JULY 19
Beats the Heat
Coldplay goes where no band has gone before. The British alt-rock band plans to jam in weightless conditions aboard a Boeing 727 aircraft wearing outfits based on early Russian cosmonaut suits and record the session on a 1969 analog cassette player. A Coldplay edition of the wildly popular iPhone app Tap Tap Revenge was recently introduced. But the band hasn’t given up on the old-fashioned way of reaching fans: the North American summer tour, which brings the foursome to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in
Irvine. And the accolades keep coming: “Viva la Vida” earned the band three Grammys this year. The title track, released exclusively on iTunes, became the band’s first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and first U.K. No. 1; it set a new record for most-downloaded album ever. Coldplay will give away a live CD, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, to those at the concert. 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, 714.704.2500 Map I11
JUNE 19–21
LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM The Western Division champions face off against their up-the-freeway rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. 2000 E. Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, 888.796.HALO Map I11
June 26–AUG. 30
ART FESTIVALS Art-A-Fair and Sawdust Art Festival are on in Laguna Beach. Laguna’s Festival of Arts runs nearly concurrently, July 5–Aug. 31; its famed Pageant of the Masters, featuring recreated works of art in living tableaux with narration and live orchestra, opens July 8. SPECIAL EVENTS
JULY 4
INDEPENDENCE DAY Fireworks displays take place at Newport Dunes in Newport Beach, Doheny State Beach in Dana Point and over Huntington Beach Pier. Daytime festivities in Huntington Beach include a pancake breakfast, a parade and a 5K race. SPECIAL EVENTS
JULY 10–AUG. 9
ORANGE COUNTY FAIR This year dubbed the “O.C. Super Fair,” the event features a carnival, concerts, livestock competitions, a wine courtyard and Al’s Brain: a 3-D Journey Through the Human Brain with Weird Al Yankovic. Orange County Fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.708.3247 Map K12
JULY 11
BEYONCÉ Beyoncé’s alter ego Sasha Fierce takes stage at the Honda Center in Anaheim, performing songs from the artist’s latest chart-topping album—I Am ... Sasha Fierce. 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, 714.704.2500 Map I11
JULY 18–26
U.S. OPEN OF SURFING More than 500 contestants from 28 countries compete for $200,000 in prizes at the Huntington Beach Pier. There are also skate and bike competitions at the Hurley-sponsored event, ensuring no shortage of extreme drama. Upward of half a million spectators are expected. Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach, 424.653.7900 Map N9
AUG. 11–23
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF The Tony Award–winning musical, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, stars Chaim Topol, the original Tevye, the role that made his career. Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 714.556.2787 Map J13
AUG. 22
PACIFIC SYMPHONY Music director Carl St.Clair marks the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth with Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, with images projected on a screen above the orchestra, as well as other American music and Dvorák’s “New World” Symphony. MUSIC + DANCE
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