Latest news with #OCFair
CBS News
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
"Find Your Happy" with 2025 OC Fair new and returning food favorites
The 2025 OC Fair is celebrating its 135th year, with opening day on Friday, July 18 and as anticipated, the over-the-top and standard fair food choices make their delightful appearances. With so much festival fare to choose from, there is a way to go about a sampler of sorts, with the $5 Taste of the Fair program. This is offered before 4 p.m., serving smaller portions for guests to explore the diverse menus. For the decadent, daring diner, choices range from frog legs and bacon cotton candy on a stick, to lobster mac and cheese and a Krispy Kreme triple decker cheeseburger. Fried Twinkies, ice cream nachos and a pineapple whip with Fruity Pebbles are just some of the sweet offerings. The lists below are just some of what's available to fairgoers. New food at the OC Fair Lighter Fair food and plant-based options Returning Fair favorites This year's theme is "Find Your Happy" and OC Fair Board Chair Nick Kovacevich, said everyone from children to adults can be entertained at the fair. "Kids love to ride the rides, but we as adults have plenty of entertainment too. We've got so many different shows, concerts. We've got so many different varieties of food, and then we've got all the animal stuff, cause that's the roots of the fairground. We've got the livestock area, the petting zoo, we've got llamas walking around, there's pig races, literally so many things," Kovacevich said. The OC Fair runs through August 17 and is open Wednesday through Sunday, with tickets ranging in price from $13 to $15, and $9 for children and seniors. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. The $60 Every Day Passport gives fairgoers access to any or all 23 days of the OC Fair.
Los Angeles Times
16-06-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
OC Fair announces new CEO as July opening nears
About a month before the return of the Orange County Fair, the event's board of directors announced Monday it has found a new chief executive officer. James Canfield will succeed Michele Richards, who announced in January she would retire in May to move to Georgia and help care for family members. His first day on the job will be July 1. The annual fair returns July 18 and runs through Aug. 17. Canfield most recently served as senior director and general manager of the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex in Alabama. The position at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa marks a return to California, where he previously held management roles at convention centers in Palm Springs, Pasadena and Long Beach. 'I am very excited to return to California and to have the great opportunity to lead OC Fair & Event Center into a new era that builds on its rich legacy while advancing innovation and community-focused programming,' Canfield said in a news release issued Monday by the OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors. 'I am very much looking forward to opening day of this year's OC Fair.' OC Board Chairman Nick Kovacevich praised Canfield's 'extensive experience in managing premier convention and entertainment venues,' calling him 'exceptionally well-suited to lead our organization into its nextchapter.'' Kovacevich added that Canfield's 'innovative approach and dedication to operational excellence will ensure that the OC Fair and our year-round events continue to be cherished community traditions delivering joy, education and memorable experiences to all who visit. We look forward to the fresh perspective and dynamic leadership he will bring to our team.'
Los Angeles Times
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Ozomatli, celebrating 30th anniversary, returns to Fountain Valley
Los Angeles-based band Ozomatli is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and those in Orange County have not one, but two chances to see the eclectic, multi-genre act perform. Ozomatli will be playing a free concert at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley on Thursday at 6 p.m., kicking off the OC Parks Summer Concert Series. Ulises Bella, who plays saxophone and provides vocals, is one of six founding members that is still at it three decades later. 'It's a trip,' Bella said in an interview with the Daily Pilot. 'When we were younger, when we were kids, none of us thought that this was going to last that long. When you're younger, you're thinking maybe the band would last a couple of years, maybe it would last 10 years. Now we're at 30, and it's incredible. It's a testament to the chemistry of the members of the band, and our commitment to the music and to ourselves as a group.' The band will return to Orange County on Aug. 3 for an OC Fair show at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, along with X and Los Lobos. The shows are part of Ozomatli's '30 Revolutions' tour. A hometown anniversary show was scheduled for Saturday night at the California Plaza in downtown L.A., but Bella said it has been postponed due to the curfew and ICE raids in the city. Bella said Ozomatli, a band whose origins are steeped in activism, instead plans to perform at 'No Kings' demonstrations planned for Saturday. 'That's going to be Plan B,' he said. 'I think [the raids are] pure political theater. The worst kind, too, because the people who are suffering are working class people.' Three decades in, Ozomatli also still features founding members Asdru Sierra on vocals and trumpet, Raul Pacheco on vocals and guitars, Wil-Dog Abers on bass, Jiro Yamaguchi on percussion and Justin Poree on vocals and percussion. The group has won three Grammy Awards, including a Latin Grammy, and is unique in the way it blends Latin, hip-hop, reggae, funk music and more. 'All of us grew up with all kinds of different music growing up, and it's this blend of those different kinds of music that make up the gumbo of what Ozomatli's sound is,' Bella said. 'I will say that the scope of the influences from where we've started to where we are now has grown over the years. We used L.A. as our foundation, and traveling around the country, you go to places like Chicago and New Orleans, cities with very important musical traditions, [Washington] D.C., New York. 'Then we go all around the world, and we're able to soak up some of those obscure references and obscure music styles,' Bella said. 'It's expanded our whole musical horizon.' Admission and parking are both free for Thursday's show at Mile Square Park, with attendees welcome to save their spot on the grass for the concert and enjoy food trucks and concessions starting at 5 p.m. The concert, which will take place by the north lake near Freedom Hall, starts at 6 p.m. The OC Parks Summer Concert Series continues back at Mile Square Park on June 26 with Doin' Time, a Sublime cover band. More free concerts are scheduled throughout the summer at Mason and Irvine regional parks in Irvine, Craig Regional Park in Fullerton and Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point.
Los Angeles Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
We've reached peak lantern festival mania. Experience these magical ones around SoCal
Is there anything more like a fairy tale than thousands of glowing lanterns floating heavenward into the night? Long before the luminescent spectacle awed viewers of Disney's 2010 film 'Tangled,' real-life lantern festivals have been taking place around the world. In China, sky lanterns were first used as a means of communication in warfare during the Eastern Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. Since then, sky lanterns have taken on a more ceremonial and celebratory significance, marking occasions such as the end of Chinese New Year and the coming of spring. Yet, as wondrously beautiful as these floating mini hot air balloon launches are, the reality is there's only a fine line — and a gust of wind — that can turn a sky lantern into a free-floating Molotov cocktail. Outlawed in many regions due to the fire risk and environmental hazards, the idea of releasing thousands of them indiscriminately into the sky literally wouldn't fly here in Southern California, where memories of the January wildfires are all too fresh. This is why when OC Japan Fair hosted a lantern release as part of its three-day festival at Costa Mesa's OC Fairgrounds last month, organizers opted for a safer alternative: lantern-shaped helium-filled balloons tethered by string and lit by lithium battery-powered LEDs. I was among the hundreds of people who released their glowing boxy 'lanterns' inside the OC Fair's Hangar after a set by Japanese singer Minmi. For a few seconds, save for a piano playing a few pensive notes, there was silence. All eyes — and cellphones — were focused upward at the flickering white cubes. 'When you let go of a lantern in the air or in the water, you let go of your feelings behind it,' said attendee Charles Mendoza, who drove to the event from West Covina. Anything that's been weighing your thoughts, 'you just let it go.' Whether you attend a lantern festival to release pent-up emotions, send a message to a loved one you've lost or cast a prayer into the great beyond, the experience can become a quiet moment of reflection. Here are four lantern events happening at various locations in and near Southern California until the end of the year, where, at the very least, you will be awed by the beauty and peacefulness of the idea — one that ironically started from war. When: May 16-17 What: The Water Lantern Festival returns to Southern California. It happens Friday and Saturday at Lake Gregory Regional Park in the city of Crestline, and on Saturday only at Elm Grove Beach in Lake Elsinore. As the festival name and venues suggest, these are water lantern launches. But just like sky lantern events, they will be visually spectacular and, hopefully, spiritually impactful. Originally launched in Utah in 2018, the Water Lantern Festival first came to Lake Gregory Regional Park in 2020 and has since expanded nationwide. Though it is a for-profit event, the festival has partnered with an organization that helps bring clean water and sanitation to communities in need around the world. Admission is $57.99 at the event. It includes a drawstring bag with one floating lantern kit with a lantern, tealight and marker to write your wishes, hopes or messages. Beyond the lantern release, the festival offers an array of food via food trucks, shopping, and entertainment. You are allowed to bring your own picnic and snacks, but not alcohol as the event is alcohol-free. Details: When: July 12-13 What: One of Los Angeles' beloved summer traditions — the Lotus Festival — is returning to Echo Park Lake. It began in 1972 as 'The Day of the Lotus,' created to highlight the contributions of Asian American communities in Los Angeles. It was renamed the Lotus Festival in 1990, and each year since, it has spotlighted a different Asian or Pacific Islander culture. The event is timed with the blooming of the lake's iconic lotus flowers, which was once the largest outside Asia. Last year's celebration honored the Philippines and its L.A.-based diaspora. This year it will honor South Korea, showcasing the richness of Korean culture through live music, traditional dance, cuisine and artisan vendors. While the highlight of the weekend is usually the Dragon Boat Races — which have drawn competitors and crowds since 1991 — the sentimental favorite is the water lantern release onto the lake. Admission is free, but details on the cost of the water lanterns has yet to be announced. Check the website closer to the date for more information. Details: When: Oct. 3-5 What: This fall, Rise Festival returns for three nights at Jean Dry Lake Bed, a desolate patch of Mojave Desert (three miles from Jean, Nev.) that has been used as a filming location for 'The Hangover,' 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' and other movies. In its 10th year, Rise is the only sky lantern release festival on this list. But because it also features large scale art installations and a stage that sets up the night with live music, it is the Burning Man of lantern release festivals. (Though unlike at Burning Man, you can drive less than 20 miles to the Las Vegas Strip when it's done and end your evening with a shower in a hotel room of your choosing.) Ticket packages start at $129 for the Silver tier, which includes the lantern release ceremony, live performances on two desert stages, access to large-scale art installations, meditation spaces known as Rise Halos, two lanterns per guest, a portable cushion for desert seating, and unlimited water refills. Higher-tier packages add perks such as gourmet dining, open bar access and reserved viewing areas. Details: When: Nov. 9 What: Celebrated for centuries in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, St. Martin's Day honors the life of Martin of Tours, a 4th century Roman soldier turned monk and bishop. He is best known for a simple but profound act of compassion — sharing his cloak with a freezing beggar on a winter's night. That moment of generosity defined his legacy. When he died, his body was carried by boat along the river to Tours. Legend has it that children bid farewell by standing on the riverbank with candles to light the way. Since then lantern processions, or Laternenumzüge, became tradition, symbolizing the light and the enduring warmth of human kindness embodied by the saint. On Nov. 9 at around 5 p.m., this tradition continues in Huntington Beach's Old World Village. Children and families will carry illuminated lanterns through the mall while singing traditional songs sung for generations. Hosted by German School Campus of Newport Beach, this St. Martin Lantern Parade is free to attend (but a $5 donation and reserving your spot online is requested). Details:
