Winter Fest – OC Event

Winterfest was a fun day. I went with a friend of mine and no kids and we had lots of fun.
Cost: Not too bad– adult admission was $ 17.50– less then half the price of Chill at the Queen Mary.
Entertainment: Loved the Magician– Jimmy H, have seen him before and he is always a class act, we loved his show and his creation of snow at the Christmas Tree lightening ceremony. He does a great job of being entertaining to kids and adults at the same time. The Chainsaw Chicks also were a lot of fun to watch as they created their ice sculptures in front of the whole crowd in competition style.
Rides: Tradition Carnival Style– one free ride and one free game were included in admission. We rode the Ferris wheel– the view was lovely.
Ice Slide: So much fun– not too long of a line, went a few different times.
Food: It was a little expensive– but we just walked across to the Swap Meet for a better deal on food and drinks.
Staff: Everyone was very nice and knowledgeable when we asked questions.
Reindeer: The man watching over the reindeer was the only sour puss we met all day. He seemed like he had no interest in being their nor did he seem to be taking good care of the animals.
Ice Skating: It was fun and reasonably priced.
Management: I watched Wnterfest on facebook over the last few weeks. The people running the event seemed engaged with their audience and ready to learn through the experience. I saw as they adjusted the event based on complaints and suggestions over the course of their first season.
Parking: It would have been nice to know that it was Cash Only– should be included on confirmation email when buying tickets on line. Not too pricey– $ 7.
I hope Winterfest returns next year!

Pretty small. The ice skating sessions are timed for an hour. It’s $ 15 with skates rentals and one time locker access for the ladies to put their purses in for save keeping, and for both to put their shoes, etc.
Hold on to the railing if you don’t know how to skate! It’s kind of crowded. Wouldn’t recommend skating directly in the center. As people are trying to turn to avoid you.
Unlimited ice tubing. Pretty fun.
Carnival games. Dead zone, but the guy who works there let me buy a game for $ 5 and we got another game free. Darts!
You get 3 darts per game. He was nice enough to let me hit only one to win a plush. You’re supposed to hit 3 in a row. I ended up with a Reindeer plush (medium size)
The admission tickets comes with one free game (guaranteed small ass price)
One free carnival ride (individually) so, one for each person
And, try to have fun! Kids need to be 42″ to ride and slide down the ice tubing. Don’t recommend kids who aren’t the right height requirement. Sorry.
Had fun even though my friend collided into the glass. First time ice skating for him.

I really like the idea of this, and my friends and I did have fun, because we make the most of everything. However, this was ridiculously expensive and there was not a lot to do.
Cost to get in? $ 30 (we got a deal for $ 10 each thankfully).
Does that include parking? Nope. $ 7.
How about ice skating? Cough up at least $ 15. Plus skate rental.
Food and drink? Actually more expensive than Disneyland and concert venues.
Carnival rides? You get one with admission. After that, it’s $ 3 — $ 5/​ride.
Free carnival game? You get a smaller prize or fewer throws than you would with a paid ticket.
Reindeer feeding? Well, you can *look* at them as they walk sadly around a tiny paddock.
Just about the only things that were actually included with admission were the ice slide — which, in all honesty, was wonderful — and some of the roaming entertainers. There were also some train displays, which were well intentioned but not really very elaborate. The «North Pole» area was a few poorly staffed craft tables, vendors and arcade games; it looked nothing like what they claimed on their website.
The carnival seems to have been done by a different company than the one that runs the OC Fair. Most of the rides looked really run down and dirty.
I wouldn’t return to this. I especially feel bad for anyone who actually paid $ 30 + for admission.

My friends and I came here on the 28^th. We had a good time, but walking in we left like we were in the Christmas version of the movie Zombieland. They did not market the event very well and they are up again big competition (with the queen mary having a similar event). I think a better effort in marketing would have helped with a better turn out.
They had a bunch of great thing to do, rides and games, ice skating, reindeer, and tubing,
I would go again next year.

Save your money!!! You will pay for parking, entry tickets, food/​drinks, and for every activity and game. You can walk the whole event in about 10 minutes. The «reindeer park» was just a small patch of grass with 2 sad reindeer fenced in. The «vip cabanas» (thankfully we didn’t buy these!) were just little sectioned off areas around the ice skating rink. Hardly worth it! The main attractions are the ice skating rink and the ice slopes. There’s the carnival game arena ride area but that will cost you extra as well. The food selection was poor: pizza, hotdogs, kabobs, tacos and bbq. Horrible quality at Disneyland prices.

I came here with my family and we loved it. It was so much fun. There’s a lot to do. They really make your money worth it giving you one free carnival game and one fee ride with each admission! The chainsaw chick’s were also an awesome performance to see!

Hmmmm, not sure what winterfest some of the other reviewers went to… but I had a nice time. After reading the reviews before we left last night to go over I thought, «this is gonna suck!»
But you know what?
It didn’t.
At all.
First I did get my tickets for $ 10 each. But I did take two kids (8 & 11) and we ate before going. …so can’t comment on the food.
The employees everywhere were nice. Even the ride workers were smiling and seemed enthusiastic.
You know what you could compare it to? It was about the same size or slightly bigger than the Costa Mesa Fish Fry carnival every year. Just more spread out. Most rides were 4 tickets ($ 4) and you got a free game and ride with each ticket. And I bought a sheet of like 32 tickets for $ 27 so they could go on more.
They loved the free ice slide and did that for about 30 mins when we got there and again before we left. I believe all the rides were operating and they were NOT run down or 2^nd rate like one reviewer said. Again… local carnival style with a winter theme.
I left pleasantly surprised and would go back again next year.

Awsome event took my little sister and she really enjoyed the snow slide and ice skating. I personally loved the funnel cakes and the hot dogs! Kettle corn the best! Staff was very helpful when we had a few questions. The event even sells beer I was so happy! We got a free ride and carnival game with our admission ticket so that was cool! I loved this event would most definitely come back again.

Short version: Save your money, go to Queen Mary Chill or even just stay home because anything would be better than being at this event. We left and went bowling. BYEEEEEE.
Long version with detailed review:
Customer service: Rude and clueless. The employees have no idea what’s even included with the admission ticket. We were apparently suppose to get a wristband for the ice slide at the entrance and had to show the employee at the ice slide our online voucher that states unlimited ice slide comes with admission and then he gave us a wrist band bc we didn’t get it at the entrance. WHY WOULD I NEED A WRISTBAND WHEN ITS INCLUDED IN ADMISSION… FOR EVERYONE! We wanted to see the shows (ice sculpting and magician) and I asked what the show times were and the response was «I have no idea, they started late so I don’t know anymore.» Great. Thanks. High five. Shout out to the bartender who was fun and friendly (bc you’ll def need a beer to get through this fiasco event) and Mrs Claus who stopped to take a picture with us (but could have been a little more chipper).
Food: The prices for the food stands are ridiculous, higher than the OC Fair even! On top of that, half of the vendors weren’t even open (it was 2pm! They opened at 11!) or if they were, they didn’t have all the food options that were on the menu. We went to two stands before giving up and ended up getting corn dogs and french fries… COLD corn dogs and basic french fries bc they didn’t even have chili cheese available (37 bucks!).
Carnival games: The employees at the games harass you as you walk by. Every. Single. One. Mind you, you’re probably one of ten people at the event so you are getting yelled at from every direction. You get a free game with admission… but you can’t use that free game to win a real prize, you get a dinky thing that they are hiding under the game stand.
Carnival ride: Just don’t. The rides looked so old and unsafe that I wouldn’t even risk going on the pathetic ferris wheel they had. You can keep your one free ride with admission. Thanks but no thanks.
Ice slide: Fun but tiny. Sure you can go on it an unlimited amount of times but I think even a 5 year old would be entertained by it maaaaybe two or three times before getting over it.
Ice skating: For 15 bucks a person, I rather go to an ice rink and experience the real deal than the little ice rink they had put into the Hangar. Apparently at night they have a Xmas movie on the screen behind it. We didn’t stay long enough to see that nor would that make ice skating here worth it.
Reindeer feeding: What reindeer feeding?! You get to look at 2 reindeer trapped in a tiny pen from 4 feet away. It’s sad actually seeing them in there. You don’t even get to feed them which at least would have made me feel better that at least their tummy was full. But no. False advertising.
What a picture with Santa? Oh yeah, you have to pay for that too! And the «snow» is only one time each day so if you’re not there or doing something else… tough luck. This event is super shady. They even hid reviews from their Facebook page… shady shady shady. Never again.

My guy and I went specifically because i wanted to ice skate. Entry was 20 a ticket, abd came with one free game and 1 free ride. We went Dec 26 at night and most of the rides were not opperating. The only carnival ride I wanted to do was the Ferris wheel and it was closed :/​. However, we loved the ice tubbing slidr, and the reindeer, the live music was Nice and we enjoyed ice skating. I will day it seemed a bit much to have to pay 40 (20 each ticket) admission fee and then 30 (15 each ticket) for ice skating. I would deff up again, is a great family friendly event. The night activities were lacking. Our goal was ice skating, a picture with the giant ornement and that was awesome

Winter at the OC!!! I brought my nephews and they loved it! The staff are so friendly and helpful. The attractions are so fun! I hope they come back next year.

There is an ice slide that you can ride unlimited times. You can watch the chainsaw chicks perform ice sculpting. You can feed the reindeer. There is ice skating too.

Awesome concept! It’s great having something to do around around here during the winter holidays. The ice slide was the best!

I saw this event on Facebook just a month prior to its opening. I was really excited that there was a Christmas/​winter event happening around my area. Upon arriving, there’s a huge ornament that’s a perfect place to take pictures with friends and family, which is great for someone who likes to Instagram.
There’s also an inside skating rink! I’m not a big fan of ice skating, but there were plenty of adults and children in there having fun (I’m just really afraid to fall… it’s happened too many times with ice skating, so pass for me.) There’s also alcoholic drinks served inside such as beer, and various types of Christmas themed cocktails.
Other activities included ice sledding, carnival games/​rides, hourly talent shows (ice sculptures made by chainsaws, carolers… etc). Food was typical fair food like hot dogs, kettle corn… there’s also a bake shop by Mrs. Clause if you’re into sweets.
Admission tickets include access to the event as well as 1 free ride, 1 free game, as well as unlimited access to the ice slide! Downside is the price, but admission is lower now since its opening. Buy online!

I’m pretty generous with reviews, but this was an enormous ripoff. You pay $ 20 to get in, and that gets you the opportunity to spend a bunch more money on everything else inside, which isn’t all that much. To top it off, the staff members were very rude, except for the ferris wheel guy who was really nice. Edit: bouncy castle folks were nice, too.
Avoid this gauging trap.

This new event is a good way to get into the holiday spirit. It is seven dollars to park which is a deal considering I spent $ 20 at the Queen Mary for their chill event.
There have been some $ 10 deals for entry which is great considering it includes snow tubing, roaming entertainment, arcade games, and other interesting things to look at including two live reindeer. I am not sure if that deal is still being offered but I know there are some free days for teachers, firefighters, and others.
Ice skating is extra if that is your thing. So are the carnival rides. Every night at 5:30 there is a tree lighting with snowfall, which is pretty awesome. I like the atmosphere in the evening, it really feels like a winter wonderland.
If you are trying to save money, pay the entry fee, walk around, drink some hot chocolate, snow tube the night away, and be grateful for a winter wonderland in Southern California.

DON’T GO. (Review of Winterfest)
It’s true what everyone is saying about the poor pricing point. You have to really pay for everything to have fun. They prompt you to pay for parking when you can just say you’re here for the swap meet and park for free because it’s the same lot as Winterfest. The swap meet is there until 2PM and it costs $ 2 to get in. They also forget to inform you that Winterfest tickets will get you into the swap meet for free but they try to con you into purchasing swamp meet entrance. We walked into Winterfest after purchasing tickets and found out that the swap meet is included, luckily we had decided to check out the swap meet after so we didn’t end up getting tricked into paying for it. The tickets cost us $ 30 per person at the window.
I know you’re all thinking, of course the OC fair also costs a lot of money and that’s just familiar fair prices. YES true, I came prepared to spend cash. Unfortunately, the OC fair is also 20x bigger than what Winterfest turned out to be. We walked in and there was some tiny stands for food (and it was lacking the amazing OC fair food.) There was rubbery pizza and funnel cake. The ice skating rink is $ 15 extra and seemed to be where everyone was crowding so it was packed and we didn’t want to pay money to feel more crowded. Everything else was devoid of human life. It was seriously depressing, almost like a horror movie introduction at a carnival where all the teenagers end up dying. We walk over to the reindeer area but there was literally 2 in a tiny enclosure. They were lying down because it was so tiny, and chewing on grass. You’re separated by a huge metal fence so you can’t even get a closer look at them.
Behind the reindeer, there were bouncy houses. It was the 2 tiniest bouncy houses and they were kind of empty. It looked fun for very tiny humans I guess, but I would think they should invest in larger bounce houses.
Further down the path is the carnival and games area. There you have your typical fair games but the toys are extra crummy. They weren’t even cute stuffed animals that you want to win. It was basically sun faded minions, and stupid neon zoo animals that no one wanted. I think they save all the cute stuffies for the OC fair and these were the sad reject toys.
The rides they had look super dilapidated and rusty in the sunlight without the darkness of night to shield them. We spent our free ride ticket on the swings and it was pretty fun because it was a long ride. They were so rusty though that my friend’s palms turned orange from the rust.
We decided to spend our games tickets since we each had one. You’re only allowed to win 1 item with the ticket; a candy cane. You can pay more if you actually want one of the toys but I’m not sure who actually wants to pay for any of those toys.
We dejectedly left the area and saved the best for last. Snow tubing! There was no one in the regular line at all, so I hope no one actually spent money on the fast pass line. We rode that 4x and justified our $ 30 ticket saying we paid about $ 7.50 per slide. It was honestly VERY fun but not $ 30 of fun.
To sum it up:
Ticket is $ 30 and that includes 1 free ride, 1 free game, 1 free appetizer or dessert (outside of the fair).
Basically, $ 30 to go in, get on one ride, MAYBE win 1 candy cane, and deep pangs of regret.

WINTERFEST is the most awful, laughable, depressing piece of crap I have ever seen. The website made it look like a winter wonderland when in reality it’s the crappiest crap ever. My house is more of a «WINTERFEST» then that ridiculous nightmare.

*When you first enter the parking lot, you are asked if you’re attending Winter Fest OR if you’re going to the Swapmeet. The Swapmeet parking is FREE.
*Accepts ONLY CASH, including INSIDE WINTER FEST :(
**There are ATMs available, but there is a $ 3 Fee.
*You will pay $ 7 for NO GOOD REASON. You’ll realize this AFTER you pay because they are going to send you to the same parking lot area as the people who are going to the Swapmeet. So yes, you could have lied and said, «Swapmeet.» and saved yourself $ 7.
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TICKET INFORMATION:
*Ticket prices vary depending on whether you attend on a weekday OR weekend, AND whether you buy them online or onsite.
*It is SLIGHTLY CHEAPER to attend on a WEEKDAY AND BUY TICKETS ONLINE.
We went to Winter Fest on December 19, A Saturday, so it was more expensive:
We were 3 Adults + 1 Child (3 y/​o). We bought our tickets ONLINE so that’s what I’m adding here. Remember, it is MORE ONSITE.
TICKETS:
*Adult Ticket: $ 25 + $ 3 FEE = $ 28
*Child Ticket (Ages 4 – 12) $ 15 + $ 2.50 FEE = $ 17.50
Total for 3 Adults: $ 84
For my 3 year old child: $ 0
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WHAT DO YOU GET WITH YOUR TICKET ADMISSION (SEE PHOTOS AS WELL):
1)You get to ENTER Winter Fest. LOL
2)Unlimited Riding On Ice Tubing Summit (Must 42in or taller)
2A) My 3 year old was not tall enough for this.
3) You get on ONE carnival ride.
3A) After that, you need to buy carnival tickets. 1 sheet was $ 28.

4)You get to play ONE carnival game.
4A) After that, each game is $ 5.
*Website claims there are more than 30 games and rides, but that is UNTRUE. This was a small area, as in, your kid can’t get lost if he wanders off.
5)Reindeer Viewing and Feeding
5A) There were 2. It was a sad display. You don’t see them get fed and you can’t feed or touch them.
6) Meet and Greet Santa, see model train displays, craft making and games
6A) Sounds great, but isn’t. There were three train displays and they were all too high for small children to see. This Northpole area is supposed to be for CHILDREN. LOL Website says kids can conduct the trains, but that is UNTRUE. They are not allowed to touch ANYTHING. Craft making? I saw one table, which was for face painting. Games? Didn’t see this at all. Santa? I saw a line, but no Santa. Maybe he was on break?
7) Entry for Bounce Houses
7A) There were 2 small ones. Kids seemed to enjoy them. My kid didn’t use them since he hates taking off his shoes.
8) Daily and Nightly Entertainment (magic shows, concerts)
8A) The stage was empty. No signs to tell you @ what time anything starts.
And that’s it. That’s what your Admission Ticket gets you.
WANT TO PAY FOR PREMIUM STUFF? (LOL Why?)
*Ice Tubing Pass: $ 10 online/​$ 15 onsite
*Ice Skating: $ 15 onsite + $ 5 for Ice Assists (optional)
*Unlimited Carnival Ride Wristband: $ 20 online+ FEE/​$ 25 onsite +FEE
*Private Cabanas VIP: $ 99, per cabana, per session.
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DRINKING BOOTH:
*Coffee: $ 5
*They have powdered packets of Coffee Mate coffee creamer &
* Splenda
*16.9 oz Bottled Water $ 3
*Hot Chocolate $ 5.50
*Apple Cider $ 5.50
*Something else I can’t remember
FOOD:
Fattening Food. Didn’t buy. Sorry, no more information on this.
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Overall, I think this was too expensive. It sounded great online, which is why I thought, «It’s expensive, but sounds worth it.» The Winter Fest website made it sound like there were many actives for children, but they exaggerated that.
Keep in mind that I have only ONE child and since he’s 3, his admission into Winter Fest was free, but you need to PAY to really have FUN. LOL That’s not including the expensive food and drinks.
I can just imagine how much more expensive it would be for couples with two children (or more). It’s not even worth buying the Online Unlimited Ride Wristband ($ 20 + $ 3 FEE) because you’ll need one for each child and adult.
WANT TO SAVE MONEY?
*Do NOT take your spouse/​significant other
*Take your favorite child and leave the rest at home.
Or, don’t go. LOL
Hopefully, they improve Winter Fest in the future.

Had a really great time yesterday. The tickets were reasonable, it wasn’t over crowded. We went to the queen mary chill last year wasn’t impressed. This was by far a better outing!!! The inner tubing, caroling, the ice skating, and the carnival rides were great. We are going to go again next year. Plus your entrance fee gets you a free carnival ride and one free carnival game.