January 28, 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.
♦ Local Arts Spotlight ♦
Anaheim's Chance Theater opens its 2022 season with a staging of the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning musical about the secrets buried behind the white picket fence of a seemingly-average family MORE
♦ Culture ♦
Yellow mai flower petals fall onto the parking lot in front of Westminster’s Asian Garden Mall during the last half of January. Instead of cars, floral vendors parked their plants underneath white tents where Little Saigon residents flock to gather their supplies and decorations for the New Year.

The Asian Garden Mall’s annual flower festival is only one of Orange County’s many fun-filled event destinations this holiday. In addition to being a hot spot for traditional Vietnamese food and clothing, the Asian Garden Mall is also a hub for Vietnamese folks to gather in celebration of their favorite time of the year: Tet. 

Tet is the Vietnamese term for Lunar New Year, which is a holiday that is also observed by those of Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Tibetan, Mongolian and others of East Asian descent. In conjunction with the Chinese Zodiac’s 12-year cycle, 2021’s Year of the Ox will conclude at the arrival of 2022’s Year of the Tiger on Tuesday, Feb. 1, with celebrations lasting through the weekend. 

The Little Saigon district bordering the cities of Garden Grove and Westminster sees the most traffic as its annual Tet Parade has been drawing crowds since 2013. 
Our columnist demystifies what it means to be part of a Buy Nothing community and how food factors in.
A new year is upon us, with many Orange County institutions launching new seasons of events and opportunities to enliven and enrich your 2022. But many are exploring postponement or virtual options due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 - watch for updates from any arts and culture offerings you hope to attend, and see the latest updates on SparkOC.com.
♦ Re-Opening ♦
Firecrackers, dragon dances, and live drums are just part of the day's family-friendly festivities at Garden Grove's SteelCraft outdoor food hall/beer garden MORE
♦ Virtual Visit ♦
Every year, the Huntington Beach Art Center produces this beloved multimedia exhibition of new works - in 2022, the exhibit will also be available in a Virtual Edition for those who would like to appreciate the artwork from home MORE
♦ For the Family ♦
Irvine's Pretend City Children's Museum invites families with young ones out for a day of educational play centered around inventors, innovators, and imagineers MORE
♦ Extra ♦
A laugh-filled musical celebration of the poetry of William Shakespeare features performances of great speeches, special guest appearances, and original compositions designed to bring the classics of the Bard to toe-tapping life MORE
"In these uncertain times, some arts organizations stay in place, while others move ahead and demonstrate their importance. Arts Orange County has truly risen to the challenges presented by COVID-19, by equipping local organizations with funding and educational resources"
- Jerry Mandel, Ph.D.,
President,
Irvine Barclay Theatre
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.