Hello Back Bay Buoys, happy Monday.
It is mid-March, and possibly the hottest March on record. El Niño is coming for us all, and the week ahead will feel like summer come early. Just be grateful you don’t have to eat corned beef in the gloom for St. Paddy’s day like everyone else. Here at the BBB, we think Irish food is perfectly acceptable for consenting adults but isn’t appropriate around the children.
To our new readers—welcome! The Back Bay Buzz delivers just the right amount of news and events for locals in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. No crime, no politics, no spam—just the good stuff. We scan newspapers, blogs, social media, business journals, and Google alerts so you don’t have to.
In today’s Buzz:
Big Waves Hit The Wedge, CDM Over Weekend
The Great Ginger Gathering
Patrick The Goat’s Birthday
— Jon Dougher, Publisher, Back Bay Buzz
Strange Waves Hit The Wedge, CDM
Last week’s massive, early-season south swell didn't just light up The Wedge—it resurrected a ghost of our local history. The freak March swell sent massive sets breaking straight through the harbor mouth, briefly bringing the long-lost surf break at Corona del Mar State Beach back to life.
For a little local trivia: before the harbor jetties were extended in 1936, CdM was widely considered the best surfing spot on the mainland. It hosted the first-ever Pacific Coast Surf Riding Championships in 1928, and legendary waterman Duke Kahanamoku famously caught waves there around 1913. While those iconic breaks have been mostly buried by time and the modern jetties, last week’s rare conditions gave lucky onlookers a spectacular, fleeting look at the legendary waves our coastline used to pump out over a century ago.
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“There’s no crying on the Duffy”
UPCOMING:
Singles Only Social Club: Marg Monday - Zinque Newport
Monday Mar 16th
7-9:30pm
InfoThe Great Ginger Gathering - Helmsman Alehouse
Call all your redheaded stepchildren, 25 cent beers just dropped
Monday Mar 16th
7pm
InfoNewport Needlepoint Club Meetup - Newport Needlepoint
“2026 is the year for Grandma hobbies”
Tuesdays 6-8pm
InfoTrivia Night - Bootlegger’s Brewery
Tuesdays 7-9pm
DirectionsVintage Shop Happy Hour - Silver Wings Vintage
Booze - Bites - Boogie
Wednesday Mar 18th
InfoJazz and Wine - Bar Tinto
Wed Mar 18th
7pm
InfoFree Yoga Class - Seed Peoples Market
Wednesdays @ 10am
InfoBaby Goat Yoga - Tanaka Farms
Saturdays 10am (Hana Field)
InfoDate Night Couple Prixe Fixe - Lido Bottleworks
$150 per couple for OC Restaurant Week
March 8-14th
InfoFree Fitness Class: Intro to MELT Method - Newport Coast Community Center
Saturday Mar 14th
9am and 9:45am
Register (class code: NCC276 or NCC277)CalTrans Costa Mesa Virtual Public Meeting
Monday Mar 16th
6pm
InfoSpring Equinox - The Lab
Live music, good vibes
Friday Mar 20th
4-8pmSouthern Edge Sailing & Surf Film Showing - Daydream Surf Shop
Exploration of Tasmania, 50% of ticket sales donated to Surfrider Foundation
Saturday Mar 21st
6pm
InfoREDO Vintage Market - OC Fairgrounds
Fri-Sat Mar 20th-21
4pm-9pm, 9am-4pm
InfoSUP Yoga - Patrol Beach NB
hosted by Ekam Yoga & Pilates
Sat Mar 28th
10-11:30pm
InfoBig Boat Show (NBIBS) - Lido Village
April 16th-19th
InfoRecord Store Day - Various Locations
Saturday Apr 18th
Check out all locations in The Back Bay Map RoomAirIWater Porsche Lifestyle Event - OC Fairgrounds
Saturday Apr 25th
9am-3pm
TicketsSongs in the Canyon - Canyon Park (Costa Mesa)
June 12-14
Info
WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH OC?
Check out our great partner newsletter:
That’s hot…
🌊 Water temp = 61º
Suit Rec: Spring suit/Full suit 3/2
THIS WEEKEND:
Paper Flowers at Costa Mesa Mesa Verde Library
Monday, 16 March
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
InfoPatrick the Goat's Birthday Party at Tanaka Farms ($6)
Tuesday, 17 March
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
InfoPot Of Gold at Costa Mesa Mesa Verde Library
Tuesday, 17 March
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
InfoKids Eat Free Family Night at Chick-Fil-A at The District in Tustin
Wednesday, 18 March
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
InfoLittle Lido Storytime on the Lido Deck
Thursday, 19 March
10:00 am - 10:30 am
InfoREDO Market in Costa Mesa
Friday, 20 March
4:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Info
Plan Ahead:
Park Habitat Restoration Days in Costa Mesa
Saturday, 21 March
9:00 am - 10:00 am
infoCritter investigations - Upper Newport Bay
3rd Wednesday of each month
10-11am
InfoStem Workshop - Carters x Kiwi Co. (Tustin Market Place)
Second Saturday of Every Month
10am -12pm
RSVPOC Uke Fest - Campus Jax
Sunday Mar 22nd
InfoSpringfest: A Pirate Adventure - Lions Park
Treasure Egg Hunt
Saturday Apr 4th
10-2pm
InfoEarth Day Fest - OC Fairgrounds
Saturday Apr 18th
Farmers Markets 🥬🥕:
Newport Pier Farmer’s Market
Costa Mesa - SOCO (Saturdays 9-2)
Corona Del Mar - PCH & Marguerite (Saturdays 9-1)
Newport Beach - Newport Pier (Sundays 9-1)
Newport Harbor - Dover Dr & 16th St (Saturdays 9am-1pm) Launching Spring 2026
🌴 Costa Mesa
Thanks! Please ignore any typos, our editor is nursing a heck of a sunburn.
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!
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