Best Activities To Do This Week In Orange County - October 24
Leading up to Halloween, there's a week full of spooky stories, movies and costumes. The beginning of the week focuses on local artwork, with a special lecture series at Bowers Museum and an annual art awards show. The middle of the week lends itself to a countrified Halloween party, an evening of ghost stories and a fun-filled family Halloween event. Once the weekend hits, celebrate goodness and light at a Diwali festival or watch a screening of a "Frankenstein" stage show before Halloween itself arrives.
Art in Context: Art & The City
Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92706
(714) 567-3600
www.bowers.org
A six-part series at Bowers Museum, "Art in Context: Art & The City" explores art created by a variety of European artists. Each week focuses on a different city, detailing the styles of art that were popular in each place. This Monday, guest lecturer Kristin Mihaylovich will discuss Vienna, including info on both art and architecture from creatives like Oskar Kokoschka, Egon Schiele, and Gustav Klimt as well as additional Baroque, Expressionism and Jugendstil works. The first three weeks highlighted art in Rome, Paris and Amsterdam while the final two weeks of the series will be on Barcelona and Berlin.
OC Arts Awards
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 556-5160
www.artsoc.org
Head out for a ritzy night at the Segerstrom Center as Arts Orange County presents the 17th Annual OC Arts Awards. Held at the center's Samueli Theater, the evening will celebrate some key members of the local arts community as well as offer some tasty food at the pre-ceremony dinner reception. The Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award Honorees for 2016 include philanthropists Damien and Yvonne Jordan, Pacific Symphony president John Forsyte and art professor Mike McGee while emerging artists Yevgeniya Mikhailik and Allen Moon will also be recognized. Proceeds from the OC Arts Awards will go to arts education and community engagement.
Redneck Halloween Party
InCahoots
1401 South Lemon Street
Fullerton, CA 92832
(714) 441-1666
www.ocincahoots.com
Part of country bar InCahoot's Redneck Wednesday, the annual Redneck Halloween Party is a great way to combine costumes and country music. Held on one of the venue's most popular nights of the week, the party will feature plenty of drink specials throughout the night. Delve into your creativity to participate in the party's costume contest or practice your dancing by learning two distinct line dances—a two-step and a dance to "Get It Baby". Two nights later, InCahoots will host their annual Halloween Country Party with an additional costume contest and line dance lessons.
Tales to Be Told: An Evening of Eerie Delight
Healy House, Sawdust Festival
935 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
www.thirdstreetwriters.org
Get in the Halloween spirit with this fun event offering suspenseful tales and spooky poems. The night will start with stories read by Third Street Writers, a group of local writers who dedicate themselves to learning about and showcasing various types of written word. Once they're finished, they'll open the floor for guests to read their own quick tales before the night is over. Costumes are encouraged for this free event and there will be refreshments on site. Those looking for a fun, artsy event will love the unique atmosphere and relevant stories celebrating the spookiest time of the year.
Halloween Spectacular and Moonlight Movie
Dana Point Community Center
34052 Del Obispo Street
Dana Point, CA 92629
(949) 248-3530
www.danapoint.org
On Friday night, enjoy a family friendly event filled with holiday activities and spooky fun for everyone. Kicking off at 3 p.m., Dana Point's Halloween Spectacular will feature carnival games, arts & crafts and Halloween cookie decorating. Guests can also check out a Halloween marionette show, a magic show and a costume parade before the movie starts at 7 p.m. The city will screen Hotel Transylvania 2, the sequel to the 2012 animated monster flick. In addition to the movie, guests can snack on free popcorn and sip hot chocolate throughout the night.
Diwali Fest
Irvine City Hall
1 Civic Center Drive
Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 809-9605
www.ektaacenter.org
Spend Saturday at Irvine's Diwali Fest, hosted by the Ektaa Center. The festival of lights will run from 2 to 9 p.m., featuring a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony at Irvine City Hall after the sun goes down. Celebrate Indian culture with performances from a variety of local groups, including Mumbai Madness, AMNA Dance, Sundar Kala Kendra and Ishwara Dance Academy. Aside from music and dance, guests can enjoy a selection of food as well. Stop by to be a part of an annual Hindu celebration that symbolizes the victory of light and goodness over darkness and evil.
"Frankenstein" Screening
Irvine Barclay Theatre
4242 Campus Drive
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 854-4646
www.thebarclay.org
The night before Halloween, watch a performance of one of the most beloved monster stories there is. A performance of "Frankenstein" from London's National Theatre will be broadcast, thanks to the Barclay and Arts Orange County. The show will follow Frankenstein's creature as he seeks his creator after being thrown out into an unfamiliar world. Two screenings will be held on Sunday, both featuring the same lead actors; however, Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch will play opposite roles in the first and second screening, as they did during the live shows.
