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.