We are not marathon runners here at the Back Bay Buzz (unless running your mouth counts as cardio), but we respect the hustle of all the OC marathoners this weekend. Even if it turns an already hairy traffic & parking situation into a full blown hairball.

In today’s Buzz:

• OC Marathon Map & Road Closures

• The Fairgrounds are popping off

• Buy a yacht at NBIBS

• Songs in the Canyon opens this weekend

— Jon Dougher, Publisher, Back Bay Buzz

OC Marathon Kicks Off in Newport Beach

We are kicking off the Spring season with a focus on health and fitness. The full OC Marathon will occur on Sunday morning and span Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Irvine and Santa Ana. We’re getting shin splints just thinking about it. Below is a simplified schedule of events so you can plan your parking (or lack thereof) accordingly:

Friday:

• OC Lifestyle & Fitness Expo - OC Fairgrounds - 3pm-7pm

Saturday:

• Kids Run the OC - OC Fairgrounds - 8am-12pm

• OC Lifestyle & Fitness Expo - OC Fairgrounds - 10-5pm

• Celebrate OC Festival - OC Fairgrounds - 2pm-7pm

• Hoag OC 5k - OC Fairgrounds and OCC - 5:30pm-6:30pm

Sunday:

• Full Marathon Start - Fashion Island - 5:30am

• Half Marathon Start - Fashion Island - 6:30am

• Finish Line Party - OC Fairgrounds - 7am-12:30pm

Songs in the Canyon Opens at Canyon Park

COSTA MESA, CA — Songs in the Canyon, Costa Mesa’s beloved mini-music festival, returns to the lush grounds of Canyon Park this Sunday for an afternoon of live music, local art, and community connection. The event blends the charm of a neighborhood picnic with the vibrancy of a grassroots arts celebration—featuring local musicians, artisan crafters, and food vendors. The first festival is this Sunday, May 4th, while the second will be September 28th.

This year, Songs in the Canyon is taking a bold new step. A scripted film inspired by the festival is currently in production, capturing the energy of Westside Costa Mesa’s music scene and highlighting the talented performers who make the event special. Organizers are currently seeking sponsors and investors to help bring this unique project to life, supporting both the growing festival and the film that will share its spirit with a wider audience.

Whether you're a music lover, a community supporter, or a champion of local arts, Songs in the Canyon invites you to be part of the story—on the lawn, on screen, and in the heart of Costa Mesa.

📺️ WHAT TO WATCH 📺️ 

The series finale of YOU (Netflix) is finally over. Thank god. We can finally go on with our lives. We won’t give away the ending but it gets, um, dicey. More importantly, how are we supposed to act like everything is normal when a very important person had THAT happen to them in The Last of Us? Here is what we are watching this weekend to cleanse our palette:

• The Four Seasons - middle aged couples find their center (Steve Carell? Will Forte? Tina Fay??) (Netflix)

• Thunderbolts* - Not super. Not Heroes. Also, the asterisk is actually part of the title? (Theaters)

• The Surfer - “You don’t live here, you don’t surf here”. Also NICOLAS CAGE. (Theaters)

• Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. (Netflix)

• 100 Foot Wave season three - Even if you live there, you probably shouldn’t surf there… (HBO, Max)

• The Kentucky Derby - Place your bets and enjoy a mint julep (NBC)

• The Miami Grand Prix - This isn’t my first grand PRIXE, you know… (ESPN)

—WHAT TO DO—

• Hang with Hardbodies: OC LIFESTYLE AND FITNESS EXPO - OC Fairgrounds Fri 5/3- 3-7pm & Sat 5/4 - 10am-5pm-7pm & - Info

• 🛥️Buy a Yacht:  Newport Beach International Boat Show - Want to hobnob with some bajillionaires? Check out the Newport Beach International Boat Show (NBIBS, so cyute) and be sure to invite us out for a sunset cruise once you lock down a sugar zaddy - May 2nd-4th - Tickets

• Play Bingo: Bingo Loco is not, we repeat NOT your grandmother’s bingo - Time Nightclub - Sat 5/3 6:15pm

• Support A Good Cause @ Orangewood Fest: “an epic party to celebrate the racers taking on the Orangewood Challenge, which raises funds to support Orange County's foster and community youth” - Newport Dunes - Sat 5/3

• Watch Hamilton @ Seagerstrom Theater - Sunday 5/4 1pm - Tickets

• Stay on-brand with a spicy mocktail: The Italian Buck, everyone.

UPCOMING:

• Cinco De Mayo Event - Playa Mesa - Monday 5/5 - Info

• Mother's Day Marketplace - Lido Village - Sat 5/10 10-4pm - Info

• Newport Beach Wine & Spirits Festival - Balboa Bay Resort - Fri 5/23 - Sun 5/25 - 1-5pm - Info

• Beach Cleanup - Tower 71, Newport Beach - 8-12pm - Info

• Newport Beach TV Fest - Jun 5-8 - Info

• 🍕 Half-Off Pizzas - Stag Bar - Every Tuesday - Dine-in Only - Info

Friday

59🌡️ 65 I ⛅️ I 9% Rain I 🌬️ WSW 11mph

Saturday

56🌡️ 63 I ☁️ I 14% Rain I 🌬️ S 10mph

Sunday

57🌡️ 63 I ⛅️ I 21% Rain I 🌬️ S 10mph

🌊 Water temp = 61º

This Weekend:

• CdM Songs & Stories - Corona Del Mar Branch Public Library - Fri 5/2 10:30am-11am - Info

• Barnyard Storytime at Tanaka Farms ($5/person, 2 and under free) - Tanaka Farms - Fri 5/2 10:30-11am - Info

• Ciclo Irvine - Stroll, bike or roll along a car-free stretch of Campus Drive - Sat 5/3 11am-4pm - Info

• International Boat Show in Newport Beach ($35 for adults, kids under 12 free) - Lido Village - Sat 5/3 10am-7pm - Tickets

• Open House at Diego Sepulveda Adobe in Costa Mesa - Fun Fact: a MASTODON skeleton was discovered there - Estancia Park - Sat 12pm-4pm - info

• Farmers Market on the Pier in Newport Beach - Sunday 5/4 9am-1pm

• Subscriber Meetup Pirouette Playdate at Tutu School Newport Beach - Sunday 5/4 2pm-2:45pm - Sign Up

PLAN AHEAD:

• Bike Skills Workshop w/ Bike Course & Free Helmets in Costa Mesa - Sat 5/10 10am-2pm - Info

• Newport Dunes Outdoor Movies (Free Except for Parking) - Sat 5/10 7pm - Info

• Root & Rise Mother's Day Yoga at Segerstrom for the Arts - Sunday 5/11 10am-11am - Info

• Kids' Entrepreneur Day in Woodbridge Irvine - Sat 5/17 10am-4pm - Info

• Field of Honor at Castaways Park Newport Beach - Sat 5/16-5/26 - Info

• UPDATED LOCATION: Touch A Truck - Peninsula Park Newport Beach - Sat May 17th 9am - 12pm (consider going early to avoid the crowds/parking) - Info

Friday

•  Cayucas with Benjamin Jaffe - Wayfarer - 7pm - Tickets

• Billy Nation Billy Joel Tribute - Campus JAX - 8pm - Tickets

Saturday

• Electric Cool-Aide with X-1 White-Man - Wayfarer - 8pm - Tickets

• Eddie Shreddie - Tiki Bar - 7pm - Tickets

• Family Style - Campus JAX - 8pm - Tickets

Sunday

• Songs in the Canyon - Canyon Park Costa Mesa - 2:30-6pm - Info

• Songs in the Canyon Afterparty Ft. Tunnels and Tetris Cowboy - Wayfarer - 6:30 - Tickets

• Quatro de Mayo w/ Kid Ramos & Pachuco José - Campus JAX - 5pm - Tickets

Plan Ahead:

• It Was Never a Phase (Emo Tribute Fest) - Newport Beach Peninsula - Sat 5/10 - Info

• BECK - Pacific Ampitheatre - Wed 7/30 7:30pm - Tickets

Thanks! Please ignore any typos, our editor pulled a hammy in anticipation of the Hoag OC 5k (he will not be participating).

PS: Feel free to let me know any feedback or inside scoops you have for the newsletter. Just reply to this email, I read every one. Thanks!