Each week, Arts Orange County and Culture OC deliver you this look at the stories and events happening in our arts and cultural community.

St. Joseph Day/Return of the Swallows

San Juan Capistrano's claim to fame, the springtime arrival of the migrating swallows, is an annual Orange County highlight with this homegrown festival and parade that brings visitors from many miles around MORE

In Search of the Perfect Fish Taco, Santa Ana Delivers

REVIEW: From a seafood truck to a surprising juice bar, three spots serve crisp, beer-battered fish tacos done right.

Food writer Edwin Goei loves a fish taco. "I haven’t yet made the pilgrimage to Ensenada, but I don’t feel I need to. When I want a great fish taco, I go to Santa Ana where the following three spots have become my recent standbys. They include the newest outpost of a well-known L.A. chain, a Mexican seafood truck and a juice bar that surprised me with one of the best fried fish tacos around."

Artist of the Year Program Announces the 2026 Nominees from 88 Orange County Schools

Nearly 900 Orange County high school students have been nominated for the 2026 Artist of the Year program, recognizing some of the county’s most promising young artists.

This year, 888 students were nominated, representing 88 local high schools, arts organizations and private arts instructors across Orange County.

Students are nominated by teachers and instructors in seven artistic disciplines: theater, dance, film and TV, vocal music, instrumental music, media arts and fine arts.

Now in its 13th year, the Artist of the Year program celebrates outstanding juniors and seniors who have demonstrated exceptional artistic achievement and dedication to their craft.

‘The Grief was Growing Heavier’: Why OC’s Iranian Community is Pausing Its Nowruz Celebrations

Protests, state brutality and war have put ancient, annual springtime celebrations on hold.

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.

Don Quixote

Festival Ballet Theatre and some world-renowned guest artists bring to life the legendary tale of the self-styled Spanish knight who imagines windmills to be giants, on stage at the Irvine Barclay Theatre MORE

Poetry Night with Ely Lupe

The poet, theatre-maker, educator and now first-time author comes to the Ugly Mug Cafe in Orange under the auspices of the local literature lovers who affectionately call themselves Two Idiots Peddling Poetry MORE

The SpongeBob Musical

Cypress College brings to life the tune-filled adventures of the cartoon icon who lives in a pineapple under the sea MORE

Subterranean Soundscapes: Classical Candlelight with Pacific Symphony

String musicians from Pacific Symphony put on a free concert like you've never heard it before - performing in an acoustically-rich tunnel in Mission Viejo by the light of hundreds of candles MORE