Harborside Pavilion

Building at Night

400 Main Street
Balboa, CA 92661

(949) 673-4633 Phone

Overview

Famous for its world-renowned cupola and illuminated by more than 1,400 white lights, the Balboa Pavilion has served as the beacon of Newport Beach for almost a century.

The picturesque Victorian building, which opened in 1905, is listed on the National Register of Historical Places and designated a California landmark. From its early days as a terminal for the Pacific Electric Red Car Line and bathhouse for the stylish bathers to the bowling alley in the building once housed, the Pavilion has been the center for many activities that remain important parts of life in the area today. The Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade celebration, held every December, has floated past the Pavilion since 1908, and the Pavilion hosted the first surfboard riding championship in the United States in 1932. When the Big Band sounds of Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and Stan Kenton echoed across the nation, the Pavilion resounded to the beat of thousands of dancing feet as the Balboa Peninsula became known as the birthplace of a dance that swept the nation: The Balboa Hop.

What Type Of Bridal Couple Would Like This Place?

Beach cities are very sought out locations for wedding venues, and Newport Beach seems to be the crown jewel. There are so many fantastic venues in Newport Beach including the Hyatt, and Marriot. At the end of Newport Beach is an island that is connected by brides known as Balboa island. Some interesting facts about this place is that next to Lower Manhattan in New York Balboa Island is the second more expensive real estate zone in the United States! With 3000 people occupying the little .2 of a mile island its more densely populated than San Francisco. Funzone! Balboa island is one of those summer tourist beach communities with a small amusement park fun zone. The entire concept of freezing a banana, putting it on a stick and dipping it in chocolate was invented here. At the end of this fun zone sits the Harborside Pavilion. The building it sits in (the Victorian Building) was built when the Island was first developed over 100 years ago. So, taking all of this into account this place is attractive to people who like being near the beach, like being someplace fun, and like something historic. The view from the banquet room upstairs is stunning with the lights of the houses on the bay and the boats floating by. The room is lovely and provides an elegant, yet exciting backdrop to a wedding reception.

Photographic Potential

Since the island is packed in tightly there isn't as many open picturesque places as you may imagine. For a newer photographer this place would be a bit of a challenge to capture as there is no greenery to be found anywhere. However, there are many great places to use if you have a skilled photographer. The lights of the venue from the street, the fun zone, and other places make this a challenging yet rewarding place to photograph a couple. To hedge your bet you can select to take images at another location first before coming to the venue.

Possible Distractions/ Work Around

In the summertime this place gets loaded with people, thus capturing images without people in the background becomes a larger challenge as does simple things like parking. Traffic can be a bit of an issue as well. A lot of this is par for the course for having a wedding reception close to the ocean. One thing that is kinda hard is that the Harborside Pavilion has no elevators and the receptions are held upstairs.

Overall Evaluation

I put this place under the "Buy into it" type of wedding venue. If your idea of a wedding is to get out of the church, get into a limo, and get out at the golf course where everything is on the ground floor, and you don't have hordes of people hanging around the building, then you will be better off with that scenario. If you want a beach city boardwalk wedding venue experience you will have to buy into the facts that you will be in a busy, crowded area. However, once inside the staff does go the extra mile to make certain that you will have a perfectly smooth event. There is a certain level of excitement that goes along with this place. I figure it's because all the dull people cannot figure out how to make it to Balboa Island, how to park, or how to make it upstairs. Or maybe it's because that over 100 years of fun and good times blanket your wedding reception and transcends it into a good time. Whatever it is, check this place out!

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The Venue Reviews is portion of the Lifetime Images website is a subjective review of great Southern California wedding venues by a guy who's spent the past decade checking out all the best venues. The list of reviews will grow over time, In the meantime, is the information in the article useful? What else would you like covered? Are any of the facts wrong? Any broken links? Are there spelling and grammar errors? Would you like to share some of your latest poetry? If you have anything to share, drop us a note or send us an e-mail to Steve@LifetimeImages.com. Be sure to mention which venue/page you are referring to in your message.

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The Dip