Things To Do

Things To Do This Weekend in L.A. [12-2-2022 to 12-4-2022]

December 1, 2022 by Brian Champlin and Christina Champlin
Chinatown Central Plaza. Photo by Christina Champlin / We Like L.A.

The rain forecast keeps changing, but one thing is for sure: Whether you’re heading for shelter or looking to roam outdoors, there’s plenty going on over the next few days.

This weekend (December 2-4) in Los Angeles, check out Season’s Screamings in Pasadena, First Fridays in Chinatown, a Holiday Sing-Along at Disney Concert Hall, an Open House for LA Plaza’s Legacy of Cacao, the Venice Sign Lighting, a Holiday Wonderland at Grand Central Market, LUMINARIA at Campo de Cahuenga, and more. Be sure to keep an eye on storm clouds, but either way, enjoy your weekend!

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Things To Do This Weekend

Season’s Screamings -> If all you want for Christmas is more Halloween horror, head to the Season’s Screamings convention in Pasadena this Friday to Sunday. The annual three-day affair is put together by the same folks that host the annual Midsummer Scream Convention and it features haunted attractions, spooky shopping, and photo ops with celebrity guests. GA tickets run $30-$37.50 depending on day of entry. Get more info here.

Standup For Pups at PetSpace – Holiday Edition -> This Friday, Stand Up For Pups Comedy brings a night comedy for a good cause to Annenberg PetSpace. A DJ Set opens things up from 7 to 8 p.m., when guests will also get a look at a lineup of adoptable pets. Following the music catch by an hour of stand-up featuring Nicole Aimée Schreiber, Ron Taylor, Austin Kress, Darran Davis. GA tickets start at $20, with a portion of ticket sales will go towards the PetSpace Extraordinary Care Fund. More info here.

First Fridays in Chinatown -> Galleries, restaurants and other creative businesses in L.A. Chinatown band together for an evening of extended hours every first Friday of the month from 5 to 9 p.m. Participating galleries include Tierra Del Sol, Bel Ami, Cakeland, Charlies James Gallery, Dream Child, The Fulcrum Press, The Institute for Art and Olfaction, and others. Get more info here.

Tree Lighting at Pasadena City Hall -> This Friday, Pasadena City Hall gets the holiday treatment with a special tree lighting ceremony hosted by the mayor of Pasadena. The celebration features local singers and dancers, crafts for kids provided by Armory Center for the Arts, light refreshments, and an appearance by Santa Claus. Runs to 5 to 7 p.m., with the lighting taking place at 6 p.m. Free to attend. More info here.

First Fridays in Bixby Knolls -> This month’s First Fridays event in Long Beach gets in the spirit of the season with a holiday village featuring meet-and-greets with Santa and Mrs. Claus, free treats at local establishments, carolers from Long Beach City College, a roaming jazz band on Atlantic Ave, crafting for kids, and much more. Free to attend. Runs 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. More info here.

Holiday Road -> Continuing this Thursday to Sunday, Holiday Road at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas offers a 1-mile walking trail of immersive scenes and holiday-themed activities for all to enjoy. The experience runs on select dates through December 30. Tickets range from $29.99-$44.99. Get more info here.

Winter Fest in the OC -> Winter Fest is back the OC Fair & Event Center for 26 days and nights of family-friendly entertainment, including this Thursday to Sunday. Check out an outdoor ice skating rink, a nine-lane 150-foot-long ice tubing slide, ice bumper cars, and LED mini golf, plus nightly Holiday celebration featuring snow flurries and Santa appearances. GA tickets for adults start at $26.95 Get more info here.

Winter Parks After Dark -> This week, L.A. County’s Parks After Dark program returns for the winter season with extended hours and free recreational activities at 31 LA County parks from December 2-17. The programing opens this Friday with family-friendly holiday activities at Col. Leon Washington Park, Bethune Park, Charter Oak Park, and Pamela Park. All of Friday’s events run 4 to 8 p.m. Get more info here.

The Groundlings’ Cozy Winter Cabin The Holiday Show ->  Grab tickets for Cozy Winter Cabin and laugh your way through the holiday season. The all-new comedy sketch show takes place every Friday and Saturday night through December 17. Tickets range between $22-$28 each. More info here.

Venice Sign Lighting -> The Venice Sign is getting the holiday treatment this Saturday, and to celebrate the occasion a portion of Windward Avenue will be closed down for a street festival, staged entertainment, and public exhibits. The event starts at 6:15 p.m., and is free to attend. Get more info here.

Open House: The Legacy of Cacao -> LA Plaza de Cultura’s latest exhibition traces the origins of chocolate from its first reference by the Olmec civilization more than 2,000 years ago to present day through a series of precolonial objects and contemporary photographs. This Saturday, LA Plaza hosts an open house event for The Legacy of Cacao, which will include service of conchas and hot chocolate along with a variety of chocolate and chocolate-related goods for sale at LA Plaza’s Cocina’s store. Starts at noon. Free to attend. More info here.

Holiday Sing-Along at Disney Concert Hall -> LA Phil’s holiday programming at the Walt Disney Concert Hall kicks off this Saturday with a pair of festive sing-alongs (two performances: 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.) backed by the Concert Hall’s massive pipe. Photos with Santa and free hot cocoa precede the event starting at 10 a.m. Tickets start as low as $36. Get more info on the full slate here.

Holiday Wonderland at Grand Central Market -> This Saturday will kick off a month long holiday celebration at Grand Central Market. Expect lots of food, special appearances from Santa, holiday workshops, live music, and more. More info here.

Holiday Party at Thinkspace -> On Saturday, Thinkspace Projects hosts a December opening reception for four new exhibitions that will double as a holiday party featuring DJ’d tunes, an open bar, video projections, a vape bar, tamales, an art mart curated by GoopMassta, and a toy drive. Event runs 6 to 10 p.m. Free to attend. Get more info here.

Winter Wonderland at The Shops at Santa Anita -> The mall is hosting a couple of festive holiday events on Saturdays during the month of December, including daily complimentary skating on a synthetic ice rink. More info here.

Prosperity Market -> This Saturday, Prosperity Market stops by The Original Farmers Market to feature goods from Black farmers, food producers, entrepreneurs, artists, florists, and chefs. Happening 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. the market also includes a kids craft station and DJ music. Free to attend. More info here.

The South Lake Avenue HOLIDAYFEST! -> Pasadena’s South Lake Avenue kicks off the holiday season on Saturday with family-friendly activities around the district. The public will enjoy live music, raffles, free photos with Santa, arts and crafts including snow globe making stations, plus in-store promotions. Free to attend. More info here

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Yuletide Cinemaland -> Street Food Cinema’s holiday slate offers a festive outdoor movie screening experience a Heritage Square Museum with mulled wine, sing a-longs, a cameo by Santa, snow dancing, a holiday light show, a market place and Victorian home tours. The series opens this Saturday with a screening of Elf. Tickets cost $36 for adults and $20 for kids 6-15 years-old. More info here.

Breakfast with Santa at Loews Santa Monica -> Santa makes a stop in Santa Monica on Saturday as part of a festive breakfast buffet at Loews. The morning also includes photos with Santa, reindeer antler making kits for kids and mimosas for adults 21+. Reservations can be made on Resy and cost $85 for adults, $45 for children under 10 and free for kids under 3. More info here.

LUMINARIA at Campo de Cahuenga -> On Sunday, get a little history lesson with your holiday festivities at this free LUMINARIA event at Campo de Cahuenga in Studio City. Enjoy live performances, light refreshments, a 2000 light selfie station, and children’s art activities. Plus, tour the small museum onsite where you can learn about the Treaty of Cahuenga, which ended the fighting of the Mexican-American War within Alta California. Free to attend. No ticket required. Runs 3 to 7 p.m. More info here.

A Snowy Wonderland in Inglewood -> This Sunday, Crenshaw Imperial Plaza hosts an afternoon of snow sledding and snow play with a real snowman, angel painting and kids crafts, caroling choir, holiday family portraits, raffle prizes, free giveaways and more. Runs noon to 4 p.m. Free to attend. More info here.

Nightmare Before Christmas at The Hammer -> The Hammer Museum’s Family Flicks series wraps up 2022 on Sunday with a mid-morning screening of A Nightmare Before Christmas. Free to attend, but parking is $7. Be sure to check out the museum galleries after you enjoy the film. Get more info here.

CicLAvia – South LA -> This Sunday, L.A.’s signature open streets event carves out 7+ miles of walkable/bikeable road in South L.A. this December, with a route from ranges from Exposition Park to Watts. This time around, organizers have put together a quick list of landmarks and local gems you can spot along the way, including the Central Ave Jazz Park and The Dunbar Hotel. The event runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free to attend. Get more info here.

Broken Shaker’s Rooftop Holiday Market -> Broken Shaker’s Rooftop Holiday Market pops up this Sunday at Freehand from noon to 4 p.m. Shop products from local vendors while sipping on drink specials and enjoying live DJ tunes. More info here.

La Peer Hotel Holiday Gift Bazaar -> Support local small businesses this Sunday at La Peer Hotel’s Holiday Bazaar. Featuring a curated selection of makers and designers, guests can explore a variety of goods including pet gifts, jewelry, fashion as well as health and wellness products. Along with shopping there will be gift-wrapping services, sweet treats, food trucks, a pet lounge, a live DJ, and photo opportunities with your pet. More info here.

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Dining & Drinking

Ayara Thai’s Kancha Boat Noodles. Photo by Ayara Thai’s Instagram.

Botanica Meet the Makers Event -> Ever wish you can try before you buy? Botanica in Silverlake will host a Meet the Makers event this Saturday inviting the public to sample a variety of food products from the makers. Stop by from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and pick up items that spark your senses. Products include Ghia to Just Dates, Ciao Poppy and Botanica’s own pantry line. Free to attend. 

The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck -> The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck stops by 2ND & PCH in Long Beach this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. serving lots of super cute treats and selling a number of Hello Kitty gifts. More info here.

Looking Ahead…

Ayara Thai THC Boat Noodles -> Ayara Thai’s Kancha Boat Noodles are making a rare appearance on December 7-8. Available for pre-order now, Chef Vanda Asapahu’s labor intensive broth contains around 30 different ingredients including a low dose of THC (Fun fact: according to oral history passed down through generations, boat noodles dating back to the 17th century were suspected to contain marijuana). Ayara’s elevated boat noodles come with lean beef, braised beef, tendon, meatball and crispy rinds served with a side of homemade CBD infused chili oil for $25. Reservations for dine-in and takeout are available now for $5 and the proceeds of the reservation will be donated to Union Station Homeless Services. You have to be 21+ to order this dish. More info here.


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