LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Christmas Eve in the Southland will be marked today by Masses at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and the 60th annual Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration at the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
A Christmas Eve family Mass will be celebrated at 4 p.m., a Spanish- language Mass at 7 p.m., preceded at 6:30 p.m. by the Cathedral Choir singing Christmas carols, and an English-language Mass at 9 p.m.
A midnight Mass early Wednesday will be preceded by Christmas carols by the cathedral's choir at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. Both will be livestreamed on the cathedral's website at olacathedral.org/live.
The holiday celebration will be held from 3-6 p.m. It is billed by organizers as Los Angeles County's largest multicultural holiday celebration and will begin with legendary Cuban jazz trumpet player Arturo Sandoval and his band performing a medley of holiday songs.
The 25 music ensembles, choirs and dance companies performing include the two-time Grammy-winning all-female ensemble Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea.
The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles will be performing at the celebration for the 25th consecutive year. The Jewish cultural revival band Mostly Kosher will share the stage with Urban Voices Project, a choir of homeless men and women from skid row.
African Soul International will perform “Soli,” a celebration dance from the West African nation of Guinea featuring dancers, stilt walkers and a fire eater, accompanied by drumming.
The Harmonic Bronze Handbell Ensemble of 11-to-18-year-olds from Acton and Agua Dulce will perform the hymn “O Sing a Song of Bethlehem” and the modern composition, “Novus.”
Admission and parking are free. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m.
For the first time, wristbands are required for entry. They are only available on the general admission line on the Hope Street side of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion or the wristband table on the Grand Street side of the Mark Taper Forum.
Each wristband will include a specific group letter, A-Z. When seating begins, the group letter will be announced and projected on the Plaza LED screens.
An addition to the celebration is The Music Center's Plaza Wonderland, with a family fun zone with games, coloring and face-painting, a photo booth and art-making workshops where children and adults can create paper poinsettias and lanterns to take home.
Christmas television specials and movies will be shown on the Plaza screens, including “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and the 2018 animated comedy “The Grinch.” Tamales will be available.
The celebration will be televised live by KOCE-TV Channel 50 and streamed online at pbssocal.org and kcet.org. It will be rebroadcast at 9 p.m. on KOCE and at noon and 7 p.m. Wednesday on KCET-TV Channel 28.
More information about the celebration, including complete program information, is available at holidaycelebration.org or by calling the information hotline at 213-972-3099.
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