Holiday Celebration’s fun and free

Something old (childhood holiday memories) and something new (wristbands) are on the program at the county’s 51^st annual free Holiday Celebration, which takes place on Dec. 24 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Along with a lineup of choirs, dancers and other acts, the celebration also will feature a couple of short movies submitted by the public on the theme of childhood holiday memories.

The show runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. This year, for the first time, wristbands will be needed to get in. The new system is a response to the shorter running time; in most previous years, the Holiday Celebration has clocked in at six hours.

The wristbands will be handed out beginning at 11:30 a.m. and will be distributed one per customer, so everyone who wants to attend will need to show up in person. After snagging their wristbands, patrons can leave to grab some lunch, explore downtown, or stick around to check out an array of entertainment on the Music Center Plaza. The doors will open at 2:30 p.m. Those without wristbands, meanwhile, can wait for seats to open up in the auditorium as the concert progresses.

And everyone can watch the program live on the Music Center Jumbotron. It’s also airing live on KCET-TV, with a rebroadcast from 8 p.m.-11 p.m., and will be streamed at www.kcet.org.

Parking is free, too. And the Music Center is close to public transportation.

The celebration is a gift to the people of Los Angeles from the county Board of Supervisors—a tradition inaugurated by the late Supervisor Kenneth Hahn.

Posted 12/16/10