By Caden Zamastil
Every year, Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation (TOCA) hosts TOCApalooza, a free, one-day celebration of the arts. This year, the event will take place Saturday, June 21 at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center. It will feature live music, various food carts, free taiko drumming lessons and a wide range of performances, vendors and art exhibitions.
According to TOCA Treasurer Heidi Cunningham, this year’s TOCApalooza will be particularly meaningful.
“We’re celebrating our 30th anniversary for Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation, or TOCA, as we like to call it,” Cunningham said. “So that’s really one of the special things. And we’re here in California — we’re celebrating great weather and getting a community together.”
Cunningham said she is especially excited about the vendors selling handmade items. This year, TOCA will provide the opportunity for youth vendors to sell their wares for the first time at the festival. According to Cunningham, this may be an ongoing feature of TOCApalooza.
“I had a mother call to say, ‘I have these two little girls who are just so entrepreneurial — is it possible that we could be a part of this?’” Cunningham said. “She and I talked, and she happened to know another family that wanted to do it, too. They’re all from six to nine years old, so that’s very fun. And if we can make this work, this might be something we do next year.”
Another fun opportunity for children at the event will be a site-wide treasure hunt featuring a map to follow, according to Cunningham.
Christian Wolf, executive director of TOCA, said attendees will have a host of performances to enjoy across multiple theaters.
“In the small [George] Nakano Theater, we have the magic of Christopher Hart, who is an international magician,” Wolf said. “He was also ‘Thing’ in the Addams Family movies. We have a lot of solo singers — everything from opera to originals to blues. And then in the [James R.] Armstrong Theater we have a special guest, Jump LA, which is a performing jump rope group.
According to Wolf, there will be a particularly wide range of dance productions at TOCApalooza.
“We have performances from Angels Lyrics Opera, The Aerospace Players and AI Vibration — dance ranging from ballet to hip-hop,” Wolf said. “I challenge anyone to say they won’t find something they want to see.”
Both Wolf and Cunningham emphasized the amount of care and preparation involved in organizing TOCApalooza. According to Wolf, planning for the following year begins just two days after the festival.
“It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears from the board and community partners who believe in what we’re doing,” Wolf said. “We just try to make it a fun process — it takes heart from the board to make it happen.”
TOCApalooza encourages community members to volunteer, Cunningham said. Those interested can expect to aid staff by ushering for performances, helping with arts and crafts, assisting vendors, refilling ice buckets, distributing beverages, selling concessions, and more.
“All we need are willing people with a positive attitude and flexibility,” Cunningham said. “We pride ourselves on taking good care of our volunteers, so they’ll have a good time.”
Above all, Wolf and Cunningham expressed their excitement about bringing the community together for a day of fun and appreciation for the arts.
“Like Heidi said, it’s a great community event for everybody, and it’s just incredible,” Wolf said. “And you know what? You can’t beat it — it’s free. It’s a great day for free.”