8 cool ways to spend your Labor Day in Orange County

If you’re looking for ways to get out of the office (i.e., no labor on Labor Day), there are plenty of fun things to do in Orange County. Labor Day weekend is August 31-September 2, 2018. If you don’t have plans yet, let’s fix that.

From street fairs to live music and art shows, the OC will be bustling with events.

Cruise over to the car show at the OC Fairgrounds

Instead of sitting at work cruising the internet for new messaging apps, cruise on over to the 36th Annual Great Labor Classic Hot Rod & VW Camp “O” Rama.

It happens on September 1st and 2nd at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa. The cruise route extends 1.25 miles and sits on 150 acres.

Admission: Registration required

Give me liberty and cool civil war reenactments

Instead of sitting in a stuffy office trying to understand hybrid clouds, get outdoors with real clouds and a few battle reenactments during the 25th Annual Civil War Days.

Day-long activities take place September 1st and 2nd at Central Park in Huntington Beach. From concerts to staged battle scenes and President Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address, there will be tons of awesome demonstrations.

Admission: Free

Take in an art festival and live performances

Instead of working from home waiting for someone to acknowledge your IT support ticket, grab a ticket to the Laguna Beach Arts Festival which ends September 1st.

You’ll also be able to enjoy the Art-A-Fair Fine Art Festival, which ends on September 2nd. Take a collage workshop or get your dancing shoes on for performances by Soul Deep, Heart & Soul and more.

Admission: $9 for adults | $7 for seniors, military and students

Enjoy arts and crafts in Laguna Beach

Head to the Sawdust Arts and Crafts Festival in Laguna Beach. This event features works by 200+ artists and runs all weekend from 10am-10pm daily. It includes food, refreshments, special events and entertainment.

Admission: $9 for adults | $7 for seniors | $4 for children

Attend the Orange International Street Fair

What’s Labor Day without a visit to the Orange International Street Fair? With food, entertainment and shopping, it’s a weekend-long event in Old Town Orange.

Admission: Free

Hear the best live blues in Long Beach

For live concerts, head to the Long Beach New Blues Festival. On September 1st and 2nd, several blues performers will jam out on 2 stages in El Dorado Park with over 30 acts, food and merchant vendors.

Admission: $45 for a single day | $75 for a weekend pass

Take the kids to a fair in LA

Instead of spending a fair amount of time studying IoT and machine learning, head to a fair for a full day of fun!

If you’re in LA, check out the LA County Fair with weekend-long events at the Fairplex in Pomona.

Admission: $20

Attend a classic film festival, a hula Polynesian festival, or Greek festival (opa!)

Instead of fretting about network security, lock up the office and head to a Labor Day all-day festival.

The Long Beach Greek Festival By the Sea is September 1st-3rd. With dancing, music, food and kids’ games, there’s a lot to explore. You can also enjoy the Cinecon Classic Film Festival in LA with surprise celebrity guests and classic memorabilia. For a hula and chant, check out the E Hula Mau Polynesian Festival in Long Beach from August 31st-September 3rd.

Attendance: Varies by event

Make your Labor Day great

With so many great Labor Day activities to explore, it might be hard to head back to work on Tuesday!