Dia de los Muertos, Light Up the Holidays and More Set for Grand Park's 5th Anniversary Lineup

The Music Center today announced Grand Park's fall/winter programming line-up, which celebrates the park's fifth anniversary.

The park's fall/winter season includes the return of its most popular free activities and events along with additional programs that spotlight the cultures and celebrations observed by many in Los Angeles County.

The season's highlights include the return of Grand Park's Downtown Día de los Muertos; The Music Center's Cuba: Antes, Ahora / Cuba: Then, Now, part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA; Grand Park's Light Up the Holidays; and the park's annual, highly popular New Year's Eve celebration, Grand Park + The Music Center's N.Y.E.L.A.

"While Los Angeles is such a sprawling metropolis, Grand Park has provided both a place and a reason for Angelenos to come together in ways they never have before," said Rachel Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. In five short years, Grand Park has become Los Angeles' communal backyard - a safe space for people to express opinions about current events, for families to share a sunny Southern California afternoon, and for everyone in Los Angeles to appreciate the many traditions and cultures of Los Angeles County," she added.

Julia Diamond, interim director of Grand Park, offered, "This fall and winter, Grand Park welcomes back some of Los Angeles' most beloved events and introduces new experiences that are sure to join the list of favorites. From Lunchtime Yoga to Valentine's Day at Grand Park and the park's CicLAvia stop, Angelenos can come to the park knowing they can connect with each other, be entertained and have the opportunity to share memorable experiences with their families and friends," she explained.

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The fall and winter programming line-up includes:

Grand Park & Ryman Arts Present Make Your Mark in the Park - Adjacent to the CicLAvia Route

Sunday, October 8, 2017; 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

For the sixth year in a row, Grand Park and Ryman Arts team up to present the flagship event for The Big Draw LA - Make Your Mark in the Park. This free fun-filled, public drawing celebration brings together families, seniors and art lovers including professional and amateur artists, to participate in an array of hands-on, collaborative drawing activities of every level. Grand Park will be transformed into a giant experimental drawing studio with activities that explore traditional and alternative mark-making. Guests can experiment with colored tape to create giant geometric patterns along the sidewalks and collaborate to create and share comics, masks and banners. All art materials are provided free of charge. The festival will be adjacent to the CicLAvia route, making it an ideal stop along the way for cyclists to join in the fun.

Grand Park Presents La Feria de los Moles (Mole Fair)

October 1, 2017; 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Grand Park welcomes La Feria de los Moles, the largest annual Mexican food festival in the U.S. For the 10th year, Angelenos will have the chance to taste the different flavors of Mexico. The event includes a special presentation on the origins of mole and tastings of the different mole styles, from sweet to salty to hot. This year an array of delicious pastries and other dishes will be prepared right along with mole and sampled throughout Grand Park

Grand Park's Downtown Día de los Muertos

Grand Park's Noche de Ofrenda

Saturday, October 28, 2017; 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

For the fifth year in a row, Grand Park will partner with Self-Help Graphics & Art to present a traditional Noche de Ofrenda ceremony honoring the dead and featuring prayer led by the local indigenous community. The evening will include performances by traditional dancers representing the Aztecan, Oaxacan and Michoacán traditions, as well as Los Angeles-based poets and musicians. The event will unveil a master altar created by master altar maker Ofelia Esparaza and kicks off the official unveiling of Grand Park's Día de los Muertos altars and art installations developed by local artists and community groups.

Grand Park Día de los Muertos Altars

October 29, 2017 - November 5, 2017

Grand Park celebrates the traditions of Día de los Muertos with multiple ways to experience and learn about the holiday. In partnership with Self-Help Graphics & Art and Lore Productions, the park will present 50 altars and art installations created by local artists and community groups in honor of Día de los Muertos. The altars, which will remain in the park all week long, will focus on the theme of the four elements and the ways in which nature intersects our lives.

The park will offer free lunchtime tours, which will highlight the artwork and discuss the traditions of the holiday.

Grand Park Lights Up the Holidays

November 26, 2017 - December 26, 2017

Grand Park will magically come alive with park-inspired holiday décor for the holidays with 35- and 55-foot trees.

Los Angeles County Tree Lighting

November 27, 2017

Join Grand Park and The Music Center for the Los Angeles County annual tree lighting ceremony, featuring performances by local music artists and community groups.

The Music Center's Cuba: Antes, Ahora / Cuba: Then, Now, part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA

December 1, 2017; 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.; December 2, 2017; 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Grand Park celebrates Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA with The Music Center's Cuba: Antes, Ahora / Cuba: Then, Now. Part of The Music Center's four day celebration of Cuba that will bring more than 48 Cuban artists to Los Angeles to engage with their U.S. neighbors through dance and music, Grand Park will host free Afro-Cuban dance and percussion workshops on both days led by master Cuban percussionist Justo Pelladito and his Afro-Cuban ensemble Afroamérica, a collective of Cuban folk musicians and dancers presenting the ancient traditions of Rumba. The two

days will also include a free Rumba performance in grand Cuban style on Saturday featuring Afroamérica, Made in Cuba, a L.A.-based Afro-Cuban band made up of Cuban and Cuban-American musicians, and celebrated Cuban artists Pancho Amat, Telmary Diaz, and Yissy García.

Grand Park + The Music Center's N.Y.E.L.A.

Saturday, December 31, 2017 8:00 p.m. - January 1, 2018; 1:00 a.m.

For the fifth year, Grand Park + The Music Center's N.Y.E.L.A. will be the go-to central gathering place in Los Angeles where Angelenos from all over the county and visitors from across the globe ring in the New Year. This unique civic event, which has been recognized alongside major New Year's Eve celebrations around the world, brings Angelenos and their family and friends together to celebrate the holiday at LA's biggest dance party. Grand Park's N.Y.E.L.A. will focus on music and dancing both onstage, on the dance floor, and throughout the rest of the event. The event will include free interactive motion-graphic activations for audiences to bring to life with their own moves, and a unique only-in-Los Angeles New Year's countdown, featuring 3-D digital video mapping on the side of the iconic City Hall with an integrated light show celebrating the wonderful energy of this New Year's celebration.

Valentine's Day at Grand Park

Wednesday, February 14, 2017

Grand Park makes Valentine's Day easy and affordable for all Angelenos by setting the stage for a special picnic dinner and a moonlit walk through the park amidst the iconic views of Los Angeles City Hall and Grand Park's own Arthur J. Will Memorial fountain. Angelenos can bring a picnic dinner and enjoy a romantic evening at tables for two around the fountain and throughout Olive Court. Special music will be curated to enhance the park's beautiful surroundings.

More Grand Park Favorites:

¡LUNCHTIME! Food Trucks

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Lunch trucks on Olive Court (between Grand Avenue and Hill Street) & the Marketplace (between Spring Street and Broadway)

With more than 50,000 lunches sold in the park just last year, Grand Park continues its tradition of lunchtime in the park by providing downtowners and park visitors a wide variety of food trucks three days per week. Trucks are parked in two locations in the park: on Olive Court, between Grand Avenue and Hill Street, and in the Marketplace, between Broadway and Spring Street.

¡LUNCHTIME! Yoga reTREAT

Wednesdays and Fridays, November 1, 2017 - May 30, 2018; 12:15p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Grand Park's popular yoga sessions return, giving participants the opportunity to relax, rejuvenate and re-energize.

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For more information about free fall and winter programming at Grand Park, visit grandparkla.org. Follow Grand Park on Facebook (GrandParkLosAngeles), as well as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (@GrandPark_LA).

A vibrant outdoor gathering place, Grand Park is a beautiful public park for the entire community in Los Angeles County. With expansive green space for gatherings large and small, Grand Park celebrates the county's cultural vitality and is host to community events, cultural experiences, holiday celebrations, and many other activities that engage and attract visitors from all communities. The 12-acre Grand Park stretches from The Music Center on the west to City Hall on the east and is easily accessible by Metro via the Red/Purple line to the Civic Center/Grand Park station. The park was named one of American Planning Association's 10 "Great Public Spaces" in the U.S. for 2013. Working closely with the county, The Music Center is responsible for all operations and programming for the park. For more information, visit grandparkla.org. Follow Grand Park on Facebook (GrandParkLosAngeles), as well as Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (@GrandPark_LA).

The Music Center is L.A.'s destination for the world's greatest artistic programs and events. Home to four iconic theatres, an outdoor Plaza and four renowned resident companies - Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera and LA Phil - The Music Center is recognized for its illustrious dance series, Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center, and its highly popular community programming. With The Music Center On Location, the non-profit performing arts organization brings events and activities to locations outside of its Downtown Los Angeles campus. The Music Center inspires audiences with the very best of live performance, as well as nationally acclaimed arts education initiatives. The Music Center also programs and operates Grand Park with year-round free programming. For more information, visit musiccenter.org, or follow The Music Center on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat (@MusicCenterLA)

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