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Free family event features activities, performances and live demonstrations at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall on Saturday, Feb. 22

Pacific Symphony announces the 10th annual Orange County Lantern Festival in collaboration with the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center (SCCCC). The free family event is presented in cooperation with Segerstrom Center for the Arts and takes place on Saturday, Feb. 22, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Lantern Festival, which can be traced back 2,000 years, takes place 15 days after the Lunar New Year—on the first full moon night in the lunar calendar—and marks the return of spring, representing the reunion of family. Pacific Symphony and SCCCC’s event invites the community to celebrate this tradition through hands-on activities, performances, live demonstrations, booths, food trucks – and, of course, a thrilling dragon dance finale on the plaza!

“We are honored to partner once again with South Coast Chinese Cultural Center to host our 10th Orange County Lantern Festival,” said Alison Levinson, senior director of arts engagement and inclusion for Pacific Symphony. “It’s a great opportunity for us to come together as a community around the Lantern Festival celebration to showcase hundreds of amazing artists within Orange County in an accessible and welcoming environment.”

“We created the Orange County Lantern Festival tradition with Pacific Symphony in 2016, because we know that music can bring people together,” said Yulan Chung, CEO of South Coast Chinese Cultural Center. “Lantern Festival is a celebration of the first full moon in the Lunar calendar, representing the hope, joy and connection to come in the new year. Attendees will experience Asian American culture displayed through performing arts, such as orchestra, lion dance, folk dance, and arts and crafts designed for families with young children. You don’t want to miss it!”

The Orange County Lantern Festival is a multi-faceted, half-day event. Guests can engage in a variety of multicultural activities such as calligraphy, paper lantern making, mini drum building, and more. An art exhibition, “Reunions and Togetherness,” features 40 visual artists of all ages, each contributing a piece of art embodying the theme of the 10th anniversary—coming together in celebration of culture, unity and solidarity.

Performances inside the concert hall kick off at 11 a.m. with a Lion Dance followed by the Pacific Symphony String Quintet, Chinese Dance Company of Southern California and South Coast Chinese Orchestra / Festival Chorus. At 12:40 p.m. Lạc Hồng Performing Arts Group, Thủy Vân Dance Company Pacific Symphony Youth Chamber Artists and Festival Chorus take the stage. At 2:20 p.m., the festival concludes with performances by Pacific Symphony’s Festival Orchestra, Tawni Nguyen, the Korean American Youth Performing Arts (KAYPA), and DooDream Samulnori.

Outside, eight demonstrations of traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese music, dance and fashion take place throughout the day on the Julianne & George Argyros Plaza, each featuring ASL interpreters for accessibility. The event culminates in a spectacular dragon dance and lantern parade led by the San Gabriel Valley Chinese Cultural Association.

For the 2025 Orange County Lantern Festival, festivalgoers have the opportunity to purchase a festival pass, which guarantees admission into the event and priority seating for the first performance segment. As pass holders, guests are supporting community events and helping to keep the Lantern Festival free and accessible to the public. Festival pass benefits include: Guaranteed entry into the event for the first segment of the festival (entry from 10 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.); General admission seating in Orchestra level for the first segment of the festival (11 a.m. – 12:20 p.m.); Exclusive early entry into the lobby at 10 a.m.; One craft pass, valued at $15, included with admission. For more information, visit https://www.pacificsymphony.org/show-details/oc-lantern-festival-2025.
 
About South Coast Chinese Cultural Center
The South Coast Chinese Cultural Center (SCCCC) is among the nation's premier cultural centers. The SCCCC opened its doors in 2005 with a few Chinese culture classes but has since become a vibrant cultural center—the largest on the west coast. Its mission is to promote and preserve Chinese heritage and culture as well as to foster unity and harmony in our diverse society.

In recent years, the SCCCC has been dedicated to nurturing and cultivating Chinese cultural and artistic talent within the Chinese American community. The Center established the South Coast Chinese Orchestra in 2017, the South Coast Chinese Drum Team in 2018, the Chinese Dance Company of Southern California in 2019, and the South Coast Wushu Team in 2023. Its beautiful campus is also home to Irvine Chinese School, the largest heritage school in the region founded in 1976, and Irvine Chinese Immersion Preschool, founded in 2021. SCCCC is proud to be the driving force behind the Irvine Chinese Immersion Academy (ICIA) established in 2023. ICIA is the first public bilingual charter school authorized by the Irvine Unified School District (IUSD). Additionally, SCCCC provides various community services through programs such as Civic Engagement, the Family Support Program, and the Asian American Youth Leadership 2.0 Program. 

Each year, the Center impacts hundreds of thousands of local community members through a variety of cultural programs and performances, including the Lantern Festival at Segerstrom Concert Hall with Pacific Symphony, the Mid-Autumn Festival at the Great Park with the City of Irvine, the Lunar New Year celebration at Irvine Spectrum, and many more.

About Pacific Symphony
Pacific Symphony, the resident orchestra of Segerstrom Center for the Arts for more than 15 years, is a leader in musical innovation and community connection. Since its founding in 1978, the Symphony has grown to become the largest orchestra formed in the U.S. in the last 50 years. Under Carl St.Clair’s remarkable 35-year tenure as Music Director, the Symphony has earned a reputation for excellence, presenting over 100 concerts annually and serving more than 300,000 individuals through performances and innovative programs.

Pacific Symphony’s education and community engagement initiatives are transformative, serving diverse audiences and fostering a deep appreciation for music. The arts-X-press program provides middle school students with an immersive summer camp experience, encouraging creativity and self-expression through hands-on exposure to music, theater, visual arts and dance. Class Act brings musicians into elementary classrooms, seamlessly integrating music education with students’ daily learning to inspire a lifelong connection to the arts. Heartstrings, an initiative supporting under-resourced communities, offers free music lessons, instruments, and mentorship to empower young musicians and enrich their lives.

Pacific Symphony also nurtures the next generation of musicians through its renowned youth ensembles, including the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, Youth Wind Ensemble, Santiago Strings, and Youth Concert Band. These groups have toured internationally, earned prestigious awards, and provided young artists with opportunities to excel.

By combining artistic excellence with a commitment to education and accessibility, Pacific Symphony continues to enrich lives, foster new talent, and create meaningful connections throughout Southern California. Its innovative programs ensure music remains a vital part of the community’s cultural fabric.

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