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

Broadway in the Park - Grease

Tustin's annual tradition of outdoor musicals in the summer continues with the rock-and-roll classic MORE

Just How Great is Great Park Live?

Outdoor venues in Orange County, past and present, have a checkered history. Some of us harbor less-than-fond memories of the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre (I could never bring myself to call it the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre), demolished in 2016, and the more recently departed FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine’s Great Park. The O.C. Fair’s Pacific Amphitheatre, 41 years young and still with us, has its nostalgic fans but it’s no Hollywood Bowl.

The complaints about outdoor concert spaces are universal: crowded parking lots, long walks from the car, sky-high food vendor prices, imperfect sound systems, and seats that would delight a medieval-torture fetishist. And every amphitheater in the world, it seems, gets complaints from neighbors about the noise levels. Turn that Tchaikovsky down!

There’s a new kid in town called Great Park Live, and the city of Irvine has gone to considerable lengths to address all the usual amphitheatrical complaints – commendable, since this venue is scheduled to last only until its permanent replacement is finished sometime in 2027 or ‘28. 

Outdoor Plays and Concerts Will Deliver a Last Blast of Summer That’s Fun and Exciting

For anyone looking to battle the doldrums of the dog days of summer in a way that’s fun and relaxing, we have these two words: outdoor performances.

Theater under the stars has been around since the days of ancient Greece, and al fresco concerts are and always have been popular worldwide, especially in summertime.

For those who might think summer is mostly over, Culture OC offers a roster of outdoor plays and concerts yet to unfold.

For the plays – a musical, two Shakespeares, and a new original – you’ll be dazzled by supreme theatrical talent, and it’s just like being at your favorite local venue, except you’re enjoying the less-scorching temps and cooler night skies of the evening hours.

Get Yer Fresh, Hot Art at the OC Fair

‘The Art of Music Experience,’ Visual Art Gallery and Heroes Hall Museum are spots in Costa Mesa’s annual extravaganza you shouldn’t miss if you’re into visual art.

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.

An Evening of Latin Jazz featuring Boogaloo Assassins

Brea's Curtis Theatre welcomes the high energy 13-piece band which began in Southern California and has taken their unique blend of Latin sounds all over the country MORE

Choral Festival with the Pacific Chorale

Over 400 singers from local community choirs take the stage at Segerstrom Concert Hall for a free performance, headlined by Haydn’s Mass in Time of War MORE

Chicano Heritage Festival

The third annual free celebration in Santa Ana's Centennial Park brings together live music, cultural exhibits, and a car cruise MORE

En Plein Air Collection

A special exhibit at the Mission San Juan Capistrano covering over a century of outdoor paintings from their collection MORE