How I Took My Son to Ohana Fest in California for $0 in Flights and Hotel
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My son is 14. Weekends with just the two of us don’t happen very often anymore, so when Ohana Fest announced its 2026 dates, I bought two tickets last spring and started planning.
We flew from Kansas City to LA, spent two nights in Newport Beach, and went to Ohana Fest on Sunday at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California. The flights and hotel would have cost $2,757.62 in cash. I paid $0.
Here is exactly how I did it with points, miles, and card perks, plus where to stay for Ohana Fest, the closest airport, and what I would do differently next time.
The trip at a glance
| Route | Kansas City to Los Angeles on Southwest |
| Hotel | 2 nights at a Hyatt in Newport Beach |
| Festival | Ohana Fest, Sunday, at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, CA |
| Who | Me and my 14-year-old son |
| Cash price of flights and hotel | $2,757.62 |
| What I paid for flights and hotel | $0 |
Flights: $2,253.62 cash price, $0 out of pocket
The cash price for two round-trip Southwest tickets was $2,253.62. Here is how I covered it.
- My ticket: 29,000 Southwest points. I earned these points from Southwest credit card welcome bonuses.
- My son’s ticket: 0 points. I have the Southwest Companion Pass, so he flew with me for just the taxes and fees.
- Taxes and fees: $11.20. I paid these with a card that has an annual travel credit, so the credit covered them.
The Companion Pass is the reason this works for a mom and son trip. When I book my seat with points, my companion’s seat costs only the taxes, which start at $5.60 each way on domestic flights. It cuts the points cost of a two-person trip in half.
Hotel: $504 cash price, $0 out of pocket
We stayed two nights at a Hyatt in Newport Beach in a room with two double beds. The cash price was $504. I booked it as a World of Hyatt award night for 12,000 points per night, or 24,000 points total.
I didn’t have those Hyatt points sitting in my account. I transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards points to World of Hyatt. Chase points move to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio, and transfers usually post right away.
That works out to about 2.1 cents per point ($504 divided by 24,000 points). That is a great return, and it’s why Hyatt is one of my favorite ways to use Chase points. Here is how you can do this to!
Tip: Hyatt waives resort fees on award nights, so the points price is usually the whole price.
Getting around: Uber and Lyft credits
We got around with Uber and Lyft, and two of my cards covered part of it.
- $10 Uber credit from my Amex Gold. The card comes with a monthly Uber Cash credit, and I used that month’s $10.
- $10 Lyft credit from my Chase Sapphire Reserve. The card comes with a monthly Lyft credit, and I used that month’s $10.
I also stacked points on every Lyft ride:
- My Sapphire Reserve earns 5X points on Lyft.
- I linked my Lyft account to Hilton Honors, so I earned 3X Hilton points per dollar on top of that.
If you have a monthly rideshare credit, plan a trip around the month you’ll use it. Credits that expire unused are money left on the table.
What this weekend would have cost in cash
| Cash price | What I paid | How I covered it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | $2,253.62 | $0 | 29,000 Southwest points + Companion Pass, $11.20 in taxes covered by a travel credit |
| Hotel (2 nights) | $504.00 | $0 | 24,000 Hyatt points transferred from Chase |
| Total | $2,757.62 | $0 |
What I still paid for
Points didn’t pay for everything, and they don’t have to. I still paid cash for:
- Festival tickets
- Food
- Merch
- Any rides the credits didn’t cover
This is how I use points for my family. They cover the flights and hotel, so our real travel budget can go to the fun part. On this trip, that was the concert.
What I’d do differently at Ohana Fest next time
We had a great weekend, but here is what I would change for next year.
- Go for two days instead of one. Ohana Fest runs three days, and one day went by fast.
- Get bleacher seats. I’d pay for a spot to sit and see the stage.
- Stay in Dana Point. A couple of Hilton hotels are within walking distance of Doheny State Beach. Staying close means no rides to and from the festival, and I could book the stay with Hilton points, including the ones I earned on Lyft this trip.
Where to stay for Ohana Fest: Newport Beach vs. Dana Point
If you can, stay in Dana Point so you can walk to the festival. I stayed in Newport Beach this time, and here is how the two compare.
| Area | Why stay here | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Dana Point | You can walk to the festival. The Hilton Garden Inn Dana Point Doheny Beach is right across from Doheny State Beach. | Hotels near the beach fill up fast for festival weekend, so book early. |
| Newport Beach | More hotel choices, including Hyatt hotels you can book with points. It’s a fun beach town to explore on your off days. | It’s about 20 miles from the festival, so you’ll need an Uber or Lyft each way. |
If you have Hilton points, Dana Point is the easy choice. If you have Chase or Hyatt points, Newport Beach is a great option.
Closest airport to Ohana Fest
The closest airport to Ohana Fest is John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Santa Ana, about 20 miles from Dana Point. Los Angeles International (LAX) is about 60 miles away, and San Diego (SAN) is about 75 miles away.
Southwest flies to all three. Check award prices into John Wayne first, since it saves you the most driving.
Why I share this
My son is 14. I have fewer weekends like this left with him than I want to think about.
On two teacher salaries, a California weekend usually isn’t in our budget. Because I planned ahead and used points, the flights and hotel cost us nothing, and I got to say yes.
You don’t need a big income to do this. You need a plan, the right cards, and a little time to earn the points.
Ohana Fest FAQ
Where is Ohana Fest?
Ohana Fest takes place at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, California, in south Orange County.
When is Ohana Fest?
Ohana Fest is held in late September. The 2026 festival ran September 25 to 27.
Is Ohana Fest good for kids and teens?
Yes. There is no minimum age. Kids 5 and under get in free with a ticketed adult (up to two kids per adult, not including Ultimate VIP tickets). Kids 6 and older need their own ticket. See the Ohana Fest age policy. I brought my 14-year-old, and it was a great mom and son weekend.
What kinds of Ohana Fest tickets are there?
You can buy 1-day or 3-day passes in General Admission or VIP. VIP adds reserved viewing areas, preferred seating, and a shuttle pass. See all the options on the Ohana Fest tickets page.
Can you go to Ohana Fest on points?
Yes. You can’t buy festival tickets with points, but you can cover your flights and hotel. I used Southwest points and the Companion Pass for our flights and Chase points transferred to Hyatt for our hotel, so I paid $0 for both.
Who started Ohana Fest?
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam started Ohana Fest with Live Nation and Pearl Jam’s manager. The first festival was in 2016.
Want to plan your own Ohana Fest trip on points?
- See the cards I used: My current favorite card offers are on my Best Offers page.
- Get the Companion Pass: Read my step-by-step guide to the Southwest Companion Pass.
- Start from the beginning: Sign up for The Blueprint, my free points and miles course.
Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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Points and miles allowed those people to travel and work toward financial independence simultaneously.
Thank goodness I got started when I did. The past almost two years of travel have been something we will never forget.
Earning points and miles through credit cards is only a good choice if you have the financial discipline to use them, like cash/debit cards.
Since we started traveling with points and miles, we have had more money going into our investment and savings accounts than ever.
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