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    Everything was perfect! The design was perfected to what my wife and I wanted! The sculpture lasted the entire night!

    60th birthday

    I had a great experience with David from Ice Illusions. He answered my emails and texts promptly. I told him I wanted something to celebrate my 60th birthday and I loved hiking. Loved his creativity! The guests at the party loved his sculpture

    Custom designed ice sculpture
    Tony N.

    We gave David creative freedom to design a classy "40th" (4D) birthday design for my wife Diana. He really delivered, it was a hit and showpiece of the night. Hands down the best piece of decor you can get for any event. People are drawn to this art piece for photos. There is an option to add a funnel for shots, regrettably I didn't add. It's a must for next time! Thank you David, Ice Illusions for your amazing talent & customer service. If you are planning an event, reach out to David, there's an ice sculpture for you that will elevate to your party!

    This picture was taken at End of night, around 11pm Lasted longer than expected. At this point it was already 10-11hrs

    David did an amazing job creating what we asked for. The sculpture was the highlight of our even and was definitely worth every single dollar. It lasted longer than expected. first picture is upon arrival and last picture is 10 hours later and 10 tequila bottles later. Size was 3.5' x 2'

    Terun 10 years anniversary sculpture
    Franco C.

    Love Ice Illusions work ! If you want to impress your guests it will be hard to find something else! Just amazing

    Restaurant's 50th Anniversary
    Stefanie C.

    I'm an event planner and had to throw a 500+ ppl public celebration for a restaurant's milestone anniversary. Some elements that weren't in my favor: 1) less than 2 months before event 2) Chinese New Year timeframe 3) find a better ice sculpture than the one the client had last time (esp since the news, the mayor and some celebrities are coming) David not only killed all my fears but he killed it with his design, price point and promptness. He saved the day by saying YES, had jaws dropping (even the VIPs/celebrities were oohing-ahhing) and was super prompt with delivery and setup. He's now one of my Preferred Vendors and I recommend him to anyone looking for a kickass attraction with A+ quality and service. Thanks David for bringing this event up a notch!! 5 STARS :)

    Our wedding luge
    Jamie G.

    In late 2019 I had booked Ice Illusions for my wedding in October of 2020. What a whirlwind we withstood! Despite all the craziness the pandemic threw at us both (is there even going to BE a wedding?) I was confident that this little glamor detail was going to be handled with care and detail. Once confirmed the wedding would go on, we figured out the design via email and some phone chats, and he delivered it perfectly, on time, and even sent me progress pictures from start to set up at the venue. It was a huge hit with our guests. Thank you David, I can wait to have more parties and include more of your amazing art.

    Alic H.

    Where do I start? This guy has done weddings, work events and celebrity events. I've never heard one complaint about what he does nor have I ever had one for him. He is always punctual and ready to "work" with the customer. David Fong is a good guy. You can talk to him and he will set real expectations and can help if it isn't real. Whether it's for a meeting, party, wedding or whatever - I would absolutely go to him. He is unbelievable. In addition his design are just amazing. The artistic care he takes on each one with the limited time he has his unbelievable.

    Cyndi T.

    My friends, family, and I have acquired Ice Illusions' services on numerous occasions. Each and every time, David, has impressed us beyond our expectations with his spectacular sculptures and impeccable service. Every piece of ice sculptures we have seen (there were many!), have been beautifully crafted artwork. David doesn't cut corners in details and he takes great pride in his work. You'll know what I mean when you physically see his work. I will continue to obtain Ice Illusions' services for any future events that I may have and will continue to recommend Ice Illusions to all my friends, acquaintances, and colleagues. Keep up the exceptional work, David!

    Vanessa H.

    I wasn't sure what to expect when I hired Ice Illusions for our company holiday party, because our logo has so many colors. But I sent it to David and just let him run with it, and I didn't see it until I got to our event. It was so much more than I could've imagined! The full color logo was in the block of ice, along with our company name. He made the process so easy, and the price was very reasonable. I would definitely recommend Ice Illusions for any ice sculpture needs.

    My amazing Hello Kitty Ice Sculpture made my David Fong at Ice Illusions
    Hazel T.

    I turned the big 3-0 and wanted to go ALL OUT for my birthday. I decided to celebrate with a bang and order a custom Hello Kitty Ice Luge from David Fong at Ice Illusions. Not only was the ice sculpture the highlight of the night, but doubled as an ice luge to chill my drinks! There were several other ice sculpture vendors that I had seen on yelp, but Ice Illusions had the most consistent reviews. Also, after speaking with David, I felt that I had picked the best vendor and was assured that everything would turn out perfectly for my big bash. I didnt know what the process would be for something like this, but the professionalism that i received was spot on. You tell them what you want, they draw up a sketch, then if you need to make some tweaks, they send you the re-worked sketch, then you sign-off on it. Ice Illusions was very accommodating with the many questions that I had and with my delivery requests. I needed the ice sculpture to be delivered as late as possible and they definitely met my needs. Thank you Ice Illusions for making my birthday a big success!!

    Robby W.

    I've been using David and Ice Illusions for the past 5+ years when I want to kick my tailgate up a notch. He always delivers quality work and is incredibly flexible and easy to work with. I look forward to seeing him next fall once I'm ready to man the SAE Ice Luge again!

    Cross Shaped Ice Masterpiece
    Lia P.

    WOW! You had a ice sculpture at your Daughter's Christening? Yes we did and yes we got another ice sculpture masterpiece from Ice Illusion as a fishing touch of elegance to my Daughter's elaborate Christening event! Since I had been so impressed with David from Ice Illusions and he is my go-to- guy whenever I want an ice sculpture or when someones asks me if I know of anyone,I immediately called him when I started planning my Daughter's Christening. I told him that I wanted a Cross Shaped Ice Sculpture, he worked with my budget and gave me a discount since I was a loyal repeat customer. The Iced Cross Shaped Masterpiece was perfect and everyone at the event loved it! http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ice-illusions-san-francisco?select=-XxZp2XN9MiQQPN77C8dEQ#slMfsbqutauPVZG50XVorA David also designed a really cool Gobo Light that we had displayed on the ceiling! That too gave the overall feel to the event a touch of flair. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/ice-illusions-san-francisco?select=-XxZp2XN9MiQQPN77C8dEQ#-XxZp2XN9MiQQPN77C8dEQ If you ever wanna get an ice sculpture at your next event, look no further, because you will be very pleased with Ice Illusions!

    Our wonderful hippo ice sculpture luge!

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    Thank you Connie, you were a pleasure to work with!

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    Review Highlights - Ice Illusions

    We ordered an ice luge for my parents' anniversary party and David was extremely easy and pleasant to work with

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    San Jose Center For The Performing Arts - Beautiful grounds, especially at night.

    San Jose Center For The Performing Arts

    (373 reviews)

    $$

    Downtown

    The Sound of Music (Broadway San Jose) --…read more We saw this yesterday and it was beautiful. The sets were absolutely stunning -- genuinely took my breath away a few times -- and the singing was extraordinary. So much talent on that stage. If you know the movie by heart (I do), there are a few differences. A couple of songs that aren't in the film, and "I Have Confidence" doesn't appear at all. There are some small changes to the story too, but nothing that took away from the show -- a few of the twists I actually liked better this way. One tip: take an Uber or Lyft. Getting into the parking garage took forever because there's only one lane in, and someone at the front couldn't work the machine and held everyone up for about fifteen minutes. Not the theater's fault, but worth knowing. Wonderful show. We'll be back.

    To be honest, it's not the best in terms of sound for a venue if you sit near or close to the…read morespeakers on the balcony. So we recently went to see "A Beautiful Noise" and sat in the orchestra Row 21 Seat 27 basically right of center and I could see the balcony speakers a few rows in front of me. The balance and loudness in those speakers are off and can be really loud and jarring. When we saw &Juliet and sat center second row from the stage, the sound was so much better. So perhaps it's just those speakers that are off when they do tests and it can be horrifying or great. Each side of the theater do have bathrooms but it does take a while to get to the right side of the theater. I still wish they had a center aisle as people were having to climb over chairs when they missed their row by one. We're now parking a couple blocks away for free after 6:30pm which is nice but it's definitely a gamble. Worse case we park at the nearby open lot across the street and pay a fair amount for a downtown city parking lot. Definitely cheaper than SF. Also if you check out seating before a show you want and there's plenty of seats available, go a a couple hours before the show and buy it for only $40 for rush seats. You can choose where to sit and all the seats left are $40. If a show has digital lottery, if you win, the seats are only $35 and I learned this year that the seats are basically the first few rows right in front of the stage. So well worth it if you win. Recently the ushers have been better about giving out the pamphlets which has been lovely. Overall, will I still come here to see shows? Yes cause it's much easier to get to than SF. Is it the best venue? Hit or miss depending on how the soundcheck goes (if they even do a soundcheck).

    Mission City Center for Performing Arts - Watching my niece performing tonight!

    Mission City Center for Performing Arts

    (6 reviews)

    I honestly had no idea this theater even existed, but apparently it's attached to Wilcox high…read moreschool. It comes up really fast on your GPS so be careful when you go through the light but you basically turn right into the parking lot. There was not much parking, considering the show was sold out to see the descendants, so I heard some people had to park farther away in the neighborhood and walk in. Once you walk in, there's an open auditorium theater or open area where you could buy snacks and get candid pictures with the cast. As I walked further down the hallway to my seat, I noticed how lit everything was and organized and clean. Everything was set up. The rose were pretty so I'm glad I'm only 5'2" tall, but a 6 foot tall person would probably have some issues sitting in these chairs. This particular production had an issue with their in the second half of the show, but I was sitting close enough. I could still actually hear them sing without their mics on. I'm not too sure how many people this theater seats, but there were a lot and somebody's told me they were sitting in the back yesterday and that's why they got tickets for today's show. They wanted to sit up close! Lol. Production can't wait to see my niece perform next year as they do Alice in Wonderland!

    I attended a musical performance here and the acoustics here are wonderful. The 300+ seats are…read morecomfy and slightly elevated so that everyone can get a look at the stage. There is also room for overflow on each side as well as in the back. They have ample parking as well as street parking available.

    Louis B Mayer Theatre

    Louis B Mayer Theatre

    (16 reviews)

    Wife got two free tickets to this performance by Rhiannon Giddens. Who? Checked on the internet…read moreand thought she sounded decent on YouTube videos. Only problem was that it was Friday at 730pm at the Louis B Mayer theater, as in Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Wife bought the tickets expecting me to drive all that way in rush hour traffic, and find the theater at night in unfamiliar surroundings? Yes. Why do you think she married me? Left our house in Sunnyvale at 6:15pm, and 7 miles, 40 minutes and 30+ traffic signals on El Camino Real reached Santa Clara University. LBM theater address is 500 El Camino Real, but that's the address for the whole Santa Clara University. The theater is on the opposite end of the campus, at least a half mile from El Camino Real. All nearby street parking taken, with on campus street parking restricted to vehicles with SCU parking permits. The central parking garage is located near the stadium, but that was completely across campus. Closer parking garage at the corner of Alviso and Franklin St. Take El Camino Real, right on Lafayette, left on Franklin. Took 10 minutes of DWA to find it, at night. Only spaces near the garage entrance are compact spots. Backed into a compact spot, so named as next to a concrete wall. So you are pulling out blind. $5 to park, with you having to enter your license plate number on the receipt. Guess this is to prevent cheapskates from loaning the ticket to a friend for reuse. Parking free after 8pm, but wouldn't you know it, but the show starts at 7:30pm. 5 minute walk from the 4 story parking garage to the theater, the entrance of which is not visible from the street. The usual bag check at the entrance, with hand searches, just like at Disneyland. Sign says no food nor drinks permitted in theater. Ticket electronically scanned. Wife wisely goes to the bathroom before the play starts. Inside a very modern theater, full house, with seating 395-525 depending on configuration, with movable seats up front. 20 rows of seats, two aisles, with stairs going down, and hand railings on the side. Stadium seating at the bleacher area, with your knees at head height of the people in front of you. Great panoramic viewing. Got to stand up to let people get by. One poor dude gets stuck behind a lady wearing a fedora hat the entire show. Francesco Turrisi plays the piano, drums and accordian, while Rhiannon Giddens plays the violin and the banjo. Bluegrass music, Irish ballad music, folk music, instrumentals, and Rhiannon singing. Rhiannon featured on Ken Burns country music, and performed for the Obamas at the White House. Her songs tell stories of historic black womanhood and survival. If it's good enough for Obama, it's good enough for me. Intermission the wife races to the bathrooms, while I take my time. Men's bathroom has 5 urinals and 2 toilets, with line backed up a dozen deep in no time. Women's restrooms have even longer lines. Assume 7 stalls for the women, or at 3 minutes per use, 49 women can be accommodated in the 20 minute intermission. The other 150 women are just going to have to hold it for the 2 hour performance, as the theater was designed for university students age 18-21 with strong bladders. Get back to my seat, just as the college age ladies behind me, remove their bare feet off the top of my seatback. Some people are still learning proper manners. End of the show, get back to the parking garage. Drive out just as the person next to me is backing out, hidden behind a concrete wall between us. Just did avoid meeting by accident, and no it was not an Asian woman driver!

    Great small auditorium venue for comedy shows, drama and public speaking engagements. You can hear…read morethe stage and see well from pretty much any seating location in the place and it's a good venue as well for family events. Really nice!

    Broadway San Jose - 4.9846 stars!

    Broadway San Jose

    (81 reviews)

    Downtown

    Although I can't speak for the plays and musicals, I love Broadway San Jose's film concerts! So…read morefar, I've seen the film concert productions for Across the Spiderverse Spiderverse and Avatar: The Last Airbender. They were both FANTASTIC. The audience is always very enthusiastic, cheering on their favorite characters and scenes. The orchestras are also very passionate about the films as well, earning their standing ovation at the end of the show. My favorite seats are in the orchestra section. Only issue would be parking, but there's a garage about a 5-min walk from the venue that I usually go to. I'll definitely be back again!

    Show: MJ The Musical Venue: San Jose Center for the…read morePerforming Arts, a.k.a. Broadway San Jose 08/02/25 Matinee Performance 2pm Breakdown: The Musical (SPOILER ALERT?) The choreography, imagery, mutimedia, lighting, sound, costumes & visual effects were wonderful. The performance did not start exactly on time. Many of Michael & the Jackson 5's hits are featured, but due to show length, the songs are shortened. The songs are stitched together with a narrative, and there were a few parts of this that were a little draggy. I almost would've preferred just the full-lenth music selections alone. The play--while upbeat & exciting overall-- portrays Michael as somewhat a victim: A victim of his global success, victim of his handlers who were profit-motivated, and victim especially of his father Joe Jackson who is cast pretty much in the villain role. There is a brief 15-20 minute intermission in the approximate 2 1/2 hr. show. The Venue First time visit for me and the Center did a fine job. The workers--ticketing folks, ushers, merchandise folks--who I interacted with were great. The matinee show was packed to it's 2,600+ seat capacity. And of course with that many patrons, you're unfortunately going to see a handful of clueless one's with no theather ettiquette. Such as, but certainly not limited to, arriving on time, not silencing their mobile devices, holding conversations and blocking entrances & exits to the theater (pre & post show + intermissions), getting up multiple times during the performance, etc. Can't blame the venue or performers for this of course. Add the usual cluster mess when a good portion of 2,600 patrons need to all use the restroom during intermission. But the latter is pretty much standard procedure at most performances such as this. Ticketing & Parking Tips Smart theater enthusiasts would be very wise to look into 2 very favorable ticketing options offered by this venue: Digital Lottery & Rush Tickets. For digital lottery, download Broadway San Jose's mobile app to start. From there, you can enter a day-before lottery to score a pair of tickets at greatly reduced rates (they were $35ea for this musical). The digital lottery option is typically only for evening performances though. For the Rush ticketing option that I used, covering both matinee & evening performances, show up at the box office day of show 2 hrs. before the scheduled start time. When I got there around 11:45am, there were less than 5 people in line and I was able to score a single Orchestra ticket for $40 (inclusive of fees). Same ticket that Ticketmaster was trying to sell on their site for $445! lol. Parking can be a little bit of a challenge here. The closest major garage that most patrons seem to gravitate to is the Ernst & Young or "303 Garage" @ 303 S. Almaden Blvd. It's maybe 150-200 yds. to the main entrance of the theater. It's got some accessibility quirks, and is a $20 flat rate as of this review. This will typically cover you for several hrs. time for the show + exiting. In my case, the rate covered me 7 hrs. from 12pm to 7pm. I puchased this pass thru mobile parking app SpotHero, which charges a small processing fee, but tends to allow for an easier entrance & exit process. You can also pay directly at the garage. Driving in San Jose is akin to driving in Los Angeles for those familiar. So, be prepared for congestion, rude drivers and the frustration overload + ugliness that typically accompanies this. Not the theater's fault again, but just a word to the wise. Also, San Jose is usually known as a great restaurant destination, but there didn't seem to be a plethora of these options within comfortable walking distance to the theater sadly. Conclusion If you missed the relatively short run of MJ The Musical here in San Jose, don't worry. As it's returing in early 2026 to both San Francisco & Sacramento. Check it, it's a winner!

    Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts

    Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts

    (46 reviews)

    This is always such a great venue to come and see a show. It has an underground free parking…read moregarage. It's easily accessible if you have any mobility issues. The theater itself is very intimate and allows you a good seat no matter where you are. The staff is friendly and helpful. All shows from my experience, have been reasonably priced. Before the show grab something to eat, a cup of coffee, or even a glass of wine at the Bean Scene Cafe which is linked to the theater.

    Excellent location on Castro Street in downtown Mountain View. I come here for specific…read moreperformances each year. Spacious theater with plenty of spots to practice or do rehearsals before showtime. Staffs are great communicators and are always helpful. This place has been around forever and City Hall is a great place to gather or use public restrooms as well. Cafe is easily accessible next door. If you come here in December during the annual Christmas Tree Lighting event, you won't be disappointed. Colorful Christmas vibes everywhere. There's a good sized local park behind it and you can easily park on the streets which are all walking distance. Besides ballerinas and dancers, you get to watch singers, group choirs, and many more colorful entertainments on the outdoor stage area. Inside stage is usually reserved for larger popular shows. Yes, dressing room and areas for practicing before performance time is well set and they're usually on time moving groups in and out as scheduled. Love the backstage area and scenes. Good feeling inside and outside.

    Center Stage Performing Arts

    Center Stage Performing Arts

    (1 review)

    If you ever have the chance to have your child participate with CSPA, do it! We were lucky enough…read moreto catch up with the winter production of The Little Mermaid, and my daughter loved the experience of singing and dancing on stage! She had a great experience being a part of the younger cast. All the cast members were great and the costumes, set and lighting were nicely done! Of course we love the music too! It was a broadway adaptation of the show. My family loved the show and came from Sacramento and Gilroy to see it. Seniors and babies were in the crowd so it truly is a family show. The tickets are a great value for the quality of the show and live entertainment, comparable to what you would pay at the movies now. The expressions on my niece and nephews faces were priceless! Their parents said their couldn't stop talking about the show so it's such a nice way to introduce children to performing arts and theater because the cast are their generation! Not all schools offer this so it is such a wonderful experience to share with my family. The parents help and volunteer so it also builds community. I was appreciative of the parents who answered my questions. The director is amazing bringing it all together while staying calm and collected. They have so much talent! There are cast members that have been participants for several years and help the younger kiddos, and they are awesome performers and put their own choreography together. Follow them on social media so you know what shows are coming up. They have their shows at the Milpitas community center so parking is easy. Seating is first come, first serve so plan to arrive early. Enjoy the show and support community youth theater! I hope you leave with new show tunes stuck in your head!

    City Lights Theater Company - The cast of "Kinky Boots" (2023).

    City Lights Theater Company

    (152 reviews)

    Downtown

    I grew up attending the theater and I consider myself very lucky. Community Little Theater in…read moreAuburn, Maine is still around today. I had two brothers who both performed in the theater and one of them is still teaching theater arts now. I usually attend the Broadway musicals at the San Jose Performing Arts Center a couple of times every year and I go alone. John is not a fan of musicals. But he agreed to go to a play last year in SF with me and he enjoyed it. So, when we saw the synopsis of "Running After Shadows," we decided to check it out. The second I walked inside, City Lights Theater reminded me of those wonderful memories I had as a teenager at Community Little Theater. City Lights is smaller than I'm used to but I loved its compact, intimate space. Every seat seems to be a good one and comfortable as well! I loved that the manager spoke to the audience before the show and that they pick a non-profit to donate to that matches with the theme of the play. They also have a little get together after every performance. They have refreshments and you have the chance to talk to the actors. We didn't stay afterwards but maybe next time. John surprised me by wanting to get tickets for the next show. Maybe I can get him to try musicals one day...

    It's All an Act…read more Foreword: So, it turns out I kind of like plays. I mean, I recall enjoying watching theater friends perform at school and college back in the day, but I've never actually gone out to see a real live play with professional actors. Anyway, if you're on the fence about coming to see one, then you should definitely do it once. And if you really dig it, do it twice. :) OK, onto the review... The City Lights Theater Company has been supporting local actors and theater makers for forty-five years (ca. 1982) now, and have been in this space since 1991--despite a looming threat from developers... The Good: *Very small intimate venue of ±100 seat theater. There is no bad seat in the house, as even in the back row you still feel like you're practically front row. *Tickets are fairly inexpensive at ±$50-80/ea with season passes available. There's also afternoon matinee shows available for us old farts. *Staff was very friendly *They have a small snack bar and even serve wine *A chance to interact with the performers at the end of the show. *We watched "Running After Shadows" by Vincent Terrell Durham and it was excellent. Great story telling, fantastic acting, and it takes the crowd on a wild range of emotions. The Meh: *Street Parking only but it's free on the weekends. The Ugly: *They must start cutting onions in there at some point, cuz I swear my eyes started watering for no reason. That's right. No reason whatsoever. Conclusion: Intimate venue with great storytelling means a great time out by all. Good spot for a date nite or afternoon (see aforementioned "old farts" mention above).

    Ice Illusions - eventplanning - Updated September 2026

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