From skating under the stars to a Christmas classic on stage, check out the top Orange County weekend events for December 21-24.

Edited by Whitney Lauren Han.

EVENTS

Winter Fest OC
Dec. 21-Jan. 7. More than 20 wintry activities are back by popular demand, including outdoor ice skating, ice tubing down Snowflake Summit, a snow play area with real snow, Festival of Lights two-million-light stroll-through display, a nightly tree lighting ceremony with parade, snow flurries, fireworks, flying Santa and much more. See website for schedule and prices. OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Dr., Costa Mesa, 657.333.2520. winterfestoc.com

 

 

 

Disney on Ice – ‘Follow Your Heart’
Through Dec. 24. Disney On Ice presents Follow Your Heart featuring the beloved stories and characters from the smash hit animated movies Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory and Inside Out for the first time in a live production. See website for showtimes. $20+. Honda Center, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, 714.704.2500. hondacenter.com

 

 

 

 

Night Tree Lighting
Through Jan. 1. Edwards Courtyard at Irvine Spectrum Center will be home to a mesmerizing LED color-changing 50-foot holiday tree. Every half hour between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m., the tree will come to life at night with a choreographed light show set to holiday music. Irvine Spectrum Center has decked their halls with more than 225,000 lights, festive garlands and snowflake light projections creating perfect seasonal selfie-spots in the paseos and courtyards. 670 Spectrum Center Dr., Irvine, 949.753.5180. shopirvinespectrumcenter.com

 

 

Knott’s Merry Farm
Through Jan. 7. Joy is in season at Knott’s Merry Farm where you and your family can make holiday memories. Enjoy the glorious sights, sounds and scents of the holiday season along with classic shows, seasonal treats and much more. See website for hours and prices. 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park, 714.220.5200. knotts.com

 

 

FOOD + DRINK

New Seasonal Menu Items and Nightly Specials
Ongoing. oak will now be open Tuesday through Sunday and offers new nightly specials of elevated food and drink options featuring Tapas and Tequila Tuesdays from 3-8 p.m. in addition to Wine Wednesday. New menu highlights include stuffed portobello mushroom, fried pork belly salad, wild king salmon (featured in photo), Nana’s fried chicken and more. oak Laguna Beach, 1100 South Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, 949.940.3010. oak-lagunabeach.com

 

 

Feast of the Seven Fishes
Through Dec. 24. Traditionally held on Christmas Eve, the Feast of the Seven Fishes joins Italians around the dinner table, where they indulge in seven courses of pescatarian goodness. CUCINA’s play on this holiday ritual showcases seven different fish specials that will be offered in rotation during the seven days leading up to Christmas Eve. The Irvine and Newport Beach locations will feature two to three specials per day, giving diners a taste of the sea alongside the regular menu. See website for hours. CUCINA enoteca Irvine, 532 Spectrum Center Dr., Irvine. CUCINA enoteca Newport Beach, 951 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach. urbankitchengroup.com

 

ARTS + CULTURE

‘The Secret Garden’
Through Dec. 23. Based on the popular children’s book of the same name, The Secret Garden follows the story of a 11-year-old British girl born and raised in colonial India and a young gardener as they bring life to a neglected garden. Filled with amazing music, elegant choreography, and a heartwarming story of forgiveness and renewal, The Secret Garden is the quintessential holiday musical for all ages. $20+. Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken Theater Arts Center, 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, 888.455.4212. chancetheater.com

 

 

‘A Christmas Carol’
Through Dec. 24. Capture the spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas with this timeless Dickens classic and all your favorite characters—Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family, the Fezziwigs, the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet-to-come—and, as always, Hal Landon Jr. as everyone’s favorite curmudgeon, Ebenezer Scrooge. See website for schedule. $61+. South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.708.5555. scr.org

 

 

 

‘Motown The Musical’
Through Dec. 24. Featuring more than 40 classic hits such as “My Girl” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Motown The Musical tells the story behind the hits as Diana, Smokey, Berry and the whole Motown family fight against the odds to create the soundtrack of change in America. See website for showtimes. $29+. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center, Costa Mesa, 714.556.2787. scfta.org

 

 

 

Sugar Plum Fairy
Through Dec. 24. With signature irreverence, NPR superstar Sandra Tsing Loh recounts her own childhood desire for a highly coveted role in the Beverly Rosann School of Dance’s production of The Nutcracker. Filled with ambition, rivalry and pre-teen angst, this hilarious tale of life’s crushing blows has been praised as “a comic assault on holiday sentiment.” $67+. South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.708.5555. scr.org

 

 

 

‘Aladdin and His Winter Wish’
Through Dec. 31. An updated version of the classic Arabian Nights tale, in the style of a traditional British family Panto, Aladdin and His Winter Wish is a singing, swinging and soaring adventure that features family-friendly magic, with a comedic twist, dancing, contemporary music and more. See website for showtimes. $20+. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, 949.497.2787. lagunaplayhouse.com

 

The Secret Garden photo by Doug Catiller.

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