Welcome to the Community Link Newsletter

Our weekly newsletter aims to keep residents and businesses connected to us and all that is going on in and throughout the City. You can connect with us and learn more about our community, cultural events and celebrations, and news of interest by reading this newsletter, visiting our website at cityofirvine.org, and following us on our social media channels listed at the bottom of this email. We look forward to connecting with you. 

Get Tickets for City of Irvine Day at UCI Men's Basketball

Join us in cheering on the UCI men's basketball team! 

UC Irvine, in partnership with the City, is hosting City of Irvine Day at the Bren Events Center  Saturday, February 18, at 1 p.m. Watch the UCI men’s basketball team take on UC Davis on a day celebrating the relationship between the City and the university.

Get discounted tickets for both sideline and center-court seating.

Learn about UCI’s clear-bag spectator policies and general information.

New Art Exhibition Highlights Making of the World’s Largest Photograph

View “The Great Picture: Making the World’s Largest Photograph” Sunday, February 19, through Sunday, May 7, at the Great Park Artist Studios.

In 2006, a group of six photographers – known as The Legacy Project – created The Great Picture. Using the world’s largest camera, this group of photographers was able to capture the world’s largest photograph –– measuring three stories high by eleven stories wide (31 ft. by 111 ft.) at the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, now Great Park. 

"The Great Picture: Making the World’s Largest Photograph" highlights a combined sense of the nostalgia and melancholia associated with the station’s closing. This project is a complex and multi-faceted statement about the history of photography, its changing technology in the digital age, and the interchange between process and subject matter in the making of a photograph.

Great Park Artist Studios hours are Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The exhibit and parking are free.

Calling Local Artists!

Apply to become a vendor for Irvine Fine Arts Center’s annual Studio Arts Festival, a one-day shopping event highlighting local artisans and crafters. 

Exhibitors are juried by application, work in a variety of media, and display a high level of expertise in their field. The event is held adjacent to the Irvine Fine Arts Center in Heritage Community Park, and will take place Saturday, June 3, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine.

Outdoor spaces are 10 ft. x 10 ft. with a maximum of two pre-approved exhibitors per space. Exhibitors who would like to share a space should submit one application. Applications are open through March 1.

Learn more and apply. 

Read the Latest Issue of Inside Irvine

The spring issue of Inside Irvine is available online.

Learn about the steps being taken to mitigate climate change; see how the Venta Spur Bridge is connecting Woodbury to the Great Park Neighborhoods; and discover why the City has been recognized as a great place to work for the second year in a row.

Search the Spring Activity Guide for City classes, spring and summer camps, and programs happening this season. Registration for spring classes and activities, as well as summer camps, begins Tuesday, February 15, at yourirvine.org.

Grant Program Launched for Emerging Nonprofits

The City of Irvine has launched a grant program for local emerging nonprofits that provide services and programs to the Irvine community. Potential grantees may be awarded $30,000 to $60,000.

Qualified nonprofit agencies interested in applying for funding are encouraged to attend a technical workshop being held via Zoom on Thursday, February 16, at 2 p.m. RSVPs are required for the workshop.

Applications for the Irvine Recovery Plan – Emerging Nonprofits Grant Program (IRP Grant Program) are available online. Applications are due Thursday, March 16. 

Learn more about the grant program. 

New Year Celebrations

Earlier this month, the Irvine Evergreen Chinese Senior Association held its annual Chinese New Year Celebration at the Lakeview Senior Center. They celebrated the Year of the Rabbit with cultural performances and a luncheon. You can view highlights of the event in the latest Irvine Scene. 

Lunar New Year festivities may be coming to an end, but the celebration is not complete without the Lantern Festival, a traditional festival that falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month and typically occurs in February or March. During the festival, people light lanterns and hang them outside their homes, in temples, and in public spaces.

Visit the City's DEI Spotlight to learn more about this and other observances of our diverse community.