Culture OC Chronicles a Busy Year
- Paul Hodgins
- 12 hours ago
- 3 min read
We covered newsworthy stories, profiled fascinating artists and shared unjustly overlooked culture throughout O.C.
Dramatic changes, unexpected news stories and world-class art were all woven into Orange County’s cultural scene in 2025, and Culture OC gamely covered it all, thanks to the generosity and support of our readers. Here are some of the major events, interesting topics, great performances and prominent artists we covered in 2025. Also included in this impressive list are stories that resonated with readers and were widely shared.
I’m justly proud of our writers, editors and photographers and the exemplary work they’ve done in 2025. If you feel the same way, we hope you'll show your appreciation with a generous donation to Culture OC. – Paul Hodgins, Publisher
Jan. 6: Anne Valdespino looks at five outstanding restaurants at San Juan Capistrano’s new River Street Marketplace.
Jan. 10: Anne Marie Panoringan outlines how people can work with local chefs to contribute to the fire relief efforts in Los Angeles.
Jan. 22: Rachel Mendiola profiles five independent bookstores in Orange County.
Jan. 27: Eric Marchese writes about an Orange County opera making its debut at Carnegie Hall.
Feb. 7: Joel Beers talks to South Coast Repertory’s leaders about the catastrophic damage wrought by a major rainstorm.
Feb. 19: Richard Stein steps down as the longtime leader of Arts Orange County.
Feb. 24: Segerstrom Center for the Arts announces the appointment of Limor Tomer as new VP of programming.
Feb. 24: Lola Olvera writes about O.C.’s first-ever Black literary salon.
March 16: We cover the 12th annual Artist of the Year awards, starting with a story about the nominees.
March 24: Culture OC expands its donor levels to include Publishers, recognizing donors giving $5,000 and above annually.
April 16: Orange County Museum of Art CEO and director Heidi Zuckermann announces she is leaving.
April 23: Eric Marchese profiles the Orchestra Collective of Orange County, and smaller but vibrant orchestra going strong in our community.
May 2: Music critic Tim Mangan delivers the first of several positive reviews of the Pacific Symphony under its new music director, Alexander Shelley.
May 19: NEA grants are rescinded by the Trump administration, affecting several local groups.
May 20: Local arts leader and former Arts Orange County head Richard Stein is appointed to the California Arts Council.
May 21: Alex Chan describes the stories of survival brought to audiences by Violins of Hope.
May 26: Ivy Dai digs into the Dubai chocolate trend.
June 10: A stunning announcement about UC Irvine’s takeover of the troubled O.C. Museum of Art.
June 23: Culture OC celebrates an impressive journalism award with PBS SoCal.
July 25: Joel Beers looks at the makeover of Fullerton’s historic Fox Theatre.
Aug. 8: The OC Theatre Guild officially joins Culture OC as a Community Media Partner.
Aug. 14: Our team mourned the passing of one of our original contributors, the talented Lawrence Christon.
Aug. 18: Olvera covers the entertaining and unpredictable OC Poetry Slam.
Sept. 23: Richard Chang profiles a rising movie and TV star, Orange County-raised Reina Hardesty.
Oct. 1: Kaitlin Wright profiles a new sculpture on loan for a year at the Segerstrom Center.
Oct. 13: Beers posted the first story of his comprehensive series examining Orange County’s Metrolink train stations, all of them overlooked cultural landmarks. It will extend into 2026.
Nov. 7: Our new restaurant critic Edwin Goei introduces readers to a restaurant that combines Italian and Japanese cuisine.
Nov. 12: Valdespino delivers a candid interview with Venezuelan pianist and improviser Gabriela Montero.
Nov. 26: Food columnist Panoringan weighs in with her choices for the top local fried-chicken restaurants.
Dec. 8: Local musicians play for cats and dogs to soothe the savage beast.
Dec. 13: South Coast Repertory announces a new production of “A Christmas Carol,” to be written by Pulitzer-nominated playwright and SCR favorite Amy Freed.
