Winter Fest OC is back again this year at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, and the holiday-themed event has expanded its footprint on the fairgrounds and added new attractions.
“We’ve got a lot going on this year and one of our goals is that we want to showcase an event where it supports everyone from age 1 to 100,” Mark Entner, executive producer of Winter Fest OC, said during a recent video call.
“It’s all about bringing out the families and extended families with grandma and grandpa and young nieces and nephews, too,” he continued. “We want to make sure everyone within Winter Fest is able to enjoy the event, even if they have to split up and the little ones maybe go into our new Snow Play area and maybe the adults take a guided tour on our North Pole Journey.”
The event opens on Friday, Nov. 24 and continues select days through Sunday, Jan. 7. With families and tighter budgets in mind, Entner said that numerous activities are now included in the cost of general admission, which starts at $29.99 for children ages 3-12 and $34.99 for adults at winterfestoc.com.
With that, guests will be able to enjoy the North Pole Journey guided tour, unlimited access to the Snow Play area and the Snowflake Summit Ice Tubing Slide, as well as the nightly tree lighting, winter photo ops, live entertainment and the new holiday marketplace that will feature 20 local artisans selling gifts and other wares.
“We’ve listened to guests and changed our ticketing to where our general admission includes almost everything within the event,” he said. “That’s really important. Then they’re not coming to an event with a general admission ticket going, ‘Gosh, I need to buy this or that.’ We’re making sure we’re staying affordable, but also making sure it’s high quality as well.”
Inside the North Pole Journey, attendees can become certified elves along this immersive guided tour of a magical winter wonderland that includes costumed characters, live entertainment and photo ops throughout. Over in the Snow Play area, there is sledding and a snow carousel for little kids. There’s also a snowball range where patrons can throw snowballs at various targets and a designated area for snowman building. The bigger kids and adults can trek over to the 150-foot Snowflake Summit Ice Tubing Slide for even more snowy action.
There are also several light tunnels and the fully decked-out Holiday House that help account for the more than 2 million lights being used at the event.
“That’s something we saw last year was the guests really wanting to see more lights and people coming in the evenings instead of the daytime, so that’s why we adjusted our hours to be open a little later this year,” he said. “There’s also more light tunnels and it’s not about just throwing a bunch of lights out there, it’s really about putting them in a fashion where guests can interact with them or get an Instagram photo.”
To prevent any Clark Griswold-like lighting mishaps, Entner said the crew is well prepared.
“We have lots of elves that work when we’re closed to make sure everything’s ready for the next night we open,” he said with a laugh.
Some attractions do cost extra, including the Polar Playground that will feature 20 amusement park rides, carnival-style games and themed inflatable bounce houses (unlimited use wristbands are $40 per person). They’ve added a Polar Putt-Putt course ($6 per round per person) and the new Arctic Ice Trail is a timed experience, which includes a 45-minute ice skating session with ice skate rental ($25 per person; Skate aids can be rented for $15).
“The Arctic Ice Trail we’re really excited about this year because we’re one of the first in the nation to have an actual ice trail like this that you can skate through,” Entner said. There’s also a portion of the experience where guests can get off the ice and take photos inside a ginormous walk-thru holiday ornament.
Those looking for a more elevated experience can splurge on VIP Arctic Cabanas ($120 for up to 10 guests not including general admission tickets). The cabanas include VIP access to attractions, seating inside a warm cabana, a special menu with craft cocktails and libations, private ice rink access with paid skating admission and more. There are also private Fireside Igloos ($120 for up to 10 guests not including general admission tickets) that come with a private firepit for warmth and roasting marshmallows for s’mores, premium views of the event, a private bar area and a special menu with craft cocktails and libations.
“We’ve definitely enhanced these offerings for those that are looking for more of a date night-style experience,” Entner said. They’ve also added the Tinsel Taps Bar and brought back the Chill & Cheer Wunderbar for those 21 and older to indulge in holiday spirits.
“That area has a lounge in there as well so those that are interested in having cocktails, they’re able to do that in a setting that’s comfortable,” he said about the Chill & Cheer Wunderbar.
Winter Fest OC
When: 2 p.m.-10 p.m. weekends and 4 p.m.-10 p.m. weekdays on select dates from Nov. 24-Jan. 7
Where: OC Fair & Event Center, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa
Tickets: Adult general admission starts at $34.99; children ages 3-12 start at $29.99; Ultimate Experience admission starts at $79.99 for adults and $74.99 for children; Season passes start at $80.99 for adults and $75.99 for children. VIP cabanas and igloos are also available at winterfestoc.com.
