Explore Orange

03/05/2025

📣Attention Food and Cottage Food Vendors📣

Following revisions to the State of Texas Health and Safety Code, Orange County has updated its requirements for all temporary food and cottage food vendors.

To be eligible to participate in future Explore Orange events, all food vendors must attend a mandatory meeting to ensure compliance with updated state and county health codes. We also encourage all cottage food vendors to attend before the event to ensure you have all the required information. Vendors may attend any one of the meetings listed below:

• Monday, January 13th at 3:00 pm
• Thursday, February 6th at 3:00 pm
• Thursday, March 6th at 3:00 pm
• Thursday, March 27th at 3:00 pm
• Thursday, June 5th at 3:00 pm
• Monday, June 30th at 3:00 pm
• Thursday, September 25th at 3:00
• Thursday, November 20th at 3:00

Food vendors are required to attend one of these meetings before participating in an Explore Orange event. Meetings will be held at the Neighborhood Facility Building Meeting Room, located at 303 N. 8th Street.

🚨Please note: attendance is mandatory to be considered for eligibility, but does not ensure selection for any specific event.🚨

For more information, contact James Scales with the Orange County Environment & Health Code Compliance Department by email at [email protected], by phone at 409-745-1463, or visit the website: https://www.co.orange.tx.us/departments/EnvironmentalHealthCodeCompliance/FoodService

03/04/2025

🟣🟢🟡Happy Mardi Gras, y’all!🟡🟢🟣

It may have rained on the parade, but the Mardi Gras tradition continued with the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce Krewe of Krewes parade as it rolled through the streets of downtown Orange! Floats decked out in Mardi Gras décor tossed beads to all the parade-goers that lined the streets! Revelers donned their best purple, green, and gold and enjoyed some good old-fashioned fun in this celebration of community, culture, and tradition.

Laissez les bons temps rouler! – Let the good times roll!
🟣⚜️🟢⚜️🟡⚜️🟣⚜️🟢⚜️🟡⚜️🟣⚜️🟢⚜️🟡

Photography credit: Shot by Austyn

03/03/2025

The City of Orange offers a variety of opportunities for citizens to give back to the community and help positively impact the future of the City by serving on a board or commission. The City of Orange periodically has openings for the following boards and commissions:

• Board of Adjustment
• Citizens Advisory Committee
• Civil Service Commission
• Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board
• Economic Development Corporation
• Historic Preservation Commission
• Housing Authority Board
• Library Advisory Board
• Planning and Zoning Commission

Those who wish to apply for an opportunity to serve on a board or commission are required to submit an application for consideration at the following link: https://orangetexas.gov/FormCenter/Boards-Commissions-9/Boards-and-Commissions-Application-53

An application may also be requested by contacting the City Secretary at 409-883-1042.

03/02/2025

02/26/2025

📣Market vendor registration for Art in the Park is now open!📣

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 5, 2025 for the 23rd Annual Art in the Park & 6th Annual Car Show at Stark Park in Downtown Orange! Market vendors can apply in person at the Explore Orange CVB office in City Hall at 812 N 16th Street, or request an application by emailing CVB Event Coordinator, Brandy, at [email protected].

02/26/2025

🎉 We Need Your Feedback! 🎉

Love our city events? Have ideas to make them even better? Take our anonymous survey and help us plan events that YOU want to see!

Why does your feedback matter? Because these events are for you, your family, and visiting friends! Together, we can make them even better.

Take the survey here: https://forms.office.com/r/2JQJfS1RG5

Share your thoughts today! 🎶🍔🎨

02/25/2025

On Tuesday, March 11th, join Golden Triangle Polymers Company for GTP Night at the Orange Youth Baseball Softball/ OYBS fields! From 5:00 – 8:00 pm, enjoy free hot dogs, free ice cream, and some cool one-of-a-kind giveaways! This event is free and open to the public. ⚾️🌭🍦

02/25/2025

MOMIX's 'Alice' dances into the Lutcher Theater!

The Lutcher Theater is thrilled to present MOMIX’s "Alice" on Friday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. This dance production, created by the visionary choreographer Moses Pendleton, takes audiences on a surreal journey through Lewis Carroll’s "Alice in Wonderland." With a seamless blend of illusion, acrobatics, magic, and whimsy, "Alice" brings the beloved classic to life in a way that only MOMIX can.

Known internationally for presenting works of astounding inventiveness and physical beauty, MOMIX is a company of dancer-illusionists founded and directed by Pendleton. Each production focuses not only on the beauty of the human form, but also the beauty of nature, music, scenography and life itself. Pendleton combines his muscularly sculpted dancers with unique costumes and props, sets them amongst artfully created lighting and light effects, and finally completes everything with a personally selected diverse musical score, ranging from Vivaldi to New Age to birdsong.

“I don’t intend to retell the whole Alice story, but to use it as a taking-off point for invention,” said Pendleton. "I want to take this show into places we haven’t been before in terms of the fusion of dancing, lighting, music, costumes and projected imagery. Audiences will be taken on a journey that is both magical, mysterious, fun, eccentric and much more."

Prepare to be mesmerized as Alice encounters an array of time-honored characters, including the undulating Caterpillar, a lobster quadrille, frenzied White Rabbits, a mad Queen of Hearts and a host of other surprises. Filled with visual splendor and startling creative movement, "Alice" proves that nothing in MOMIX’s world is ever as it seems.

“This production is a masterful combination of storytelling and movement that is a creative take on storytelling through dance,” said Lynae Sanford, executive director of the Lutcher Theater. “We are pleased to bring such a visually stunning performance to our stage.”

Tickets for MOMIX "Alice" range in price from $35 to $75 and are available at lutcher.org or by calling the Lutcher Theater Box Office at 409.886.5535.

02/24/2025

Soak up some fun in the sun as the DSRA Boat Races return to Orange, TX! ☀️🚤🌊😎

Rev up your engines on March 15th – 16th, when Explore Orange and Deep South Racing Association (DSRA) host the DSRA Boat Races at the Riverside Pavilion and City of Orange Boat Ramp on the Sabine River!

Fuel your need for speed as drag boat racers exhibit their skills in a series of adrenaline-pumping races to the finish line! Get your motor running with delicious treats from a variety of food vendors while the kids enjoy activities offered throughout the day!

🏁Schedule of Events:🏁
🚤Saturday, March 15th
• Gates: 10:00 am: DSRA Boat Races, food vendors, and kid activities

🚤Sunday, March 16th
•Gates: 10:00 am: DSRA Boat Races and food vendors

Admission is ✨FREE✨! Please note, no dogs or pets will be allowed at the Riverside Pavilion. For more information, please call the Explore Orange Convention and Visitors Bureau at 409-883-1011.

02/22/2025

It's Mardi Gras, y'all!

The tradition continues today, Saturday, February 22nd at 6:00 pm with the annual Krewe of Krewes Parade, hosted by the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce. Wind your way through downtown Orange as floats decked out in Mardi Gras decor toss beads, trinkets, and Mardi Gras throws!

The Krewe of Krewes parade will begin on Front Avenue and 1st Street, turn left on 5th Street, turn right on W. Division Street, turn right on 10th Street, and turn right on Green Avenue.

Laissez les bons temps rouler! – Let the good times roll!

02/20/2025

UPDATE: Mardi Gras on the Sabine

Due to weather, all Explore Orange events scheduled for Friday, February 21st at the Riverside Pavilion have been CANCELLED, including the Munchkin Parade.

The Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce Krewe of Krewes parade will still roll at 6:00 pm on Saturday, February 22nd through downtown Orange! The Krewe of Krewes parade will begin on Front Avenue and 1st Street, turn left on 5th Street, turn right on W. Division Street, turn right on 10th Street, and turn right on Green Avenue.

For additional information concerning the Mardi Gras festivities, please call the Explore Orange Convention and Visitors Bureau at 409-883-1011 or the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce at 409-883-3536.

02/20/2025

Join VFW Post 2775 for the Spring Extravaganza Craft Market!

Come by the VFW on Saturday, March 8th from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and enjoy a day filled with live music from Larry Tillery, shopping from 80+ vendors, bounce houses, a petting zoo, delicious food provided by the Auxiliary Group, and much more! VFW Post 2775 - Orange TX - All American Post is located at 5303 N. 16th Street (Hwy 87) in Orange.

For more information, contact the event host at [email protected].

02/20/2025

Due to the cold weather, United Way of Orange County and Dow Sabine River Operations have postponed Together Thursdays originally scheduled for this evening. Follow their social media pages to stay in the loop on the reschedule date!

02/19/2025

Explore Orange is hosting the Munchkin Parade during the Mardi Gras on the Sabine weekend!

Bring your Mardi Gras Munchkins to the Riverside Pavilion for the parade on Friday, February 21st at 6:30 pm! View the guidelines and register for the Munchkin Parade here: https://orangetexas.gov/FormCenter/Convention-Visitors-Bureau-7/Munchkin-Parade-Registration-2025-70

For more information, contact Explore Orange at 409-883-1011.