What to Know
- Dana Point Festival of Whales
- March 7-9, 2025
- Some events are free while others are ticketed; take a look at the schedule and check the happening you'd like to attend for details
- The parade is not happening in 2025, but new offerings are on the schedule; a clam chowder cook-off is one focus, while the carnival is a centerpiece
Dana Point Festival of Whales: We're not sure if the guests of honor are aware that this mondo party is "one of the longest-running whale festivals in the United States" but this is surely whale-y big news. The parade is on hiatus in 2025 but it's no "fluke" that fans love this festivity: a chowder cook-off, carnival, educational talks, a cardboard dinghy competition, and other events fill the roster. Spyhop over to this site for more on the March 7-9 fun.
Free Festival of the Kite: This Redondo Beach bash is just about the same age of the Dana Point Festival of Whales, coincidentally, but while whales roam the deep this celebration is all about the sky. Come with your kite or buy one at the pier, enjoy tunes and dance performances, and admire the colorful nylon flyers as they twist and turn in the wind March 9.
Celebrate Nowruz: Spring is nearly here and this joyful honoring of the Iranian New Year will feature music, dance performances, arts, crafts, delicious eats, and activities for kids, too. The Farhang Foundation presents the free March 9 festival, which will again take place at UCLA. The evening Nowruz Concert is ticketed; find information now on attending.
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Fast & Furious finale: The new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster is speeding into our thrill-loving worlds in 2026 at Universal Studios Hollywood, but the exciting ending to the World-Famous Universal Studio Tour, another "Fast & Furious"-inspired treat, is coming to a close after a decade of high-tech, high-adrenaline action. It's rolling into its last weekend, so see it now, F&F fans.
Dog fun at LA Arboretum: The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden isn't usually open to our pooches, but on March 9 something special, shaggy, and sweet is afoot, or should we say a-"four"-foot: Pups on leashes will be invited in, thanks to the annual Barks 'n Brews fundraiser. The beneficiaries of the sunny day out? Pasadena Humane and the Arboretum Foundation.
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