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OC Moon Festival 2023

The annual free OC Moon festival celebration will take place on Sunday, October 1, 2023 on the Freedom Hall Lawn at Mile Square Park. This free, family-friendly festival will feature food vendors, face painting, balloon animals, live entertainment, children’s activities, and free moon cakes and lanterns for kids. 

The annual Moon Festival, also known as Mid-Autumn Festival, is a traditional celebration dating back thousands of years and marks an important cultural event for Orange County’s East Asian-American communities including Vietnamese and Chinese.

Traditionally the festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar. The 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival) falls on Friday, September 29 while the OC Moon Festival will celebrate this occasion on Sunday, October 1.

OC Moon Festival

OC Moon Festival

OC Moon Festival Announcement

Where: Mile Square Regional Park | Freedom Hall Lawn
Address: 16801 Euclid Street Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Enter Mile Square Regional Park off of Edinger or Ward
Date: Sunday, October 1, 2023
Time: 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Free Admission & Parking, simply reserve a spot

Reserve a Spot

For more information, call the OC Supervisor’s office at 714-834-3110

Activities

  • Food Vendors
  • Face Painting
  • Glitter Tattoos
  • Balloon Animals
  • Live Musical Performances
  • Colorful Lanterns for Children

About the Moon Festival

The annual Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a traditional Asian celebration that typically falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar, when the moon is believed to be at its fullest and brightest. The festival holds great cultural significance in countries such as China, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

On this day, families gather to appreciate the moon’s beauty, offer prayers for good harvests and prosperity, and share delicious mooncakes—round pastries filled with sweet fillings that symbolize unity and togetherness. Lanterns, symbolic beacons that light people’s path to prosperity and good fortune, are an integral part of the festival, illuminating the night with their colorful glow in various shapes and sizes. The Moon Festival showcases the importance of family, gratitude and provides an opportunity to come together, reflect on the past and give thanks for the harvest, or for harmonious unions.

In Vietnam, the Moon Festival (Tết Trung Thu) is the most important holiday after Vietnamese New Year. It is also known as the Children’s Festival due to the celebration’s emphasis on children. In ancient times, the Vietnamese held the belief that children possessed the most direct link to the spiritual realm, making proximity to them a conduit for connecting with the divine. This tradition continues to be reflected in contemporary times, as the majority of Vietnamese festival customs and activities are centered on or involve children, encompassing practices like gift-giving and the timeless art of traditional dragon dances.

Other regional names include Zhongqiu Jie (中秋节) in Chinese, Eighth Month Festival, Festival of Unity and Mooncake Festival. There are also similar or variant festivals held in other Asian countries such as Tsukimi in Japan or Chuseok in Korea.

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Monique McArthur is a mother of two, writer, and creator of delicious recipes. In her spare time she enjoys exploring all that Orange County has to offer, traveling, shopping, running with her dogs and spending time with family.