Newport Dunes’ inaugural Fire & Ice Festival this winter to feature a skating rink, s’mores

The Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort is planning its first Fire & Ice Festival to coincide with the opening night of the 33rd annual Lighting of the Bay on Nov. 24 and continuing through the end of the year.

The festival, which will be open to the public, will feature what resort officials described as one of the largest waterfront ice rinks in Orange County, spanning an estimated 4,000 square feet.

“This year, we celebrate the return of our beloved Lighting of the Bay with a magical holiday experience like never before,” Phil Ravenna, general manager, said in the statement. “We are excited to bring a waterfront ice rink to Newport Beach. Skaters can enjoy the lights of the bay as well as our Fire & Ice Festival. We welcome the community to usher in the holidays with loved ones and create new holiday memories in our idyllic bayfront setting in the heart of Newport Beach.”

Jan Yerzik, director of marketing for Newport Dunes, said in a recent interview that the name of the new holiday event gives a nod to two elements: ice, for the ice rink, and fire, for the s’mores kits and fire pits that will be available along the shore.

She said previous Lighting of the Bay events were beautiful and attracted many visitors, but they didn’t offer very much for people to do beyond enjoying the lighting displays.

“They’ll come and look and say, ‘How pretty,’ and they’ll leave. We wanted to create a really fun family experience for the holidays,” Yerzik said. “The first thought was, ‘Let’s have an ice rink, so people can skate along the water and enjoy the views of the Lights on the Bay,’ and it kind of grew from there. If they’re coming to ice skate, wouldn’t it be nice to make s’mores? Now we have fire pits and ... fire dancers on the weekends.”

Planning for the Fire & Ice Festival started about six months ago, and Yerzik said she hopes next year’s festival will be even bigger and better as this is the resort’s first foray into hosting it. While entry is free, not all of the events are: skating, food, drinks and parking will be available for purchase.

In addition to the ice-skating rink and fire dancer performances, the event is expected to include live musical performances, stocking and ornament decorating and a holiday photo booth. Festive food and drinks will be available, and food trucks are expected to be on site with the full bar opening at 2 p.m.

The festival, along with the Lighting of the Bay, will continue through Jan. 1.

For more information, visit newportdunes.com/fire-and-ice-festival.