Welcome to the local’s favorite Orange County events site for Families! Here is a huge list of Orange County Events happening THIS WEEKEND for January 31 – February 2, 2025. Fun things to do in OC this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and many are FREE!

Looking for FREE family activities, children’s activities, community events, great food trucks, OC entertainment, live music performances or craft fairs? We’ve got the scoop! This list is organized by date. Double check event’s website to confirm details before going. To submit your event, email jill@sandytoesandpopsicles.com.

Things to Do in Orange County ALL Weekend

Here are some fun things happening multiple days during this weekend in Orange County.

• Lunar New Year Events in Orange County
  Huge list of every Lunar New Year Events in Orange County listed by city.
• Orange County Storytimes
  Huge list of every story time in Orange County listed by city. Includes storytimes for public libraries, local business, and community centers.
• Monster Jam
  Angel Stadium
  2000 E. Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806
  Coming February 15 & 16, 2025
  Experience adrenaline-charged fun for everyone. You’ll be on the edge of your seat watching the legendary Grave Digger®, snarling El Toro Loco, mighty Megalodon® and more push the limits in Freestyle, Skills and Racing competitions. Monster Jam. As Big As It Gets!™
• OC Tet Festival
  Friday, January 31st – February, 2, 2025
  All Day
  Mile Square Park Freedom Hall
  16801 Euclid St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
  FREE ADMISSION
  The 3-day festival will feature a variety of Vietnamese food, live entertainment, and carnival rides. Families will also have an opportunity to experience the Vietnamese Cultural Center, where they will be transported to some of the most iconic landscapes from different regions of Vietnam. The OC Tet Festival is a wonderful event for the entire family.
• UVSA Tết Festival 2025
  Saturday, January 31 – February 2, 2025
  All Day
  Garden Grove Park
  9301 Westminster Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92844
  FREE EVENT
  Join over 50,000 guests as UVSA celebrates the Year of the Snake and the 50th anniversary of Black April (Fall of Saigon). Enjoy vibrant activities that honor Vietnamese heritage, including a cultural village, live entertainment, the Miss Vietnam of Southern California pageant, games, rides, local food vendors, and a spectacular firecracker show!
• 43rd Annual UVSA Tết Festival
  Friday, January 31st – February, 2, 2025
  Times Vary
  OC Fair & Event Center
  88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA
  This year, the UVSA Tết Festival theme, “A Spring of Remembrance” or “Xuân Hoài Niệm,” honors the Vietnamese community’s efforts in building a home abroad. Join over 50,000 guests to celebrate the Year of the Snake and commemorate the 50th anniversary of Black April. Highlights include a cultural village, live entertainment, the Miss Vietnam of Southern California pageant, games, rides, local food vendors, and a dazzling firecracker show.
• Weekend Walks at Oak Canyon Nature Center
  Oak Canyon Nature Center
  Anaheim Hills, CA 92807
  January 25 & 26, 2025
  10:30am
  FREE EVENT
  Come join us on Saturday or Sunday mornings for an hour-long, naturalist-led hike through Oak Canyon to learn about the Canyon’s plants, animals, history, ecology, and more! Each week’s hike is themed and ends at the Interpretive Center for a live animal demonstration.
• Kids Play & Walk with Goats
  Goods and Goat Market
  29458 Trabuco Creek Rd, San Juan Capistrano, CA
  Friday – Sunday | Times Vary
  There are sessions for Playtime & Goat Walking! Cuddle, Brush, and Play with our special Yoga Goats. Look for chicken eggs and feed worms to the hens! We have new furry friends – Bunnies and Guinea Pigs. The zipline is a big hit! Play in the rocks with our antique Tonka Trucks. We have a Shooting Gallery with Nerf guns for kids to play with.

Things to Do in Orange County – Friday, January 31, 2025

• Morning Playdate with Miss Rachel
  Play & Parties
  1901 N Tustin Street, Orange, CA
  January 24, 2025
  10:30pm
  Play & Parties Playdates include Live Storytimes, Singalongs, and a special guest! Have fun with other children while paying games, singing songs, and playing with our special guest.
• Lunar New Year Fun Celebration
  Brea Library
  1 Civic Center Circle, Brea, CA, CA
  Friday, January 31, 2025
  3:30 – 4:30pm
  FREE EVENT
  Hisss! It’s the year of the snake. Come join us at the Brea Library and make some fun sssnake crafts to celebrate Lunar New Year.
• Lunar New Year Special Celebration at Euclid Branch Library
  Anaheim Euclid Branch Public Library
  1340 S Euclid Street, Anaheim, CA 92802
  Friday, January 31, 2025
  11 – 11:30am
  FREE EVENT
  Join us for this family program and learn about the festival that celebrates the start of Spring and the New Year on the lunisolar calendar.
• Wild Tales
  Upper Newport Bay
  2301 University Drive, Newport
  January 31, 2025
  10:00 – 10:45am
  FREE
  Upper Newport Bay’s popular storytime is back! Wild tales will be offered every Friday and include an outdoor storytime in their amphitheater, an age-appropriate hike, and a craft project in our classroom. Each session has a new story, hike theme, and craft project.
• Scales, Feathers & Fur Preschool Program at Irvine Park
  Irvine Park
  1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA
  January 31, 2025
  10:15am
  Class includes hands-on learning, fun crafts, and meeting zoo creatures up close! Program is for ages 3-4 years old ONLY. Cost is $5 per child (one parent included). Parent must accompany child for entire program. Phone registration is required.
• Become an OC Parks Junior Ranger!
  Irvine Park
  1 Irvine Park Road, Orange, CA
  January 31, 2025
  3 – 4:30pm
  FREE
  Explore the natural wonders and history of Irvine Regional Park with OC Parks’ new Jr. Ranger program! Participants will have the opportunity to earn a Jr. Ranger badge as we explore Irvine Regional Park together.  The program content is geared toward ages 7-12, but all are welcome.
• Starry, Starry Night
  Irvine Ranch Open Space
  13333 Black Star Canyon Rd, Silverado, CA
  January 31, 2025
  4 – 6pm
  FREE
  Come join us for an interactive evening under the stars.  Immerse yourself in a scaled-down version of our solar system.  Test your imagination in naming the constellations.  Reenact the struggle between Orion and the Scorpion.  The hike will average 2-3 miles round trip at an easy pace with a high level of interpretation. This program is for participants who would like a slower-paced hike. Wear comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes and bring water for the hike. This activity is designed with kids ages 5 – 12 in mind but, everyone is welcome.
• Main Street Classic Car Show
  Historic Main Street, Garden Grove
  January 24, 2025
  4-8pm
  FREE
  The Main Street Classic Car Show is the longest-running car show in Orange County. With roughly 50 parking spaces, and the show running every Friday, you’re bound to catch a wide variety of rides on display.

Things to Do in Orange County – Saturday, February 1, 2025

• OC Public Library FREE Events
  Here you will find all the family-friendly library events in your Orange County library.
• Home Depot Free Kids Workshop
  Home Depot Stores
  9am – Noon
  FREE EVENT
  Pick up your free Kids Workshops Kit on the first Saturday of each month from your local store. Build it in store. Supplies are provided. (While supplies last)
• Black History Parade & Unity Festival
  200 W Center Street Promenade, Anaheim
  Parking is available at structures around Anaheim City Hall
  February 1, 2025
  9am – 4pm
  Join us for a parade and street fair featuring community marching bands, dancers and parade vehicles, music and more! The event, put on by the Orange County Heritage Council, celebrates Black History Month and the contributions of African Americans to our city, region and nation. There is fun for everyone!
• Free Family Concert: Once Upon a Symphony
  Soka Performing Arts Center
  1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo, CA
  February 1, 2025
  11am
  FREE EVENT
  Bring your family to experience the joy of live orchestral music! The talented musicians of the Orange County Youth Symphony will perform a lively, narrated concert designed to introduce children to the beauty of classical music in a fun and welcoming environment.
• Arts at the Oaks: Block Print Valentine’s Cards
  Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve
  2145 N. Windes Drive, Orange, CA 92869
  February 1, 2025
  9 – 11am
  FREE EVENT
  Join OC Parks for an introduction to block printing! Learn the basics of block printing by carving your own nature-inspired Valentine’s Day card. Block printing results in bold, graphic designs that are as simple or complicated as you want. This is a great activity for beginners and experienced artists alike who want to try something new!
• Lunar New Year Celebration: The Wood Snake Festival
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  12 – 3pm
  The Market Place – Courtyard near Mathis Home 
  I-5 at Jamboree Road, Tustin, CA 92782
  FREE EVENT
  It’s the Year of the Wood Snake, and that means it’s time to shed 2024 and welcome 2025 with fun and festivities for the whole family. Come enjoy martial arts, choir, and drummers performances, lion and dragon dances, and more!
• Westminster Tet Parade
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  8:30am
  The City of Westminster
  Bolsa Avenue and Magnolia Street, Westminster, CA
  FREE EVENT
  The Tet Parade is a grandiose event that has celebrated the Lunar New Year in Little Saigon for over two decades. Every year Vietnamese communities across the globe tune in to watch the event broadcasted by local TV stations and social media platforms. The Tet Parade features floats, marching bands, lion dances, color guards, veterans and youth organizations, martial arts, multi-cultural attires, elected officials, scout organizations, community organizations, and an array of local and international businesses.
• Lunar New Year with Pacific Symphony
  Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall Samueli Theater 
  615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  8pm
  Join Pacific Symphony’s annual festivities honoring the Lunar New Year! Celebrating the Year of the Dragon, this performance is sure to sell out once again as audiences from across our communities come together to feast on a colorful presentation of Eastern and Western music and dance.
• First Saturday Tour at Bolsa Chica Wetlands
  Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
  18000 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  9am
  FREE
  Enjoy a FREE monthly First Saturday tour of the wetlands! Meet at 9 a.m. in the south parking lot at the Reserve (on Pacific Coast Hwy. halfway between Warner and Seapoint, directly across the Hwy from the entrance to Bolsa Chica State Beach). Volunteer Naturalists offer presentations on the history, birds, endangered species, ecology and restoration of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. This is a wonderful opportunity for first-time visitors, students, small groups and local citizens to learn about this valuable coastal resource!
• Black History Month at Pretend City
  Pretend City
  29 Hubble, Irvine, CA
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  11am – 2:30pm
  Join us as we honor and celebrate black leaders, artists, and innovators throughout the day in honor of Black History Month with engaging story time and activities.
• Strawberry Shortcake Appearance at Irvine Spectrum
  Irvine Spectrum Center – Box Lunch
  670 Spectrum Center Dr. Irvine, CA 92618
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  1 – 4pm
  FREE EVENT
  Strawberry Shortcake is making a special appearance at BoxLunch. Don’t miss out on special giveaways, photo-ops with Strawberry Shortcake, and a berry great time!
• Lunar New Year Event at The Shops At Mission Viejo
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  10am – 3pm
  The Shops At Mission Viejo
  555 The Shops at Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
  FREE EVENT
  Join us for artwork exhibits & special performances by students from the Mandarin Immersion Program at Marian Bergeson Elementary School and Fred Newhart Middle School!
• Kid Builders in Costa Mesa
  Costa Mesa Donald Dungan Library
  1855 Park Ave, Costa Mesa, CA
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  10am – 12pm
  FREE EVENT
  Kid Builders is coming to Costa Mesa! Don’t miss a morning of fun, learning, and community with First 5 OC, Vice Chair Katrina Foley, the Costa Mesa Donald Dungan Library, and PNC. We are excited to offer free activities and resources for families with children ages 0-5.
• Laser Shows the OCC Planetarium
  OCC Planetarium
  2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, CA
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  Times Vary
  Regular showings are offered on weekends so everyone can come enjoy a rotating schedule of breathtaking full-dome experiences that transport you to faraway worlds.
• Archery for 10 and up
  Oak Canyon Nature Center
  Anaheim Hills, CA 92807
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  10 & 11:30am
  Do you know how to shoot a bullseye? Join us for open range archery and we will teach you the basic skills needed to point, aim, and shoot an arrow. We will cover the correct way to draw a bow and talk about range safety. Ages 10 and up.
• All Ages Wood Workshops
  AR Workshop
  31107 Rancho Viejo Road, Suite B2, San Juan Capistrano, CA
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  10am – 1pm
  Join AR Workshop for a family DIY class to make one of their many wood projects! In the workshop, you will have the opportunity to customize your project with your choice of designer paints and (non-toxic!) stain colors.
• Anaheim GardenWalk Cars & Coffee
  Anaheim GardenWalk
  400 Disney Way Anaheim, CA
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  8 – 11am
  FREE EVENT
  California’s only indoor covered Cars & Coffee event! Every Saturday morning, call GardenWalk your home cars & coffee or simply stop by and bring your crowd for a covered C&C late morning gathering. All makes, models, projects, and finished builds are welcome. Enter at Clementine Street north (Clementine & Disney Way).
• South OC Cars and Coffee
  Outlets At San Clemente, San Clemente
  January 18, 2025Saturday, February 1, 2025
  9 – 11am
  FREE EVENT
  The name says you’ll find cars and coffee there. But you’ll also find people and conversations. And those conversations will cover anything from powertrains to politics.
• Coffee and Donuts at Ted’s
  Ted’s Diner
  23990 Aliso Creek Rd, Laguna Niguel, CA
  Saturday, February 1, 2025
  7:30 – 8am
  FREE EVENT
  Hot Rod Car meet-up every Saturday
• Classic Cars at Donut Derelicts
  Donut Derelicts, Huntington Beach
  Every Saturday Morning
  FREE EVENT
  Each Saturday morning, car enthusiasts from all over gather in the parking lot of Adams Ave Donuts to enjoy a donut, a cup of coffee and a spectacle of hot rods and classic cars.

Things to Do in Orange County – Sunday, February 2, 2025

• OC Public Library FREE Events
  Here you will find all the family-friendly library events in your Orange County library.
• Renaissance Chocolate Faire
  Bowers Museum
  1802 N. Main Street, Santa Ana, CA
  February 2, 2024
  11am – 3pm
  Enjoy chocolate tastings by local chocolatiers and delight in unique performances celebrating the Renaissance era. Special prizes will be given to the top 3 cosplays inspired by the theme of fantasy!
• Aloha Fair
  Same complex as BJ’s & Party City
  16160 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, CA 92647
  February 2, 2024
  10am – 4pm
  FREE Entrance
  Experience the Magic of Polynesia. Live Hawaiian Polynesian dance and music performances that transport you to the islands. Explore arts and crafts vendors with unique items. Indulge in delicious Hawaiian shave ice and more from amazing food trucks. Family-Friendly event for all ages!
• D. Yoder Family Sundays: Lunar New Year
  Sunday, February 2, 2025
  10am – 2pm
  Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens
  415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, CA
  FREE EVENT
  Enjoy FREE admission to Casa Romantica with our annual Lunar New Year Celebration. Featuring a lion dance performance at 11 AM and arts and crafts for kids.
• Woodbury Night Market: Lunar New Year Edition
  Woodbury™ Town Center
  6460 Irvine Blvd, Irvine, CA 92620
  Sunday, February 2, 2025
  2 – 7pm
  FREE EVENT
  Join us at Woodbury Town Center for the Woodbury Night Market: Lunar New Year Celebration! Enjoy delicious food, live DJ music, lion dances, acrobatics, and a snake handler presentation. Savor bites from local favorites like CHA for Tea, Handel’s, Paris Baguette, and more.
• Sunday Funday Central Park
  Central Park Huntington Beach
  6700 Central Park Drive, Huntington Beach, CA
  Sunday, February 2, 2025
  11am – 1pm
  FREE EVENT
  Invite your friends and family members to our next Sunday Funday at Central Park West in Huntington Beach! We are located right next to Kathy May’s Lakeview Cafe. As always, we will have plenty of free food, fun, and games! See you there!

Free Things to Do This Weekend in OC

These Orange County places are FREE to visit, and open year round to the public. They make great places to visit on the weekends with family:

• Centennial Farm – OC Fair & Event Center | Times Vary
  Centennial Farm is now to the public. Visit the animals and the farming gardens. Admission and parking are free
• Family-Friendly Tide Pools in the OC Beaches in Orange County
  Check out this list of the best family-friendly tide pools in Orange County.
• Niguel Botanical Preserve – Crown Valley Community Park | All Day
  If you are looking for a scenic, family friendly nature experience, then the Niguel Botanical Preserve in Laguna Niguel is a great place to check out.
• The Ecology Center – The Ecology Center, San Juan Capstrano
  Every Saturday and Sunday – Open for self-guided exploration. Be sure to check their calendar for workshops and events happening every weekend! FREE
• Pier Plaza Art Afair – Pacific Coast Highway & Main, adjacent to the Huntington Beach Pier
  An arts and crafts fair overlooking the pacific Ocean.

Fun Things to Do this Weekend in OC

These OC places are open year round, and make great places to visit on the weekends with family:

• Orange County Farmers Markets – All Over OC | Times Vary
  Check out this list of all the farmers markets happening on Orange County.
• Balboa Fun Zone – 600 E. Bay Avenue, Newport Beach
  The Fun Zone has over 8,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor restaurants, carnival games, vendors, food and fun overlooking the Newport Harbor & Balboa Island.
• Anaheim Packing District – 440 S. Anaheim Boulevard, Anaheim
  One of the last remaining citrus packing warehouses in OC, that has been historically preserved and retrofitted into a market hall with restaurants, food and vendors.
• Irvine Park Railroad – Irvine Regional Park, Orange  | All day
  Ride the train, concessions, Wheel Fun Rentals – paddleboat and bike rentals, pan for gold, OC zoo, and enjoy the park.
• OCC Planetarium – Orange Coast College | Times Vary
  The OCC Planetarium is an innovative and immersive experience. Regular showings are offered on weekends so everyone can come enjoy a rotating schedule of breathtaking full-dome experiences that transport you to faraway worlds.