Orange's Fall Traditions Have New Hosts This Year, and the Details Live on Their Calendars

"Due to the City's current financial situation, all events traditionally sponsored by the City have been put on hold until further notice."

That sentence sits at the top of the City of Orange special events page. The same notice continues that several local nonprofits have committed to sponsoring and hosting many of these community events, and the page lists each one with its new producer.

The traditions are still on the calendar. They now run on a nonprofit model. For the Plaza events, the City acts as a host that gets reimbursed for its costs. That changes the practical side of each event, including who posts the hours, who runs the parking lots and which website to check the week of.

The season at a glance

The City's special events page lists one more nonprofit-run tradition, Concerts in the Park, now hosted by Kiwanis of Orange.

How the handoff actually works

Some background explains why this happened. In April 2025, the Orange County Register reported that Orange projected a $1.2 million operating deficit for the coming fiscal year, even after proposed budget cuts of nearly $13 million.

The way the Plaza events kept going is set out in a City Council staff report that went before the council on April 28, 2026. The group behind the Orange International Street Fair has had an agreement with the City since 2025 to produce Treats in the Streets and the Christmas Market and Tree Lighting. The City previously produced both. Under that arrangement, the nonprofit produces each event and the City is reimbursed for the actual costs it carries in support. The Street Fair has used that model for decades. The same report notes that every food and beverage booth at the Street Fair is run by a nonprofit, with priority given to Orange-based groups.

The report also changed the organization's name. The Orange International Street Fair, Inc. now operates as Orange Plaza Traditions, Inc., reflecting its amended articles of incorporation and its 501(c)(3) status. Its own about page says that beginning in 2026, it provides "unified production and financial stewardship" for three community traditions in Old Towne.

The agreements run on different timelines:

• Orange Street Fair: active through 2030, with extension options through 2032.
• Treats in the Streets: active through 2028.
• Christmas Market and Tree Lighting: set through 2026, with the staff report proposing two more occurrences in 2027 and 2028.

The council approved the item on April 28. The Plaza's three biggest traditions now have a single producer, with agreements that carry Treats and the Street Fair well past this year.

Treats in the Streets, one week out

The first test of the new arrangement this season falls on a weeknight. Treats in the Streets runs Thursday, Oct. 29, from 4 to 7 p.m. Orange Plaza Traditions closes the streets around the Plaza to traffic for trick-or-treating and Halloween activities. The event area centers on Plaza Park. It generally runs along Chapman Avenue from Grand Street to Lemon Street and along Glassell Street from Almond Avenue to Maple Avenue, and admission is free.

The organizer's visitor planner covers a few details that matter for a 4 p.m. start on a school night:

1. Parking is limited, and fees may apply. Public lots around Old Towne are open, including the public parking structure near Lemon Street and Chapman Avenue. The event does not operate or control those lots, and the City may let independent nonprofits run certain lots as fundraisers, so fees vary by lot.
2. Accessible parking is on South Grand Street, just south of Chapman Avenue.
3. There is no rideshare drop-off zone. Drivers are expected to follow posted street restrictions and traffic-control directions.
4. Leave the dog at home. Trained service animals are permitted. Pets, emotional-support animals and other animals are not allowed in the event area.

The fundraiser parking lots fit the same pattern as the Street Fair food booths. Nonprofits carry the work, and some of the money spent on the night goes to them. For accessibility questions before the event, Orange Plaza Traditions lists [email protected] and 714-633-4816.

Across town, a different nonprofit carries November

The Veterans Day tradition is in a different part of Orange and has a separate organizer. The Community Foundation of Orange's 2026 Field of Valor puts up more than 1,200 full-sized American flags at Handy Park, 2143 E. Oakmont. Each flag carries a personal tribute to a service member. The field is up from Saturday, Nov. 7, until noon on Thursday, Nov. 12, with three scheduled gatherings:

• Saturday, Nov. 7, 11:30 a.m.: Opening ceremonies
• Tuesday, Nov. 10, 11 a.m.: Marine Corps Birthday celebration with the Orange Police Department
• Wednesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m.: Veterans Day celebration with lunch for veterans

The foundation says the event aims to raise funds for veterans groups, expand educational outreach to school-aged children and offer a place of healing. Its about page describes it as a 501(c)(3) public-benefit organization that receives no direct City, CDBG or taxpayer funding. Of the three events here, the Field of Valor is the most independent of the City's budget. Its volunteer and sponsor sign-ups run through the foundation's own page.

December's tree has a date but no posted hours yet

Under its old City-run name, the December event was the Tree Lighting Ceremony & Candlelight Choir Procession. This year it is the Christmas Market and Tree Lighting, set for Sunday, Dec. 6, with local vendors, seasonal treats, live entertainment and the lighting of the City's Christmas tree in the Plaza. It uses the same boundaries as Treats, along Chapman from Grand to Lemon and Glassell from Almond to Maple, and admission is free.

The organizer's page has not posted a start or end time yet and says more details will come closer to the holidays. The council staff report hints at what is under discussion. It proposed extending vendor sales and activities to 6 p.m., but only if the Chief of Police approves the extension in advance each year. Read the 6 p.m. figure as a proposed condition in a contract, not as published hours. The organizer's page will have the actual schedule.

One more detail in the same report affects December parking. It proposed closing the Grand Street parking lot, Lot No. 1, for the event so it can serve as parking for the Master Chorale. As with Treats, the public lots are not controlled by the organizer, and nonprofits may run some of them as fundraisers.

The one fall outing that runs on the county's schedule

Irvine Regional Park, on the east side, is not part of the City's calendar. OC Parks runs it, and its October rules are already posted. Pumpkin-patch visits on October weekends require reservations. Weekend crowds can close vehicle entry, and OC Parks lists $2 overflow parking at Santiago Canyon College, 8045 E. Chapman Ave., on listed weekends through Saturday, Oct. 31, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. As of Oct. 22, that leaves the weekend of Oct. 24 and 25, and then Halloween Saturday itself, two days after Treats.

Here is where to check for each event before you go. For the Plaza, use Orange Plaza Traditions. For the flag field at Handy Park, use the Community Foundation of Orange. For the park, use OC Parks. The City's own page now mostly points to them.

If the Plaza at Christmas has you thinking about how your own home will look when guests arrive in December, Cindi Karamzadeh can help you see which updates matter most before the holidays. Request a design‑forward market consultation, and we will start with the rooms your guests see first.