Each week, Arts Orange County and Culture OC deliver you this look at the stories and events happening in our arts and cultural community.

Fire & Ice Festival at Newport Dunes

Fire dancing, an igloo bar, outdoor ice skating and the annual Lighting of the Bay will all be a part of this spectacular holiday celebration presented by the Newport Dunes Resort & Marina MORE

Great Places for Cocktails in Orange County, Part 3: New (and Newish) Cocktail Programs

COCKTAILS, PART 3: This is the last installment of a series of stories by our food writers, Anne Valdespino and Anne Marie Panoringan, who took a deep dive into places around Orange County that are great spots to grab a drink with friends.

It’s Starting to Feel a Lot Like Christmas – and Halloween

Kevin and Megan Valantine were looking for a way to keep the Halloween season going for just a bit longer. November showed great promise.

“What if we did like a spinoff of our regular event?” Megan recalled thinking out loud with her husband, Kevin. “Something that’s fun … spooky Christmas.”

The Rancho Santa Margarita husband-and-wife team making up ValAntine Productions founded Creep It Real OC in a Laguna Niguel senior center in 2019. Since then, they’ve expanded, moved and added a second event, Creep It Real Festive. Now based at the Heritage Museum of Orange County in Santa Ana, the Creep It Real events continue to show demand among both vendors and guests.

Cookbooks Could Be Your Last Minute Gift-giving Solution

Still looking for a holiday present? Our food columnist has a few cookbook suggestions – including a few from Orange County authors.

Each week, we recommend a variety of events and experiences from the listings at SparkOC.com, our free website for Orange County's arts and cultural community.

It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play

Brea's Curtis Theatre plays host to the holiday perennial production by STAGEStheatre which stages the classic story of George Bailey and the angel Clarence as a radio broadcast featuring skilled voice actors and live-performed sound effects MORE

The Polar Express

Pajamas and blankets are welcome and hot chocolate will be for sale as Anaheim's MUZEO hosts a free, outdoor screening of the animated classic about a magical North Pole journey MORE

Hanukah Celebration with Rabbi Sender

Irvine's Pretend City Children's Museum presents an immersive, educational celebration of Jewish holiday traditions designed for families of all faiths to enjoy MORE

Lazerdome - Laser Holidays II

The Planetarium at Orange Coast College puts on a sensational multimedia show mixing classic and modern holiday tunes with dazzling laser-created artwork MORE