Best Things To Do In Los Angeles And SoCal This Weekend: Dec. 1 – 3

Rapper and musician Busta Rhymes has been nominated for Grammy Awards a dozen times. He’ll discuss his career, creative process and latest music with comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish at the museum.

Last year, L.A. Comic Con welcomed 126,000 guests to attend more than 250 panel discussions and meet more than 800 artists, exhibitors and dozens of celebrity guests, so expect more of the same this year. Don your best cosplay gear and shop for collectibles and cool stuff, attend screenings or participate in gaming tournaments and cosplay contests. An impressive guest lineup this year includes Matt Smith, Rainn Wilson, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Bonnie Wright, and James and Oliver Phelps.

The Latino Theater Company returns with its signature holiday pageant. Adapted for the stage by Evelina Fernández from the mid-16th century text, The Nican Mopohua, and directed by José Luis Valenzuela, the show shares the story of a peasant who in 1531 was visited by the Virgin Mary. The city’s largest Christmas pageant includes more than 100 actors, singers and indigenous Aztec dancers as well as children and seniors from the community. Performances are in Spanish with English supertitles.

Platonic Juke is a standup show hosted by comic and writer Rachel Joravsky, with lineups that feature established and rising comedians and a focus on LGBTQIA+/POC artists. The latest edition of the show includes Aparna Nancherla, Dylan Adler, Rob Haze, Ru Anderson and others. Stay for the afterparty with music provided by Etan Hawk and DJ Life’s Good.

Tonality, a choir under the direction of Alexander Lloyd Blake, presents the journeys of transgender and nonbinary individuals, showcasing their experiences in the face of adversity. The ensemble’s December program, Just Me, features works by living composers, including Reena Esmail’s “Take What You Need” and Melissa Dunphy’s “What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach?” The Dec. 1 concert takes place in Long Beach and the Dec. 3 concert takes place in the Pico-Union neighborhood.

Join in the family festivities as the fest takes over South Lake Avenue. Watch live music from El Santo Golpe (1 p.m.), Dustbowl Revival (3 p.m.), DJ William Reed (all afternoon) and Fleetwood Mac tribute performances by Twisted Gypsy (5 p.m.). In between the live music, get free Santa photos, holiday activities (cookie making and ornament decorating stations), plus shopping and dining experiences from the local businesses and vendors.

Alex Oxley and Roxanne Roll, the DJs of the Fleetmac Wood nights, bring their side project Horror Hi-fi to Hollywood this weekend. Join them in an evening of tech-noir, sad-girl disco, zombie-wave and Italo-giallo. The audio-visual night brings a “Suspiria meets Studio 54” experience to the dance floor.

More than 40 entertainment industry workers, who were hit hard by the strikes, are getting together to sell their arts, crafts and handmade goods this weekend. Also on hand are food vendors, a coffee cart and a photo booth.

One of our favorite Giant Robot events of the year takes place this weekend. The annual show features hundreds of artists’ work on Post-it Notes. Previews of the art run from 11:30 to 1 p.m. if you want to look; sales begin at 2 p.m. Nothing will be sold beforehand or held. You must be in attendance to purchase. A second drop of new Post-it Notes, plus a toy drive, takes place on Dec. 9 at noon.

WGSAC opens the longest-running annual exhibition in Los Angeles with the theme, Conjure: Reclaiming African American Traditions Through Hoodoo and Other Spiritual Dolls. The annual Black Doll Show explores the protective, liberatory and loving ways that dolls, amulets, quilts, charms and other items are used in African-American spiritual traditions. The opening reception, which includes a performance by The Hoodoo Spellbinders, takes place on Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. with other events planned throughout the show’s run.

One of the OG storytelling shows, in which adults share their most embarrassing childhood memories (through journals, letters, poems, lyrics, plays, home movies, art), celebrates 20 years. Since then, the show has become a multimedia juggernaut, branching off into podcasts, radio, games, books and TV. But this Saturday, Mortified heads back to the stage, so listen and watch people tell tales about the relatable highs and lows of their youth.

There are so many holiday markets to shop from this month. Craft Contemporary holds its annual marketplace with a curated selection of one-of-a-kind jewelry, ceramics, vintage and contemporary textiles, craft supplies, homewares and other items. While shopping, enjoy drinks, music and holiday workshops.

The family-friendly event features more than 100 local businesses coming together for the sign lighting, and the new Holiday Taste of Venice and Windward Wonderland. After the sign lighting, take pictures with Santa, listen to live music, play complimentary carnival games at Windward Wonderland, and indulge in free bites and drinks at the Holiday Taste of Venice.

Take advantage of six miles of open streets to explore the neighborhoods of Leimert Park and Historic South Central. The latest edition of CicLAvia, presented by Metro, celebrates 13 years of car-free streets. All ages and all abilities are welcome to ride bikes, stroll, jog, skate or use any non-motorized transportation along the route. There’s no start or end point, but there are five hubs along the route that feature family-friendly activities, programs, restrooms, free water refilling stations, free basic bike repair and first aid. Free pedicab rides, sponsored by AARP, are available at each information booth.

Watch the silent Charlie Chaplin film The Gold Rush (1925) in the beautiful old theater with live accompaniment by Robert York on the Mighty Wurlitzer. Chaplin wrote, produced, directed and starred in the film as his Little Tramp character, taking inspiration for the film from the adventures, successes and failures during the Klondike gold rush.

What’s being billed as the world’s first chain restaurant food festival comes to Hollywood this weekend, courtesy of actor B.J. Novak, chef Tim Hollingsworth and friends. Attendees get to sample bites from Chili’s, Dunkin’, Jack in the Box, Panda Express, Pizza Hut, Red Robin and SONIC Drive-In. While GA is sold out, a few VIP tickets remain; the upgrade includes valet parking and expedited entrance, access to Postmates’ VIP lounge, a private bar, an exclusive dish of Jack in the Box Curlies + Caviar, two alcoholic beverages and runners to bring the food to you.

Glendale Arts holds its inaugural holiday arts market and food experience, with local makers and artists offering culinary treats, handmade goods and art.

Inspired by the LA Ballet’s The Nutcracker, the hotel offers its fancy holiday high tea experience in the Lobby Lounge. Sip on teas from Tea Leaves, while nibbling on bites such as chestnut and mushroom pie, smoked salmon sandwiches, shrimp tempura and other treats while listening to the strings of a live harpist.