Plant Fest at Tanaka Farms - Spring 2019 Edition this Sunday

One of my favorite events is Plant Fest, held a few times a year at Tanaka Farms. It is a wonderful gathering of vegan food and product vendors, plus cooking demos, yoga, farm tours, games and crafts for the kiddos, and such a fun vibe! I love going and shopping all the vendors, grabbing some great food, watching some cooking demos and just hanging out with good friends.

I'm thrilled that Plant Fest is returning on Sunday, March 31st from 10 AM to 4 PM. There is plenty of free parking and it is a real treat to spend the day on a working farm right in Orange County! Admission to the farm is $4 and allows you access to wander the farm and attend Plant Fest. Plus, a portion of all sales will be donated to an animal sanctuary that will be chosen by the vendors. Check out the incredible vendors below!

New Vegan Finds From Expo West I'm Dying To Try

Natural Products Expo West 2019 occurred last week here in Orange County, and while I didn't attend, I have been drooling over the photos fellow vegans have shared of hot new vegan products that dominated the Expo! It is incredible how more and more exciting vegan items are popping up all over the place, and many of them debut at Expo West, where companies exhibit their products in hopes that buyers from grocery stores will decide to stock them on their shelves, investors will help support their expansion, and to generate buzz.

In past years (check out my past coverage of the event HERE), there has been a significant demand for new vegan products and more and more companies with vegan options are showcasing their products at Expo West. This year, veganism has really exploded at Expo West, and I've seen so many incredible new food items that I can't wait to get my claws on! I've collected some of the highlights from others' Instagram posts (big shout-out to all attendees who shared their photos with the world, and an extra special thank you to the VegNews team for their incredibly comprehensive coverage!), check out the exciting new vegan products from Expo West I'm dying to get my claws on:

Halloween Club's Spook Show Just 1 Month Away!

For the past few years, horror and Halloween enthusiasts near and far have traveled to meet where all kindred spirits converge, at the "Spook Show", an annual event conjured up by the Halloween Club in La Mirada, California. This is one of my favorite springtime events, especially since we get to celebrate Halloween in April! It's full of incredible vendors, killer deals, costumed attendees, Halloween-themed musical acts and performers, and so much fun! If you want to see some of the fearsome fun I've had there in past years, check out the posts from 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015!

More info on this year's event, coming up next month, below:

6 Spooky Spring Events in SoCal Horror + Halloween Fans Don't Want to Miss

If you have the Halloween blues like I do, you'll be glad to know that this spring promises six spooky events in Southern California for horror and Halloween fans! From a haunted house to oddities and curiosities shows to a horror art installation to a Halloween event to a horror convention, there are plenty of things for fans of the macabre to enjoy this spring while we count down the days to Halloween!

Check out six spooky spring events in Southern California you don't want to miss below:

Vegan Beyond Avocado Taco from Del Taco

Beyond Avocado Taco and fries at Del Taco

This past December, Del Taco unveiled Beyond Meat at a select few of their locations in Southern California to test out the plant-based meat alternative before hopefully expanding nationwide. This is a HUGE deal and if it is successful, would give so many people access to try vegan food. It means that people want more vegan options and that companies are listening to them. It also means that more people will be exposed to vegan options, and that vegan food is becoming more and more mainstream! I am so, so stoked on this, and couldn't be more excited about Beyond Meat being available at select Del Taco fast food restaurants. Check out my review of their Beyond Avocado Taco below...

Pageant of the Monsters Halloween Haunt

The Pageant of the Monsters returns to Laguna Beach only once every five years, and 2018 is one of the years it appears at the Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts. It features a macabre marketplace, sinister sideshow, eerie arts and creepy crafts, and a haunted house walk-through the backstage of the theater. The event runs only four nights, on October 26th, 27th, 28th, and 31st. There are only two nights left of the event, and you can read more about my visit there below!

Boot Hill Home Haunt and Yard Display

Boot Hill is a home haunt and yard display in Irvine, California that is open select Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights leading up to Halloween. It is in its 19th year of keeping the Halloween spirit alive and is put together with spooky love every year by the homeowners. It features an Old-West theme, with the facade of a home and the front yard transformed into an Old West town and cemetery, and the ghost of Jedediah Smith roaming the ghoulish grounds!

Pageant of the MONSTERS Returns to Laguna Beach

Like I reported a few months ago, this year will see the return of the Pageant of the Monsters to Laguna Beach! The event is only held every five years, and features a terrifying twist on the traditional Pageant of the Masters. It will feature spooky scenes, macabre music, and many more tricks and treats for attendees! They have announced their full schedule full of tricks and treats, check it out via the official press release below:

Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch 2018

One of my Halloween traditions is to visit my local pumpkin patch at Tanaka Farms in Irvine, California. I love attending events at Tanaka Farms, which is a real working farm and so fun to visit. Their pumpkin patch is a real one, where pumpkins are actually grown and you can wander down the rows of pumpkins, visit a corn maze, and even pick your own fruits and veggies on the farm! They also have wagon rides and games. The pumpkin patch is absolutely gourd-geous - they have everything from itty bitty pumpkins to huge giants.

Like last year (check out my visit from last year), Tanaka Farms has officially licensed Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters to host their pumpkin patch. Photo ops abound with character cut-outs and it is certainly fun to see the cutesy Sanrio characters throughout the farm. There are also hay bales, scarecrows, a sunflower maze, their famous pile of pumpkins, and so many other amazing treats in store at Tanaka Farms.

Check out my photos from this year's visit below:

Halloween 2018 at Roger's Gardens: A Hogwarts-Themed Boutique

One of my Halloween traditions is going to Roger's Gardens to check out their Halloween displays that are unveiled every Labor Day weekend. This year, they have a Harry Potter-inspired boutique decorated to look like Hogwarts, similar to last year's displays. Despite repeating the same theme as last year, I was excited to check out this year's displays.

When I attended opening day, I glad to see that the displays were different than last year's, though still Hogwarts-themed. It was a magical experience getting to be immersed in incredible rooms filled with potions, spellbooks, owls, and fantastic beasts. You can see photos from this year's Roger's Gardens Halloween boutique below:

Pageant of the Monsters Returns to Laguna Beach

The Pageant of the Monsters returns to Laguna Beach this October to spook up some Halloween fun! This event only comes around every five years, and is returning in 2018 to Laguna Beach's Festival of the Arts with a terrifying twist on the traditional Pageant of the Masters, featuring living eerie art, macabre music, and many more tricks and treats for attendees! Check out the official press release below:

Strawberry Jam Tours at Tanaka Farms

Tanaka Farms is one of my favorite places in Orange County - not only is their pumpkin patch the best (they actually grow their own pumpkins), but they also host the fantastic Plant Fest every season featuring a fun assortment of vegan food and vendors (see past visits to their pumpkin patch and Plant Fests HERE!). Not only that, but they have pick-your-own veggies and fruits and farm tours as well. For the next two Thursdays and Fridays, they will be hosting Farm to Table Strawberry Jam Tours!

Tanaka Farms has some ripe, juicy, and delicious late-season strawberries waiting to be picked! This tour will include a wagon ride out to the strawberry fields, where you can enjoy the sunshine and pick berries. After choosing the sweetest strawberries, you'll head back to the farm where you will learn how to the berries into a delicious strawberry freezer jam! At the end of your strawberry jam-making adventures, you'll get to take home a jar of jam along with a basket of luscious, sun-kissed strawberries.

The tours will be held this Thursday, July 19th and Friday, July 20th, as well as next Thursday, July 26th and Friday, July 27th. All tours start at 10:30 AM and are $18 per person.

To RSVP for the event and buy tickets, visit the Facebook event page!

Kick Off Summer With Plant Fest at Tanaka Farms

Plant Fest returns to Tanaka Farms in Irvine, California this weekend for two days of vegan food and fun! Parking and admission are both free, and the event will be held Saturday, June 2nd and Sunday, June 3rd, 2018 from 10AM to 3PM. It is the perfect way to kick off summer, with vegan vendors, food trucks, cooking demonstrations, special speakers, all on a working farm!

Over 20 vendors will be there selling both vegan food and cruelty-free merchandise. Check out the list of food trucks, vendors, and schedule of events below:

The Cauldron Spirits and Brews in Buena Park, CA

After checking out Spook Show a few weekends ago, I realized I was close to The Cauldron Spirits and Brews, a new witch-themed restaurant and bar that opened up in Buena Park right across from Knott's Berry Farm. I couldn't turn down grabbing a few drinks in a spooky bar and I was stoked at the opportunity to finally check it out!

The bar and restaurant is described on their website as: "...a dark fairy tale witch-themed sanctuary for the ultimate sensory experience with unpretentious sophistication through a variety of fresh quality cocktails, local craft brews and familiar yet unexpected tastes presented with impeccable service in a comfortable, social atmosphere." 

Take a peek inside of this bewitching bar below:

Spook Show 6 Scares Up Halloween Fun This April

In just a little over a week away, Halloween Club's Spook Show returns for its sixth year in La Mirada, California on Saturday, April 7th, 2018! I love this event, and it fills my Halloween heart with so my joy and promises so much fiendish fun! There will be Halloween and horror vendors galore, a huge sale at the Halloween Club, live music and performances, costumes, and tons of other treats! You can check out my coverage from past years HERE, HERE, and HERE to get you in the spooky spirit.

Come celebrate Halloween in spring with me at Spook Show! More details below!

7 Spooky SoCal Events That Will Cure Your Halloween Blues

Who else is going through Halloween withdrawals? I know I am, though there are only 250 days left until Halloween! The good news is that there are a ton of Halloween and horror-related events in Southern California to attend this spring and summer that will tide us over until Halloween.

I've listed seven upcoming events below, ordered chronologically, so you can easily mark your calendars with these haunting Halloween events! Cure your Halloween blues and attend these seven spooky events:

The 17th Door: Locked Up Haunted Experience

The 17th Door: Locked Up

Today we have a guest post from Justin Rekt, who attended The 17th Door: Locked Up Haunted Experience in Fullerton, California. This haunted attraction is an intense, extreme haunt featuring 17 horrific rooms groups of approximately eight people have to survive. Each year has a different theme, this year they have moved from Irvine to a location in Fullerton with a hellish prison theme. Read about Justin's experience below!

Grave Harvest Halloween Convention Haunts Orange County This Saturday

I had a blast at last year's Grave Harvest Halloween convention at The Hotel Fullerton in Fullerton, California (read my recap HERE!), so I am looking forward to its return this Saturday, October 7th! Get your tickets now, as you need to purchase them in advance and none will be sold at the door. Tickets are only $10, and parking is free - you can purchase tickets HERE! Read more about this Orange County Halloween convention below!

Plant Fest at Tanaka Farms This Weekend

This weekend Saturday, September 23rd and Sunday, September 24th, Tanaka Farms in Irvine, California will host its first ever Plant Fest featuring vegan food trucks, cooking demonstrations, speakers, cruelty-free vendors, fresh fruit and veggies, live music, and farm tours. Tanaka Farms has partnered with SoCal VegFest to host this event as a fundraiser for the Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL) - a 501c(3) organization. More below!

Halloween 2017 at Roger's Gardens: Magic and Mayhem

Halloween 2017 at Roger's Gardens

Roger's Gardens is a garden store in the Corona del Mar/Newport Beach area that transforms one of its buildings into whimsical Halloween-themed displays every year. They always open their Halloween displays on Labor Day weekend, and it's a tradition for me to check them out this time every year as it marks my kick off to all things autumn and Halloween (even though I celebrate Halloween every day in my heart)! It is always a treat to see the theme Roger's Gardens has chosen for the year come to life, and shop for some Halloween trinkets while I'm there.