NEVER-ENDING FUN IN COSTA MESA THIS SUMMER : The City of the Arts® says your summer should be all about Sun, Fun and Yum
Travel Costa Mesa, the official tourism organization for Costa Mesa, California, is telling visitors that summer experiences in the City of the Arts® are about Sun, Fun and Yum! With a roster of great events for locals and visitors alike, hotel specials and exciting new dining options, plus just minutes from OC's best beaches, Costa Mesa is the perfect place to stay for your Orange County getaway.
COSTA MESA, Calif., June 21, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Travel Costa Mesa, the official tourism organization for Costa Mesa, California, is telling visitors that summer experiences in the City of the Arts® are about Sun, Fun and Yum! With a roster of great events for locals and visitors alike, hotel specials and exciting new dining options, plus just minutes from OC's best beaches, Costa Mesa is the perfect place to stay for your Orange County getaway. Here are some of summer's must-see events in Costa Mesa.
OC Pride Afterparty
The 2023 OC Pride Parade and Festival take place in neighboring Santa Ana June 23-25, but the official Pride afterparty is at OC's queer-friendly nightclub, STRUT Bar & Club. STRUT is hosting multiple events over OC Pride weekend (https://strutoc.com/home).
United Ukrainian Ballet + Broadway Shows at SCFTA
At the cultural center of the city is Segerstrom Center for the Arts, OC's stunning performing arts and theater complex and home to musicals, dance, concerts and more.
The United Ukrainian Ballet presents Giselle June 29 - July 2 at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in support of BlueCheck Ukraine. Alexei Ratmansky's new interpretation of one of the greatest romantic ballets has received critical acclaim. Don't miss other hot Broadway shows this summer like Tina: The Tina Turner Musical this July, celebrating the life and music of the recently departed legendary singer (https://www.scfta.org/).
OC Fair + Toyota Concert Series
Costa Mesa's biggest event of the year, the OC Fair returns July 14 – August 13 with the theme "Happy Together." The Orange County Fair is the ninth-largest fair in the United States and thrills visitors with its wide array of events, rides, carnival, fantastic food and the biggest Ferris wheel on the West Coast.
Don't miss the Toyota Concert Series at Pacific Amphitheater (https://pacamp.com), the 3,000-seat outdoor stadium located on the grounds of the OC Fair. Enjoy months of summer concerts for music lovers of every genre, including artists like Robin Thicke, Ne-Yo and Mario, Dwight Yoakam, Smokey Robinson – and a concert ticket includes attendance to the OC Fair. Fair tickets should be purchased in advance at ocfair.com.
Free Admission to OCMA
Costa Mesa is also home to the stunning new Orange County Museum of Art, which opened in October 2022 and is free to visitors, thanks to a generous endowment. Home to over 4,500 works of art, OCMA's permanent collection focuses on art produced during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries by artists with connections to California, plus various visiting exhibits (https://ocma.art).
Free Art Walk
Visual arts abound in the city, including public sculptures by Joan Miro and Richard Serra, an outdoor sculpture garden by Isamu Noguchi and Orange County's largest mural by Shepard Fairey. Highlighting over 20 important pieces of public art, the city offers a free Costa Mesa Art Walk audio tour available on mobile phones (https://www.travelcostamesa.com/artwalk).
Summer Sounds Free Concerts
Find the wonderful free outdoor Summer Sounds concert series on the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza. It's a specially curated program of some of Southern California's most unique and eclectic artists. Concerts are free with a reservation and will take place on Friday evenings from June 2 to July 28. Reservations for the concert series can be made online at scfta.org. Visit nearby Avenue of the Arts, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel – one of the series sponsors – for handcrafted cocktails in their chic music-themed bar and restaurant, Silver Trumpet. Check the SCFTA calendar for other events on the Plaza, like free Tuesday night dance classes (https://www.scfta.org/).
New, Exciting Dining
As the only city in Orange County with Michelin Star restaurants, and in fact boasting three of them, Costa Mesa's wide range of dining offerings has made this city a traveling foodie's perfect spot for an Eatcation®. Visit Travel Costa Mesa's site for an Eatcation® (https://www.travelcostamesa.com/eatcation), plus the latest roster of dining at Collage Culinary Experience (https://www.travelcostamesa.com/collage-culinary-experience).
LA Chargers Camp
The LA Chargers call Costa Mesa home for the summer. They hold the team's training camp at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa each summer. The Jack Hammett Sports Complex is located at 2750 Fairview Road, next to Costa Mesa High School (https://www.chargers.com/).
Local Fun
A cherished favorite local event, summer brings Costa Mesa's 76th Fish Fry & Carnival in Lions Park on 18th Street from June 23 to 25. The Fish Fry is run by the Costa Mesa/Newport Harbor Lions Club, which has been serving the community for over 100 years.
Offering fresh, local menu items to pair with their signature beverages, craft beers, and drinks featuring produce from their lemon grove, Zest Poolside Bar & Grille is open now at The Westin South Coast Plaza every Friday and Saturday from 11am – 5pm until Labor Day.
Costa Mesa hotels are offering a variety of summer hotel packages including things like a $50 gift card to shop, 15% off a multiple-night stay or even free meals when you bring the kids. With its proximity to the beach and great OC hotel rates, Costa Mesa is your perfect home base to visit Orange County this summer. For more things to do in Costa Mesa, the Travel Costa Mesa calendar lists upcoming events in the city (https://www.travelcostamesa.com/summer-campaign).
Located in the heart of Orange County in Southern California, with a population of approximately 113,000, Travel Costa Mesa was established in 1995 with the primary goal of promoting tourism to the city and to fund programs and activities that benefit the hotel and motel businesses within the city of Costa Mesa. For more information on travel to the city of Costa Mesa, visit http://www.travelcostamesa.com or follow @travelcostamesa on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Travel Costa Mesa is a 501(c)(6).
Media Contact
Kim Glen, Travel Costa Mesa, 7147868585, travel@travelcostamesa.com
SOURCE Travel Costa Mesa

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