Best Holiday Celebrations In Los Angeles
The holiday season is upon us again, and for Southlanders, the entertainment and celebration choices run from the traditional to the unconventional. Music, dance, role play and more provide inspiration, invoke nostalgia and draw laughter. These top five best holiday celebrations turn from the commercialized to the meaningful. These family-friendly celebrations bind and bring us all together for the season that reminds us of the most important things in life.
54th Annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
135 N. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 972-0711
www.lacountyarts.org
Date: Dec. 24, 2013, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Los Angeles County brings the holiday tradition to life at the Chandler Pavilion with music and dance. Community choirs representing the diverse cultures of the Southland share and celebrate the rich heritage of another holiday season. This family-centered annual three-hour event has enjoyed wide acclaim in its 54 years. Presented by the County Arts Commission, thousands have enjoyed the likes of Antics Performance, Jung Im Lee Korean Dance Academy, Harmonic Bronze Handbell Ensemble and Tia Carrere. With so many in attendance, this is a celebration that has proven its value as entertainment. Over 10,000 people are expected; early arrivals will gain admission on a first-come, first-served basis (free parking).
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Go Tell It on the Mountain: The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show
Walt Disney Concert Hall
111 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(323) 850-2000
www.laphil.com
Date: Dec. 10, 2013 at 8 p.m.
The Blind Boys of Alabama are a legend. With four Grammy Awards, there is no doubt this group will enthuse all who attend with spiritually oriented popular songs, carols and hymns. The current group members inherited a creative tradition that originated at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in the late 1930s. By the 80s, The Blind Boys of Alabama gained national attention, and to this day its multi-award-winning force of style assures an enduring place with the public. Among the group's awards is the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. It is a step into the deeper meaning of the season.
The Nutcracker with Gustavo Dudamel
Walt Disney Concert Hall
111 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 850-2000
www.laphil.com
Date: Dec. 12-15, 2013
Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel is also director for the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar (Venezuela) and honorary conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony in Gothenburg, Sweden. This December, the famed conductor and the Los Angeles Children's Chorus brings "The Nutcracker" to the Southland again. The original Russian Tchaikovsky classic score combined with several French ballet renditions has made "The Nutcracker" a perennial feature of the holidays. In a dream-like manner, characters, both real and fanciful, bring out meanings and themes of the broad range of the holiday's sentiments. For Americans, a deeper meaning of Christmas ensues with this European gift of creativity.
Spirit of the Season 10
Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
244 S. San Pedro St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 628-2725
www.hiroshimamusic.com
Date: Dec. 14, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.
"Spirit of the Season 10," featuring Terry Steele and Tetsuya Nakamura, is a singing performance done “Hiroshima style,” a full-blown rush to the unconventional. Unsurpassable in originality, Little Tokyo’s premier vocal group is part of the Japanese American Cultural Center’s project for creating a venue for Americans of Japanese decent. The J-Town Beat is a wholly unique form – poignant and powerful – that has stood the test of time. This show puts a new perspective on the holidays.
Farmers Market Holiday Festivities
6333 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 933-9211
www.farmersmarketla.com/events
Date: Dec. 20-24, 2013
The Farmers Market, open morning to night, is the Southland’s go-to place for unique shops selling items from groceries to trinkets and everything in between. More than a tourist destination, the Farmers Market is an often overlooked shopping opportunity for Los Angelinos. The Holiday Festivities event is a chance to get into the holiday spirit, and to get some last-minute gift buying done. The Yuletide festivities range from carolers to variety shows and from music to arts and crafts. And with the role-play and costumes, it is hard to pass up this holiday event.
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