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Top Activities To Do This Weekend In Los Angeles - December 9

It's very likely that you have a ton of holiday shopping to get done, and while you want to be festive, there is just so much to do. During this time of year in particular, the city offers fun things to do, see, and experience. While the rest of the country is shoveling snow and salting the sidewalks, Southern Californians just need a hoodie and plan.
Friday, December 9
cocoa-concerts
(Credit: Union Station)

Cocoa Concert Series
Union Station
800 N Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
www.unionstationla.com

Union Station is not only one of the most historic sites throughout the city, it has also now become a popular destination for music and entertainment. Working to get the sunny Southland to embrace a bit of the Christmas cheer, Union Station has established the Cocoa Concert Series. Each Friday throughout the month of December Union Station will transform into a winter wonderland complete with live holiday music and a full-service Cocoa bar manned by ELFtenders. Offering holiday cookie decoration, an ongoing ugly Christmas sweater contest, and performances from the likes of The Grammy-Nominated California FeetWarmers, La Picante, and The Music Companie, the transportation hub will transform into something straight out of a movie. If you're looking for a Friday night out with the entire family set your sights towards downtown.

Saturday, December 10
santa monica pub crawl - verified ramon
(Credit: Spin PR)

Santa Monica Pub Crawl
Pier, Wilshire, Main St. and Promenade Routes
Santa Monica, CA 90404
www.santamonicapubcrawl.com

The holidays are all about giving to charitable causes and for the last seven years the city of Santa Monica has collectively raised over $100,000 to donate to the Westside food bank. The Santa Monica Pub Crawl has become a holiday tradition with in the city at some 30 different bars and eateries have now joined the cause. With an estimated 6000 attendees cruising the streets of Santa Monica from the Promenade to the Pier, from Wilshire to Main, each of the 30 participating destinations are offering food and drink specials with the aim of raising funds to help those in need. In fact, over the last seven years the event has helped generate enough funds to provide nearly a half a million meals to those in need. Santa Monica post some of the cities best food and drink destinations. This pub crawl gives visitors the opportunity to bounce from place to place and enjoy everything the city has to offer in one shot. Leave with a full stomach and a full heart.
 

bishop-briggs-verified
(credit: George Robertson)

KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas
The Forum
3900 W Manchester Blvd.
Inglewood, CA 90305
www.kroq.com

Since 1990, Southern California's alternative radio station KROQ has been hosting an annual holiday bash that has become a time-honored tradition. Having to relocate a few of years ago, the Almost Acoustic Christmas has definitely resettled into their brand-new home at the Fabulous Forum of Inglewood. A fantastic punctuation to round out the calendar year, the roster is always a top-notch assembly of some of music's biggest and brightest. Over the course of two nights (Saturday, December 10 and Sunday December 11), the forum will be rocking with sets from Kings Of Leon, Green Day, Jimmy Eat World, AFI, the chart-topping Bishop Briggs and many others. Visit here for a full lineup. And, while it doesn't happen every year, there is always the chance a special guest might drop in. The event sells out within minutes every December, which should be a full proof indicator of just how hot this ticket is. For tickets, you can look at Stubhub or other online venues to grab a seat for this spectacular show!

Sunday, December 11
wizardofoz1939_ruby_400
(credit: MGM)

Family Flick Series – The Wizard Of Oz
Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
hammer.ucla.edu

A joint project between the UCLA film and television archive and the university's cultural hub in the Hammer Museum, the Family Friendly Flicks series curates family friendly movies from around the world. Like all of the programs that happen at the Hammer, these screenings are presented for free and give visitors the chance to experience classic cinema in a state of the art setting. In addition to the family focused series, the Hammer is also hosting a concurrent series called The Contenders in which The Museum of Modern Art helps to select and screen a compilation of 10 films that were all made in the last year that are likely to stand the test of time. If cinema goes beyond big blockbuster films and popcorn for you, the entire month of December at the Hammer will be of huge interest.
 

lazoolights_jamie_pham
(Credit: Jamie Pham)

Lights At The Zoo
L.A. Zoo
5333 Zoo Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
www.lazoolights.org

While everyone has their holiday themed events happening, few include actual reindeer the way the Lights at the LA Zoo does. Since 2014 the Los Angeles zoo has transformed into a holiday moving to playground that includes thousands of LED lights that make the grounds glow. For these nights throughout the holiday season, guests can take a self-guided 90 minute tour of the main area of the zoo while exploring the enclosures and the animal themed LEDs, lasers and 3-D projections. But, what holiday celebration would be complete without a photo opportunity with good old Saint Nick himself. The zoo has also developed interactive photo ops that include a blacklight party the LAIR reptile house and a dynamic water show complete with engaging animations. Hot cocoa and holiday munchies will also be available to keep you sugared up for the night. Here's your chance to explore the zoo after the sun has gone down.

Article by Ramon Gonzales.
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