Snoopy Loves Free!
Kids will love seeing Snoopy on ice Tuesday, Nov. 29 and parents will love that the mini sneak preview at L.A.’s Downtown on Ice in Pershing Square is Free!
Snoopy and other cast members of Knott’s “Merry” Farm’s ice skating spectacular “It’s Christmas, Snoopy!” perform at 4PM. The holiday show is free to all thanks to a community outreach program in partnership with the L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks and Knott’s Berry Farm theme park.
Immediately following the performance, families can meet and greet with Snoopy and friends, so be sure to bring a camera!
Consider extending the fun with a frugal family skate around the rink. Downtown on Ice is LA’s largest outdoor holiday skating rink with the smallest admission price: just $6 to skate and $2 for skate rental. It’s open every day, including holidays, through Jan. 16. Check the Web site for more information about skate session times, free concerts and celebrations.
Get in the festive spirit this Sunday, November 27th, at the 80th Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade. The parade benefits Marine Toys for Tots and features Marie Osmond as the Grand Marshall. As always, the parade is free to attend! There’s always sure to be colorful floats, balloons, marching bands, and of course, celebrities.
The parade starts at 6 P.M., but be sure to arrive early! This exciting Hollywood tradition will travel on a U-shaped route starting at Orange Street and Hollywood Boulevard, traveling East onto Hollywood Boulevard turning South onto Vine Street, and then traveling West onto Sunset Boulevard back to Orange Street.
Board the Grey Ghost for a Free Santa Sighting!
Celebrate the Queen Mary’s 18th annual Christmas tree-lighting party for free Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 5:30 to 8:30PM.
Yes, you heard right. Board the luxury liner for free for family-friendly holiday merry making! Snack on complimentary refreshments while enjoying the Christmas spirit of roaming Victorian carolers. Preview the ship’s new holiday light display and additional merriment provided by choirs and choruses.
To participate in this free Christmas celebration, you must reserve complimentary tickets in advance at www.queenmarytreelighting.com. Early bird admission begins at 4PM.
Start gathering on the ship’s Sundeck a6 6PM. Santa will be there to turn on the Christmas tree lights at 7:15 p.m. with help from Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell and Long Beach Fire Chief Alan Patalano. In honor of Pear Harbor, the event will also pay tribute to local military, fire and police heroes.
Bring a camera to snap a sweet pic of your child’s visit with Santa Claus following the last musical performance. All attendees are encouraged to drop off one unwrapped children’s gift to support Toys for Tots, Sparks of Love and the Long Beach Toy Patrol (toy donations are requested, not mandatory).
And did we mention that parking is free!? (with validation).
Gypsy Rose, c. 1970 Collection of Jesse Valadez Jr. Image courtesy of Estevan Oriol
Hola! MOLAA, the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, is free admission on Sunday, Nov. 20 for all guests!
MOLAA is free admission the third Sunday of every month, thanks to Target. The museum is open 11AM to 5PM on Sunday, with extra free family-friendly hands-on art activities. Plenty of time to see the new exhibit, MEX/LA: “Mexican” Modernism(s) in Los Angeles, 1930- 1985. The customized 1964 Chevy Impala, Gypsy Rose, shown above, is a prime example of the art you’ll see.
From 1 – 4PM families can create hidden message poems based on the work of Chaz Bojorquez. Celebrate Poetas Latinoamericanas with a presentation of Latin American women poets by MOLAA Docents, also from 1 – 4PM.
Be sure to set aside time at 2PM for free docent tours of Mex/LA.
Joy to the free!
*No compensation was received in exchange for this post.
It’s looking a lot like Christmas as Americana at Brand holds L.A.’s first major free Christmas tree lighting of 2011! That’s tonight, Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7:30PM.
It’s not just a tree lighting. The tree itself is a spectacular 100-ft green giant bedecked with thousands of ornaments and waiting for thousands of brilliant lights to illuminate it. But before the magical switching hour, by Santa himself, Americana at Brand hosts a whimsical holiday show called the Cirque du Santa.
Zen Arts creates the enchantment with aerial and acrobatic performances featuring sugar plum fairies, flying reindeer, dancing snowmen before a countdown by Santa to a crescendo of fireworks and the lighting of the tree. And it’s all free!
Joy to the free!
*No compensation has been received for this post.
The People's Tree
It’s a rare moment when folks in Los Angeles get a personal glimpse of the forest fir destined to become the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree. The free chance to see this magnificent 65-foot symbol of the upcoming holiday is this Sunday, Nov. 13, in the Autry National Center parking lot in Griffith Park.
“The People’s Christmas Tree,” will be available for viewing at the Autry, noon to 3PM. The special Sierra white fir chosen to stand in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., was cut from California’s Stanislaus National Forest last weekend. It’s been loaded onto a truck for a short tour through California before heading across the country.
Visitors to the Autry can see the tree for free in the parking lot. They can also sign a banner wishing everyone in the United States a Merry Christmas.
An official welcoming program for the tree begins at 11AM with L.A. Councilmember Tom LaBonge in the Autry’s Wells Fargo Theater. This program is also free. Afterward, guests can create their own holiday ornament from noon to 2PM.
Admission to the the Autry museum itself is $10 but anyone age 18 or younger will get in free on Sunday! That’s a savings of $6 for students and seniors (60+) and $4 for ages 3-12. On this particular day you’ll get to see the opening of an unique art exhibit: a new creation of cardboard and paper sculptures titled Phranc & Co. Out West General Store. Phranc the artist will help children create ornaments and color a bandana, 2 – 3PM. The older folks get to meet Phranc at a wine & cheese reception at 3PM.
As always, parking is also free.
Can’t make it to Griffith Park to see the tree for free? The People’s Tree will stop in Santa Clarita the day before, on Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Saugus Speedway/Swap Meet, 22500 Soledad Canyon Road, noon to 2pm. On Monday, Nov. 14, the tree will make a three-hour stop at Victoria Gardens Mall, 12505 N. Main St., Rancho Cucamonga, 10AM to 1PM.
For extra free fun, track the movements of The People’s Tree with the online Capitol Christmas Tree tracker.
Once again, this time for the 25th anniversary, AFT Fest is offering free tickets to film screenings. The fest runs until Thursday Nov. 10.
How do you get the free tickets? Register online HERE or in person at the AFI box office at Hollywood & Highland. You can choose up to 8 tickets, limit 2 per screening, including a maximum of 2 galas.
Many of the tickets have or will be snapped up quickly, but don’t let that stop you! Since having a printed ticket does not guarantee you a seat, most of the films offer the chance to get free tix the day before or the day of the screening.
No matter which film you get tickets for, we cannot emphasize enough the need to get in line early! The closer you are to the door when it opens, the more likely it is that you’ll get a seat.
Enjoy the show!
Alex Kritselis: Above the Fold; See it for Free!
If it’s the first Friday of the month, then you’ve got a twofer free admission art museum deal in Pasadena! Both the Pasadena Museum of California Art and the Norton Simon Museum are free today, Nov. 4 and every first Friday of the month.
At PMCA take the free opportunity to explore 8,000-sq-ft of gallery space dedicated to the dynamic elements of California art, architecture and design, dating from
1850 to the present. The museum’s own 30,000-sq-ft of architecture is an aesthetic pleasure, from the natural light which enhances the open staircase to the rooftop terrace which takes advantage of Pasadena’s beautiful vistas. Regular admission is $7 per person, $5 for seniors and students.
At the Norton Simon you’ll get to view one of the world’s most remarkable art collections in a Frank Gehry redesigned 2-story building, with lovely gardens including a waterlily pond suggestive of Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny, France. Monet’s influence is inside as well as out, with his paintings sharing space with Van Goghs, Rembrandts and Picassos in this important collection of 12,000 European, American and Asian art objects, about 1,000 of them on display in the galleries and
sculpture garden. Regular admission is $10, $5 for ages 62+ and free for students with ID.
Bonus: Free parking at both museums.
Climb aboard the imaginary Reading Railroad and get free admission to the San Bernardino County Museum when it hosts the Reading Railroad Literacy Fair, Sunday Nov. 6.
First 5 San Bernardino will be at the museum’s literacy fair 9AM to 2PM with lots of free activities for children ages 5 and under and their families. Kindergarten and preschool children will receive a free backpack filled with school supplies and a healthy snack. Kids can meet the K PBS animated superhero Word Girl, who fights crime using superhero strength and a colossal vocabulary.
The literacy fair helps families discover the fun of daily reading and encourages the love of books. The fair also encourage parents to take an active role in promoting reading by reading books to their children early.
Afterwards, take advantage of free admission to the museum and explore its exhibits and hands on activities for kids of all ages. The museum is open until 5PM and the popular Exploration Station, a live animal and nature gallery, is open 1PM to 4PM. Parking is also free.
If you’ve got plans to see a flick at L.A. Live’s Regal Cinemas today, Nov. 2, remember to get your free popcorn and drink. Why? It’s their 2nd anniversary! Their movie tickets are pricey so you might as well get a freebie to go along with your film!
