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Welcome to SoCal Field Trips’ popular blog series titled 10 Savvy Entertainment Deals! I have not posted an update in a few weeks, because of all the end of the school year activities. But there are so many great deals out there right now, I don’t want you miss out!
Up this week are FREE and discount tickets to see Grease, Into The Woods, The Little Mermaid and more. Plus summer is here and you can now get deep discounts to visit Knott’s Soak City and Castle Park.
But remember! The key to getting a great deal is to buy the deal as soon as you see it! Event outlets such as Goldstar and Groupon only have so many tickets they can sell before they are gone.
So here we go…
1. FREE Tickets to see Grease: Youth Production of Hit ’50s Musical @ The Arts & Learning Conservatory, Santa Ana
This G-rated version of the all-American favorite — performed by students in grades 4 through 10 — follows the ’50s romance of innocent ingenue Sandy and bad-boy greaser Danny Zuko in their senior year at Rydell High. Danny believes their hot summer fling is over … until Sandy unexpectedly enrolls at Rydell. The hit 1978 movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John quickly became a musical phenomenon with catchy sing-along tunes like “Summer Nights,” “Beauty School Dropout,” “We Go Together” and “Greased Lightning.” Join Sandy, Danny, Rizzo, Kenickie and the rest of the gang, and discover why Grease is most definitely the word this summer.
2. FREE Tickets to see Into the Woods — Sondheim’s Fairy Tale Favorite Performed by Youth Cast @ The Arts & Learning Conservatory, Santa Ana
Recently a hit movie starring Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Anna Kendrick, Into the Woods began as a live musical that took Broadway by storm. A fresh spin on several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, this production — performed here by a young cast of actors in grades 6 through 12 — interweaves several classic fairy tales into one epic story that shows what happens when things get real in the fairy-tale world. Unable to bear children, a baker and his wife are lured into completing a number of tasks by a witch who promises to grant them their wish if they’re successful. During their journey, they encounter Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk — and discover that wishes come with a steep price.
3. $9.99 Tickets to visit Castle Park: Fun With Rides, Miniature Golf, Buccaneer Cove & More, Riverside
More than 27 classic amusement-park rides, four miniature golf courses, 200 state-of-the-art video games, five water slides and a carnival midway add up to some fun times for your family at Riverside’s own Castle Park. Your Duke’s Deluxe ticket gives you the opportunity to explore all the park has to offer, including unlimited rides, miniature golf on the four miniature courses and Buccaneer Cove. No matter what your age, it’s all there for you and the kids to enjoy inside the Castle Park kingdom.
4. $7.50 Tickets to see Choo Choo Soul: Musical Adventures With Disney Star Genevieve @ The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, La Mirada
Bouncing, bubbly singer-conductor Genevieve Goings brings her popular-with-the-preschoolers Choo Choo Soul train rolling into the station for an exciting live adaptation of Disney Junior’s short-form video show. Soul artist Goings and her Choo Choo Dance Crew embark from the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, then transport the whole family on a musical adventure under the sea, to the jungle and beyond while singing and dancing to classic Disney faves like “Bare Necessities,” “When You Wish Upon a Star,” “Hakuna Matata” and more. Aimed at toddlers to 6-year-olds, the kids will also get to groove to tunes from the Choo Choo Soulsongbook, a selection of hip-hop beats all about the ABCs and 123s.
5. $7.00 Tickets to visit Sea Jellies & More at Aquarium of the Pacific: Afternoon Admission For Any Weekday (New Exhibit!), Long Beach
Umbrella jellies, purple-striped jellies and egg yolk jellies: You can see all sorts of jellyfish species — and even safely touch them without getting stung — at Aquarium of the Pacific’s new Jelliesexhibits. Discover these beautiful yet mysterious animals with no heart, brain or lungs that have existed on our planet since before the time of the dinosaurs, and learn about their importance to our ocean planet. Plus, you can come face-to-face with and touch the ocean’s ultimate predators in Shark Lagoon, hand-feed colorful lorikeet birds and watch Magellanic penguins play. With this offer, you can choose any weekday during afternoon hours (3:00pm-6:00pm) to visit this world-class aquarium.
6. $7.50 Tickets to see The Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure @ CAC Studios, Santa Monica
Journey under the sea for a magical, musical adventure with The Little Mermaid. This classic Hans Christian Anderson tale of a mermaid who falls head-over-fins in love with a human prince comes to vivid life at Santa Monica’s Creating Arts Company Studios. Willing to trade her underwater way of life to be with the prince, the mermaid strikes a deal with a sea witch that turns her human … but comes with a significant catch. This hour-long musical is an interactive experience designed for ages three and older that encourages young ones to sing, clap and cheer along. Be sure to stick around after the show so that kids can meet their favorite characters and snag some autographs and pictures.
7. $50 Tickets to see Cirque du Soleil‘s KURIOS —Cabinet of Curiosities: Limited Presale + a $10 Gift Certificate @ The OC Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa
What if, by engaging your imagination and opening your mind, you could alter reality and unlock the door to a world of wonders? Welcome to the realm of KURIOS — Cabinet of Curiosities fromCirque du Soleil. Step into the curio cabinet of an ambitious inventor who defies the laws of time, space and dimension in order to reinvent everything around him. Suddenly, the visible becomes invisible, perspectives are transformed, and the world is literally turned upside down in a place that’s as beautiful as it is mysterious. Stunning acrobatics blend with unusual curiosity acts, and otherworldly characters spring to life before your eyes. Is this magical, mechanical land real, or just a figment of your imagination? You have to see it to disbelieve it. The magic is happening this fall in the Grand Chapiteau at Costa Mesa’s OC Fair & Events Center. During this limited presale, you’ll receive a $10 Goldstar gift certificate with each purchase of two or more tickets.
8. $40 Tickets to attend Hello Kitty’s Supercute Friendship Festival + a $10 Goldstar Gift Certificate, Los Angeles
For the first time in North America, Hello Kitty and her supercute friends My Melody, Badtz-Maru, Keroppi, Chococat, Dear Daniel and Pompom Purin will appear in this unique celebration of fun, friendship and Sanrio surprises at the Forum. You’ll see Hello Kitty and her friends in multi-stage live performances and DJ-driven dance sequences, plus there will be interactive exhibits, animation, art, fashion, photo opportunities, event-exclusive collectibles and much more, all in an immersive festival environment. Each ticket to this supercute, superfun family event comes with a $10 Goldstar gift certificate.
9. $20 Tickets to see Swan Lake: Long Beach Ballet’s New Production, Long Beach
The Long Beach Ballet’s latest production of this all-time favorite is sure to fly high, with the addition of all new scenery and costumes.Swan Lake is the hauntingly beautiful story of young lovers Siegfried and Odette, who’s been captured by an evil sorcerer and transformed into a swan. Siegfred only has a short time to save his beloved before she’s cursed to remain a swan forever, but standing in his way is the sorcerer’s daughter, the beguiling black swan Odile, who comes to tempt and distract him away from his quest.Swan Lake, said to be based on a Russian folk tale, premiered in Moscow in 1877, and remains one of ballet’s most beloved dances.
10. $25 Tickets to visit Knott’s Soak City this summer!, Buena Park
The summer heat is here to stay, but you can cool off with a fun-packed day in the water at Knott’s Soak City, a water adventure park right next door to Knott’s Theme Park. Whimsically themed to recreate SoCal beach towns of the 1950s, Soak City boasts 17 speed, tube and body slides for tons of wet ‘n’ wild good times. Take the plunge on the six-story high Pacific Spin, catch some waves at Tidal Wave Bay, relax on the lazy Sunset River and have epic water battles with the three-story Toyota Beach House’s water guns, nozzles, sprayers and other interactive surprises. Little ones can join in the fun as well! Designed for maximum family appeal, Gremmie Lagoon is a hands-on water playground for pint-sized surfers. Just be sure to wear your swimsuit, because you’re not going to get out of here without getting wet!
PLUS 3 BONUS DEALS!
11. $17.50 Tickets to see Singin’ in the Rain the Musical @ Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Long Beach
Based on the unforgettable 1952 film starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, the stage musical Singin’ in the Rain pays tribute to both the late-’20s birth of talking movies and the MGM movie musicals of the ’40s. The zany, lighthearted romantic comedy is set in the days just after the success of the first talkie, when film studio executives find themselves scrambling to stay on top of the latest movie trend. There’s hilarious trouble afoot when a dashing leading man falls for a voice-over girl and their romance blossoms behind-the-scenes. This upbeat and uplifting Musical Theatre West production is fun for the whole family.
12. $22 Tickets to see Tarzan: Family Musical With Music by Phil Collins @ Plummer Auditorium, Fullerton
This unforgettable family musical comes to vine-swinging life on the Plummer Auditorium stage. Created by the combined talents of pop legend Phil Collins, acclaimed playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly) and iconic novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs, this is a Tarzanyou won’t want to miss. Featuring well-known songs (including the award-winning “You’ll Be in My Heart”) plus new ones created by Collins just for the musical, Tarzan is the amazing story of a boy, orphaned after a shipwreck, who strives for acceptance by the tribe of apes who raise him. When a human expedition enters their jungle territory, Tarzan — now a man — encounters others like himself for the first time. This stage musical delivers a fresh adventure for all ages and promises new memories of the legendary jungle hero.
13. $20 Tickets to see Mary Poppins: See the High-Flying Musical Live @ The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, La Mirada
Based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the beloved Disney film, the hit Broadway musical adaptation of Mary Poppins lands on the stage with a heartwarming score, spoonfuls of imagination and a flying nanny who’s perfectly perfect in every way. Audience members young and old will step in time to such favorite tunes as “Spoonful of Sugar” and “Chim-Chim Cher-ee,” while also being able to experience parts of the books that were left out of the film.
Happy Field Tripping!
Jilleen
Disclosure: This post is for informational purposes only. All points of view are my own.