COMMUNITY
Irvine Barclay Theatre celebrates 35th season
After 5,000 performances with 3 million attendees, milestone is marked
Kathy Hong-Lee of Irvine visits the Philharmonic Society of Orange County’s booth with her kids, Parker Lee, 3, and his sister, Paige Lee, 5, on Sunday, as Irvine Barclay Theatre celebrates its 35th season with a Barclay Block Party. The theater has hosted more than 5,000 events. Photos by Steven Georges
Orion Aranda, 7, of Mission Viejo, gets his hands on a French horn at the Philharmonic Society of Orange County booth on Sunday, as Irvine Barclay Theatre celebrates its 35th season with a Barclay Block Party.
Puppeteer Laurie Branham makes Cali Pradd, 10, of Irvine, laugh at the start of a puppet show, part of Irvine Barclay Theatre’s celebration of its 35th season that included a Barclay Block Party.
The Lollipop Guild, from “The Wizard of Oz,” dances during a puppet show held as part of Irvine Barclay Theatre’s celebration of its 35th season on Sunday.
Image
The Irvine Barclay Theatre opened its doors in 1990, welcoming an impressive array of artists and guests to its stage in the 35 years since.
On Saturday, it welcomed the community for a free “block party” celebration of its milestone anniversary.
The construction of The Barclay was a community effort, after all, with the city contributing more than $11 million, UC Irvine providing the location on Campus Drive and funding help and millions more raised from private sources.
The 756-seat theater has hosted more than 5,000 events and more than 3 million audience members.
The Barclay’s 2025–26 season is underway and it has a slate of holiday performances starting in November. Find out more at thebarclay.org.
PREVIOUS ARTICLE
