Things to do in L.A. this weekend: Dec 12–14

American Ballet Theatre is returning to Orange County with its production of The Nutcracker for the 10th year running. The show will feature larger-than-life scenery, a Christmas tree, over 100 performers, and sets and costumes designed by Tony Award winner Richard Hudson (the visionary behind the sets of the stage version of The Lion King). The Pacific Symphony will perform Tchaikovsky’s score live.

Snag a coveted gift for the music lover in your life at Warner Music Group’s holiday pop-up, which is taking over the ground floor of the W Hollywood hotel for three weekends this month and filling stockings with 12 days of exclusive merch drops. Shop apparel and music from nearly 100 of the record label’s genre- and generation-spanning artists, from Joni Mitchell to Ed Sheeran. The special in-store drops include Grateful Dead x Malbon apparel (Dec 11), limited editions of Green Day’s Dookie (Dec 21) and the chance to win items like a pair of My Chemical Romance Hollywood Bowl tickets and a vintage Talking Heads poster.

Long Beach Ballet’s The Nutcracker is one of the only area productions of the holiday classic that includes not only a live full orchestra, but also a horse, a flying sleigh, magical special effects and pyrotechnics, making it a SoCal fan favorite. Sure, the story may be the same, but this production pulls out all the stops to entertain audiences year after year—including for six performances this December, when it will celebrate its 43rd anniversary.

Broadway star and Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award Ben Platt may not have reprised his starring role in Dear Evan Hansen for its L.A. run, but the singer-actor will be gracing the Ahmanson stage after all this holiday season, performing his own hits along with classic showtunes—joined by star-studded special guests—during a two-week residency at the theater.

Relive your childhood theatergoing experiences this Christmas with Uncle Drosselmeyer, Clara and her beloved Nutcracker at the L.A. Ballet. The timeless show—which gets a SoCal-setting twist here—will travel all over L.A. for the holiday season, bringing classic pirouettes and Mouse King battles to UCLA, as well as 12 performances at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, where the show will be backed by the troupe’s live orchestra.

Echo Park shop the Chocolate Dispensary (which, despite the name, doesn’t carry weed, just chocolate) is already an essential destination for any sweet tooth—speaking as someone who received a curated batch of bars for my birthday this year. And now it’s hosting its first annual free, family-friendly holiday market outside the store, with local vendors setting up shop every Saturday evening leading up to Christmas. Find everything from candles to bucket hats, dried flower arrangements to quilts, and guitar-shaped charcuterie boards to colorful ceramics. While you’re there, you should of course head inside for a cup of hot chocolate and to shop the selection of over 1,000 sustainably sourced craft chocolates.

Melrose Trading Post is a favorite among flea-market shoppers year-round, but every Sunday in December, it’ll offer a merry twist. More than 260 local artists, makers and vintage vendors will be selling gift-worthy goods alongside live music and family-friendly holiday activities. Take your picture in the Rock ’n’ Roll Santa photo booth, get creative at an artist-led gift-making workshop, and catch performances by the Grand Arts Jazz Carolers and Little Women Ballet. And if a puppy’s on your Christmas wish list, you can adopt one on-site on December 28. Admission to MTP is usually $8, but you can get in for free December 7 and 14 if you bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Mágico Toy Drive; members of IATSE, SAG/AFTRA and Actors’ Equity unions get complimentary admission all month long.

Step inside a Christmas tree made of lights during the return of this illuminated installation at Downtown shopping center the Bloc. Sparkle DTLA will light up the night with 18 million different hues through the end of the year, and every night you can catch its displays dance to synchronized holiday music on the hour (5–9pm). The festivities kick off December 7 with live music, photos with Santa and the Grinch, plus some surprises.

The city of West Hollywood is once again throwing its hat into the outdoor ice-skating scene by transforming West Hollywood Park into a rink and a Winter Village with photo ops and a general store, where you can buy snacks and hot chocolate. Schedule your visit around a handful of theme nights: For the rink’s first weekend open, you can shop a festive outdoor market featuring local artists and vendors December 6 and 7 (11am–5pm). December 13 brings a WeHo Winter Wonderland and Chappell Roan-themed Pink Pony Club Skate, while Drag on Ice takes over the rink December 14. A 90-minute skating session will cost you $22. 

Holiday light shows are popping up all over the city, but a free light installation is always welcome. Grand Illuminations—which features a custom 25-foot-tall LED light tree and dynamic display Lumiverse—returns for the second year on December 3. The stars are the Electric Dandelions, 28-foot-tall kinetic sculptures that look like fireworks in action, which were designed by L.A.-based art collective Liquid PXL and debuted at Burning Man in 2016, popping up in the U.K., East Coast and various festivals before arriving at the Yard at Cal Plaza. The lights will stay on all holiday season, through January 4, till 10pm nightly.

Even the grumpiest of list-makers at yuletide has to include a production of Charles Dickens’s beloved tale of becoming a better person. Each holiday season, Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott direct this merry and music-filled production, starring Elliott and his fellow resident artists of A Noise Within theater company—all ranking among L.A.’s best classical actors—staged in ANW’s spacious theater with perfect sight lines from every seat, even for the kids.

For the Record, the live production company known for transforming film soundtracks into immersive live musicals, used to pop up in Beverly Hills each holiday season for Love Actually Live. Now, it’s celebrating the season with a show made up of over 25 beloved songs from different holiday soundtracks, premiering inside FTR’s new permanent home: CineVita, the world’s largest Spiegeltent, in Inglewood. New Kids on the Block’s Joey McIntyre will host a night of numbers from films including Home Alone, Elf, White Christmas and, yes, Love Actually—all performed by a professional cast of singers, dancers and musicians. Pair your festive nostalgia with themed cocktails and seasonal treats.

Not to be confused with A Noise Within’s annual production of A Christmas Carol—though the talents involved are equally stellar—here we have the chance to see the story up close, from the POV of Dickens himself. Now in its 22nd year, this show finds David Melville displaying his classically trained, beautifully polished craft to bring the famous writer to life as he tells his classic tale of Christmastime redemption—and spars with his young American assistant—in the intimacy of Independent Shakespeare Co.’s indoor theater space.

This serene entry into the holiday-lights-at-botanic-gardens category finds the native-plant-focused California Botanic Garden lit up with twinkling strands and luminarias—lanterns made from candles in paper bags. Illuminated pathways lead to live music stages, which will be hosting three performances each night, ranging from jazz to Native American flute music. A food truck, sweet treats and hot drinks will also be on offer each night. New this year are expanded pathways and, on the first weekend only, a Night Market where you can buy plants and crafts from nature-focused vendors.

Street Food Cinema has put together a series of outdoor holiday screenings in the closest thing to a Dickensian town square in L.A.: Heritage Square. In between Victorian home tours, piano sing-alongs, strolls through a light tunnel and sips on hot chocolate and mulled wine, you can catch screenings—many of them double features—of flicks like Elf, Home Alone, A Christmas Story, The Muppet Christmas Carol and more. Just make sure to bundle up in your best Christmas sweater.

If you’re shopping in Orange County and dreaming of a white Christmas, the open-air Irvine Spectrum Center has your answer. Located in Giant Wheel Court by Nordstrom, this Anaheim Ducks–sponsored rink offers an opportune time out from a busy shopping day. Following each 90-minute skating session, the rink is closed for resurfacing, so you’ll never have to skate on slush. Head to the adjacent Ferris wheel during the half-hour the rink is closed for nonstop fun. Tickets—$27 with skate rental, $24 if you bring your own—are available at the rink, but if you want “jump the line” tickets, you can buy them online ahead of time for $50.

The American Contemporary Ballet returns this holiday season with its fantastical take on the tale from author E.T.A. Hoffmann. Experience the seasonal classic on a snow-shrouded stage set within an immersive space in DTLA’s Bank of America Plaza. The 75-minute production includes an ensemble of live musicians performing Tchaikovsky’s iconic score, as well as an artist reception following the show. The sweet-surprise-filled show sells out every year, so grab your tickets early.

The beloved Bob Baker Marionette Theater is back with its annual holiday production, which dates back to 1969. This year, the puppet-filled play is returning to the Sierra Madre Playhouse. From just after Thanksgiving through the beginning of the year, you can see the charming take on the classic ballet, with its large-scale marionettes and intricate sets, on most weekends and, closer to Christmas, select weekdays. 

Not to be confused with Enchanted Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens, this newcomer to L.A.’s Christmas-lights scene is also located in the San Gabriel Valley—Santa Anita Park, to be precise—and claims to be the largest Christmas-lights maze in the world. In addition to its lit-up labyrinth with a 100-foot tree of lights as its centerpiece, the one-stop holiday extravaganza also boasts ice skating, an ice slide, a Ferris wheel, mini golf, a shopping village, visits with Santa and festive treats and drinks. 

Stroll across the grounds of King Gillette Ranch as the Santa Monica Mountains hideaway is illuminated during Holiday Road, which returns with a nearly mile-long walking trail. The event, which comes from the same team as Night of the Jack, includes thousands of lights, festive decor like a small Christmas village, larger-than-life holiday displays and lit-up archways. Look out for Santa and Mrs. Claus, and fill up at food trucks and a holiday bar while you’re there. Prices start at $29 and go up depending on the day and time you visit.

This Christmas-themed Costa Mesa event has been turning Orange County into a veritable winter wonderland for 11 years now. Expect a Forest of Lights walk-through, snow play, ice tubing and photo ops, visits with Santa and a new falling snow area and themed entertainment zones with live music. Upgrade your experience with carnival rides, ice skating, bounce houses, “polar putt-putt” golf and fireside igloos. Hot cocoa and seasonal treats will help keep things cozy. 

L.A. doesn’t typically seem like much of a winter wonderland, until, that is, you create an ice skating rink right in the midst of Downtown skyscrapers. Come glide around and pretend there’s snow on the ground at Pershing Square’s outdoor holiday skating rink. Skate rentals are included in admission, though lockers and skating aids cost a few dollars extra.

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The annual L.A. Kings ice skating rink presented by Coca-Cola once again returns to L.A. Live. Skate around the dazzling Christmas tree that stands in the middle of the outdoor rink, and take in an LED holiday light show on the huge screens around the plaza. Choose from four nightly skating sessions. Note: General admission tickets, which include skate rental, are only sold on-site, and can’t be purchased online ahead of time.

Tanaka Farms opens up its Irvine fields for this after-dark wagon ride and walk-through. Hikari—which means “light” or “shine” in Japanese—has set up light displays including a long trail of lanterns, plus some festive theming that’s overtaken the farm’s scarecrows, corn maze, tractors and trees. You’ll be able to explore the lantern field by both tractor and foot, and afterward you can peruse a petting zoo, games, crafts and photo ops with Santa. While you’re there, you’ll also find the farm’s produce stand, a holiday market and a Christmas tree lot. You’ll need to purchase a parking pass on weekends, as well as tickets for each person any day of the week; the prices fluctuate depending on the date, so opt for a weekday for the lowest price.

The Queen of Christmas—well, her likeness anyway—has taken over the Skybar at Mondrian this holiday season, filling the swanky poolside bar with lots of “All I want for Christmas” spirit. Sure to be a hit with both Carey fans and Christmas lovers of all candy-cane stripes, the pop-up winter wonderland boasts wall-to-wall holiday décor inspired by the singer, interactive photo ops, album backdrop re-creations, festive food, holiday cocktails and, of course, lots of merch. And forget letters to Santa—here you’ll find a dedicated “Letters to Mariah Carey” station, and “All I Want for Christmas Is You” will be played every 30 minutes. Your ticket gets you a welcome cocktail and 90-minute access to the immersive experience.

Riverside’s stunningly beautiful Mission Inn is bathed in over 10 million twinkly lights during the annual Festival of Lights, which has lit up the city for 33 years now. The free, six-week-long holiday tradition runs from late November to early January and typically features more than 400 festive, animated figures. Having been voted the “Best Public Lights Display” by USA Today, the festival attracts over 500,000 visitors each year. The spectacle will kick off with a Switch On Ceremony on November 22, followed by live music from Matt Mauser and the Tijuana Dogs, and there’ll be holiday-themed kiddie rides outside the hotel all season long.

Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s year-end production, formerly known as Holiday on Strings, has been reimagined as a holiday special complete with puppets in party clothes singing carols. Head to the troupe’s Highland Park location for the hour-long show, which follows host Demitrius Nova Twinklestar III on a tour of BBMT’s holiday traditions: You’ll see sledding slopes, caroling penguins, Santa’s workshop and more. 

It’s always Christmas at this charmingly kitsch amusement park outside of Lake Arrowhead. But it’s extra Christmassy toward the end of the year at Santa’s Village—especially if you’re lucky enough to get some fresh mountain snowfall. Swing by from November 13 to January 4 for lighting displays, a train ride, a magical nighttime walk through the forest, seasonal snacks, breakfast with Santa and tea with Mrs. Claus (those require a separate ticket) and ice skating.

Located just blocks from the ocean, Ice in downtown Santa Monica brings a bit of winter to the comfortable coastal city. The 8,000-square-foot outdoor rink runs daily from November to mid-January on the corner of Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue (less than a 10-minute walk from the E Line). Tickets for an hourlong slot ($24) include skate rentals, and you can book private parties and fire pits if you’re looking for something a bit more premium. Look out for cozy treats for sale, plus special events like classical Sunday afternoons and a sparkly shindig for Taylor Swift’s birthday (Dec 13).

The masters of alfresco movie viewing are keeping outdoor screening season alive with a slate of holiday favorites. Its Fireside Films series ensures you’ll stay cozy, with outdoor heaters and a complimentary hot beverage with each ticket. Expect a steady stream of festive picks (Elf, Home Alone, The Holiday), mixed with local favorites (La La Land, L.A. Confidential) and recent releases (Sinners, Freakier Friday), throughout December.

Anonymous feminist art collective the Guerrilla Girls—whose members gained notoriety for donning gorilla masks and fighting the patriarchy—is coming up on its 40th anniversary, and the Getty Center is marking the occasion with a behind-the-scenes look at the group. See photography, protest art and the group’s famed posters—sporting statistics, bold visuals and satirical humor—that showcase the tactics the members used to demand recognition for women and artists of color. The Guerrilla Girls have even created a newly commissioned work for the exhibition. And you can add your own mark on the “graffitti wall” installation, giving visitors a creative outlet for their complaints about the world today. 

Accompanying programming throughout the run of the show will include a conversation between the Guerrilla Girls and author Roxane Gay, a feminist Valentine’s Day mail art workshop, cocktail receptions with the exhibition curators, tours and more.

Robert Therrien’s Under the Table has long been one of the most popular pieces in the Broad’s collection (you know the one—the giant table and chairs that you ask your friend to snap a photo of as you stand underneath). Well now the museum is hosting the largest-ever solo exhibition of the artist’s work, displaying more than 120 pieces, including many that have never been shown in museums before. Expect more huge housewares and striking works, plus some intimate drawings and surprises from the late L.A.-based artist. The specially ticketed show will fill the first-floor galleries through April 5, 2026.

You probably know of Shepard Fairey through “Obey Giant” stickers and later his Obama “Hope” poster, but his body of work comprises so much more than that. A new exhibition at Beyond the Streets explores the artist’s relationship with printmaking, displaying more than 400 of his original screen prints—including some rare and historic editions and hybrid works that combine screen printing with stenciling—and offering a behind‑the‑scenes look at Fairey’s methods. “I have used printed posters to spread my artwork and messages in public spaces as well as keep my art affordable by printing multiples,” he says, emphasizing the importance print still holds today.

Though you can often see Fairey’s work at his Echo Park gallery, Subliminal Projects, it’s rare to find this many of his pieces together. And though you may have seen his designs on a screen or a printout, the vibrant prints pop in person, with a careful thought toward composition that comes with Fairey’s illustration and design background and his knowledge of advertising and propaganda, which he wields in his political pieces.

The exhibition runs though January 11 and will kick off with an opening reception on Saturday, November 15, from 7 to 10pm.

Dealing with a difficult subject head-on, the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA’s new show, “Monuments”—co-presented by the museum and nonprofit the Brick (formerly LAXART)—juxtaposes both intact and vandalized Confederate monuments with contemporary artwork. The show looks at the recent wave of monument removals from a historic perspective and encourages discourse about challenging topics amid an ongoing national debate about the role of these statues and what they represent. Tickets for the special exhibition are $18, though if you book far enough ahead of time, you can take advantage of free admission on the first Friday of every month.

Don’t go in the water, but do go to the Academy Museum to see the largest exhibition ever dedicated to Steven Spielberg’s original summer blockbuster, Jaws—which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The museum was already home to the last surviving model shark from filming, but now you can go behind the scenes and see some 200 original objects from the film across multiple galleries. Some highlights: a re-creation of the Orca fishing boat, the dorsal fin used both in Jaws and its sequels, costumes worn by the central trio and a room full of vintage film posters and merch promoting the film. There are interactive elements, too: You can have your own Chief Brody dolly-zoom moment (and see the lens used to film the famous shot), play the iconic John Williams two-note score and control a replica of the mechanical shark.

Japan House Los Angeles is bringing an exhibition of shokuhin sampuru—hyper-realistic food replicas that have crossed over from marketing tool to art form (think Is It Cake? but cultural)—to Los Angeles for the first time. See mouthwatering faux food representing each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, from coffee house parfaits to izakaya skewers, as well as Chinese and Western cuisine, and try your own hand at food presentation by filling a bentō box yourself.

The Getty Villa reopens to the public five and a half months after its Palisades Fire closure with this international loan exhibition dedicated to the Greek Mycenaean civilization and the kingdom of Pylos, which Homer immortalized in the Iliad and Odyssey. It’s the first major museum show in North America devoted to the Late Bronze Age Mycenaeans. See treasures excavators unearthed from Messenia, the Palace of Nestor and burial sites including the tomb of the Griffin Warrior (1450 BCE)—think clay tablets, gold cups, ornate weapons and tiny signets and sealstones adorned with awe-inspiring amounts of detail. 

The Skirball’s latest pop culture exhibition takes a deep dive into the six-decade career of legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby. You might know him as the co-creator of Captain America, Black Panther, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and some of the Marvel universe’s most cosmic characters. But did you know he was also a first-generation Jewish American born to immigrant parents, World War II veteran and family man who split his time between New York and Los Angeles? Learn about his life and see Kirby’s original comic illustrations, as well as other works—many on view for the first time.

Right on the heels of the release of his new film, Mickey 17, director Bong Joon Ho steps into the spotlight at the Academy Museum’s new exhibition. The first-ever museum show dedicated to the Oscar-winning South Korean filmmaker will trace Ho’s career, creative process and cinematic influences. See over 100 storyboards, posters, concept art, creature models, props and on-set photos from the director’s archive and personal collection. On Sundays, the museum’s on-site restaurant, Fanny’s, is offering an accompanying Korean Sunday Supper series with dishes like bibimbap and galbi jjim. You can reserve a spot here.

On the 50th anniversary of the Norton Simon Museum, look back to when Simon took over management of the Pasadena Art Museum in 1975, then ahead to the museum’s exciting future at this retrospective exhibition. See rare photos from the museum’s archives, and learn about the history of its major acquisitions, exhibitions, building and gardens—which are currently undergoing a transformation.

The California Science Center is inviting kids to get in the game with a new 17,000-square-foot exhibition about the power of play and the human body in motion. Besides teaching about the science behind sports, it also offers interactive challenges and video coaching from a team of Los Angeles-based mentor athletes including dancer Debbie Allen, the Dodgers’ World Series hero Freddie Freeman, Olympic medalist softball player Rachel Garcia and more. And for the first time ever, the center has commissioned public art—all by local artists—to complement the exhibition, including a Dodgers mural by Gustavo Zermeño Jr. The free exhibition will run at the Science Center through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Natural History Museum’s taxidermy dioramas turn a century old this year, and to celebrate the museum is reviving an entire hall of displays that’ve been dark for decades. Expect some fresh approaches to these assembled snapshots of the wilderness, including alebrijes made of recycled materials, a crystalline depiction of pollution and a tech-driven display of the L.A. River.

More than 50 works on display at the Autry showcase how Indigenous artists have crafted visions of alternative futures in the face of enduring colonial trauma, with surreal spacescapes from Wendy Red Star, pop culture commentaries by Andy Everson and a site-specific space odyssey created by Virgil Ortiz.

More mascot mayhem awaits this month as the video-game spinoff and viral sensation gets a sequel.