The following programs and events are hosted by the City of Costa Mesa. Making services accessible to all residents is a key responsibility of a City, and that includes providing arts and culture engagement.

ARTventure is a community centered juried art show and community arts event created by the Cultural Arts Committee (replaced by the current Arts Commission in 2022) in 2015. Since then, the art exhibition and arts activities have been hosted at various locations around the City of Costa Mesa. Currently, the event takes place at the Norma Hertzog Community Center and Lions Park Lawn.

Art Crawl is a new program initiated by the Arts & Culture Master Plan, approved by City Council in March of 2021.This initiative aims to increase free arts experiences year-round for all. The Costa Mesa Art Crawl shuttles participants to various arts related locations throughout the City. Each experience has a different theme centered around a specific arts discipline (i.e. theater arts, visual arts, music etc.).

 

 

Free Park Performances  is a new program initiated by the Arts & Culture Master Plan. This initiative aims to increase free arts experiences year-round throughout the City for all. Throughout the year, the City will host small, free pop-up performances at various Costa Mesa parks, locations and events.

 

Free at Segerstrom Center Campus is a new program initiated by the Arts & Culture Master Plan. This initiative aims to increase free arts experiences year-round throughout the City for all. Each year, the City of Costa Mesa will offer free tickets to local nonprofit organizations and community members for various shows and performances at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus. Participants are given the option to take a shuttle from City Hall to the venue for each event. 

 

 

Poet Laureate Program is a new program initiated by the Arts & Culture Master Plan. This initiative aims to professionalize and elevate the status of Arts and Culture in City government and to boldly assert Costa Mesa's "City of the Arts" stature and brand, placing Arts & Culture front and center in all that the City does. Every two years, the City will open up a Call For Poets, to apply for a two-year appointment as the Poet Laureate for the City of Costa Mesa.