Hey friend,
First weekend of fall, and there's a lot going on. Sandcastles, a shopping pop-up, a beach movie night, and even an event if your family includes a dog.
Here's the plan.
This Weekend’s Plans
First, the weather:
Friday 9/25
High of 80°
Saturday 9/26
High of 80°
Sunday 9/27
High of 82°
Plan 1: Newport Beach Sandcastle Contest
📍 Location: Newport Beach Sandcastle Contest
📅 Date & Time: Sun 9/27, 10am–4:30pm
⏱️ Time needed: 1–2 hours
💰 Cost: Free to watch; $35 if you want to enter a team
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Outdoor
64 years running. There’s sandcastles, music, food, and kids events. Show up anytime during the day.
Plan 2: Primrose Market at Bella Terra
📍 Location: Bella Terra, 7777 Edinger Ave, Huntington Beach
📅 Date & Time: Sat 9/26, 1pm-9pm
⏱️ Time needed: 1–2 hours
💰 Cost: Free to attend, vendor items cost extra
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Outdoor
Local vendors, live music, and a free kids craft zone. Good one to pair with lunch at Bella Terra while you're there anyway.
📍 Location: Newport Dunes Resort, Newport Beach
📅 Date & Time: Fri 9/25 or Sat 9/26, at dusk
⏱️ Time needed: 3 hours
💰 Cost: Free admission; parking fees apply
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Outdoor
Bring blankets and sit in the sand for a movie night that doesn't cost anything but parking. Runs every Friday and Saturday through the end of October, so this isn't your only chance to go.
Plan 4: Paws & People — Fall Edition
📍 Location: Anaheim Feed, 3151 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa
📅 Date & Time: Sun 9/27, 12–4pm
⏱️ Time needed: 1 hour
💰 Cost: Free entry; food and vendor items cost extra
🌦️ Indoor/outdoor: Outdoor
A dog-friendly fall pop-up with a frozen yogurt bar for pups, a coffee bar for you, and a handful of local pet vendors set up for shopping. Fun if your kid's best friend has four legs.
Easy At-Home Idea
Try this: Paper Caterpillars, made by screenfree_toddlers
Cut out cute paper caterpillars and make them move with a straw. Screenfree_toddlers has tons of fun ideas for little guys.
Time needed: 5–15 minutes
Backup Options
If none of the above work, here's the fast fallback list:
Festival of Children — South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, Fri–Sun 9/25–9/27, free
Newport Beach Surf Championships — Newport Beach, Sat–Sun 9/26–9/27, free to watch
REDO Vintage & Makers Market — OC Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa, Fri–Sat 9/25–9/26, paid entry
Environmental Nature Center — Newport Beach, Sat–Sun, 10am–3pm, free
SOCO Farmers' Market — Costa Mesa, Sat 9/26, 9am–2pm
Canstruction OC — South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, free
Purrs in Paradise Grand Opening — The CAMP, Costa Mesa, Sat 9/26, 10am–2pm, $10 for a 30-minute walk-in visit
Wiener Dog Races: "Princess Theresa Trot" — Old World Village, Huntington Beach, Sun 9/27, 10am–2pm, tickets required per race
That's the lineup. Hope it makes the weekend a little easier to plan.
Got a plan that worked (or didn't)? Hit reply and let me know! This whole thing gets better with your feedback.
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