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All is Bright as the City of Irvine Celebrates the Holiday Season
The City of Irvine invites the community to celebrate the holiday season with three signature events opening Saturday, December 7, at the Great Park. This year’s festivities include Illuminate Irvine and Holidayz at the Park, and the seasonal Holiday Market hosted by the Irvine Fine Arts Center. The evening includes the lighting of the Holiday Tree and the Great Park Palm Court Arts Complex, which will brilliantly sparkle and shimmer — radiating the joy of the season.
Illuminate Irvine | December 7, 3–8 p.m.
Illuminate Irvine offers an enchanting evening at the Palm Court Arts Complex with live, holiday music and activities designed for guests of all ages that are sure to inspire festive cheer. The highlight of the evening will be the dazzling lighting ceremony of the Holiday Tree and Palm Court Arts Complex, adorned with thousands of radiant, glistening lights. Guests are also encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped gift suitable for infants or children up to age 12 in support of the Irvine 2/11 Marine Adoption Committee Holiday Toy Drive.
Holiday Market | December 7, 3–8 p.m. & December 8, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
This two-day market in Hangar 244 at the Great Park showcases a carefully curated selection of skilled vendors and artisans featuring one-of-a-kind treasures perfect for the gift-giving season. These handcrafted products encompass a wide range of artistic creations, from exquisite jewelry and intricate ceramics to captivating folk crafts, fine woodwork, and more.
Holidayz at the Park | December 7–29
Guests can step into a winterscape as the Great Park is adorned with sparkling light displays that twinkle and shimmer throughout the Palm Court Arts Complex. This captivating setting offers the perfect backdrop for a leisurely evening stroll or snapping family photos. Holidayz at the Park is open Fridays, 5-9 p.m. and weekends 1-8 p.m.
Celebrate the spirit of togetherness, goodwill, and the wonder of the season as a community, creating new memories and sharing in the joy of the holidays.
Parking and admission are free at all holiday events. The Great Park is located at 8000 Great Park Blvd. in Irvine. Visit cityofirvine.org/holidayz for a list of all activities. For more information, call 949-724-6600.
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City Offices Closed in Observance of Thanksgiving
City of Irvine offices, aquatics facilities, and community centers will be closed in observance of Thanksgiving Day Thursday, November 28, and Friday, November 29. Additional facility information and/or modified hours, as well as street sweeping and trash collection schedule modifications can be found on our website.
We wish everyone a restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.
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The City’s First Electric Street Sweeper is Unveiled
A 2024 Dulevo D-Zero Plus sweeper known as "Evie" will keep Irvine clean and maintained, while preserving the environment. Evie's all-electric-engine reaches top speeds of 20 mph, making it well-suited to maintain Irvine's trails, bikeways, and parking lots.
The electric street sweeper helps the City achieve its ambitious emissions reduction goals outlined in its Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
Learn more about "Evie" at cityofirvine.org/evstreetsweeper.
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Clean California Survey
The City of Irvine is committed to becoming designated as a Clean California Community. Please take a moment to share your feedback about the cleanliness of Irvine and needed areas of improvement in our Clean California Survey.
The survey is available in English, Arabic, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Responses will be collected through the end of 2024.
Take the survey at cityofirvine.org/cleancaliforniasurvey.
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Leftovers, Not Landfills: Food Recycling Is Easy During the Holidays
Don’t let your leftovers “go cold” on helping the planet — it’s time to carve out bad habits and recycle food scraps the right way!
- “Stuff” your green bin with fruit peels, veggie scraps, and turkey bones. Fun fact: Americans waste an estimated 305 million pounds of food every Thanksgiving — that’s about 1 pound per person!
- “Mash” up waste guilt by composting leftovers and skipping single-use plastics.
- “Carve out” time to brush up on recycling rules at cityofirvine.org/recycle.
Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, waste generation jumps 25%! Let’s make the season more sustainable together. Don’t wing it — just bin it!
For more tips on eco-friendly habits, visit cityofirvine.org/ep.
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Art at City Hall
Exhibition: December 13–March 21
Opening Reception: December 17, 2–4 p.m. at Irvine City Hall
For the last 40 years, artist Minna Chow has been living and working in Irvine, creating brush paintings in the traditional Chinese style, one of the oldest artistic traditions in the world. Chow was first introduced to the technique by her mother, eventually majoring in Chinese Language and Literature, allowing her to learn different calligraphy and Chinese brush painting styles.
City Hall is open to the public 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Monday–Thursday and 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Friday. The exhibit, parking, and opening reception are free and open to the public.
Visit our website for more information.
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Annual Toy Drive
The City of Irvine and the Irvine 2/11 Marine Adoption Committee invite the community to participate in the annual Holiday Toy Drive by donating new, unwrapped gifts suitable for infants or children ages 12 and younger. The annual donation drive helps brighten the holiday season for families of Irvine’s adopted 2/11 Marine Battalion.
Drop-off boxes will be located in the lobbies of each location below, November 1–December 14, during the following hours:
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Irvine City Hall and Irvine Police Department
1 Civic Center Plaza
8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday
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Great Park Visitors Center
8000 Great Park Blvd.
10 a.m.–8 p.m., Daily
Two Drive-Thru Drop-Off events will be held at Irvine Civic Center, located at 1 Civic Center Plaza, on Sunday, December 8, and Saturday, December 14, from 9 a.m. to noon.
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DE&I
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.
Native American Heritage Day: November 29
National Native American Heritage Day is observed November 29. Native Americans are accorded special honor on this day, and their rich cultures, accomplishments, contributions, and heritage are celebrated. It is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of native tribes in Orange County and indigenous people worldwide.
The original inhabitants of Orange County and the surrounding areas are the Gabrieleño (or Gabrielino) Indians and the Juaneño Indians. The Gabrieleño were given this name by the Spanish, because they were named after the San Gabriel Mission, but they call themselves Tongva. The Juaneño, named by the Spanish after the San Juan Capistrano Mission, call themselves Acjachemen.
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Upcoming Meetings & Events
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Road Construction and Capital Improvement Projects
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