Good Evening!
🌧️ Rain is making a return to South OC, with several rounds of showers forecast through next week. Fortunately, we've found plenty of indoor activities worth leaving the house for. Check out this week's picks below!
Here are a couple of things to get on your calendar now!
🎬 Hans Zimmer is coming to Honda Center (April 2). The man behind Gladiator, Inception and Dune brings his new arena show and 19-piece band to Anaheim. His European run sold out 50 shows, so grab seats now.
🛥️ Boat parade season is coming! Three bodies of water, three weekends, and plenty of sparkle. Book those waterfront dining tables early!
Lake Mission Viejo · Dec. 5: Watch the illuminated boats from a lakeside table at Domenico’s, Yama Sushi or The Hidden Vine.
Dana Point · Dec. 11–13: “Harboritaville” takes over the harbor. Free viewing or ticketed parties at Ocean Institute.
Newport Beach · Dec. 16–20: Dazzling yachts and waterfront mansions. Grab a harbor-view table or watch free from Marina Park.
New to The Scene? Welcome! Our motto is simple: 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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🗓️ THIS WEEKEND’S PICKS 🗓️
~~ FRIDAY NOV 13 ~~
📻 The Calling at The Coach House
The band behind the early-2000s mega-hit “Wherever You Will Go” comes to The Coach House for a Friday-night throwback.
Fri, Nov 13 | 7 pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano
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🎻 Queen + The Beatles at Pelican Hill
Candlelight brings its Queen and Beatles program for a particularly fancy version of the string-quartet experience. Save 10% with code SOUTHOC10.
Fri, Nov 13 | 6:15 pm | The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Beach
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🎭 Fairy Tales & Radical Politics
In The Salonnières, a young woman escaping an arranged marriage finds refuge with literary women whose stories conceal radical ideas.
Nov 13–Dec 13 | Cabrillo Playhouse, San Clemente
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⚖️ You're on the Jury for a Deadly Boat Ride
Weigh the evidence and reach a verdict in this interactive courtroom experience.
Fri, Nov 13 | 6 pm | Rose Center Theater, Westminster
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🔔 A Beginner Sound Bath
A 90-minute guided sound bath to end the week; bring a mat and blanket.
Fri, Nov 13 | 6–7:30 pm | Renaissance ClubSport, Aliso Viejo
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🤠 Line Dancing in the Barn
Champagne Cowgirl's final farm line-dancing night of the season. Tickets online.
Fri, Nov 13 | 7–10 pm | Farmakis Farms, San Juan Capistrano
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➡️ NEXT WEEK
Scroll down to see events happening next week and beyond.
~~ SATURDAY NOV 14 ~~
🤠 Dolly Parton, by Candlelight
Dolly’s songs get a string-quartet tribute inside the historic Yost Theater. Save 10% with code SOUTHOC10.
Sat, Nov 14 | 4 pm | Yost Theater, Santa Ana
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😂 Brewery Stand-Up in the Hills
Next Stop Comedy brings comics from TV and podcasts to a rare South County comedy night.
Sat, Nov 14 | 7 pm | Mission Ready Brewing, Rancho Santa Margarita
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📚 OC Book Fair: Volume 3
Book lovers take over Old Town Tustin with independent bookstores, authors and plenty of opportunities to discover your next great read.
Sat, Nov 14 | 10 am–5 pm | Old Town Tustin, Tustin
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🖼️ Irvine Fine Arts Center Fall Opening
A free reception for Juan Manuel Gomez's industrial-metal sculpture and a 13-artist show for America's 250th.
Sat, Nov 14 | 2–4 pm | Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine
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🧶 Holiday Craft Fair
Local artisans and small businesses sell handmade gifts at this fundraiser supporting young women and girls.
Sat, Nov 14 | 10 am–3 pm | Dana Point Community Center, Dana Point
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🧵 Fall Arts Festival + Free Yarn Swap
Free Zentangle, macramé and sewing mini-workshops, weaving demos, and a swap where you leave with free fabric and yarn.
Sat, Nov 14 | Noon–4 pm | Potocki Center for the Arts, Mission Viejo
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~~ SUNDAY NOV 15 ~~
🤠 Line Dancing With Champagne Cowgirl at Selma's
Champagne Cowgirl, one of OC's most popular line-dance teachers, leads a night of line dancing. $10.
Sun, Nov 15 | 6–9 pm | Selma's, Ladera Ranch
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📺 One Tree Hill Fans, This Concert Was Made for You
Tyler Hilton and Kate Voegele reunite to celebrate the music of One Tree Hill, where both appeared as musicians on the hit series.
Sun, Nov 15 | 7 pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano
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🎁 Very Merry Marketplace
Local artisans bring handmade gifts to Casa Romantica for a holiday shopping day with ocean views.
Sun, Nov 15 | 10 am–2 pm | Casa Romantica, San Clemente
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🤘 Metallica by Candlelight
Metal anthems played by a string quartet, by candlelight. Save 10% with code SOUTHOC10.
Sun, Nov 15 | 5:30 pm | The Lido Theater, Newport Beach
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🎤 Michael Jackson by Candlelight
“Billie Jean,” “Thriller,” “Smooth Criminal” and more get the candlelit string-quartet treatment inside the Lido. Save 10% with code SOUTHOC10.
Sun, Nov 15 | 7:45 pm | The Lido Theater, Newport Beach
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🎬 Rainy Weekend? Dinner, Wine and Godzilla in a Recliner
Johnny Depp returns as a darker, spookier Scrooge in Ebenezer at Regal Edwards Aliso Viejo. Craving something bigger? Godzilla Minus Zero, the critics’ favorite, is playing at Cinépolis in Laguna Niguel, with dinner and a glass of wine delivered to your seat.
➡️ NEXT WEEK
Scroll down to see events happening next week and beyond.
🤔 Trivia Time
Who sailed into Dana Point in 1818 and raided Mission San Juan Capistrano?
A. Spanish treasure hunters
B. British naval explorers
C. Russian fur traders
D. Argentine pirates
(Scroll to bottom for answer)
A Quick Favor!
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Heard Around Town
🗺️ 5 Places You Didn’t Know Existed in OC
🍝 North Italia at The Shops at Mission Viejo Opens Dec. 16
🌊 Dana Point Named “World’s Greatest Coastal City” in TV Report
🏨 Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel Sells for a Massive $600 Million
🎤 Could Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre Make a Comeback
🏡 San Clemente Oceanfront Estate Breaks City Record at $33.9M
📺 RHOC: Map of Every Restaurant Featured in Season 20
🤫 The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: OC Premieres on Nov. 12
☕ Hawaiian Coffee Shop to Open Doors in Lake Forest
🗓️ NEXT WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS…
MONDAY NOV 16
🩰 Ballet at Casa Romantica
An ocean-view morning ballet class in the historic gardens. $10, free for members.
Mon, Nov 16 | 9:15–10 am | Casa Romantica, San Clemente
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🎮 “Overcooked” Showdown & Crafts
Team up with family and friends on the chaotic cooking video game, then make food-themed crafts. Free.
Mon, Nov 16 | 4 pm | Mission Viejo Library, Mission Viejo
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💍 Solder Your Own Sterling Ring
Broken Arrow Jewelry walks you through soldering a silver ring set with a stone you choose. Registration required.
Mon, Nov 16 | 6–8 pm | River Street Marketplace, San Juan Capistrano
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TUESDAY NOV 17
🌮 Cowboy Taco Tuesday
Tacos à la carte starting at $6 at the Inn at the Mission's tavern.
Tue, Nov 17 | 4 pm | Tavern at the Mission, San Juan Capistrano
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💃 Jazz & Swing on the Queen Mary
Ashley Anne and The Carnations play live swing in the ship's Art Deco bar, with a free swing lesson at 6:30 pm and a dress-up theme each week.
Tue, Nov 17 | 4–8 pm | Queen Mary Observation Bar, Long Beach
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🔥 Fireside Sound Bath in the Gardens
Crystal bowls and planetary gongs around a fire after dark.
Tue, Nov 17 | 7–8 pm | Sherman Library & Gardens, Corona del Mar
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📖 Coco Larkin Talks About Her Debut Cookbook
The Instagram cook (about 2M followers) on Season to Taste; the first 25 registered arrivals get a free book.
Tue, Nov 17 | 7–8:30 pm | Witte Hall, Newport Beach Central Library, Newport Beach
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🧠 Trivia Night at Lamppost Pizza
Pizza, house brews and a weekly trivia showdown.
Tue, Nov 17 | 7:30–9 pm | Lamppost Pizza & Brewery, Lake Forest
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WEDNESDAY NOV 18
🐦 Oak Woodland Bird Walk
Stroll through Santiago Oaks with an OC Parks volunteer while searching the trees and scrub for local birds. Bring binoculars and comfortable walking shoes.
Wed, Nov 18 | 7:30–9:30 am | Santiago Oaks Regional Park, Orange
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🧘♀️ Yoga at Casa Romantica
A morning yoga class at San Clemente's historic seaside estate. Bring your own mat.
Wed, Nov 18 | 9:15–10 am | Casa Romantica, San Clemente
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🧠 Trivia Night at Station Craft
King Trivia's weekly challenge over craft pours and pizza.
Wed, Nov 18 | 6 pm | Station Craft Taproom + Pizzeria, San Clemente
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🧠 Trivia Night at Pub Thirty Two
King Trivia's weekly pub quiz at Mission Viejo's favorite gastropub.
Wed, Nov 18 | 6:30 pm | Pub Thirty Two, Mission Viejo
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🤠 Line Dancing Wednesday at Goody's Tavern
Lessons kick off a night of boot-scootin' at one of San Clemente's classic local bars.
Wed, Nov 18 | 7:30 pm | Goody's Tavern, San Clemente
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THURSDAY NOV 19
🦅 Cool Birds of Fall in Fremont Canyon
A 3-mile bird walk in a preserve open only by guided program. A Limestone Canyon edition runs Dec 21.
Thu, Nov 19 | 7:30–10:30 am | Fremont Staging Area, Orange
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🌵 Saddleback College Fall Plant Sale
The horticulture greenhouse sells natives, succulents and herbs to fund student scholarships.
Thu, Nov 19–Fri, Nov 20 | 9 am–4 pm | Saddleback College Greenhouse, Lot 14, Mission Viejo
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✨ Harbor After Dark: A New Holiday Night Market
Local makers, food trucks and seasonal drinks under the harbor's 700,000 holiday lights.
Thu, Nov 19 | 4–8 pm | Dana Point Harbor, Dana Point
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🏈 Thursday Night Football on the Deck
Watch the game outdoors at Montanoso with light refreshments and games. Each recreation member may bring one complimentary guest.
Thu, Nov 19 | 5–7:45 pm | Montanoso Recreation Center, Mission Viejo
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🤠 Last Night of Line Dancing in the Olive Grove
Champagne Cowgirl's beginner-friendly Thursday series wraps with a guest instructor.
Thu, Nov 19 | 6–8 pm | Inn at the Mission, San Juan Capistrano
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FRIDAY NOV 20
🎁 Sawdust Winter Fantasy
180+ local artists turn the Sawdust grounds into a holiday village, with live music on three stages, over five weekends.
Fri, Nov 20–Sun, Dec 20 | 11 am–7 pm | Sawdust Art Festival grounds, Laguna Beach
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📓 Make a Gratitude Journal + Walk to Barbara's Lake
Make your own nature-inspired gratitude journal at Nix, then take it into the wilderness on a guided walk to Barbara's Lake.
Fri, Nov 20 | 9:30–11:30 am | Nix Nature Center, Laguna Beach
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☕ Coffee Concert With High Tide Coffee
An acoustic morning set by Brandon Keeley with High Tide coffee in the Main Salon.
Fri, Nov 20 | 10–11 am | Casa Romantica, San Clemente
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🖌️ Paint With a Little Heart
A guided meditation and visualization begin an intuitive painting session focused on the heart chakra.
Fri, Nov 20 | 2–4 pm | San Clemente Library, San Clemente
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🪄 Puffs: Harry Potter From the Other Kids' Point of View
The cult comedy retells seven years at a certain wizard school from the perspective of the students who were decidedly not destined to save the world.
Fri, Nov 20–Sun, Dec 6 | Opens 7:30 pm | Saddleback College Studio Theatre, Mission Viejo
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SATURDAY NOV 21
🛍️ 55th Annual Gifts & Goodies Boutique
80+ artisans selling handmade holiday gifts, with food and mimosas.
Sat, Nov 21 | 8 am–4 pm | Murray Community Center, Mission Viejo
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🥗 Plant a Salad Garden
Learn how to start a garden filled with ingredients you can use in salads. All supplies are provided.
Sat, Nov 21 | 11 am | Laguna Beach Library, Laguna Beach
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🏡 How Crystal Cove's Cottages Were Saved
A free walking tour of the Historic District with Conservancy educators.
Sat, Nov 21 | 1–2 pm | Crystal Cove Historic District, Newport Coast
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🏮 Mission Viejo Night Market
A free evening market with live entertainment, food vendors, games and photo ops.
Sat, Nov 21 | 5–9 pm | North Paseo at LOS OSOS, Mission Viejo
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🕯️ Taylor Swift by Candlelight
Swift's catalog on strings at Pelican Hill. Save 10% with code SOUTHOC10.
Sat, Nov 21 | 6:30 pm | The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Coast
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🧱 Pink Floyd's The Wall Live
Which One's Pink? recreates music from The Wall and more, a must for serious Floyd fans.
Sat, Nov 21 | 8 pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano
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🚢 Titanic: The Musical
UC Irvine presents a concert version of the Tony-winning musical, with sweeping songs and passenger stories from aboard the ill-fated RMS Titanic.
Sat, Nov 21 | 8 pm & Sun, Nov 22 | 2 pm | Irvine Barclay Theatre, Irvine
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SUNDAY NOV 22
🎸 Chris Stapleton + Miranda Lambert Tribute Night
The Staples tackle Chris Stapleton while Sin 4A Sin handles Miranda Lambert in a country double-header.
Sun, Nov 22 | 7 pm | The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano
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🥾 Go Into Crystal Cove's Backcountry
Head four miles into Moro Canyon with a naturalist to explore coastal sage scrub, riparian habitat, fire ecology, restoration and some of the park's rare species.
Sun, Nov 22 | 8–11:30 am | Crystal Cove State Park, Newport Coast
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🍵 Nature Meditation Walk & Tea Ceremony
A gentle walk of less than a mile combines mindfulness stops with a closing tea ceremony.
Sun, Nov 22 | 9–11 am | Aliso & Wood Canyons Visitor Center, Laguna Niguel
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🎄 Ritz-Carlton Tree Lighting for Surfers Healing
Lights, music, a holiday marketplace, cookies and cocoa, benefiting the autism surf charity.
Sun, Nov 22 | 4–7 pm | The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point
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📸 This Week’s Snapshot
We enjoyed it so much… we went again!
Back in September we went to see a Candlelight experience at the Nixon Library. They were playing ABBA & Queen - we enjoyed the show so much that we took some good friends along to another Candlelight event last weekend.
This time we went to The Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point to hear Bach to the Beatles. The music and the setting was just as fabulous as before.
If you want to try something a little different, then definately give one of these events a try. The hour-long string quartet show is a great intro to some fine classical arrangements of music that we all know and love. And the candlelight atmosphere really makes the event.
SAVE 10% with code SOUTHOC10
Upcoming Events…
Queen + The Beatles by Candlelight
Fri, Nov 13 | 6:15 pm | The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Beach
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Dolly Parton by Candlelight
Sat, Nov 14 | 4 pm | Yost Theater, Santa Ana
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Metallica by Candlelight
Sun, Nov 15 | 5:30 pm | The Lido Theater, Newport Beach
🗓️ Add to calendar
Michael Jackson by Candlelight
Sun, Nov 15 | 7:45 pm | The Lido Theater, Newport Beach
🗓️ Add to calendar
Taylor Swift by Candlelight
Sat, Nov 21 | 6:30 pm | The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Coast
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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 in South OC. And we want you to enjoy it too.
Thanks for letting us be a small part of your weekend.
🧐 Trivia Answer:
✅ D. Argentine pirates
Yes, pirates really did raid San Juan Capistrano!
In December 1818, two ships flying the Argentine flag anchored off present-day Dana Point.
More than 100 armed men marched to Mission San Juan Capistrano, where they looted storerooms, drank the wine and brandy, rang the church bells and set buildings ablaze. Some got so drunk they had to be dragged back to their ships!
Want the full story, including the legend of buried pirate treasure? Read historian Eric Plunkett's account of the raid.
It’s a Wrap!
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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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©️ 2026 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.
