Photo Essay | Orange International Street Fair

The beloved area known as The Circle is an iconic staple in Orange. Looking for a last-minute birthday gift? Circle. Want to study at a coffee shop? Circle. Don’t want to cook dinner? Circle! 

Perhaps food is the main staple of The Circle that brings Chapman University students and Orange families together. A post-three-hour class chicken and waffle from Bruxie or a mango sherbet at Afters Ice Cream are familiar comfort foods that Circle goers frequent. 

Something that can attest to the livelihood that restaurants and eateries offer to the community is the annual Orange International Street Fair (OISF). According to their website, the city was inspired by the Orange Street Fair of 1910 and decided to make the fair an annual occasion due to its popularity. 

This year’s fair offered a variety of foods, activities and music, among which were homemade tortillas, henna designs and a mariachi band. Photos by LISA WONG, Video and Podcast Editor

Every year since 1973 on Labor Day weekend, vendors and non-profits pack in the area down Glassell Street and from East to West Chapman Avenue. The Circle closes its streets to cars so pedestrians can freely walk the streets.

You can get a taste of German sausage, make a pit stop at a gyro stand and walk a block over to finish off with a mangonada from the Mexico vendors.

New Life Church in Santa Ana set up a taco stand in the Mexico portion of OISF, making homemade tortillas from scratch. 

The streets are packed with families, students and couples on first dates. It’s an exciting affair for all, young and old, tipsy and sober, child or dog. 

Residents say that this year’s weather was considerably cooler compared to previous Labor Day weekend’s hot weather. Still, sweet treats and cool drinks are readily available for those that need a refreshing pick-me-up, like lemonade! 

Mason Meza, a fourth grader at Orange County Educational Arts Academy, enjoys coming to OISF with his friends and family.

Angel Gutierrez is an Orange native that has been coming every year to OISF since 1988. He says that OISF hasn’t changed at all over the years. “If anything, it’s gotten more popular,” Gutierrez said. 

He says that Chapman’s presence is what really impacted its popularity. “The school has grown so much; it’s brought more people and more culture,” he said.

As OISF attendees walk and eat around, local musicians that coincide with the international food stands play. One of the groups that played over the weekend was Rhythmo Mariachi Academy, a nonprofit organization that focuses on teaching cultural art and music to youth of Indian and Hispanic backgrounds. 

OISF is also a place where artisans, small businesses and artists can set up vendors to showcase their work. Yogurt Glamour, a family-run small business, was one of the vendors that sold their skincare and soap products at the OISF. (From left to right: Kevin Del Rio, Solo, and Cindy Del Rio) 

Stephanie Atilano just started this past summer working at Creative Henna Art. It’s her first time at The Fair, and she says it’s been a great experience. “This weekend has been hectic, it’s been crazy, but we love it,” Atilano said.

Creative Henna Art has their own bank of over 2,000 henna designs, but customers can also come in with their own design patterns. 

It’s a year-long process for the International Street Fair Committee to plan each year’s Fair. Throughout the year, community nonprofits ranging from churches, school softball teams and boy scouts reach out to partner with OISF. 

The committee also begins to gather volunteers to help run the event. A majority of the event staff are made up of the Chapman Baseball team, who are able to raise money to use the fields in Hart Park, according to OISF President Adam Feliz. Feliz has been involved with the OISF Committee for 15 years and has been president of the Committee for the past five. “It gives me an opportunity to give back to the community at a large volume,” Feliz told The Panther. “We essentially help 50 nonprofits, so I feel like a little part of their organizations doing this.” 

Other community-oriented and Orange-affiliated booths were also in attendance, including City of Orange Mayor Dan Slater, who has been coming to the fair since his twenties. “This is all about community; it’s all about raising money for the nonprofits,” he said.

Update: This article has been updated to include the photos of Mason Meza and Angel Gutierrez.