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Pretend City Coming to the Great Park
New ways to play are coming to the Great Park with the addition of Pretend City Children’s Museum.
The museum will bring its outstanding early learning and childhood development programs to the Cultural Terrace as part of the Great Park Framework Plan. When it opens in 2026, Pretend City will benefit from:
- Increased square footage, growing from 13,000 to 40,000 square feet.
- More learning spaces, going from 19 to 33 purposefully designed spaces where children can learn how the real world works by engaging their curiosity and imagination.
- An all-new outdoor space, allowing children to connect with nature.
- The addition of a café, community and gallery spaces, and more.
Learn more about Pretend City’s new location at our Open House Tuesday, May 7, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Great Park's Hangar 244. Talk with representatives from the museum, as well as others who are working to create Your Reimagined Great Park. For details, visit greatparkframework.org.
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 Share your Thoughts about Great Park Pickleball
Are you a pickleball player? Mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 30, at 6 p.m. The City of Irvine is holding an outreach event town hall at Great Park Hangar 244 for the community to provide input on potential pickleball courts at the Great Park.
As concept plans are being considered, guests will be able to provide input on the design, layout, shade, seating, access, circulation, style, size, and more.
Information gathered will be used to shape recommendations and decisions about future park planning at the Great Park. Visit cityofirvine.org/pickleballoutreach for details.
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Armenian Genocide Memorial Site Dedication is April 28
The City of Irvine, in partnership with the Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee, is hosting a site dedication for the future Armenian Genocide Memorial to be located in the Great Park Sunday, April 28, from 2 to 3 p.m.
The City of Irvine is home to a large and active Armenian American community, and the memorial will serve as an abstract or personified concept representing a memorializing of the tragedies of the past, the present thriving community, and the hopeful aspirations for the future.
Please park in Lot 8 Wild Rivers Lot, located at 1000 Great Park Boulevard at Skyhawk. Comfortable shoes are recommended.
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Enjoy Music and Art at the Great Park
Listen to jazz music inspired by art at the Great Park this Saturday, April 20, from 1 to 3 p.m.
In support of Natural Language: Contemporary Book Art, the Great Park Gallery presents a three-part, live jazz music series, Jazz in the Palm Court! Inspired by a diverse range of composers and musicians, this event echoes the cultural diversity represented in Natural Language: Contemporary Book Art, on view at the Great Park Gallery through May 4.
Bring folding chairs and blankets for seating around the Gallery and Palm Court; no advance registration is needed for these free events. For more information, visit yourgreatpark.org/arts.
 Support our Community during National Volunteer Week
National Volunteer Week begins Sunday, April 21. Volunteering is a wonderful way to give back to your community and directly help those in need.
Consider volunteering your time with Irvine's Meals on Wheels program to assist homebound senior residents maintain their independence by providing nutritious, healthy, great-tasting meals delivered to their homes. Drivers are needed to deliver food weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
Learn more about this opportunity on the City's website or visit cityofirvine.org/volunteer for other opportunities to serve your community.
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 Hop on a Free Ride this Earth Day
If you’re looking to do your part on Earth Day to honor our planet, consider riding the bus – for free.
The Orange County Transportation Authority will offer free rides on any fixed route OC Bus on Monday, April 22. No pass will be needed to hop aboard any regular bus route at any time that day. Additionally, you can ride on the Metrolink train for free on this day. No ticket is required.
Learn more at octa.net.
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This Week in DE&I
There are many cultural and religious holidays celebrated and recognized throughout our community this month. Learn about some of the significant dates being observed in Irvine below and on our DE&I calendar.
Passover: April 22-30
Passover, also known as Pesach in Hebrew, is a major Jewish holiday that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. The holiday lasts for seven or eight days.
The Passover story is told in the biblical book of Exodus. According to the story, the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt and God sent Moses to lead them out of slavery and to the promised land. Before leaving Egypt, God inflicted ten plagues on the Egyptians, including the death of all firstborn sons, but passed over the Israelite homes marked with the blood of a lamb.
Earth Day: April 22
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated April 22 that focuses on environmental protection and sustainability. It began in 1970 as a way to raise awareness about the impact of human activities on the environment, and has since become a global movement with millions of people around the world participating in various activities and events.
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