With most events, concerts and festivals canceled or pivoting online, please consider contributing to your local arts organizations or to individual artists and performers.
L.A. County's new "safer at home" order went into effect on Nov. 30. Check the status of any drive-through events listed before heading out as the new safety measures only allow occupants in each car from the same household.
Celebrate Kwanzaa and Nochebuena -- online. Sing along with the Master Chorale from your home. Get a visit from the ghost of Jacob Marley. Pay homage to Federico Fellini. Watch a lauded (and long-suppressed) Iranian film. And finally, tune into the next installment of KPCC/LAist's Unheard LA.
Family Holiday Cookies & Milk
Gather the family around the computer screen and learn how to make snickerdoodles and vanilla bean milk from chef Tracy Wilk of the Institute of Culinary Education. The class is for all ages.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
An Evening With Chris Erskine
Friends of Sherman Oaks and North Hollywood libraries host an evening with writer and columnist Erksine, who retired earlier this year after three decades at the L.A. Times. His recently released book, Lavender in Your Lemonade: A Funny and Touching Covid Diary, chronicles his life's journey during this new normal. RSVP for the Zoom link.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
Sylvie's Love
This screening of Sylvie's Love is followed by a post-screening conversation with writer-director Eugene Ashe and composer Fabrice Lecomte. Set during a hot New York summer in 1957, the drama follows the relationship between Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha) and Sylvie (Tessa Thompson), co-workers at a Harlem record store. RSVP to receive a screening link.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
Ho Ho Ho Grab-N-Go Events
Various locations
Throughout the week, the L.A. County's Parks and Rec department hosts several drive-through events at parks around the county. Giveaways may include a $25 gift certificate toward a holiday meal, a stocking and decorating kit, and food supplies. Pre-registration is required and only one registration per household is permitted. Face masks required at the drive-through and walk-ups are not allowed.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
A Virtual Holiday Visit to Rockefeller Center
The Art Deco Society of New York invites guests on a seasonal virtual tour of Rockefeller Center featuring its towering Christmas tree, store windows, skating rink and Radio City Music Hall. Tour guide Deborah Zelcer discusses art, architecture and holiday traditions.
COST: $12 - $20; MORE INFO
Lost and Found at the Movies: Asa Nisi Masa
This program pays tribute to filmmaker and artist Federico Fellini on the centennial of his birth. Natasha Lyonne, Mira Nair, Suzanne Rust and John Sayles join the virtual discussion of Fellini's most memorable movie moments, including the meaning of "Asa Nisi Masa" from 8 1/2.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Doom, Gloom & Zoom with The Ghost of Jacob Marley
Receive a live, thrilling and chilling 22-minute visit from the ghost of Jacob Marley from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. This is a chance for you and your household to learn Marley's life lessons as he Zooms in from the grave. Featuring Zombie Joe as Jacob Marley, the show is suitable for all ages.
COST: $25; MORE INFO
KPCC In Person: Unheard LA
KPCC/LAist's live storytelling series returns in a digital format, revisiting stories recorded for radio broadcast. Host Bruce Lemon, Jr. and Race In LA's Dana Amihere welcome storytellers Daniel Mazzacane, Ash Nichols and Pickle as they dive into the topic of gender identities. The guests share stories about their journeys and what it means to realize your identity.
COST: Pay-what-you-can, from free to $20; MORE INFO
Garry Marshall Theatre's Holidaze Harmony
Recording artists and Broadway performers Terron Brooks and Kamilah Marshall perform their annual holiday show filmed on the stage of the Garry Marshall Theatre. The lifelong best friends put on an event that's part variety show and part intimate concert.
COST: $29 - $39; MORE INFO
Life on Paper
L.A. Theatre Works releases the audio recording of the play by Kenneth Lin, starring Sarah Drew (Grey's Anatomy) and Seamus Dever (Castle). When a billionaire dies in a plane crash, a forensic economist and a small town actuary clash over the exact value of a man's life. The ticket includes a taped interview with playwright Lin.
COST: $20; MORE INFO
Festivals in the City of Angels: Kwanzaa in Leimert Park Village
Kwanzaa, which was created in 1966 to unite the Black community after the Watts Rebellion, is now celebrated annually around the world, mostly notably in Leimert Park Village. This online program from UCLA's Fowler Museum honors the holiday's seven principles and symbols, which were adapted from the teachings of Asante and Zulu harvest celebrations. The program ends with a dance class led by Kamilah Marsh and Keti Ciofassa.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
Nochebuena: Christmas Eve in Mexico
Enjoy a night with two of L.A.'s most acclaimed performance ensembles: Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles and Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar. Artistic director Kareli Montaya and music director Jimmy K. Cuéllar hold a live Q&A about the performance and holiday traditions before each show at 6:30 p.m. On Dec. 17, watch at @TheMusco online, and on Saturday, watch at carpenterarts.org.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
The Deer (Gavaznha)
This acclaimed 1964 film by Iranian writer and director Masoud Kimiai stars Behrouz Vossoughi as an anti-hero bank robber who challenges authority. The film was political dynamite when it was released, and Kimiai was forced by the Iranian government to shoot an alternate ending, which was the only one seen by the general public until the 1979 revolution when the original finale was restored. RSVP for the screening link.
COST: $10; MORE INFO
GuadaLAjara Film Festival in Los Angeles
The Festival Internacional de Guadalajara is now offering all of its programming online. The opening night film is No Man's Land from director Conor Allyn, starring Frank Grillo, Andie MacDowell, George López and Esmeralda Pimentel. It examines migration between Latin America and the U.S. from a human perspective. Each day pass only applies to regular screenings and cannot be used for galas and special screenings, which must be purchased separately.
COST: $15 per daily pass, special screening prices vary; MORE INFO
Los Angeles Master Chorale's Holiday Karaoke
In this livestreamed event, Grant Gershon and Jenny Wong lead an audience through songs selected from the Master Chorale's annual Festival of Carols and the Messiah Sing-Along. Sing along to caroling favorites and learn how to harmonize with others across the web. Instructional videos for select songs are now available.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
34th Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles
The largest showcase of Israeli cinema in North America presents its entire slate of films online for the first time. Watch both new films and classic titles from Israel, accompanied by prerecorded Q&As or presentations from filmmakers and talent. The festival's centerpiece film is Sublet, directed and co-written by Eytan Fox, a drama that follows a travel writer who escapes to Tel Aviv after suffering a tragedy. Films are only available to watch in Southern California.
COST: $12 - $180; MORE INFO
It's Not Over
8954 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood
The ONE Archives Foundation, the oldest active LGBTQ organization in the U.S., recently opened an outdoor exhibition that features posters and graphics from the early days of the AIDS epidemic. The exhibition features work from several artists including Keith Haring. There is an online component if you're not able to get to the venue before the show closes.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
The Red Book: Women's Dreams, 2020
The Women's Salon Los Angeles and Salón México present an artist book and exhibition inspired by the 10th anniversary of the publication of Carl Gustav Jung's Red Book: Liber Novus. The exhibition features the work of 44 women in six countries who used their dreams as inspiration to explore the unconscious. The exhibition is on view at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles (pending COVID restrictions) through Jan. 29, 2021, and virtually at the Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo de Costa Rica through April 2021.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Treasures in Gold and Jade: Masterworks from Taiwan
The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana showcases sculpture by two of Taiwan's premier artists: Wu Ching and Huang Fu-shou. While the works are currently viewable online only, the exhibition will be available for in-person viewing once the museum can open its doors.
COST: FREE online; MORE INFO
Food Artist Casting
A new competition series coming out in 2021 is casting for teams of food artists. It doesn't matter if you use veggies, or sweet or savory ingredients, the show is looking for individuals or teams of three who can create large-scale, 3D edible sculptures with their food. You must be 18 years and older to apply.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Who doesn't miss going out to eat or stopping by a bar for a drink? Here are a few options from restaurants and bars as we work our way back toward normal.
