Get Involved with Lantern Festival!
The annual O.C. Lantern Festival would not be possible without participation from our community members! Each year, people just like you contribute to Lantern Festival as artists, musicians, dancers, volunteers, and more. Here are some ways you can get involved!
- Lantern Festival Art Contest
- Lantern Festival Orchestra
- Performances and Demonstrations
- Community Booths
- Volunteers
Each year, we invite community members to submit artwork reflecting the theme of the year for our O.C. Lantern Festival art contest. Selected submissions are displayed as images on-screen in the concert hall, or as originals on easels in the concert hall lobby. Artists of the top three selected works receive $200 and tickets to attend a Pacific Symphony concert.
This contest is open to people of all ages and backgrounds who reside in Southern California, including students and non-professional artists.
For this year’s art contest, “A Prosperous Year with Auspicious Dragon,” artists are invited to submit artwork that reflects the theme “Dragon.” Submissions are due by Monday, January 29. For more information, see our Call for Artwork and Submission Guidelines below.
String players looking for an opportunity to perform with an orchestra can apply to join our Lantern Festival Orchestra! For more information, click here.
We are always looking for new groups to perform or give demonstrations at Lantern Festival! While the Lantern Festival is a historically Chinese event, we welcome performances and demonstrations from any cultural group that wants to celebrate the Lunar New Year and surrounding festivities.
Performances take place on the stage of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Groups are assigned a 10-20 minute performance time (including time to walk on and off stage). Examples of previous performing groups include Chinese orchestra, Korean drums, Vietnamese dance, and mixed choir.
Demonstrations are 15-20 minute family-friendly presentations that are meant to give cultural context to audience members in a more informal and relaxed setting. Previous Lantern Festival demonstrations include food demonstrations, a fashion show, Chinese instrument demonstration, a quick KPOP lesson, and martial arts demonstration.
If your group is interested in performing or giving a demonstration at a future Lantern Festival, please fill out this form.
We proudly support local nonprofit organizations and invite your nonprofit to join the Lantern Festival with a booth on the Plaza of the Segerstrom campus. Booths may be strictly informational or promotional in nature, or you are welcome to provide an interactive element. Previous community booth activities include fan decoration, coloring pages, or educational activities.
If your nonprofit is interested in having a booth at a future Lantern Festival, please contact Eileen Regullano at ERegullano@pacificsymphony.org.
Lantern Festival would not be possible without the support of wonderful volunteers! If you would like to volunteer for Lantern Festival, please contact Abby Edmunds at VolunteerServices@PacificSymphony.org.