Festive Music Center Tree Lighting on Dec. 1; 66th Annual Holiday Celebration Dec. 24

By GoWEHO | November 25, 2025

Two free holiday events are planned at the Music Center in December.

On Dec. 1, the annual L.A. County Tree Lighting Ceremony, sponsored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, kicks off the season in Downtown L.A.

Festivities from 5-8 p.m. on Jerry Moss Plaza, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, include music, art-making, snow flurries, and hot chocolate. The opportunity to support local nonprofits,  cultural organizations and small businesses is part of the “LA2050 Holiday Impact Market.”

 This year’s ceremony will be emceed by ABC7’s Leo Stallworth.

Art Supply Donations

Donations of art supplies will be accepted for the nonprofit Music Changing Lives, which serves the Pasadena/Altadena community. Also welcome are new and gently-used winter essentials for KOST 103.5’s Season of Giving Tour, benefitting families served by Union Rescue Mission.

The LA County Supervisors (Kathryn Barger, Chair, Fifth District; Hilda L. Solis, Chair Pro Tem, First District; Holly J. Mitchell, Second District; Lindsey P. Horvath, Third District; and Janice Hahn, Fourth District),
will join Rachel S. Moore, Music Center President & CEO, to offer holiday greetings before lighting the majestic 50-foot Christmas tree.

Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center is located at 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles. For more event details go to  musiccenter.org/treelighting and follow The Music Center on social media (@MusicCenterLA).

66th Annual Christmas Eve Celebration

The Emmy® Award-winning L.A. County Holiday Celebration returns to The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion from 3-6 p.m., on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025.  For the 66th year the tradition of showcasing the artistry and multicultural spirit of Los Angeles continues.

Reserve free general admission tickets to guarantee seating. You can reserve up to four tickets, released daily Dec. 16-20, online at holidaycelebration.org, by phone at (213) 972-0711 or in-person at The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Box Office. Reserved tickets must be scanned by 2:45 p.m. day of the event, doors open at 2 p.m.

Broadcast on PBS SoCal

The performance will also be broadcast and streamed on PBS SoCal, featuring more than 20 local music ensembles, choirs and dance companies in Southern California’s largest holiday show.

From soul, banda, jazz, and percussion ensembles to choral music, mariachi, klezmer, Afro-Latin, West African, Korean, Mexican and Indonesian traditions, this year’s lineup spans the globe, honoring many of the diverse communities that shape Los Angeles.

The L.A. County Holiday Celebration is sponsored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and presented by The Music Center. You can view the celebration in person at the Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, on PBS SoCal, online at pbssocal.org or on the free PBS App.

The ‘Power of the Arts’

“On Christmas Eve, we are reminded of the power of the arts to bring people together,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “The L.A. County Holiday Celebration showcases the incredible talent and cultural richness of Los Angeles.”

Returning favorites include soul & funk duo Andre Cruz & Chris Lujan; Mexican Folk dance company Ballet Folklórico de Esperanza; the longest continuously running puppet theater in the United States, Bob Baker Marionette Theater; youth ensemble Harmonic Bronze; Korean traditional dance and music institution Kim Eung Hwa & Korean Dance Company; West African drum and dance ensemble Le Ballet Dembaya; GRAMMY® Award-winning Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea; klezmer-rock group Mostly Kosher; acclaimed powerhouse dance company Reverb Tap Company; and Afro-Cuban ensemble Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca.

New to the Holiday Celebration

New to the show this year are 65-voice choir Angeles Chorale; youth vocal ensemble Bonita High School Chamber Singers and the multicultural children’s dance company Carousel Dance Company. Also, the high-energy CFLC All-Star Brass and CFLC Zydeco Quartet Band will take the holiday stage for the first time, along with the Dinjes Music Ensemble; all-female music and dance ensemble LA Daf Ensemble.

Other first-timers include the family ensemble Los Negrete Fam; neo-soul, R&B and jazz fusion band No False Ego; contemporary jazz group Ponpon Chen Jazz Quintet; and the Sounds of Joy Kolintang and Angklung Ensemble.

Reserved Tickets Must Scan by 2:45 p.m.

Doors to the L.A. County Holiday Celebration will open at 2 p.m., ticket holders must have tickets scanned by 2:45 p.m. There will be a standby line for anyone without an advance ticket. Advance ticket holders arriving after 2:45 p.m. will relinquish their reserved seats and be directed to the standby line.

The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Parking is free in The Music Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall parking garages.

For more information, visit holidaycelebration.org.

Performer List:

Andre Cruz & Chris Lujan
Angeles Chorale
Ballet Folklórico de Esperanza
Bob Baker Marionette Theater
Bonita High School Chamber Singers
Carousel Dance Company
CFLC ALL-STAR BRASS and the CFLC ZYDECO QUARTET BAND
Dinjes Music Ensemble
Harmonic Bronze
Kim Eung Hwa & Korean Dance Company
LA Daf Ensemble
Le Ballet Dembaya
Los Negrete Fam
Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea
Mostly Kosher
No False Ego
Ponpon Chen Jazz Quintet
Reverb Tap Company
Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca
Sounds of Joy Kolintang and Angklung Ensemble
Street Corner Renaissance

PARKING: Free in The Music Center and Walt Disney Concert Hall parking garages.

For more information please call (213) 972-0711 or visit holidaycelebration.org.