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

By Greer Wylder

September 02, 2026

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…

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

By Greer Wylder

September 02, 2026

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…

Blind Boys of Alabama Bring Seven Decades of Gospel to Musco Center

By Greer Wylder

August 29, 2026

Musco Center welcomes the Blind Boys of Alabama, living legends whose reputation is well earned. Rolling Stone has called them "gospel titans," and after more than 70 years together, that title still fits.The group performs Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.Few acts in American music can claim the honors the Blind Boys have collected: Lifetime Achievement Awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Academy/GRAMMYs, induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and six GRAMMY Awards, most recently in 2024. What sets them apart, though, is how they've used that stature. Rather than stay within…

Marriott Irvine Spectrum Offers Shuttle Pass for Daisy Chain Fields Festival

By Greer Wylder

August 23, 2026

If you're headed to the Daisy Chain Fields Festival at Great Park on Saturday, Aug. 29, here's a way to skip the parking headache.Marriott Irvine Spectrum is selling a Festival Shuttle Pass through Eventbrite that lets guests park at the hotel and ride a shuttle straight to the festival grounds, no navigating event lots required.The pass includes:Round-trip shuttle service between the hotel and Great ParkHotel valet parking for the day (no overnight parking)Shuttle service running until about 90 minutes after the festival wrapsOne drink ticket to use at the hotelA welcome goody bag with festival-day surprisesThe festival runs from 10…

Pacific Wine & Food Classic Returns to Newport Beach in September

By Greer Wylder

August 20, 2026

One of Southern California's most beloved culinary events is back, and it's stepping into an exciting new chapter. The Pacific Wine & Food Classic returns Saturday, Sept. 12, to Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort in Newport Beach.This year's festival is produced under the leadership of Tricia Cook, a longtime member of the event team who has helped shape it since day one and has now taken the reins. Cook brings a deep understanding of the event's legacy along with a fresh vision for where it's headed, and she's committed to keeping the elevated food, wine and hospitality experience that has made…