This is a review for the Irvine Nights festival which you can't really call it that. The advertising made it appear to be bigger and have much more than was there. It was $11.50 per adult and then an additional $10 for a child's wrist band to the play area, so it cost $50 for us. I was surprised to see that it looked like a school carnival with not much there. Food trucks, a couple of vendors, live band later but not why we came, and then the extra money to get into the kids play zone was a joke. Cute little games with dentist box type of prizes given to kids because everyone won. Then there was one jumper which was a mad house. No staff present to ensure kids were safe when in fact our little one got hurt because all the kids were just doing whatever they wanted, not taking turns or making sure other kids were out safely. Thought there would be a pumpkin patch, but no a couple of hay barrels with 4 pumpkins around it. We left after being there for 30 minutes because there wasn't anything for us to do that I felt comfortable without little one getting hurt. If I could request a refund, I would. Don't waste your time or money! Honestly I am surprised that this was put on by the great park. read more

Massive park with lit up soccer, volleyball, and basketball fields and courts at night. Free parking. Public bathrooms are clean and open late. Farmer's market on Saturday mornings. Free, clean, spacious; great for big groups, late nights, and any sport you can think of! read more

The best park in OC that we have been to for the kids. Great playground for all ages. A must! read more

Great Park - Balloon ride - Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

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Man oh man is this park HUGE. It has everything you need and more. And best of all, it's free! We parked in parking lot #3 because my friend & I were interested in riding the big ole orange balloon up (it's not flying all around Irvine, it goes up to see a good enough aerial view of the city and comes back down). On one side of the parking lot is the park itself, and on the other side is a huge ice skating facility. This is children adventure central. After we parked and walked over to the orange balloon area, we noticed there's a section for volleyball, there's a section where the farmers market would be located, the visitor center with clean bathrooms and a carousel (which I thought was totally random). The carousel is $3 for unlimited rides which is a steal! The balloon ride wait was going to be 2 hours which is the bummer part. Because it's free and the park itself is gorgeous and really well maintained, the balloon ride would of course be with a heavy waitlist. But they informed us that it's not operating just yet because of "weather conditions". There was slight wind but this was 90+ degree weather so I'm not sure how windy it could be. We spent most of our time there just chilling on the park bench under the shade. We noticed lots of families on their bikes, brought their lunch for picnics, food trucks were there and a kids soccer game going on. When we drove off, we noticed signs pointing to other areas of park for softball, baseball, basketball, you name it. I can't imagine how big this place truly is. I'd highly recommend coming here whether it's to enjoy the free amenities and space or for a picnic or anything else. It's amazing! read more

Great Park - Carousel & orange balloon - Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

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GREAT PARK is a large park that can host so many different sports, and possibly, at the same! Different sections are clearly labeled and the labels and signage start from the freeway exit all the way to whatever "field" you need to be at. Parking is easy to find because there are so many spread out all over. read more

I have been recently coming to this park for Roller Skating meetups on Thursday evenings, and it really is a nice park to skate around. The concrete flooring is all over the park so it makes it an enjoyable place to cruise around in your skates, roller blades, skateboards or scooters. The park is clean as they have staff driving around, but it really is all of the guests that clean up after themselves. There is plenty of trash bins everywhere and parking spaces. This park has so many things to offer: great skating areas, volleyball courts, plenty of soccer fields, basketball courts, playground area for the children, clean bathrooms, mini museum, baseball fields, tennis courts, biking and walking trails, senior center, indoor skating rink, farm+food lab workshops, indoor concerts, plenty of areas to have a picnic, the carousel and the orange hot air balloon that goes 500 feet into the sky and is connected to a steel rope that pulls the balloon down to the ground. I used to go here when the hot air balloon and carousel ride were free (aka many years ago). Now they charge which is bummer. My boyfriend and I used to go to the Great Park Hot Air Balloon, pick up our pager while we wait our turn, and head to the Farmers Market to pick up some groceries and food. By the time we were done, the pager would buzz and then we would walk back to the hot air balloon for our turn is ready. I even brought Ninja with me on the balloon and she was totally fine. All of this was free back in 2012. A proposal happened on our hot air balloon ride, which was super cute, and when we descended the family was at the ground waiting for the newly engaged couple. Once Irvine started to charge for this, we haven't been back since. Irvine is trying to make this park like Central Park in New York, that is so far 11 years in the making, but it will never happen as CA has a water shortage, so they are adding more amenities and sports/concert complexes to take up space at the park. It depends on what you are coming here for, some of you may have a great experience, others may not so much. Overall, it is a decent park and I am so happy there is no duck poop everywhere like other parks in OC. read more

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Awesome helium balloon- we're planning to go back for the carousel. Free parking, nice air- conditioned visitor center and an awesome staff. read more

Great Park - Balloon for Halloween - Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

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The Great Park is great, but could be better. Considering the massive size of the park itself, it gets surprisingly packed and I've already encountered situations where parking is an issue. On the weekend I've seen the park booked with various athletic events, such as soccer or lacrosse. During these events, parking lot 1, 6, and 7 gets packed to the point that people are opting to park on the street curb. The lots are relatively spread out which also means if one lot is full, you may need to park much further away than you intended to. I've also attempted to go to Great Park to play tennis, as they have 20+ tennis courts available for use. However, you must book a tennis court with the on-site coordinator and if you are able to book a court, you can only reserve it in 1 hour increments. This system is actually not half bad considering most courts rely on the honor system and it can be quite a headache to wait for people to finish. I also noticed that a lot of coaches or trainers seem to occupy the courts which may make it more difficult for the average tennis player to find an open spot. Overall, the park is great to walk through, play on the fields (if they are available), visit the Sunday farmer's market, and perfect for bringing the family. It can just be annoying when there are ongoing sporting events and random closures with no posted notification. read more

This is a gorgeous park with plenty of things to do, including a Merry-Go-Round and hot air balloon rides. The landscaping is always perfect and it's always very clean. Social distancing is not a problem because it's big! Lots of families come here but it's also great for dates. You'll get lots of good Instagram pics here too! read more

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This park is huge with tons of options for park goers. They have a ballon ride when weather conditions cooperate. They also have a carousel, ice rink, baseball fields, well kept soccer fields, air museum, and more. It's great for kids that have older siblings who are playing soccer or etc. The signage guiding you to fields or parts of park are clear and easy to read. The park has adequate restrooms but it could use a clubhouse like Silverlakes. They have centrally locates vending machines. Vending machines are not suitable for a great park like this one. Overall, it's a fantastic, well kept park. The recent renovations and additions here have been amazing. read more

Great Park - Great baseball fields here - Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

Cold day review. Place is not packed at all. Park is pretty much open for anything during cold days. Now I do not have park like this where I live so this place is amazing. The area alone is a reason to give this a 5 star, with all its potential. They have a freaking hot air balloon, which is a great view at night. Just expect a wait anytime of the year. Playground for kids have something for all types of play from sand with play tractor arms to a zip line! Carousel is a plus! but the one thing I respect above all is all the lighting. I grew up where we had to be in before dark because there was no lights, but a safe place like this give opportunity for exercise after dark. read more

Great Park - Balloon - Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

This hidden gem in OC is free! What? FREE?! The parking and admission to the Great Park Balloon is free. The easiest way to get to the line is by parking in parking lot #3 and following signs for the line. Hours vary through the week. We opted to go on a Saturday and the line started at 7 PM. First come first serve. We were there 10 minutes after 7PM and it took us over 1 hour to get onto the attraction. Be prepared to wait! Note: You will have to sign a waiver form online before checking in with the attendants in line. They will then hand you a sheet of paper that acts as your ticket which includes the # of people in your party and the time. What a great way to see the surrounding landscape of Irvine from 400 feet above! I recommend this as an activity with the family or date spot. Enjoy the views! read more

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A nice spacious playground for young kids. Wide grass fields to run around. Bring hats & sunblock.

The fact that these tournaments are pricey you would think they would have snack bar open. Also not happy about admission fees again no snack bar so not cool read more

Great Park - Park - Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

We came here for the Great Park Balloon Ride, and it was so much fun! To get your ticket to ride, you have to sign a waiver at the front desk, then they will hand you a buzzer and tell you an estimated time for your balloon ride. Ours was about 45 mins, but it was fine since there is so much to see and do around the park! Once our buzzer went off, we went back to the front desk and paid for the tickets. From there, we walked to the entrance of the balloon gate and waited for 5 mins for the workers to get the balloon set up for us. During this time of the year they typically allow around 6 to 9 people on the balloon ride, due to the winds, but the workers said during mid summer they will allow 15-20 people since there isn't really any strong winds during that time. The ride lasts about 10 mins and you can see so much from the balloon! I loved it so much! We will definitely come back for the sunset rides that open at 6pm for tickets. read more

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This is an outstanding, beautiful and spacious park!!! The reviews I am seeing that are below a 4 star are completely erroneous!!! It sits on the old El Toro Marine Base!!! It's huge!!!! If you were sitting anywhere in that park you probably would not have a person near you anywhere!!! That's how large it is!! Biking, walking, sports fields, playgrounds!! Sitting tables with umbrellas, huge parking areas! And bathrooms that are immaculate!! Most people's bathrooms at home are no where near this clean. LOVE this park!! Awesome job all away around!!!! read more

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This truly is a great park! This park has multiple fields, playgrounds, walking and bike paths. I was so impressed with the 25 beautiful tennis courts. The park well maintained and has numerous clean bathrooms. Great place to get some exercise and enjoy the fresh air. read more

Great Park - Beautiful public tennis courts! - Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

Nice park and amenities but living here is cold and impersonal. Neighbors are not friendly at all. Spend your money elsewhere. Schools have students with bad behavior. read more

Great park is like the model of what every city in America should strive to have in a park. What a beautiful place with so many awesome resources. We did the balloon ride, which is absolutely incredible, and it highlights the history walk and all the other features. They had great Christmas decorations too. read more

I am so happy that places like this exist for kids and families. There is plenty to do from sports to a veggie garden, a carousel, several playgrounds, you can easily spend the day here. Everything is free, the carousel is $2 per ride or $3 for the entire day, you really can't beat that! Very well maintained, wonderful staff and volunteers, HUGE and nicely spread out that it is never too busy, plenty of easy parking. Highly recommended for a free day out with the family. read more

Beautiful park. Free carousel. Fun playground for kids. Well maintained. Also free ballon ride and very organized.

All rides are closed during this time but can still enjoy the walk and outdoor fun. Beautiful in any weather. read more

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This is an unbelievably large plot of land in Orange County with several fields and a lot of open expanses. Walking around it was pleasant but I went for the hot air balloon only to learn that it was canceled for the day due to "weather". It was sunny, no storms in sight and not a bit of wind in the air. I suspect there just weren't enough people to bother with it. The fact that it periodically closes was not posted on the website. We were disappointed. read more

Beautiful and a very big park. So clean and peaceful even there were alot of people. Parking space is very big too. The baloon was not in service. The carousel is so attractive for kids. A big play area for kids to enjoy. read more

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Lots of fun for the kids. Playgrounds for all ages. Food on Sundays with the farmers market. Love love the farm! However, Carousel waiver was unexpected, inconveniently located in another bldg and the biggest drawback was I felt like they were collecting too much information for a kids ride. I don't think I've experienced that before. I just hope I don't get junk mail - let's not waste more paper please. read more

Not sure why the low ratings. This is a huge and beautiful park. Baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, lakes, trees, big grass plains, a long path to ride a skate board, a mini version of muscle beach, an ice skating rink, a hiking trail, security every where, and it's in Irvine so if you want to go get food or shopping, it's literally nearby. I bring anyone out of town here and they love and wish they had it as a kid as much as I did too growing up read more

Great Park is huge, modern, lots of activities, lots of facilities and only more to come. Free tethered hot air balloon rides is a fun touch! read more

wow i just have to say i really like this park. its big, lots of parking, clean, and extremely clean bathrooms. Not your average park bathroom. it's so well lit like a mall. and smelled fresh. So we hung out by the big orange ball, carousel, and plane hangar! It's nice and shady with some picnic tables. All around not bad! I've also hung around the soccer field before too. They have a drive by farmers market so that is cute. easy parking too. Will definitely come back! read more

I should've listened to my neighbors and brought our kids to this park a long time ago... a lot for kids and adults to discover here - free air balloon ride, water park, small zip line, trails, TONS of open space, playground, small airplanes, merry-go-round, classes for all ages (many subjects, our 9 yr old daughter just finished a speaking/debate class). I agree with previous reviews that the park is substantially outfitted for sports - SO many soccer fieds, tennis courts, pickle ball courts and more. This results in parking issues as you may have to park far away to get to different parts of the park. read more

My kids wholeheartedly adore this South Irvine gem of a park and playground. My son actually asks for it by name, and calls it "Blue Park" due to the unique blue playground equipment that made such a lasting impression on his 2 year old mind. I originally brought them here for the amazing zip line installed by our friends at FivePoint communities, who also have an amazing Amphitheater here where you can catch some of the best musical acts on the West Coast. This park also has a mindblowing cave scape with fake snakes and slides, a large sand pit with mini heavy equipment shovels and trowels. Be sure to bring your sand toys and buckets!! And don't forget the family fun on ice only a short drive away, most public skate sessions are during 2-4pm through the week. As they continue to build out the Great Park, we beat ourselves up from moving out of Woodbury where we resides across the street while the city and others dragged their feet on Great Park development for almost a decade. Sure enough the second we moved, they started the build out again, stoked for residents, but bummed it was on hold for almost a decade. read more

Great Park - Sand Pitted!! - Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

***THE GREAT PARK LIVE EVENT IS A CASH GRAB*** This was by far the worst treatment we've gotten from a business ever. Their managers Jared and Candy are unprofessional and will demean the customers by saying it's common sense that no bags are allowed at these types of events. I go to these types of events all the time from the 626 Night Market to the OC fair and they've all allowed my mini backpack inside so it's not weird to assume that my mini backpack that can barely fit sunscreen and my wallet would be allowed in. We came here specifically for the balloon ride a couple weeks ago but was quoted a 2.5 hour wait. We heard there was an event going on and was encouraged to check it out by other staff members while we wait. In order to get into the event, we would need to purchase tickets and we did so at the box office. The cashier never told us tickets were final sale (which by the way is ILLEGAL because under Civil Code Section 1723, no refund signs must be CONSPICUOUSLY displayed) nor were there signs plastered by the box office showing what is/what isn't allowed, or the dimensions of bags that are allowed. They claim to have signs plastered everywhere mentioning their policies but the only ones I saw were 2 small signs by the ticket line--mind you--one of those signs was hiding behind a giant pole. They keep saying it's on their website or social media but we weren't aware because again, we stumbled upon this event. Jared, Candy, and the "Director of Finance" all said they "can't process refunds on grounds". They gave us a card to email someone for the refund. Asked them on social media for the refund and they gave us the same cookie cutter response as on the email. All we want is just a refund for an event that we did not even get to enjoy. They admitted that it was their fault for being disorganized yet they still refuse to resolve the issue. Do not give these people your hard earned money. They are all CROOKS. No wonder the reviews for this place is so low. People are spending money for an enjoyable experience and you provide us with rude staffs who treat us with disrespect and zero customer service. read more

My partner and come here to ride the balloon ride but unfortunately they had to cancel. We get here, it goes for a test run and they cancel due to high winds. I get it's for safety but I was so looking forward to get on it today. Last visit it was highly windy this today, and they were still letting on people to ride it. I'm glad it's free but wish they had another way read more

Frequent Visitor Pros: -Surrounding parks -Bike friendly -Many soccer fields -Farmer's Markets on Saturdays -Ride the Orange Balloon or carousel -Tennis Courts -Garden lessons/instructions for kids Cons: -Not too much shade -Soccer fields are great however, the portable bathrooms aren't kept up that great, so on a busy soccer weekend, they will get trashed quickly and then you will want to jump in a vat of sanitizer after leaving the bathroom -parking is still a walk with all of our goods read more

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I have attended several events at Great Park Live. The Irvine Nights series has been especially fun. The value is excellent with reasonable prices for tickets and food. There is also free parking. The venue is clean and the staff is super friendly and attentive. I would highly recommend this experience for a night out with friends or family. read more

This park is HUGE. I came here because I was interested in riding on the big orange balloon with my friends and found out there are a lot of things to do here. Best of all, FREE PARKING. They have volleyball nets set up, soccer fields, a carousel, a hanger with two life-sized planes, an art gallery, among many other things to do. The balloon rides are first come, first served on Thursdays and Fridays 10am-3pm and 7pm-10pm and Saturdays and Sundays 9am-3pm and 7pm-10pm. I came on a Saturday at 2pm and was turned away. The worker told me to come at least an hour before opening to guarantee a spot on the list. read more

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This review is for the farmers market. The selection has gotten worse and worse. Not a whole lotta fresh fruits and veggies to pick from even during spring and summer. Less vendors seem to be wanting to come to this event (no nursery people for example). I'm so sad I can't make it to the Saturday farmers market at mariners church. That one is always full of good surprises. This park otherwise seems to have a lot of potential and they're constantly building. A lot of athletic fields. read more

Great Park - Farmers market - Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

The park is clean and so much fun. During soccer tournaments or sports events, the park is very full of people and cars, but they do a pretty good job of parking attending and cleaning up trash. However, if you get a chance to go on a regular day, I highly recommend it. There is so much to see and so fun for the kids. Lots and lots of space to roam around, the park is full of historical facts, and the play area has so many fun activities. I got to be a kid and zip lined, went down slides, jumped on the merry-go-round, and spun around in a ride. Such a fun place! read more

First time here was in August on a Saturday afternoon. There were 2 food trucks next to the carousel and Kona Icee truck by the soccer field. Balloon ride was open. All you have to do is scan the QR code by the Balloon ride and make your reservation. Very Simple. For those complaining about the sign up process. We decided to go again on Monday, Labor Day. I didn't pack a lunch (assuming, my bad) lunch trucks would be on site as it is a Holiday. No, lunch trucks and the snack bar inside the visitor center was closed. Why would they close the snack shop on a busy Holiday? Its not like someone is making the food, these are prepackaged sandwiches, etc and no lunch trucks on a Holiday??? Why???? The park itself offers so much for families of all ages, clean restrooms, ample parking, nice modern playground. Just disappointed there was no food available and a busy Holiday. The snack shop even has fun toys for children so again, why would they close this little shop inside the visitor center...... read more

Well-organized, spacious, plenty of parking, some things I wish the park had but aren't end-all detractors to the overall park experience. First off, you don't come to a park to get great service. So, drop most of the 1-2 star reviews for this place that criticize bad park customer service; I could care less about that stuff, and frankly, do you really come to a PUBLIC PARK to get good human customer service? Please. Just use the reservation system online like a modern human being if you really need to reserve some aspect of the park for your special event, don't be prissy about it. There's a lot of history about this park, and I'll let you Google up the various elements of it, cuz there's just too much to go over in one Yelp review. Let's talk about offerings: * The park is huge. * The various fields here can be reserved for your special event, like a soccer game, birthday party, whatever. * There are special areas like the carousel, some tiny museum for airplanes, and regularly recurring farmers market meets on a given weekend. * There is free WiFi at the park. Say what, free WiFi at a park that is nearly 28 acres all around? YES. And it's not slow WiFi either. At some points in the park, i was getting close to 50 Mbps downstream and upstream. They did not cheap out on the internet availability here. I wager you could probably "work from home" at this park, but I've never tried myself, as I was here with family for the days I came here. Finally, my only wish for this park is that they implement EV charging. As it stands, there is no EV charging at the park which is kind of a disappointment, but at the same time, knowing how the City of Irvine is, if they did implement EV charging, they'd probably charge an arm and a leg for using what should otherwise be discounted electricity, but hey, Irvine does what Irvine does, amirite? Anyway, it's a good park experience, there's plenty of space to do things, parking is a-plentiful, there's stuff that happens here, and I forgot to mention there's even an (indoor) ice rink here. So come check it all out! read more

Great Park - Early, five minutes into the Farmers Market opening on Sunday 1/13/19. More people will show up :) - Parks Near Me - Irvine, California

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I LOVE the Great Park, wow Irvine is a tough crowd if a beautiful place like this has such low reviews. I have been on the Balloon a few times, it's a neat attraction and FREE, nothing is free anymore! The staff must work hard because I've never seen trash and it's always clean. There's literally something for EVERYONE at this park! read more