Indigenous Peoples' Day in Dana Point: The Acjachemen Story Behind Our Coastline Stand on the bluffs above Dana Point Harbor on a clear fall morning and you are looking at one of the most photographed stretches of the Orange County coast. You are also looking at Acjachemen homeland. Long before…
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The 49th annual Dana Point Turkey Trot is Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 26, 2026, at Dana Point Harbor. The race takes about an hour. The best part of Thanksgiving in Dana Point takes four days. Here's everything you need for race morning, plus a simple Wednesday to Sunday plan that turns…
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Every December, Dana Point Harbor trades its daytime bustle for a floating light show. For three nights, decorated boats of every size circle the harbor while families line the docks to cheer them on. The 51st Annual Boat Parade of Lights runs December 11 to 13, 2026, starting at 6:30 p.m. each…
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Every December, two migrations arrive in Dana Point. One is made of families and friends coming together for the holidays. The other is made of Pacific gray whales, swimming south on one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, about 10,000 miles round trip between the Arctic and the warm…
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The Best Time to Visit Dana Point (Hint: It's Fall) Dana Point has sunshine all year, but ask a local when to come and most will say fall. The summer crowds head home, the water is still warm, and the evenings stay mild enough for a sunset on the bluffs. Here is what each season looks like so you…
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The 2026 edition of Ohana Fest is being held Friday‚ September 25 through Sunday‚ September 27‚ 2026‚ at Doheny State Beach (25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive‚ Dana Point‚ California) on the sand․ It will be the 10th anniversary of the festival and is expected to feature more than 35 acts across three…
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Stand on the deck of a schooner as the sails fill and something happens that feels like it should not be allowed. The wind is coming across the bow at an angle, and the ship is moving toward it. Not with it. Toward it. That moment is the payoff on roughly a thousand years of sailors solving fluid…
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Winter in Dana Point is the perfect winter escape to milder temperatures. Days hold in the low to mid-60s through December and January, while the harbor settles into a quieter pace that peak season doesn't allow. The holiday calendar brings the Boat Parade of Lights to the waterfront in December…
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Spring in Dana Point begins celebrating the gray whales that move off the coast. The weather is mild, and the skies stay clear through April and May; spring festivals and harbor events run from March through Memorial Day, and outdoor activities along the coast, from bluff-top trails, to tide pools…
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Dana Point's Maritime Festival 2026: Your Guide to The Ocean Institute's Maritime Festival. Nestled along the picturesque Orange County coastline, Dana Point is the Dolphin & Whale Watching Capital of the World®, where breathtaking ocean views, a vibrant harbor, and a rich maritime legacy come…
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