September 24, 2025

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

Little Shop of Horrors

Newport Beach Theatre Art Center stages the legendary musical from "Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast" tunesmiths Ashman and Menken, about a mild-mannered flowershop merchant who stumbles upon a bloodthirsty plant from outer space MORE

Where Movement Meets Canvas: Backhausdance Launches Season with ‘Co-Lab’

The Santa Ana residency weaves choreography, visual art and music into a multisensory premiere.

Reina Hardesty, Who Grew up in O.C., Makes a Splash with ‘Butterfly’

The action spy thriller hit No. 1 on Amazon’s Prime Video in the U.S. and several other countries.

Keep Calm and Curry On at Chiang Rai

REVIEW: Chiang Rai, Long Beach’s Michelin-mentioned Thai restaurant, opened a Tustin branch that replaced my local Indonesian spot – but I’m not mad about it.

OC Arts Awards Mark 25 Years of Creativity and Community

Representatives from dozens of local arts organizations gather to honor Jorg Dubin, Jared Mathis, Rick Stein and other influential arts figures and organizations.

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 Are HBAC

For thirty years, the Huntington Beach Art Center has built a community around the visual arts in the heart of downtown HB, and their new exhibit reflects on the many highlights within that history MORE

Jam @ The Straw

Bring your instrument or just bring your body and add to the vibes at this open Saturday night music and movement jam session in Costa Mesa courtesy of Brain and Body (B&B) Music Studio MORE

Westminster Fall Festival

Rides, entertainment, and a night dedicated to food truck cuisine will all be part of the bill at the fourth annual family festival at the Westminster Civic Center MORE

Spinal Dread: Horror Literature and Culture Festival

Anaheim Public Library's Central branch presents their first celebration dedicated to the spooky and strange in literature and pop culture with workshops, vendors, and a keynote address MORE

 

Culture OC's mission is to provide the best possible arts and cultural journalism to Orange County, raise awareness of the area’s cultural richness and diversity, and strengthen the future of our field.

cultureoc.org

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 ArtsOC program. 

sparkoc.com