So Much To Do This Summer

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Looking to celebrate summer? Whether you love grilling and sunning by the pool, walking along beautifully landscaped streams and lakes, or enjoying our unique bird aviaries, each Far West community has something special to offer when you want to get outside. Plus living in Southern California puts you close to some wonderful activities that make summer extra special. Take a look at these suggestions:

Orange County

County of Orange and OC Parks presents the OC Parks Summer Concert Series and Sunset Cinema film series. Enjoy summer nights at regional parks with free live music and movie screenings in a family-friendly atmosphere. All events include free parking with food and drink available for purchase.

OC Parks Summer Concert Series is 10 free outdoor concerts on Thursday evenings, June 23 – August 25 from 5 – 8 p.m. Enjoy live music at Craig Regional Park, Mason Regional Park, Irvine Regional Park, Mile Square Regional Park and Bluff Park at Salt Creek Beach.

The concert series kicks off with Ozomatli on June 23 at Craig Regional Park in Fullerton, followed by popular local and renowned touring artists including Donavon Frankenreiter, Yachty by Nature, DSB, The Aquabats, Uptown Funk, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Sweet and Tender Hooligans, and Tijuana Dogs.

Learn more: https://ocparks.com/news/oc-parks-presents-2022-summer-concert-series-and-sunset-cinema-film-series

Santa Ana

Did you know that downtown Santa Ana celebrates its arts community the first Saturday of each month? The Downtown Art Walk starts at 125 N. Broadway and runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The community-based arts showcase held across downtown Santa Ana is an outdoor festival with vendors, pop-up artists and performances, dancing under the stars and over 20 art galleries and studios with rotating art shows and performances and live music.

Learn more: https://www.dtsaartwalk.org/

Riverside

The creation of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture at the Riverside Art Museum furthers Cheech Marin’s advocacy and will continue to shape the art world’s perceptions and understanding of Chicano art.

Marin’s efforts have brought unprecedented attention to Chicana/o art with exhibitions of and loans from his collection to over 50 museums nationally and internationally. The inaugural exhibition features almost 120 works from Marin’s generous gift of over 500 works to the Riverside Art Museum as well as from his personal collection. The exhibit Cheech Collects weaves a story of Cheech Marin’s efforts as a passionate and laser-focused collector, exploring the making of a major collection from the first works acquired through the most recent acquisitions. From June 18, 2022–June 18, 2023

Learn more: https://riversideartmuseum.org/exhibits/cheech-collects/

Marina del Rey

We love the Visit Marina del Rey website for its great ideas for fun things to do across the city. The latest blog outlines lots of events such as free concerts, movie nights and of course, the beloved annual Fourth of July Firework show.

A few things of note:  

MARINA WATERBUS OPENS JUNE 17 

The popular Marina WaterBus returns featuring rides for $1 per person to eight stops throughout L.A.’s Marina. The WaterBus will run on Fridays, 2 p.m.-10 p.m.; Saturdays, noon-10 p.m.; Sundays, noon-9 p.m.; Fourth of July, noon-11 p.m.; and Labor Day, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.  

MARINA DEL REY’S FREE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES

The free concert series returns to Burton Chace Park for 2022.

Classical Thursdays: July 14 & August 4 @ 7 P.M.  
Pop Saturdays: July 30 & August 13 @ 7 P.M.

Grab your family, a picnic dinner, and a blanket or beach chairs and make your way to Burton Chace Park for this popular event series. The 10-acre park is surrounded on three sides by the water, so come early for picture taking and to stroll the perimeter walking path. On alternating Thursdays, enjoy classical and opera performances. On alternating Saturdays, expect a mix of pop music groups, including alt-rock, indie, and folk.

Learn more:  https://visitmdr.com/events/free-summer-concert-series