‘Rain or shine, we open at 10 a.m.’: Orange International Street Fair continues

Photograph by Riley LeBlanc, Photographer

Sizzling street food, vibrant live music and stories from every booth brings the community together for one of Orange’s most cherished traditions.

The city of Orange hosted its 51st International Street Fair this past Labor Day weekend, despite the unexpected downpour on the last day of the event. 

Unsure of the weather conditions impact on the fair, Orange Plaza Traditions, an account on Instagram that posts updates for events such as these, posted, “Rain or shine, we open at 10 a.m.” 

Orange’s International Street Fair is an annual nonprofit three-day celebration that draws excitement to the Circle for a celebratory weekend. The event showcases a number of vendors, representing different countries and cultures around the world. 

Photograph by Riley LeBlanc, Photographer.

Nonprofit groups and local high schools volunteer every year to raise money. All the proceeds from these booths go right back to the very groups who volunteer to make this fair happen.

On the board of directors for the fair, Brian Lochrie shared his experience as a volunteer for 25 years. 

“For a lot of the nonprofits that sell the food and drink here, it's their biggest fundraiser of the year,” Lochrie said. “We hope the fair goes well so they can earn money to do their good deeds throughout the community.” 

With every corner of the Circle offering a new food, drink, music set or trinket, it gives all attendees an opportunity to explore something new. 

“Everybody’s got their own niche that they love and support and it allows us to experience that on a small level, especially if you can’t travel the world,” Lochrie said.

The fair highlighted over 14 countries and regions from cannolis in Italy to bratwurst in Germany, to Greece, where Julie Sarran served traditional Greek pastries.

Sarran served handmade baked goods such as baklava and loukoumades all made with her local church, Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Anaheim.

“We come back every year, ever since it started,” Sarran said. 

Sarran and her booth not only raise money at this fair, but also offer a wider variety of their pastries at the annual Orange County Greek Fest. 

“We enjoy being here every time and meeting new people,” Sarran said. “We have had a lot of good feedback over the years.” 

Photograph by Riley LeBlanc, Photographer.

Over 400,000 attendees are calculated to attend annually, not only Orange County locals, but visitors from other states too. 

Ryan Henry, a student at University of Cincinnati in Ohio, was visiting the fair for the very first time. 

“There is so much here and it's cool to see the number of options that they have,” Henry said. “I think it's awesome and it brings more people to Orange”

Henry is interning in Orange County and attended the event on its last day, regardless of the rainy weather. 

“It’s nice to know that the city does this rain or shine,” Henry said. 

This fair has continuously brought back residents, locals and visitors just as excited as the year before. 

“We have so many options to choose from,” Lochrie said. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I don’t think I’ve had everything here yet.” 

From longtime volunteers and nonprofits, to first-time visitors navigating the Circle in the rain, the fair continues to create a community that extends beyond just a weekend. 

“It’s a great way for the community of Orange to come together,” Lochrie said. “To have fun, let loose and have a good time to experience the cultures from various countries throughout the world.”