“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“They exceed even Disneyland quality” — Naz E., Los Angeles“Every single mom and kid said it was ‘magical’” — T K., San Francisco“My son is shy and he was having an amazing time” — Erin C., San Francisco“You really feel like you are in an underwater cavern!” — Leslie S., Tustin“Truly magical in every possible way” — Michelle D., Laguna Hills“10/10! Venue, the ladies, set up, ease was all A+!” — Stephanie C., Orange County“Such a dream come true” — Staci R., Rancho Cucamonga“The most special gift of our holiday season” — Chrissy H., Orange“Once Upon An Island is truly exceptional” — Sanaa E., Albuquerque

In the news

The magic speaks
for itself.

Every feature you’ve seen — from People to the LA Times to KTLA and NBC — came to us organically. We’ve never hired a PR firm. Families found us, told our story, and the press followed.

As featured in.

E! News coverage of the mermaid birthday party Once Upon an Island created for Tarek El Moussa's daughter

E! News

A celebrity birthday to remember

E! covered the mermaid birthday celebration Flip or Flop’s Tarek El Moussa gave his daughter Taylor.

Read the feature →

People magazine exclusive photos of Once Upon an Island mermaids at Gretchen Rossi's daughter's first birthday party

People

An exclusive with People

People shared exclusive photos from Gretchen Rossi’s daughter Skylar’s first-birthday mermaid party with us.

Read the feature →

LA Times · Daily Pilot

Where our story was first told

The LA Times’ Daily Pilot profiled Once Upon an Island in our early days on Balboa Island.

Read the feature →

POPSUGAR

Princess magic, spotlighted

POPSUGAR featured our princess experiences and the world we built for them.

Read the feature →

Orange Coast Magazine

Q&A with a mermaid

Orange Coast Magazine sat down with our founder, Heather, for a Q&A on life as a real-world mermaid and the world she built.

Read the feature →

Good Day L.A. · FOX 11

Live on Good Day L.A.

FOX 11’s Good Day L.A. featured Mermaid Cove at Wild Rivers water park in a live morning segment, May 2025.

Watch the segment ↓

KTLA 5

Five features and counting

KTLA 5 has covered Once Upon an Island five separate times over the years.

Watch our news reel ↓

Stroll Balboa Island

The cover story

Our founding family on the cover of Stroll Balboa Island, December 2024.

See the cover ↓

See it on the news.

Good Day L.A. · FOX 11 — Mermaid Cove at Wild Rivers water park, live on the morning show, May 2025.

One minute inside Once Upon a Christmas — including our television news features.

On the cover.

Our founding family on the cover of Stroll Balboa Island, December 2024.

Heather and her family on the cover of Stroll Balboa Island magazine, December 2024

Media inquiries.

Writing a story, filming a segment, or planning a collaboration? We’d love to hear from you — write to info@onceuponanisland.net or use our partnership & media form.