Tall Ships, Oktoberfest, Social Huntington Beach and more…. Here are the top Orange County weekend events for September 5-8.
Edited by Whitney Lauren Han.
EVENTS
Tall Ships Festival
Sept. 6-8. Sail into the weekend for the annual Tall Ships Festival at Dana Point Harbor. Festivities and the tall-ships parade kick off on Friday (Sept. 6); tall-ships tours, pirate adventures, cannon battles, mermaid encounters and other activities take place on Saturday (Sept. 7) and Sunday (Sept. 8). See website for schedule and prices. Free parking at Strand Vista Park or Dana Hills High School. Ocean Institute, 24200 Dana Point Harbor, Dana Point, 949.496.2274. ocean-institute.org
Brew Ha Ha Craft Beer Festival
Sept. 7. Cheers to the 9th annual craft beer festival, this year featuring unlimited sips of more than 160 craft beers from regional as well as out-of-town breweries, some rarely seen in Southern California. Participating breweries include Bootleggers, Chapman Crafted, Stereo Brewing, Stone Brewing and Faction Brewing. Guests enjoy picturesque views, classic backyard games, live entertainment and gourmet food trucks such as Mess Hall Canteen, Viking Truck, Meat Up BBQ and Fiesta Gourmet. 21+. VIP entry at noon, GA 1-7 p.m. $45-$55 GA, $65-$75 VIP. Oak Canyon Park, 5305 E. Santiago Canyon Road, Orange, 949.363.1774. ocbrewhaha.com
Unicorn Fest
Sept. 7. Experience a magical afternoon at Outlets at San Clemente’s first Unicorn Fest. Center-wide activities and entertainment include a unicorn meet-and-greet, princesses and fairies, the Rainbow Dance Party, a unicorn pop-up shop by Daisy Shoppe and inflatable fun. 1-5 p.m. Free. 101 W. Avenida Vista Hermosa, San Clemente, 949.535.2323. outletsatsanclemente.com
Oktoberfest
Begins Sept. 8. Oktoberfest Huntington Beach brings authentic German food, imported German beers, German bands and other German-inspired festivities and competitions. See website for schedule and pricing. Old World German Restaurant, 7561 Center Ave., Huntington Beach, 714.895.8020. oldworld.ws
FOOD + DRINK
Coffee Cart and Cocktails for a Cause
Now Available. Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens offers two new beverage programs. The Farmhouse Coffee Cart presents freshly brewed cups from Riverside-based small-batch Arcade Coffee Roasters. Steps from the cart is the Farmhouse bar and its Cocktails for a Cause initiative. From Friday through Sunday, 50 percent of the proceeds from the highlighted cocktail go to a local charity. The Farmhouse bar: daily 11:30 a.m.-closing, Coffee Cart: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, 949.640.1415. farmhouserg.com
Social Huntington Beach
Opens Sept. 6. The highly-anticipated second location of new-American dining concept Social opens in Huntington Beach. The new spot has a patio with its own outdoor bar, fire pits and lawn games and a fresh lineup of weekly food and beverage happenings: Taco Tuesday, All-Night-Happy-Hour Wednesday, King Crab Leg Thursday, Wagyu Prime Ribeye Friday and Fried Chicken Supper Sunday. Tu-Su dinner from 5-10 p.m., Sa-Su brunch 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 21214 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach, 714.374.7715. socialrg.com
Taste the Future Wine Event
Sept. 7. Awaken all five senses with a journey in the new immersive-dining space at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Newport Beach. During a five-course menu with wine pairings, all five senses will be stimulated by panoramic projections and sounds of evocative scenes of the ocean, farms and vineyards that inspired the selections. The experience is curated by chef-partner Kevin Monahan. 6:30 p.m. $200. Fashion Island, 455 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, 949.720.9633. flemingssteakhouse.com
Sunday Football and Food Specials
Sept. 8. Touch down at Red Bar and Lounge every Sunday this football season for specials such as $20 for five domestic beers, $25 for five imported brews and $5 drafts. Keep the cup! Game-day grub includes pork-belly sliders, pizza, beef sliders, garlic tots and avocado fries until 3 p.m. Watch favorite NFL teams play on big-screen TVs. 10 a.m.-close. Hotel Irvine, 17900 Jamboree Road, Irvine, 949.225.6757. hotelirvine.com
ARTS + CULTURE
American Mariachi
Opens Sept. 7. Big-hearted comedy with live music. Lucha spends her days caring for her mother. It’s the 1970s and women can’t be mariachis … or can they? A loving gesture for a mother becomes much more as the young women dream big and embrace the transcendent power of music. See website for showtimes and prices. South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.708.5555. scr.org
Hail to the Heroes
Sept. 8. Country music icon Lee Greenwood joins Pacific Symphony for a concert that celebrates U.S. veterans and first responders. The concert features a fantastic lineup of patriotic and orchestral favorites, from “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “God Bless America” to movie themes by John Williams. 7:30 p.m. $25 online, $12.50 under 14, free for active-duty military, veterans and first responders. Pacific Amphitheatre, 100 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.755.5799. pacificsymphony.org
Photos: Tall Ships courtesy Ocean Institute. Brew Ha Ha courtesy VJay Tabula. Unicorn Fest courtesy Outlets at San Clemente. Oktoberfest courtesy Old World Huntington Beach. Coffee Cart and Social courtesy the ACE Agency. Taste of the Future courtesy Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. NFL photo courtesy Hotel Irvine. American Mariachi courtesy South Coast Repertory. Hail to the Heroes courtesy Pacific Symphony.
