Harvey Milk would have been 81 this May 22nd. In honor of the slain San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Governor Jerry Brown has declared his birthday "Harvey Milk Day" in California. "I call on all Californians to observe the 81st anniversary of Harvey Milk’s birth with appropriate ceremonies and activities," said Brown in his declaration. more ›

There are TWO news items today in the world of Jews and Hockey. First, the Los Angeles Kings on the heels of Armenian Pride Night, Asian Pride Night, Canadian Pride Night, Czech and Slovak Pride Night, Native American Pride Night and Russian Pride Night, are scheduled to hold Jewish Pride Night at the Staples Center game this evening against the San Jose Sharks. more ›

For many Angelenos, today is being celebrated as Epiphany, or Three Kings Day (yep, those three kings), which is also known as the 12th, and last, day of Christmas. The observant may participate in gift-giving, attend services, and eat Kings' Cake; many mark the day by taking down the last vestiges of decoration from Christmas. To see how Epiphany is celebrated around the world, the Huffington Post has an image gallery. If you feel like getting in the kitchen and trying your hand at some baking, the LA Times Food Section has a recipe for Rosca de reyes (Kings' Cake). more ›

This colorful altar was spotted and snapped yesterday at the Day of the Dead art opening at Self Help Graphics in East L.A. more ›

Bob Hope Airport in Burbank is celebrating its 80th birthday today, an occasion that will be marked with "government officials, civic and business leaders as well as hundreds of airport employees taking part in ceremonies," according to the Star-News. The domestic-service airport began in 1930 as United Airport, and is typically referred to as Burbank. Named for nearby Toluca Lake resident Bob Hope in 2003, Hope's descendants are pushing to keep the legendary funnyman and USO performer's legacy vibrant through the airport's name. Signs directing people to the airport are being changed to boast Hope's name, and biographical information will be added to displays in the airport that already tell the storied tale of the airport. Happy 80th, Bob Hope Airport! more ›

Pink's Hot Dogs were on hand over the weekend to participate in one of the local celebrations of Harvey Milk Day. At The Milk Party at Madame Tussauds in Hollywood, the longtime local hot dog-seller made use of their cherished foodstuffs to show their support for the slain San Francisco civic leader who refused to let his sexuality keep him from making a difference in his community. more ›

Today the LA Lakers will be meeting President Obama at the White House in honor of their last season NBA championship win, according to the Daily News. Heading to the nation's capital is the team, along with Coach Phil Jackson and Hall-of-Famer Magic Johnson, all of whom will join President Obama for a ceremony in the White House's Palm Room. more ›

With Hanukkah and Christmas 2009 now behind us, another major December holiday begins today: Kwanzaa. more ›

This Saturday evening was the 10th annual Dia de Los Muertos event held at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The celebration, with roots deep in Aztec and Mexican tradition, is a 9-day-long festival honoring the lives of the departed through decoration, the erection of colorful shrines, dance, costume, and processionals. more ›

Sanrio's adorable and iconic Hello Kitty is celebrating her 35th birthday, and as part of the worldwide party, Three Apples has opened up at Royal/T where the Los Angeles festivities are underway. Today happens to be "Super Fan Day" with hour after hour of Hello Kitty events for the enthused or HK-curious. more ›

The 2009 Latino Heritage Month Celebration got off to a rousing start yesterday at City Hall as the annual event began with a ceremony that included food, music, dancing, and the presentation of awards to local legends. more ›

Mr. Brainwash, aka MBW, is no stranger to Madonna (remember his Optical illusion mural of Britney and Madonna kissing?). Now one of his ubiquitous street poster works of the pop singer has been chosen as the album cover art for her "Celebration" album, due out on September 29th. more ›

So the City of Los Angeles is going to put their hands deep into the Piggy Bank to pull out the cash needed to foot the bill for Tuesday's public memorial service for Michael Jackson at Staples Center. That means shutting down the streets around LA Live's Downtown "campus" and lots of bucks to pay LAPD officers to serve as security to police the anticipated throngs of crowds. And don't bother showing up if you aren't on the list: "Officials said that there would be no funeral procession and that no one would be allowed inside a large area around Staples unless they had a ticket and a wristband, a media credential or could prove they live or work there," notes the LA Times. more ›

What's that saying? You can't swing a dead cat without (in today's case) hitting some sort of 4th of July celebration. Yeah, that's pretty much how it is. If you are looking for something to do, there are a few events you might want to look into, or, grab your loved ones and head out to where the fireworks are legit. more ›

View 4th of July 2009: Fireworks in a larger map more ›

This weekend marked the 39th year for L.A. Pride, which for many was one of the more positive years, considering the climate due to the current status of Prop 8. It may have been one of the largest with more than 100,000 people attending. more ›

If you were in the Southpark area of downtown last night, it smelled of things burning. After the isolated incidents of chaos, a survey of the area found light damage just about everywhere with pockets of small businesses unfortunately hit by looters and those Fakers fans running amok for no reason than just doing that (CurbedLA has photos of a ransacked Lexus and blogdowntown has shots during and after, too). more ›

Around 700 people gathered outside the Staples Center tonight to celebrate the Lakers' win in Orlando. Mostly peaceful, but it only took a small group of fools to ruin it for everyone. Small fires, fireworks, thrown rocks, bottles and flares, street signs torn down, attempts at turning over police cars cued the LAPD to try to end festivities sooner than anyone had hoped. As Larry Welk said on KCAL9, "they're sort of leaving a path of destruction." more ›

Last night's win already caused people to run amok in East LA. And even though Sunday night's game is in Orlando, should the Lakers win the Championship, the LAPD and LA County Sheriff's say they are prepared, citing the win 2000 when 11 people were arrested and close to a million dollars in damage was caused on downtown streets. Yeah, police cars were torched. more ›

Prop 8 is upheld? Protests. Prop 8 is defeated? Celebrations. No matter the outcome, today is the long-planned-for Day of Decision with events across the nation. Most are taking place this evening, but if you go, make sure to check the time for your preferred location: more ›

It’s a quiet night around town tonight, but here are a few options if you feel like venturing out: more ›

There's already a ton of cool post-Halloween and pre-Election Day things to do on this Daylight Savings eve, but to top it all off, today is the day that many celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Vibrant and elaborate altars are built to honor loved ones who have passed away, and the event is focused on celebration, not mourning, although one of the chief motifs is indeed calaveras (skulls). Traditions vary from family to family and community to community, but if you'd like to participate in the festivities, there are many large-scale events going on around town today and tomorrow. more ›

Saturday night was hopping in Chinatown, from Hop Louie's to the Lindy Hop on the dance floor as the iconic neighborhood celebrated their 70th anniversary. A big band was on hand to provide the tunes, folks in 30s and 40s garb milled about, the shops were open, and the Central Plaza was abuzz with young and old alike celebrating Chinatown's history. To learn more about the area's features and stories (like why it's called "New" Chinatown!), check out LAist's Neighborhood Project: Chinatown. more ›

On Friday, June 20th, the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific will reach its one-decade milestone. In honor of the occasion, they have launched a year-long celebration at the marine life-themed attraction with various events, contests, exhibits, and features centered around the number 10. more ›

That tiny notation at the bottom of your calendar tells you today is indeed Flag Day. And while many Angelenos are inadvertently and loosely interpreting that to mean "stick a Lakers flag on your car" it is actually (and obviously) a bigger deal on a national level. Besides waving your own Stars and Stripes or taking part in a parade, it's tough to commemorate the adoption of the flag. more ›

"Why is this night different from all other nights?" you might ask. Well, it's the first night of Passover, and even folks who will be sitting down to a seder somewhere in the Southland tonight will also be asking the same thing, because it's one of four questions that are posed in the traditional pre-dinner ceremony. more ›

Songkran is the celebration of the Thai New Year. It falls on or around the hottest day of the year in Thailand, and, perhaps as a show of sisterhood, this Sunday's Songkran Festival held in LA's Thai Town neighborhood, took place on what certainly felt like the hottest day of the year...thus far. more ›

The first time I was in Compton, I didn't even know it until later when I was at a restaurant looking at the menu and noticed the address. It appeared the world's stereotype was wrong, maybe gone or I just happened to be in the "right" part of town. "Compton is beautiful, there are horse ranches there," a co-worker who grew up there told me at a previous job a few years before my... more ›

"Vive l'independance!" Sure, we just hoisted back a few brews, grilled up some meat eats, and set off our own rockets' red glare on the 4th of July, but for the French--or merely fans of--today is the day of celebration: Bastille Day, which commemorates France's national uprising and storming of the Bastille prison. (We love history, but we'd rather talk parties, so if you've an inquiring mind, hop on over here and we'll continue with... more ›