NEW YEARS EVE
New Years Eve With Pink Martini
Dec. 31. Celebrate New Years Eve with Pink Martini as they return to the Walt Disney Concert Hall with their unforgettable fusion of Brazilian samba, ’30s Cuban dance and Parisian café. 1 p.m., 10 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 South Grand Ave., downtown, 323.850.2000. www.laphil.com
Hollywood VIP New Years Eve
Dec. 31. Hollywood is your playground at this NYE bash that spans Hollywood Blvd. and many of its hottest clubs. Packages include VIP entrance to Geisha House, Red Room, Ecco, Playhouse, Las Palmas Block Party (Premiere Supperclub, Angels & Kings, Las Palmas), Ecco and much more. www.hollywoodnewyearseve.com
W Hollywood New Years Eve
Dec. 31. Celebrate 2012 at in the glitz and glamour of the W Hollywood as they offer four distinct rooms: Delphine, Station, The Living Room and The Great Room. Dance all night to DJ Coolwhip, amongst other notable mix masters, spinning tunes until the early morning hours, sip crafted cocktails from an open bar and more. www.whollywoodnye.com
NYE Twenty Twelve
Dec. 31. Viceroy Santa Monica teams up with 89.9 KCRW to toast the new year with a poolside party. The party features an amazing line-up of musical entertainment including deejays Garth Trinidad, Aaron Byrd and Valida; along with a premium open bar, Champagne provided by Piper Heidsick, Latin influenced appetizers and “street” tacos. $175. at 1819 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica. www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/newyearseve
Brazilian Celebration at the Queen Mary
Dec. 31. Party in style aboard the historic Queen Mary. Celebrate with music, dancing, party favors and a midnight fireworks show. Marcos Ariel Quarte Lapa Night’s presents the best of pure Carioca music, including Bossa Nova, Samba and Chorinho. Joany’s Samba Show and their stunning Samba Dancers. DJ Chris Brasil playing a variety of Brazilian beats. 818.566.1111. www.BrazilianNites.com
The Bazaar by Jose Andres
Dec. 31. Bring your mask and join the “Spanish Masquerade Ball.” Incognito guess can expect multiple dining areas and tray passed tapas. Sip on cave, liquid nitrogen Caipirinhas, and a hosted bar. Cap the night off with deserts in the Patisserie and then dance into the wee hours of the morning. Tickets includes access to the SLS Balroom party. $250, VIP packages available. nyewithsbe.com
Picca
Dec. 31. Dine on a six-course menu that includes a special menu, entertainment, party favors, raffle prizes, a live salsa band from 10 p.m. to close. You can also hit the late night industry party starting at 10:30, that features open bar and bites for $40/pp (reservations required). 9575 West Pico Blvd., L.A., 310.277.0133. piccaperu.com
Gordon Ramsay at the London West Hollywood
Dec. 31. Choose from three different ways to ring in the new year. Gordon Ramsay offers an early three-course meal ($95), later five-course menu celebration ($145) and a dinner for up to 12, that includes an eight-course menu paired with bubbly as wells as a midnight toast with a magnum of Dom Perignon Rose ’85; followed the next morning with breakfast at Boxwood Cafe Breakfast Table and a day of fun in the sun in a rooftop poolside cabana ($20k). www.TheLondonWestHollywood.com
EVENTS
Tournament of Roses
Dec. 29-Jan. 3. All eyes are on Pasadena when the Rose Parade winds through town and top college football teams face off at Rose Bowl Stadium. The celebration continues with special events including Equestfest, Bandfest and the post-parade showcase of floats. prod-tor.xosdigital.com
MUSIC
Beats Antique
Dec. 30. From under the shelter of world acoustic music’s canopy, live electronica has bred a new beast built of brass band and glitch, dubstep and glockenspiel: the musical trio Beats Antique. They rock the stage at Club Nokia with guests Emancipator, Random Rab, and Lynx. Club Nokia, 800 West Olympic Blvd # 335, downtown, 213.765.7000. www.clubnokia.com
Woody Allen’s New Orleans Jazz Orchestra
Dec. 29. For more than than thirty-five years, Woody Allen and His New Orleans Jazz Band have been delighting audiences with a hot mix of New Orleans inspired music. The band’s sound is firmly rooted in the music that Woody Allen has loved since his childhood and draws inspiration from such legendary artists as Sidney Bechet, George Lewis, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone and of course, Louis Armstrong. Royce Hall, UCLA Campus, Westwood, 310.825.2101. www.uclalive.org
EAT | DRINK
Weekend Brunch at M.B. Post
Debuts Jan. 2. Vibrant South Bay social house curated by Chef and Co-owner David LeFevre, debuts their new brunch menu that will continue with regular service on the weekends. Dine on pecan sticky buns; truffle honey laced organic fried chicken; ricotta-stuffed French toast with star anise, macerated pears, chestnut honey butter; and the M.B. Post Benedict: an organic egg, La Quercia Prosciutto, rocket greens, bacon cheddar buttermilk biscuit (naturally!) and hollandaise. 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 1142 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Beach, 310.545.5405. www.eatmbpost.com
Champagne and Oysters at Public Kitchen & Bar
Dec. 1-31. Celebrate the holidays over a wide selection of champagne and oysters at Public Kitchen & Bar at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Nosh on a nightly menu of Belon, Coromandel, Fanny Bay, Hood Canal, Kumamoto, Malpeque, Phantom Creek, Raspberry Point, Well Fleet, Salt Pond, and Kusshi oysters for $14 for a half dozen, $20 for nine oysters, or $28 for a dozen. Sip a selection of top tier champagne and sparkling wine ranging from from $10 to $29 per glass, or $35 to $140 per bottle; varieties include Bollinger “Special Cuvée” Brut NV, Milan Brut “Cuvée Millenaire” NV, Chartogne-Taillet Brut “Cuvée St. Anne” NV, and more. Public Kitchen & Bar, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323.769.8888. More Info.
HOLIDAY
Chill at W Hotel Los Angeles
Through Jan. 1. Hit the pool deck at the W Hotel Los Angeles Hotel and find it transformed into a winter wonderland complete with skating rink, cocktails from its Ice Bar, comfort food, specially outfitted cabanas and more, including children’s activities. W Hotel Los Angeles, 930 Hilgard Ave, Westwood, 310.208.8765. www.wlosangeles.com/chill
LA Downtown On Ice
Through Jan. 16. Skate on LA’s largest outdoor ice skating rink under the sun and stars at festive Pershing Square downtown. Info + detailed session schedule www.laparks.org. Pershing Square, 532 South Olive St., downtown, 213.847.4970.
Ice at Santa Monica
Through Jan. 16. The mild seaside temperatures in Santa Monica don’t prohibit one of the season’s coolest cold-weather pasttimes. Downtown Santa Monica adds an 8,000-square-foot outdoor ice-skating rink to the corner of 5th Street and Arizona Avenue—for “a little taste of winter without the bite.” M–Th 2–10 pm, F 2 pm–midnight, Sa 10 am–midnight, Su 10 am–10 pm. Admission, skate rental $12. 1324 5th St., Santa Monica, 805.701.7248. iceatsantamonica.com
THEATER
Fela!
Through Jan 22. Legendary Nigerian Fela Kuti was a musical dynamo and a political powder keg who used his supercharged and sexy Afrobeat sound and charismatic spirit to ignite and inspire a generation to dare challenge a government of oppression. FELA! is both rave and theatrical wonder. Thanks to Fela’s captivating music and the visionary direction and choreography of Tony Award® winner Bill T. Jones, this tale of courage, passion and love will shake you: body and soul. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772.
Wicked
Through Jan 29. Back by popular demand! L.A.’s favorite musical flies back to the Pantages this holiday season after a record-breaking two-year run. Called “A phenomenon that keeps growing” by The Los Angeles Times and “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” by The New York Times, “Wicked” is the untold story of the witches of Oz and how they became known as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., L.A., 323.468.1770. www.broadwayla.org
Cirque du Soleil: Iris
Watch out, Vegas! L.A. has finally earned its own Cirque du Soleil spectacle, fittingly themed around the history of film. The long-anticipated Iris: A Journey Through the World of Cinema, written and directed by director-choreographer Philippe Decouflé, runs at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre; it will be the exclusive host to this production. Described as a “lyrical, fanciful, kinetic foray into the seventh art,” Iris uses dance, acrobatics, live video, filmed sequences and animation to tell the history of cinema and its genres. More than 70 performers don 200 costumes for the show, which is scored by Grammy and Emmy Award winner and L.A. native Danny Elfman. Performances Tu–Su. $43–$133; VIP Ticket $253. 877.943.4747. www.cirquedusoleil.com