September 2, 2022
Each week, Arts Orange County and Voice of OC are excited to deliver to you this look at the stories and events happening in our arts and cultural community.
Marquee
Summerfest comes to a close at FivePoint Amphitheatre with Pacific Symphony's traditional spectacular rendition of the 1812 Overture MORE
♦ Culture ♦
The Orange Circle will transform into a culture hub this weekend for the return of the 50th annual Orange International Street Fair. The theme of this year’s fair is “Circle the World,” with a full array of various international food booths, arts and crafts and more.

The tradition of the street fair stems back to 1973, when the city of Orange was brainstorming ideas to commemorate its 100th anniversary. The street fair idea was inspired by the possible revival of the city’s one-time event in 1910, which was a success among all Orange County locals.

Reflecting on the 1910 street fair, Mayor Jess Perez was inspired by a photograph of the event and the liveliness it brought to Orange, which led him to pitch the idea of bringing the event back with various organizations representing different nationalities. That first year back in 1973, the fair reeled in an estimated 50,000 attendees. Now, the fair draws up to 100,000 visitors per day.

The Orange International Street Fair has remained a staple not just for residents of Orange, but hundreds of thousands of county locals. Popularity has only increased each year, with an average annual attendance of 400,000 visitors over the three-day period in recent years. According to 2006 OISF Inc. data, visitor attendance is consistent, with 25% of attendees being repeat visitors of the street fair.
♦ In Case You Mised It ♦
Korean culture can be experienced without visiting Koreatown L.A. or flying across the ocean. Here is a guide to O.C.’s burgeoning Korean community, focusing on the north.
Each week, we recommend a variety of events and experiences from the listings at SparkOC.com, our free website for Orange County's arts and cultural community. We always suggest you be mindful of the most recent health and safety guidelines in California, Orange County, and the venue for the listing.
♦ Local Spotlight ♦
Saturday brings the Opening Reception for Orange County Center for Contemporary Art (OCCCA)'s new group exhibition of four female artists with unique perspectives MORE
♦ Wallet Friendly ♦
Learn about the birth and development of Huntington Beach in this unique walking tour through downtown MORE
♦ For the Family ♦
Orange County's newest museum celebrates its grand opening with a free festival with activities for all ages, from historical demonstrations to pony rides and a cow-milking contest MORE
♦ Wildcard ♦
Costa Mesa Playhouse closes its 56th season with this heartfelt story of a lonely recluse on the brink of eating himself to death MORE
"ArtsOC is a unique and vital resource for our community—every county should have such an organization to advocate for the arts which enhance our daily lives."
— Craig Wells, President, Board of Trustees,
Orange County Museum of Art
Voice of OC is Orange County's nonprofit newsroom with a mission to consistently deliver fair, focused and thorough journalism on critical quality of life and local issues for Orange County communities.
Arts Orange County builds appreciation of, participation in and support for the arts and arts education throughout Orange County. Event information provided by SparkOC, an Arts OC program.