Third annual festival planned for Segerstrom Center for the Arts

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is gearing up for its third annual Off Center Festival.

Between Jan. 23 and Feb. 2, the Costa Mesa venue will present a medley of offbeat performances — music, theater and more — at various parts of its campus.

For the first time, the event will feature a free “POP: Party on the Plaza” at the Arts Plaza on Jan. 24. The evening will have live entertainment by theater troupe Culture Clash and music by Little Willie G. and La Santa Cecilia. Attendees can also take their pick from food trucks and DJs on Jan. 24, 25, 26, 31 and Feb. 1.

According to Center President Terry Dwyer, the festivities’ eclectic lineup creates a “special energy.”

“The best festival performances will present topics that are current and timely, reflect the passions and experiences of the artists and engage and involve the audiences,” he wrote in an email. “We anticipate uniquely personal and oftentimes strong responses from our audiences, and this is the sort of engagement we encourage from both performers and audiences.”

This year’s performers also include two-piece Australian rock band Die Roten Punkte, actor, poet and playwright Edgar Oliver and Gilbert Castellanos and the New Latin Jazz Quintet. The Off Center Lounge in Leatherby’s Cafe Rouge at the arts complex will once again be a spot to interact with artists.

Tickets are $25. They are also available from $15 at https://www.facebook.com/SCFTA.

For more information, visit https://www.scfta.org or call (714) 556-2787.

— Rhea Mahbubani