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Newport Dunes Celebrates Labor Day Weekend With Live Music, Beach Movies and Waterfront Fun

09.02.26

Summer isn't over yet. Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina is keeping the season going with a full lineup of live music, beach movies, food trucks and water adventures from Friday, Sept. 4, through Monday, Sept. 7.

Families looking to spend the day can head straight for the resort's Inflatable Water Park, open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Labor Day. The floating obstacle course includes more than 25 inflatables, from slides and bounce platforms to icebergs and a jungle gym. For a calmer pace, the Upper Newport Back Bay is ideal for kayaking, pedal boating, paddleboarding or cruising in a rented electric Duffy boat.

Music lovers won't want to miss Tunes at the Dunes, three nights of free live performances on the sand from 5 to 8 p.m.:

Grab a chair or a blanket, stake out a spot on the beach and settle in. Food trucks and a full bar with beer, wine and cocktails will be on hand throughout the concerts. Admission is free, though parking is not.

Friday and Saturday evenings bring Movies on the Beach at dusk, with family-friendly films playing under the stars. Bring your own seating and enjoy the show right on the sand.

For something more casual, Moe B's Munchies, the resort's walk-up beachfront bar and grill, will be serving burgers, pizza, sandwiches, salads and snacks all weekend, along with beer, wine, cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks. Grab a table on the patio or spread out a picnic by the water.

The rest of the resort is open for exploring too. Rent a beach cruiser, float in the waveless swimming lagoon, let the kids loose on the pirate-themed playground or book a private beachfront cabana for a shaded escape between dips in the bay. Overnight guests also have access to the resort's heated pools and spas.

Want to make it a full getaway? Newport Dunes offers RV and tent camping, and visitors without their own RV can have one delivered and set up by a local rental company. The resort's beach cottages are already sold out for the holiday weekend, and RV and camping spots tend to go fast, so early booking is recommended.

Not ready to let go of summer? Newport Dunes' Endless Summer Offer takes 40% off RV sites for Sunday-through-Thursday stays from Aug. 16 through Sept. 17, excluding Labor Day weekend. Use promo code ENDLESSSUMMER26 online or mention it when booking by phone.

Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina is at 1131 Back Bay Drive in Newport Beach.

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Pacific Symphony Opens New Era with Joshua Bell, Celebrates Shelley’s First Season

09.02.26

Alexander Shelley steps into his first season as Pacific Symphony's artistic and music director this fall, and he's bringing violinist Joshua Bell along for the ride. The two share the stage Saturday, September 24, at 8 p.m. at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall for a season-opening concert built around America's musical legacy.

The timing isn't accidental. This season overlaps with the nation's 250th birthday and the approaching anniversaries of Segerstrom Center for the Arts and its concert hall, and Shelley has shaped his opening program around that convergence, pulling together works that trace where American orchestral music has been and where it's headed.

The centerpiece is Édouard Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole, with Bell on violin. Four decades into a career that's made him one of classical music's most recognizable names, Bell still brings the same technical precision and feel for the piece's Spanish rhythms that have made it a staple. It's his first time back with Pacific Symphony in some time, and the pairing with Shelley sets an ambitious tone for what's to come this season.

Beyond the Lalo, the concert doubles as the kickoff for the Symphony's America 250 programming. Leonard Bernstein's Overture to Candide brings his trademark wit to the hall, George Gershwin's Overture to Girl Crazy leans into jazz and Broadway energy, and Erich Korngold's Kings Row Suite honors Hollywood's Golden Age and the immigrant composers who helped build it.

Living composers get a spot too. Jessie Montgomery's Banner reworks familiar patriotic themes, and Kevin Puts' "Earth," part of his five-movement concerto The Elements, brings Bell back onstage. Bell commissioned the piece himself in 2023.

Joan Tower's Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman and Florence Price's Andante Moderato round out the program's tribute to female composers, and Béla Bartók's Romanian Folk Dances closes things out, a reminder of how much of America's musical identity comes from elsewhere.

"In this opening night performance and the broader 2026-27 Classical Season, you'll hear fantastic music by composers who were born in or chose to live in the U.S. and witness how they have shaped and defined our American orchestral tradition," Shelley said.

Tickets for "Violin Virtuoso Joshua Bell & Alexander Shelley" are available by calling (714) 755-5799 or visiting pacificsymphony.org.

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