Lots of interesting vendors with interesting things. Hardly any places to sit and eat, but very…read morespacious at the same time. Things are not cheap, so expect to pay a little extra compared to what you would find outside of the market.

We LOVE coming to 626 OC!!! We look forward to it all year. Great food choices. Some were better…read morethan others (I have edited my food post after a further review). Thumbs up to Cafe 949 (great lobster and garlic noodles) and MJ's Bellychon Basket for excellent lechon, Daddy's Catch for great dusted fries and lemonade, Molly Kitchen for grilled octopus, HGG Tanghulu for interesting sugar glazed fruits on a stick. Thumbs sideways for New England Seafood for lack of flavored oysters, and Bonanza Bakery and Cafe for creepy realistic animal shaped mousse cakes. Thumbs down for Kanto Filipino Street Food for chewy (not in a good way) fried chicken skin (old and rubbery probably leftovers from the previous day) and lack luster flavorless lechon. Overall 626 is an experience too good to pass up even though some foods are a disappointment. Atmosphere here is great, service is excellent! Just be choosy when making your selections. There were more to tastes we wanted to try, but our bellies and take home bag was stuffed.

We absolutely love the OC Fair!! it's our annual must‑do summer tradition (especially since it's…read morewhere my husband and I had our first date over a decade ago)! The fair runs every summer from about mid‑July through mid‑August (this year July18-August17) and is open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from around 11a.m.-11p.m., and Fridays & Saturdays until midnight -- lots of time for all the fun! Tickets are around $13 midweek and $15 on weekends for adults, $9 for seniors/kids (6-12), and free for kids 5 and under, and you can even get a $60 Every Day Passport to come anytime! Parking onsite is about $15 per car (and buses/limos around $30), with tons of parking and staff guiding you in -- even though it gets packed like Disneyland on summer nights! We always have the best time -- from grabbing pizza, pineapple fried rice, ice cream, boba, fried Oreos, or whatever catches our eye at the food vendors (prices vary by booth), to watching shows, visiting animals (the kids love that), and snapping so many fun photo ops! The atmosphere is amazing, the smells and lights are the best, and you seriously need like 10 hours to do it all -- we're so glad we went and can't wait to go back again next summer!

I come to the ocean fair and events center several times a year. Always for the Pacific coast…read moreSportfishing show and usually for a trip or 2 to speedway races, sometimes for the swap meet, and occasionally the oc fair. Parking is expensive and I often feel like I am getting taken advantage of, especially when I'm paying for the attraction or event and then additional fees for on-site parking. The grounds themselves are fine, about what I expect for a county fairgrounds. Reasonably well maintained and fairly clean so kudos to their custodial staff because many patrons and visitors are frankly pigs, dropping trash, food wrappers, and other refuse rather than walking to a trash receptical and disposing of it responsibily. Pacific amphitheater is a good place to see a show. Good acoustics and convenient location. It would be great if the management would invest back into the facilities. I'll return because there are events and shows that I want to attend at the oc fair and events center.

Baker Street Bash is the best! We all look forward to kicking off Summer at this festival. Packed…read morewith cool rides, lots of live music, great brews and bartenders at the beer garden, and best of all the food (provided by members of the parish and school) is all fresh made and awesome. They even have thai tea, blended mochas, and boba in the hot afternoon and fresh made funnel cakes for dessert each night!

This festival rocks! If you are looking for some local family friendly fun look no further. They…read morehave amazing food including authentic Mexican, Vietnamese, Filippino as well as burgers, dogs, grilled corn and funnel cakes. Rides are perfect and adult beverages available. Enjoy while listening to local live music. Costa Mesa Gem!

Ticket Clarification for Future Guests…read more Be aware: the "Flex 2-Day Snow Pass" is not a two-day pass. It is valid for one day only. While it says good for 2 people, both people must attend on the same day. You cannot use the ticket on separate days for different family members. If you attempt to do so, you will be charged again. We learned this the hard way. Read the fine print carefully before purchasing.

It is true, Winter Fest is quite expensive.. if you can get past that... then it's a cute place…read morefor winter fun for us Southern Californians. The kids love the carnival rides, the tubing ramp and of course ice skating. This year they did upgrade the ice skates-- so no rolled ankles this year! The food is fair food-- so don't expect anything healthy or all that impressive.

This was a pretty fun event - not cheap, but fun. The ticket booths at the entrance were really…read moredisorganized and slow. We could not figure out why it was taking so long for each customer. Then, supervisor dude in pig hat started to sell admission tickets, cash only, on the side of the lines and that was awesome!! So apparently the ticket booths were slow because of credit card transactions or just customer indecision about what to buy? We heard supervisor pig hat dude talking to his staff at the end of the days about ideas for next year on how to alleviate the congestion, so hopefully it will run more smoothly! $10.00 admission just gets you in the door, then $10.00 for 5 BBQ tastes and $10.00 for 5 Beer tastes. The highlight for me was Three Men & A Smoker - they had delicious bacon wrapped meatballs and this super smokey corn souffle! My other favorite was Que'n & Brew'n and their Moink Balls - also bacon wrapped meatballs! If there were any other bacon wrapped meatballs at that festival, they would have also been my favorite! I'm monotonous and boring, I know. I felt bad for customers coming late in the day because the Beer area was totally depleted and out of samples. But there were still booths with BBQ! Definitely a fun time with live music and lots of happy tummies!

I've watched the OC BBQ Festival grow over the last few years, and it's been fun to participate --…read moreeither as a visitor or as a judge. The competition has always drawn local teams from around the area, from 20 teams in its inception to a whopping 70 teams this year. In years past, there was just the car show and a few vendors. For this year, they really increased the amount of entertainment and family fun activities. That's probably part of the reason why the admission price was raised, but all of the proceeds go to charity. If the event organizers are reading, I would suggest having some sort of an "early-bird" admission price, starting at $10 and gradually raising the price as things get closer to the event. At a lower price point, you could bring in a lot more people through the gates, that's for sure.

I've been to other boat parades in California and the Newport Beach one is my favorite (and one of…read morethe most renowned) While it's fun to be in a boat for the boat parade, I truly believe the best view is from the shore! We try to go every year and the best time I've had is getting one of the coveted restaurant reservations and being able to sit by the window of a restaurant and eat a great meal and watch the boat parade go by from the warmth and comfort of inside one of the many restaurants that line the harbor. Another option is just to bundle up (although this year it wasn't that cold on a few days) and find parking and then watch it from the shore. That is the free option and since the boat parade is really good at publishing their schedule you can time your visit to when the parade will pass by that location. I love seeing all the creatively (and some professionally!) decorated lit up boats! My kids really enjoy it too and we always take hot chocolate and make it a fun family holiday activity!

I had this Boat Parade booked for a few years and had the chance to attend it a few weeks ago. My…read moregirlfriend and I went on the boat at around 4:45 PM. We felt this was a great time to see the sunset set and also got to see all of the different home lights as it got darker. Many boats were also decorated with Christmas items as well. We were the first few to line up onto the boat, so we got a good spot at the front. Eventually, it got chilly, so we headed in the cabin to sit and eat our own snacks that we brought onboard. There's a restroom that is available on the boat we were on. The entire ride was about an hour long. Tickets were purchased on their website. Prices varied depending on the selected time; most expensive was mainly closer to when the show took place at around 7 PM. After reserving, a confirmation email was sent with extensive instructions. One of the key tips was making sure to arrive hours before to find parking. It was definitely a mission to find street parking; we ended up parking about 10 minutes away. After we arrived, there was a small check-in table that advised us to head in the store to get our physical tickets. Then we were directed to the waiting area until it was time to depart. For anyone that does want to watch all of the boats in the parade, there is a restaurant nearby with paid entry on the second floor. It's also possible to come early and camp for a good view.

This event is super luxurious! Where else are you going to try out 90+ wines, drink $50+ Wisky,…read morefollowed by seafood tastings such as scallops, foie gras, and melt in your mouth beef dishes with live jazz playing in the background and have the opportunity to become a home version of the Top Chef? Wait there's more. The all inclusive ticket also lets you mingle with Star Chefs such as Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless, and Rick Noonen. You also get your very own Riedel wine glass for the tastings. Joseph Phelps, Pipillon, St. Supery? These aren't second labels and also if you scour carefully, there were some boutique wineries present that had stunning wines! Of course there were tons of food, love Anqi's crab dish, Driftwoods Porchetta, B candy's rainbow bright mini cake, braised beef cheeks from chef JoJo from the Honda Center, Buttercake from Mastros, Clubster roll from SlapFish....tons of rediculous good stuff! You get to lounge on oversized sofas overlooking the swirly building that of the Civic Center. There were also beer/vodka/tequila/non alcoholic drinks available. Super fun event, would HIGHLY recommend taking people who enjoy food and wine pairings to the next level.

When I first started attending tastings I remembered the Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival…read moresetting the bar of how all food festivals should be - refined and elegant, but casual and relaxed, all while highlighting the dishes as the stars of the show. I remembered each bite bringing together a myriad of bright fresh ingredients with complex flavors. This festival has since become a household name and this year's increase in guest attendees reflects it's popularity. I had the opportunity to attend the event again this year and the culinary lineup for 2017 was equally spectacular. During Sunday's tasting my plus one and I enjoyed the finer things in life and indulged in so many delicious tastes. Many of Southern California's most esteemed fined dinning establishments were present including Pelican Grill and Bar, Red O-Restaurant, and Alexander's Steakhouse just to name a few and there was an abundance of seafood and steak options. If you love wine there's not better place to sample so many different varieties, though I fancied the Kentucky Straight from Duke Bourbon. There was also a cooking demonstration by Top Chef contestants Chef Amar Santana and Katsuji Tanabe and viewers had an opportunity to sample their version of arroz con pollo. It was hilarious to see those two banter back and forth. If you love seafood and steak, this event harmoniously brings two of my favorite proteins together with class and style. While many vendors offered them prepared in a variety of manners - marinated with secret ingredients, roasted, fried, my favorite dish was the Baja cocktail served in a tin-can from A&O Kitchen and Bar. It was simple, but the large chunks of charred squid and shrimp paired with the creaminess of the avocado on a crunchy tortilla chip just made it a perfect afternoon bite. It reminded me how good squid tastes and how infrequent I eat it. Overall, this was a wonderful event and I look forward to attending again next year. Cheers!

Gave it a miss for a handful of years, but went back in 2024…read more But why? I like the Street Fair for the nostalgic element of my childhood: always coming here with my family. But now: so much of the food is fried, inauthentic and expensive. The only good thing might have been some of the music stages. While I'm glad we gave it another go, I think we'll miss the next few years again. 2026: 5/100

As many know The Orange International Street Fair began in 1973 ! Ever since I can remember, I've…read morebeen attending this event. If you missed this year's, Labor Day weekend international Food, fair event, please make sure that you attend the next one. There is definitely something here for everyone, the schools, dance studios, you name it. Everything for everyone is here! I like the booth that read " meet the Orange County mayor". I didn't have any questions for him though. This year there was a wonderful area specifically designed for children. Apparently the restaurant, Canes chicken fingers, gave a lot of donations for this area. The only thing I didn't care for was the timeshare booth, they really didn't advertise what their intent was. I noticed that everybody was enjoying the food, it's just such a wonderful event! In conclusion, can't wait to go next year again, because it was really well organized, very clean, everyone seem to be polite. Parking was not an issue for us. We got there very early, and the weather was great.

It's a traditional for VNese folks to go here either for selfies or trying to get flowers or decks…read moreor clothing for Tet. Quite fun and festive, went during the weekday daytime so less traffic and easy to shop. Got some traditional flowers and that is pretty much it. Vendors are nice and kind and friendly. A lot of vendors to choose from a bargain too if you know how, so the value can depending on how good you can bargain. I parked on next street but they do have the back mall parking lot. Overall it was festive and happens once a year plus great to support the community.

Yelp must have reminded me 50x to review this so here it is:…read more Unfortunately the Asian Garden Flower festival only happens once a year about 3 to 4 weeks before the lunar new year "TET" n ends about a week later, it's better than the NGUYEN HUE STREET Flower market IN SAIGON. Why? As I recall Nguyen hue didn't have a food court. This had a food court which took over a side street n boy was that fun, they had my favorite "banh khot fr Vung Tau" grilled lobster tail. Soups, pancakes etc.. all the yummy street food you can afford wo having to sell your house these days. The flowers were amazing orchids, gladiolus there were many juicery stands, beef jerky stores, I bought a nice fake Chanel sweater only $25 just as good as the real thing. They also sell red envelopes for "lixi" happy or lucky money, on week ends they had live music n lion dance. I love the Asian Garden mall the only indoor mall we have here. Vietnamese from 49 states came here every year n most will immediately make plan to move to this land of milk n honey, it used to be really easy to move here n so cheap too. An average home I used to sell for $140k is now $1.4 million in Little Saigon so most VN tourists will just hang out here enjoy the ambiance, the food n have to go home, even then it's so worth it to visit a home away from home.

Attended the 2nd Annual OC Chocolate Festival again this year. This is a charitable event…read morebenefiting the Fountain Valley Community Foundation that is held at the Fountain Valley Sports Park & Recreation Center. The festival runs only the Friday night and Saturday of the weekend it occurs and this year tickets sold out! I bought my tickets in advance online. The regular $25 admission gets you 8 chocolate/food tasting tickets and 3 wine tickets. If you are not a wine drinker, you can trade your wine tickets for additional chocolate tickets. There are many different vendors here including chocolate companies, wine sellers, candy makers, ice cream and gelato vendors, bakeries, and various boutiques. Many booths at the festival are there representing local businesses also. My friends and I always have fun sampling the different goodies and wines available. We were stuffed by the end of our tastings filled with yummy gelato, cheese, wine, stoli chocolate-covered raspberry martinis, caramel apples, flatbread, ice cream, and chocolates from Luisa Chocolatiere, Godiva, See's, M Josephs, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Lindt Chocolate, Sueann Molina, Chuao Chocolatier to name a few. Volunteers were circulating also with samples of pumpkin pie. We were definitely "chocolate wasted" by the end our tastings to quote our friend, Nick. Who doesn't love chocolate and wine?! A fun annual event for chocolate lovers to benefit a great local charity.

Why have I never heard of this before?!?!…read more This chocolate extravaganza was at an all-time high for me this weekend. Thanks to my sweet treats bff and her "foodie senses," we were on a mission to get our chocolate fix! The O.C.C. fest went on from Nov. 5-6 only. VIP tickets were sold out for Nov. 5th. On Nov. 6th, it's $25 per person. At the door, you receive 8 tasting tickets and 3 wine tickets. Yessss! We tried everything and anything inside. There were 3 different rooms. Each one had different chocolate/desserts and wine tastings. I'd have to say that I had my 3 top faves all lined up by the end of the day. So here they are.. 1) Socially Sweet Events by Mijauno Pham. She had beautifully decorated cupcakes and cookies. The setup was very cute and girly. I tried the strawberry with vanilla frosting and the banana chocolate. Both cupcakes were moist and delicious! I also tried the chocolate chip marshmellow cookie which was also pretty good. A definite two thumbs up for her and her mini-cupcakes! 2) Ruhl Family Vineyards by Al and Elain Ruhl. They were such a sweet pair. Uber friendly and explained in detail about their wine and what they've done over the years. I could tell they loved what they did. Their Merlot and Chardonnay were exquisite. The best I've tasted at the O.C.C. fest! I'm not too picky between reds and whites, but I have to say that the Chardonnay sure won me over! 3) Mangiamo Gelato Caffe by Bob Hoxsie. Big fan! His champagne gelato was unlike anything I've ever tasted. It had the perfect blend of gelato and bubbly. I went back a second and third time to savor more but they ran out completely! Bummer! It's alright though, I'm glad I got to taste it. It's a must-try! We spent a good three and a half hours there enjoying all the desserts, complimentary food such as steak and pasta salad, and not to mention all the free wine samples on top of the others! I'm not trying to sound like a major alcoholic (or maybe I am) but hellloooooooo buzzzz hahaha. It wasn't a huge, fancy place but if you go with friends or family that love trying new sweets and wines, it's definitely a place for you! I'm not sure when the next event will be but if you keep a look out on their website or info, I'm sure you'll be able to get more details. Here were my select contacts/information: 1) Socially Sweet Events by Mijanou Pham. Email: mijanou@sociallysweetevents.com Website: www.sociallysweetevents.com Phone: (949) 244 - 4280 Specialties: Gift baskets, parties, desserts, florals and decor, party favors, corporate, catering, showers, invitations, fundraisers, weddings, and more! 2) Ruhl Family Vineyards by Al and Elaine Ruhl. Email: kurtruhl@hotmail.com Specialties: Only available for retail at two fine wine establishments -California Wine and Cheese and Holiday Wine Cellar. Please call ahead to verify inventory. 3) Mangiamo Gelato Caffe by Bob Hoxsie. Website: www.mangiamogelatocaffe.com Phone: (714) 536-5388 Specialties: Can serve anywhere from a group of 30 to 180 people. For pick-up of 30-180 people, 24 hour notice is needed. For 120-350 people, reservations must be made in advance.