September brings a variety of events to Irvine, with options for entertainment, cultural celebration, and community engagement throughout the month. From professional sports and live music to art exhibitions and festivals, multiple venues across the city will host public gatherings.
The Orange County Soccer Club will play three late-season home matches at Championship Stadium, all beginning at 7 p.m. on their respective dates. The club faces Sacramento Republic FC on September 5 for a Labor Day Beer Fest theme night. On September 12, the California Classic Night will feature a match against Las Vegas Lights FC. The final home game of the month, on September 26, is Owners Night + Uncorked, where the team will play Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Two community festivals are scheduled at Great Park. Fiesta Latina en Irvine, a free festival on September 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The event showcases lotería games, calavera makeup demonstrations, traditional dance, and live music. It also features art displays, educational exhibits, and craft activities. Later in the month, Irvine’s sixth annual Mid-Autumn Festival will take place on September 25, from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., also at Great Park. This free evening celebration focuses on East and Southeast Asian harvest traditions and will include live cultural performances, lantern displays, and hands-on craft stations under the full moon.
The Irvine Barclay Theatre will present several performing arts events. Ballets Jazz Montréal will bring an homage to poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen to the stage with their production, "Dance Me," on September 24 at 8 p.m. This performance features original choreography set to Cohen's classic works, including “Hallelujah,” “Dance Me to the End of Love,” and “Everybody Knows.” Earlier in the month, on September 16 at 8 p.m., The Barclay Jazz & Beyond Orchestra will present a "Battle of the Bands." Drawing inspiration from the Swing Era band battles of the 1930s and ’40s, the orchestra will divide into rival ensembles for a head-to-head performance. On September 27 at 5 p.m., the theatre will host "Behind the Lines," a fusion of music, theater, and storytelling. Created by jazz trumpeter Dominick Farinacci and combat veteran Jaymes Poling, this production examines the human impact of the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath, featuring firsthand accounts from Poling and FDNY firefighter Bill Spade.
Great Park Live will host Total Vibez Live, a 2000s R&B festival, on September 12 from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. The event will feature R&B hits performed by Keyshia Cole, Mario, and Pretty Ricky, offering an evening of defining-era tracks, throwback culture, and food vendors.
For stand-up comedy, Ryan Hamilton is scheduled to perform at the Irvine Improv from September 10-12. Hamilton, recognized as one of Rolling Stone’s Five Comics to Watch, is known for his observational humor and has appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and in his Netflix special “This Just Hit Me.”
Irvine Valley College’s new art gallery will host its inaugural curated exhibition, “E Hele Mai, Grounded Elsewhere, Rooted Here.” This exhibition, focusing on Hawaiian art, will feature contemporary ceramics, paintings, photography, and mixed-media installations, and will be on display through October 1.
Hoag Hospital Irvine will hold a grand opening for its new Sun Family Campus with a free event called World of Wonder on September 19 and 20. Located at 16200 Sand Canyon Avenue, the event will include hospital tours, immersive glowing tunnels, light sculptures, and hands-on discovery stations for visitors.
Residents have numerous opportunities to engage with arts, culture, sports, and community gatherings across Irvine throughout September.
