A Winter Wonderland for OC Winter Fest

Days of Fun

100,000

Attendees

157,000

Square Feet

Unforgettable Event

Winter Wonderland

Winter is an especially magical time of the year. From the chill in the air to the traditions, it holds a special place in our hearts. Cold weather, and everything that comes with it, has a way of bringing people together. It gives us a feeling of belonging and community spirit. For many places in our country, the winter landscape is chilly and covered in snow, but that isn’t the case in Orange County. Here, Christmas weather is mild with temperatures in the mid-sixties, warm enough to enjoy a day outside.

Every year, Orange County hosts their OC Winter Fest to ring in the season with winter activities. They turn their venue into a winter wonderland. Each year, despite the warmer temperatures, residents get to celebrate the season in a truly festive way.

When contacted by OC Winter Fest and asked to provide the entertainment, we quickly and excitedly accepted. Here at A Company Picnic, we get pretty into festivities. No matter the theme, even if it’s turning a venue into a winter wonderland, we adore bringing our signature touch of magic to every event. OC Winter Fest is a huge event each year. It has so much winter magic for attendees to explore, and we were happy to be a part of the magic.

Fun and Festivities

Running from November to New Year’s, Winter Fest brings in around 100,000 attendees each year. When planning an event such as this, we want to make it truly festive. We’ve had the pleasure of creating many winter themed events. With each one, we love bringing in every charm of the season.

For this event, we were bringing in a truly exciting array of activities for attendees to enjoy. The fairgrounds are extensive, a whopping 157,000 square feet. We wanted to cover every available inch in winter entertainment. Held at The Orange County Fair and Events Center located in Costa Mesa, Winter Fest is one of the largest annual events held there. Naturally, we found ourselves pretty excited to work on this project.

We spent the days leading up to the event arranging our inflatables and other entertainment. The weather was brisk but pleasant as we worked. Though it was pleasant, we knew the temperatures would drop at night during the event’s run. We’d brought in some of our favorite festive inflatables, such as our Snowman bouncer. It’s very tall, and very adorable. It plays festive music inside for anyone using it to enjoy. Because the venue was so large, we were also able to bring in our Gingerbread House and Blue Ice Castle bouncers. We arranged the Gingerbread House on a grassy lot in the fairgrounds. This gave it the appearance of being set in a yard, like a real little house. It looked the part, too and might have been very convincing as a tiny house… Even given the slide coming out from where a garage might be.

Reindeer Games

We carefully chose one of the fairground’s buildings to set up one of our favorite games. It’s a huge one, and nearly filled up the building. Our Snowflake Summit Ice Slide is a gigantic racing game. Here, participants board sleds at the top of the slide and race their way down. It’s reminiscent of the sled races many of us did as kids, but on an even bigger scale. We arranged a barrier at the end to prevent guests from sledding too far. Our crew hoped the festival’s attendees would enjoy it as much as we did.

We also set up a winter themed inflatable slide outdoors. The front is decorated with a scene of snowy pine trees and a jolly snowman. The slide itself towered over the lot like a jubilant giant, beckoning any passersby to give it a go.

Outside of one of the main buildings, we brought in something larger than life. It was a giant horse, wearing Christmas wreaths around its ankles. Where a saddle would be was a cutout area. This horse was gigantic, absolutely dwarfing even our tallest staff. We arranged ladders at its side to enable festival guests to climb inside for photo ops. The horse itself was very charming. Over the course of the time we spent around it, it really made its way into our hearts.

A Truly Magical Event

The festival began on November 25th, just a month before Christmas. The attendance was truly amazing. Our team spent quite a bit of time there, both snapping pictures and enjoying the event as well. It seemed each of the attractions we’d set up was a hit, with attendees of all ages. Our Snowflake Summit Ice Slide was packed every time we went by it.

The event was truly a magical one for all who came. Attendees had a blast at the ice-skating rink as well as the carnival rides. Of course, we had to sample some of the delicious fair foods as we visited. We were sure to join in on the festivities whenever we could.

All in all, the event went marvelously. It ran from November 25th to New Years’ Day and brought in around 100,000 attendees. We were thrilled to have been a part of such a classic event in the county. Even more so, we were thrilled at seeing how people enjoyed themselves. No matter how many events we host, that magical feeling never goes away. Over the past 35 years, everyone on our team has felt that feeling. Each time, it’s one that fuels us as we work. We’re happy to be a part of special days, all of us. It’s what we love. And OC Winter Fest was a truly special event.