By Lily Gosney
Winter formal was held on: At Balboa Fun zone in Newport Beach, Dana Hills had their 2026 winter formal dance on January 30th which was also shared with Laguna Beach high school. Tickets cost 90 dollars with an ASU card and 105 dollars without one. The dance consisted of music, photobooths, dance floors, rides and snack tables. The turn out for both Dana and Laguna were pretty equivalent, walking around, students could see some familiar faces as well as new people. The boat ride was a student favorite, Junior Ayla Vettraino said that, “It was the highlight of the dance because the music and vibes were so much fun!”. The boat ride took about 25 kids both from Laguna and Dana around Newport harbor and back to the Fun Zone. Although there was a long line it was definitely worth it because upon the ship, there was music, an inside and outdoor seating area with an energetic crew to make your experience overall exciting. A ferris wheel and swing ride were also available to enjoy. The lines or both were much shorter than the boat and they were also closed off to the public. Staff and security were very strict with zones where students were allowed to be, especially since the fun zone was still open to the public, where only certain rides were reserved for the students. The fun zone arcade was not available for student use and was only available to the public, much to the disappointment of many students. A big issue that many students considered when buying a winter formal ticket was the location, parking and date. Due to the circumstances and assumptions, many presumed that the parking would be a nightmare, especially since it was a Friday night in Newport. Surprisingly, parking turned out to not be much of an issue. There was tons of street parking if you were unable to find a spot in the designated parking lot. However, the traffic to Newport would took approximately 45 minutes. The time required to get ready after school, take photos with friends and get food, was much more than allocated as the dance started at 7. In addition, the layout was pretty confusing. It was very unclear on the boundaries of where students were allowed to pass through. Although security was pretty efficient in keeping the kids together, it was definitely a little difficult to navigate through, especially with the amount of students there. Going with this, staff from both Dana and Laguna were unable to tell whether you were a student or a regular person walking through Newport Harbor if you were not dressed overtly fancy. This made leaving the dance before the cut off time easy for some. Plus, with the chosen theme of Ferris Bueller’s day off, there was not much indicating that the dance was 80s themed, besides the venue and photostrip print. It was overall a lively school dance with lots of entertainment, and the 2026 Winter Formal