TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Jarad Hildenbrand, City Manager
FROM: Leslie Hardy, Community and Library Services Director
1. Subject
title
Agreements with the Orange International Street Fair, Inc. to produce the annual Orange Street Fair, Treats in the Streets, and Christmas Market and Tree Lighting Ceremony Events
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2. Summary
The City of Orange has worked with the Orange International Street Fair, Inc. to produce the annual Orange Street Fair for several decades, and more recently has also worked with them to produce the Treats in the Streets and Christmas Market and Tree Lighting Ceremony. Annually, Orange International Street Fair will provide updates on the prior year’s programs and staff coordinates administrative updates to applicable program agreements as needed.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Receive and file a report from the Orange International Street Fair, Inc. regarding the 2025 Orange Street Fair, Treats in the Streets, and the Christmas Market and Tree Lighting Ceremony.
2. Provide direction regarding administrative updates to the agreements with Orange International Street Fair for production of the Orange Street Fair, Treats in the Streets, and the Christmas Market and Tree Lighting Ceremony.
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4. Fiscal Impact
None.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 3: Enhance Public Communication Strategy and Quality of Life
6. Discussion and Background
The Orange International Street Fair (Street Fair) is an annual event produced by the Orange International Street Fair, Inc. (OISF), and held in the Old Towne Orange Plaza (Plaza) area over Labor Day weekend. This popular event draws hundreds of thousands of visitors over the three-day period requiring months of planning and coordination. Per the agreement, OISF reimburses the City for costs and expenses incurred to produce the event, which is primarily staff time.
In addition to being a popular community event, Street Fair is also a fundraising opportunity for local nonprofits. All food and beverage booths are operated by nonprofits, with priority given to Orange-based groups. The production of this event and the responsibilities of the City and OISF are governed by a mutual agreement which was approved in 2025, and is active through 2030 with extension options through 2032.
OISF also has an agreement with the City (since 2025) to produce the annal Treats in the Streets (Treats) event and Christmas Market and Tree Lighting Ceremony (Tree Lighting) that had previously been produced by the City (known as the Tree Lighting Ceremony & Candlelight Choir Procession event). This agreement has a similar structure and scope to the Street Fair event production, wherein OISF produces the events and City is reimbursed for actual costs borne in support of the events. The terms for this agreement are active through 2028 for Treats and 2026 for Tree Lighting.
At least annually, City staff reviews requests for updates to the agreement(s) based upon feedback from OISF. While both agreements specifically authorize the City Manager to execute amendments, staff are providing a summarized listing of requested modifications to the agreements for more substantive items. Proposed modifications to the agreements include:
• Updating the currently listed entity name for OISF from “Orange International Street Fair, Inc.” to “Orange Plaza Traditions, Inc.” to reflect OISF’s updated Articles of Incorporation Corporation name and 501(c)(3) status (for both agreements).
• Extension for an additional two occurrences of the Tree Lighting Ceremony for dates in 2027 and 2028.
• Extension of all vendor sales and activities to 6:00p.m. for the Tree Lighting Ceremony event, providing that the Chief of Police determines this extension is allowable annually in advance of the event.
• Including the “Grand Street” parking lot (Lot #1) as part of the approved public parking lots to be closed for the Tree Lighting Ceremony event for the purposes of supporting parking for the Master Chorale.
Additional administrative edits to the agreement and operational approvals for OISF requests will be incorporated alongside any of the changes listed above, should the listed items be approved via Council’s direction.
Lastly, per the most recent agreement, a representative from OISF shall provide a summary report to the City Council regarding the Street Fair held the previous year. As the City Council reviews the new agreement, OISF President, Adam Feliz, has prepared a presentation on the 2025 Street Fair for the City Council’s consideration. A brief update on the 2025 Treats in the Streets and Christmas Market and Tree Lighting Ceremony events will also be provided.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• None