo Music Festival
Reggae and aloha vibes with Maoli, J Boog, and Steel Pulse.
Sat, Nov 1 | All Day | Irvine

🏖️ Sunrise Beach Hike & Coffee Social
Scenic 3.7-mile coastal walk from Strands to Salt Creek and a post-hike coffee meetup.
Sat, Nov 1 | 9–11am | Strand Beach, Dana Point

💀 Día de los Muertos in San Clemente
Altars, art, music, and a community art contest.
Sat, Nov 1 | 2–6pm| Max Berg Plaza Park, San Clemente

🧟‍♀️ Día de los Muertos in Dana Point
Mariachi, ofrendas, crafts, and authentic food.
Sat, Nov 1 | La Plaza Park, Dana Point

💀 Día de los Muertos at Hana Field
Celebrate with live music, Ballet Folklórico, a Selena tribute, shopping, and altar-building to honor loved ones.
Sat, Nov 1 | 10am–5pm | Hana Field, Costa Mesa

👻 Tour the Halloween Home Contest Winners
Cruise through South OC to see this year’s most creative and chilling home displays.
>> Aliso Viejo
>> Ladera Ranch
>> Laguna Niguel
>> Lake Forest
>> Mission VIejo
>> Orange

Scroll down to see what’s happening next weekend and beyond:
➡️ PLAN AHEAD…

🎶 🎶 Checkout South OC Live Music Options

🎭 Beside Myself
Hilarious chaos of modern identity after a medical mix-up.
Through Nov 16 | Laguna Playhouse Laguna Beach

🍂 Family Sundays: Fall Harvest Festival
Free admission to Casa Romantica with fall-themed activities overlooking the ocean. Perfect for all ages.
Sun, Nov 2 | 10am–2pm | Casa Romantica, San Clemente

🐳 Whale & Marine Life Tour
Set sail on a 2.5-hour adventure to spot whales, dolphins, and sea lions with Ocean Institute naturalists.
Sun, Nov 2 | 10am–12:30pm | Ocean Institute, Dana Point

🪨 Stories Carved in Stone Hike
Explore 25 million years of OC history on a 3-mile guided hike through Laguna Coast Wilderness Park OC Park naturalists.
Sun, Nov 2 | 1–4pm | Willow Staging Area, Laguna Beach

🎨 Art + Nature Block Party
Live music, food, and a collaborative art project launch Laguna Art Museum’s Art + Nature celebration. Free and open to all.
Sun, Nov 2 | 10am–2pm | Main Beach, Laguna Beach

🍓 Old Town Farmers Market
Shop local produce, artisan foods, and handmade goods steps from the pier.
Sun, Nov 2nd | 9am–1pm | 200 Avenida Del Mar, San Clemente

Scroll down to see what’s happening next weekend and beyond:
➡️ PLAN AHEAD…

🎶 🎶 Checkout South OC Live Music Options

Halloween Haunted Houses

🎪 Nightmare on Loganberry Haunt
Home haunt with creepy clowns, twisted thrills, and two other haunts nearby, Free.
Fri, Oct 31 | 6–9pm | 25561 Loganberry Ln, Lake Forest

🧟‍♀️ Amy Way Haunted House
Family-friendly walkthrough filled with glowing decorations, eerie surprises, and just the right amount of chills. FREE to attend.
Fri, Oct 31 | 7-10pm | 64 Amy Way, Ladera Ranch

👻 1st Place Display in Aliso Viejo
Award-winning display with a 6-minute custom light and sound FX show, fog, animatronics. Free.
Thurs-Fri, Oct 30–31 | Dusk–9pm | 18 Cameo Dr, Aliso Viejo

👺 Ladera ‘Area 51’
Ladera’s own ‘Area 51’ home haunt where the residents are out of this world.
Through Halloween | 7-9:30pm | 9 Sutherland Dr, Ladera Ranch

☠️ Mausoleum Maze & Haunted Graveyard
Walk-through haunt with eerie mausoleums, fog, and jump scares at this neighborhood favorite. Free.
Through Nov 1 | 6–9pm | 21906 Cosala St, Mission Viejo

😈 Danz Halloween Maze
Home Haunt with lots of animatronics. Bonus, stop by on Halloween and first 500 kids get comics and candy!
Thru Nov 2 | Sunset - 11 pm | 24142 Roma Drive Mission Viejo

💀 Haunted Mansion Haunt
Movie-quality haunted house based on Disney’s Haunted Mansion
Thru Nov 1 | 28322 Millwood Rd, Trabuco Canyon

🤡 Sinister in San Clemente
The largest free walk-through home haunt in town.
Fri, Oct 31 | 605 Calle Fierros, San Clemente

🎃 Kim Haunted House
Neighborhood walk-through haunt with jump scares and eerie fun. 6–7pm is scare-free for kids.
Fri, Oct 31 | 6–9pm | 15081 Lorenat St, Irvine

🩸 Blood Orange Grove Haunted House
Walk through this Villa Park haunt packed with eerie lights & creepy characters. Free.
Fri, Oct 31 | 7–10pm | 9782 Eastwood Cir, Villa Park

🦆 Mandarin Ducks Dazzle in Santa Ana
Stunning mandarin ducks, famous for their jewel-toned feathers, have been spotted gliding along the Santa Ana River near Centennial Regional Park. Birdwatchers are flocking to catch a glimpse of the rare visitors, whose vivid plumage looks almost too beautiful to be real. One mandarin duck is also said to be at the lake in RSM.
Learn More

🌊 OC’s First Wave Pool Gets the Green Light
Surf’s up in Newport Beach! The city just approved plans for Snug Harbor Surf Park, Orange County’s first-ever man-made wave pool. It’ll take over part of the Newport Beach Golf Course, adding a restaurant, bar, and lounge-style hangout for both surfers and spectators.
Learn More

🐾 Mountain Lion Cubs Spotted in Trabuco Canyon
In a rare feel-good wildlife story, a female mountain lion named Forest, once seen roaming Lake Forest neighborhoods, has been spotted back in the wild with two newborn cubs. The sighting was captured on trail cameras near Trabuco Canyon and is a hopeful sign for conservationists, since only about 20 adult mountain lions remain in the Santa Ana Mountains.
Learn More

🎆 Disney’s Soarin’ Gets an All-American Makeover
Soarin’ Around the World at Disney California Adventure will be transformed into Soarin’ Across America in Summer 2026, just ahead of the U.S. 250th anniversary. The update, part of the “Disney Celebrates America” initiative, will feature more than a dozen iconic American landscapes.
Learn More

🧐 Trivia Answer: ✅ Answer: A) Mission San Juan Capistrano
Al Capone visited the Mission on December 10, 1927, signing its guest register during a trip through Southern California. According to local historians, he was so taken by the area that he later tried to buy the massive Rancho Santa Margarita landholdings, an offer that was wisely declined. His brief stop remains one of the Mission’s most notorious footnotes.
Learn more about Al Capone’s experience in Orange County.

🥱 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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©️ 2025 The Scene: South OC | All content and information set forth above was created by Lorna Ladd and Jason Ladd and is the intellectual property of this publication. It is protected under US copyright law, including but not limited to “The Digital Millennium Copyright Act.” Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or duplication of any material, in whole or in part, without express written authorization & consent, is strictly prohibited by law and may result in legal action. Violators will be subject to prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.