About
Once Upon an Island offers mermaid, princess, pirate, and Santa experiences for children. It also lists luxury birthday parties, traveling character magic, Mermaid Cove with mermaid transformations, tail reveals, and photo moments, and Once Upon a Christmas as a seasonal Santa experience.
Programs
- Mermaid, princess, pirate and Santa experiences — children · Immersive children’s entertainment experiences in Newport Beach, California.
- Luxury birthday parties — children · Private venue, professional cast, transformations, stories, activities and celebration moments led from beginning to end.
- Traveling character magic — children · Traveling character magic is listed as one of the company’s offerings.
- Mermaid Cove — children · Express mermaid transformations, tail reveals and photo moments.
- Once Upon a Christmas — children · Seasonal Santa experience.
At a glance
- Ages: 0–12 years old
About the provider
Once Upon an Island was founded in 2015, and Heather Burbich is the founder. The company describes its mission as "Where Imagination Has an Address" and says it built a doorway between imagination and reality. It has been featured in E! News, People, LA Times, Good Day LA, KTLA 5, NBC 4, POPSUGAR, Orange Coast Magazine, FOX 11, and NBC Los Angeles.
Once Upon an Island experiences are booked in advance. Mermaid Cove welcomes walk-ups whenever it is open. Birthday parties, private celebrations and hosted events live at the flagship location on Balboa Island.
What families say
“I literally did not lift a finger” — Demi C., Huntington Beach
“I took a boat to a magical island and met mermaids!” — Sage, via Grandpa Rick
“The level of theming and execution of detail rival Disney” — Hana E., Newport Beach
Last updated September 17, 2026.
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