The OC Lantern Festival will ring in the Year of the Snake with a celebration on Saturday, February 22, 2025 at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. This is a family-friendly festival that will feature music and dance performances, storytelling, riddles, art-making activities, food and of course, the lighting of the lanterns.
Presented in partnership by Pacific Symphony and South Coast Chinese Cultural Center/Irvine Chinese School, The Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall will be adorned with traditional floating lanterns to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and the public can view performances by talented local musicians and dancers.
Lunar New Year will be begin on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 and ends on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Tết and Chinese New Year will celebrate the Year of the Snake.
Be sure to check out all Orange County Lunar New Year events.
Traditionally, on the 15th day of the first lunar month, two weeks after Chinese New Year, the Chinese Lantern Festival or Yuan Xiao Jie or Yuanxiao Festival (元宵节), is celebrated. It marks the first full moon of the new lunar year and the end of the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) period.
On the night of the Chinese Lantern Festival, streets are decorated with colorful lanterns, often with riddles written on them. People eat sweet rice balls called tangyuan, watch dragon and lion dances, and set off fireworks.
OC Lantern Festival
Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
Address: 615 Town Center Dr, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Date/Times
Saturday, February 22, 2025 | 11 a.m.
Admission
FREE! However, tickets are required for each person entering the concert hall including babies. Tickets can be obtained online and printed at home.
Get Free Tickets
Entry to the concert hall will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis during the event. Ticketed guests receive priority access, but immediate admission can not be guaranteed due to venue capacity.
For the 2025, festival-goers have the option to purchase a festival pass which guarantees admission into the event and priority seating for the first performance segment, which is usually the busiest.
*Tickets are not required to participate in outdoor activities in Argyros Plaza.*
Directions
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is located east of South Coast Plaza on Bristol and Town Center Drive with easy access from the 55 and 405 Freeways. Parking structures are located in the following locations:
- Plaza Tower Parking Structure: Anton Blvd. and Park Center Drive
- Park Center Parking Structure: Sunflower Ave. and Park Center Drive (can also be accessed from Town Center Drive)
- Center Tower Parking Structure: Sunflower Ave. and Park Center Drive (Can also be accessed from Town Center Drive)
Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall will also host a Lunar New Year Concert on Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 8:00PM. The celebration includes festive dance performances with a fusion of musical traditions from East and West. Details and tickets can be found here.
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