The Swallows Day Parade in San Juan Capistrano is one of the nation's largest non-motorized…read moreparades, celebrating the return of the swallows with a festive, Old West-style street party held on a Saturday in March. It features extensive equestrian groups, marching bands, dancers, and floats, followed by a lively Mercado Street Faire.

The Swallow's Day Parade is a nice (free) annual event held each March to celebrate the return of…read morethe swallows to the area. It's also "one of the nation's largest non-motorized parades." That's right, you'll see plenty of horses, wagons, bands, and beautiful costumes adorning parade walkers, but no motorized vehicles. You won't see many real swallows at that time, but they are around - their nests are very distinguishable with mud pellets stuck together often in a gourd shape attached to high outer corners of buildings. Growing up, my mom always let them build their nests right above our patio door, much to the displeasure of some visitors. But I digress. You probably want to attend this event only once in your life if you don't already live in the vicinity. It's very organized with a different theme each year, but the parade drags on for quite a bit as there was too much space between each group of paraders. TRAVEL THERE We rode the Metrolink (3/23/19) from Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs. Highly recommended this method of travel because a) parking is free in this particular lot on weekends, b) you can avoid traffic & the absolute hassle of trying to find parking when you reach San Juan Capistrano because it is SUPER crowded, c) children 5 and under ride free, and d) the train depot in SJC leads you within short walking distance of the streets where the parade will be passing through. Overall, the people of SJC including all the law enforcement were very welcoming and nice. SIDE STORY There may be one or two bad apples - like this woman who sat next to my husband halfway through the parade and later let her friends sit right in front of him. Mind you, we were already sitting on the street in front of people who are in chairs or standing. She didn't like it when he told them he thought they were being disrespectful since they kept scooting in front of him more. She turned up the psychometer real quick, spoutin' out stuff like "hit me!" What the... This chick was a brand new kind of crazy! A sheriff's deputy who was standing nearby kept listening to her and my husband go back and forth, but the deputy really kept his eyes on HER. Most likely because she was trying to instigate something that wasn't going to happen. Eventually man-hating crazy town left because I wasn't moving. Lol. I wasn't about to let this mouthpiece & her inconsiderate friends ruin our day, but then our 5-year-old daughter openly declared, "That woman was really mean to Daddy." TIPS Consider bringing a... - light jacket - hat and sunglasses - blanket to sit on - cash for the Mercado Street Faire! There's plenty of food, games, & merch

Went to the Greek Festival today and it was soo much fun! Parking was free, entry $5. I have always…read morewanted to attend, and this year was the year i made it happen. I loved the live music, the dancing, the singing, the food vendors and other clothing, trinket vendors. They had a kids section with face painting. Something for everyone. It was awesome being in an environment with yaya's and pappoús, and family mixed young and old enjoying music, food, and just being happy. My parents made it there sooner than i had and already were immersing themselves with Side - Tzatziki & Pita $4.00 Spanakopita (1 piece) $7.00 Greek Salad - small $7.00 for $18.00 All while enjoying how to learn greek dancing and listening to music. When I arrived, the good times were still rolling and i had to order my chicken gyro with fries. Soo worth it. Yumm! I went for their Greek Sundae with Baghalava and they had to stop serving it for one reason or another. It was the talk of the festival about how great it was. Next year, definitely thats on my bucket list. Thats the first thing im getting. Seeing the lamb roasted on the spit reminded me of the movie "my big fat greek wedding". Same vibes, 1000%. Everything was clean and organized and loved it! It still going on until 11pm, as i was leaving at 5pm people were still arriving and the party was still getting lit! I have to pace myself next year. I purchased some cute stuff by the vendors , specifically : and Evil Eye Tote and evil eye accessories. For those who know me, know the "mati" is real and your girl here doesnt take any chances. Hehehe. Iykyk!! ;) Overall, 10/10.

Went to the San Juan Capistrano Greek Festival last night. It's always a cool charitable event…read more The vendors are nice and food is good (a bit pricey but it's for charity). The wine booth and beer tent are always fun. They always play the key college football games so the fans do not have an excuse not to go. We enjoyed a bottle of wine with some friends and strangely it paired well with a tasty gyro and some Greek fries. There is Greek music and dancers too. Fun family event.

It was good to attend the Festival! The brochure is available near the entrance. The center of the…read morebrochure contained good information: a map, a schedule for each stage, and a list of vendors. But that info was not widely available. There is room for better communication. * Approaching Parking Lot 2. As we drove east on Hornet, the sign said to keep going, but lanes were coned off to turn right on Phantom. Someone stood in the junction as if they were IPD directing traffic, but they did not direct traffic. That caused congestion as people stopped to ask them to ask for info. Next year, remove the person directing traffic and put signs BEFORE Phantom. * Entering Lot 2 took a long time and there was a long tailback on Phantom. Need signs in both lanes to state that "Parking $10 cash or card". Then we can get payment ready and keep the lines moving. While that info is on the website, not everyone checks beforehand. * Events were organized by stage. It was easy to find which event was on which stage but hard to find which stage was which. Even when we got to the stage, it was unlabeled! I checked the website for the festival and could not identify the stages. Need to label each stage. Especially important for first time visitors. * Need QR codes linking to the map. * We enjoyed the Great Park Live area. Most people approached the area and tried to walk into the exit because it was closer! A Police Explorer had to direct almost everyone to move to the entrance further along. Needs big signs "Exit Only" and "-- Entrance". * Driving out of Lot 2. No signs to the exit. We drove towards Hornet and found that exit closed off. We tried Phantom, but vehicles were coming in. Traffic exiting Lot 2 had to cut dangerously across pedestrians and cars entering from Phantom, to turn left on Corsair. Also, there were many pedestrians coming that way from the venue near closing time. Need to separate vehicle exits from pedestrian traffic. * We see a pattern. Great Park events tend to be very good but weak in communication. Events are clear to the organizer but may not be to the attendees. Attendees must deal with traffic jams, steps, wheelchairs, heat, crowds, and noise, or are managing children. Organizers should write all comms as if they are the first-time attendee.

Very over priced food, music and vendors are all low quality and mediocre. City of Irvine should do…read morea better job attacking high quality food and better entertaining activitie.

I've been to the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach probably three or four times now between the…read moresummer and winter festivals and despite the crowds, the traffic, and the absurd lines... I keep going back! I usually attend with a close friend and while she's more of the purchaser, I tend to be a window shopper and craft admirer soaking it all in while seeing what surprises the booths contain. Though last monthI did pick up a few Christmas gifts for friends and family even though there wasn't much holiday specific merchandise. It felt great to support local artists and find some unique pieces. The winter festival decor is especially great with the cozy lights, festive touches, and plenty of spots that are great photo ops for both adults and families. The whole place is whimsical and creative and part of the fun is simply wandering without a plan and seeing what you find! Now for the realities: parking is insane, traffic can be really bad, and the lines for entry, food, and sometimes even the restrooms can really test your patience. The food lines in particular are ridiculous, so I usually eat before and/or plan dinner outside the festival (it's cheaper and less crazy). Pro tip: buy your ticket online and show it at the door. Do not wait in line to purchase tickets on site unless you enjoy unnecessary suffering!! All that said, the Sawdust Festival remains uniquely Laguna and there's always that sense of mystery about what you'll discover. Overall, four stars from me!

We went on December 21st, which was apparently the last day of the Sawdust Winter Fantasy event in…read moreLaguna Hills. This was our first, and possibly our last time that we will be attending one of these events. The parking situation was insane. We sat in bad traffic (caused by the festival as well as the construction being done on the highway) heading to Lot 16, only to find out after 35 minutes of slowly creeping and lapping down the minimal amount of lanes of parking (along with many other drivers doing the same thing) that we should just turn around and head back to Irvine for their free temporary lot instead. So we sat in major traffic again now headed back to Irvine to hopefully catch a trolley from there. (There went about an hour of our lives wasted.) So we get back to that lot and wait another 20 minutes or so only to find out that the next trolley that pulled up leaking all kinds of stuff, and the driver telling everyone that the trolley is out of commission and that the group would have to wait for the next one. Oy! So at this point we would have called it quits and cancelled this option for the day, BUT we had already prepaid online for our tickets... So we decided to spring for an uber instead. We were originally FIRST in line, but because the trolley pulled up to the stop and just parked there (blocking) broken down, everyone turned and faced the other way and now we would have been the absolute LAST loading the next trolley. (There was a huge crowd by then.) Our uber experience was much more pleasant, but there we were once again sitting in heavier traffic heading back in the direction we were originally that morning. What a day... Long story short, we get in and there are just crowds EVERYWHERE. It was so tight at times trying to walk past the individual booths, and hearing people (including multiple vendors) just hacking and sneezing away WAS NOT helping. Our family had managed to remain healthy and disease free all Winter, and we were definitely not planning on getting the flu, COVID or whatever as this seemed like a true disease spreader event. The food and drinks area were much worse, and once we got our food we ended up squeezing ourselves into a little pocket of an area and stood to drink our drinks and eat our quick meals. After perusing the entire proximity and spending a little time chatting with a few of the vendors, we took a few photos by the central Christmas tree and a little scenery (trying my best not to get any crowds into our shots), and headed our way out to the trolley. As we passed the ticket booth, we asked a young gal which direction the trolleys would be picking up and she just rudely shrugged and said she didn't know. The afternoon and evening ended up being quite long because of all the parking hassles and crowds. I don't feel it was worth our time for that day.

Drawos was helpful, and we ended up getting a full size tree rather than a small tree or wresth as…read moreoriginally planned. There is a 3% fee for credit card purchases. Private parking lot. Near the freeway.

It is a good experience. It's going to cost you. Getting in the door costs, tickets for the rides…read morewill cost yah, the pumpkins cost yah (you do get a five dollar voucher for pumpkins over a certain amount) and then they will get you with the beer and brats for a little more $$$. As long you have a plan for it, it's a solid experience. My girls had a blast truly. They did the petting zoo (wish the parents didn't have pay) those goats just want the treats inside not the free food. Pro tip bring some quarters and you'll be the hero in there. They did water panning for rocks, multiple times. Did the John Deer ride and took in a puppet show. The beer on tap for the Oktoberfest beer garden was excellent. Brewery X was the big one on tap. The brat was solid. Kids wolfed down the big pretzel. Plenty of seating in there to sit and eat.

After we attended the Sawdust, we went for a stroll and came across this art event. Again this day,…read morewas free for LA residents with ID, and the kind lady at the entrance offered me free entrance as well, so I could join my sisters. This was an indoor event with interactive artists available in their booths. I actually enjoyed this event more than the Sawdust! I loved most of the artwork displayed here. One of our last stops was with an artist whose main focus was the beautiful and majestic hummingbirds. Being hummingbird lovers we purchased a few pieces to display on our walls. Food, beverages, restrooms, and small gift shop were available on the premises. Friendly service all around . I would definitely come back!

After visiting the Sawdust Art Festival, we strolled over to the Laguna Art A Fair that was about a…read more5-10 minute walk. We were stopped by one of the friendly artists just outside the entrance who informed us that on this particular day it was free to enter for LA County residents as well. Make sure you visit the site before visiting for possible free days. They had a band playing when we walked in and it was less crowded than the Sawdust Festival. We strolled through the area where most booths had the artists available and wiling to engage. We stopped to talk to and look at the artwork of an artist who focused on hummingbirds. My sister purchased three prints. Each sister receiving one. They were beautifully painted and adorable. We found that we liked the artwork here more than the Sawdust Festival. Glad we stopped by.

Hands down my favorite farmers market! Located in the same parking lot as In-N-Out, it has…read moreeverything I love--the famous butter man, incredible tomatoes, delicious avocados, and so many other local treasures. The vendors are wonderful, the produce is always fresh, and the atmosphere is fantastic. If you haven't been yet, you should definitely check it out. Highly recommended!

There's a Mexican Food truck that I recommend you AVOID!…read more Not only is it right, and I mean right, next to the toilets, you have to fight the flys while you eat. After purchasing a $10 taco I asked for a cup of water to wash the greasy meat down and they wanted $2.50. Go figure. I'm not interested in sitting next to a mobile fly factory and getting gouged to boot.

I came to city hall for a free romance book event put on by the library and it was fantastic. It…read morewas so well organized and I can't believe the whole thing was free! Libraries are awesome! City hall had lots of seating in the event room, and you were never too far from the "stage" so it was easy to see everyone. At the end when people were queuing up for the authors, it never got too out of hand. My only gripe is the parking, it's so dumb. I wish they didn't have a cute plant that basically blocks off every third spot. Seems like such a waste. I had to park farther away. The venue itself was very nice and easy to navigate. And as a plus, the library is right across the street!

Came here to vote and the line was long, but civic duty calls for patience sometimes…read more The staff was very helpful and kept the line moving as best as they could. It was about an hour and a half by the time all was said and done. On a positive note, I now know where city hall is and the library is right next to it.