What to Know
- Free
- Head for Glendale
- One of SoCal's top-tier tree lightings
Modern self-help articles often suggest that we check in with ourselves, to see where our energy levels are at, how our daily gratitude is shaping up, and if we're good to tackle the next big project on our list (and there's always a "next big project on our list," it seems like).
But how about checking in with yourself on this topic: How much glow can you handle? How much twinkle are you up for? Is there a set level to the amount of sparkle you generally like to experience, or are you very much a "sky's the limit" sort of individual when it comes to over-the-top shimmer and joy?
If you're in this particular more-is-more camp, then you surely know about the annual tree lighting at The Americana at Brand, an event that pulls out all of the seasonal stops, and then invents a few extra stops to pull out in case the first set of stops wasn't quite enough.
Like its shopping center sibling, The Grove, another Caruso property, The Americana goes big with its flip-switching, and the 2017 show will deliver on that tradition. The date? It's Thursday, Nov. 16, just four days after The Grove's glow show began, and, as is also tradition, it is a starry affair.
Emmy-winning choreographer and dancer Derek Hough will be in the spotlight, and be ready to be utterly charmed, if you like ye olde tales read aloud: Mr. Hough will narrate "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore, or "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," if you prefer.
It's a "rockin'" presentation of the tale, with choreography and panache, and you can bet that the jolly star of the timeless story will make an appearance, too.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
Fireworks, tunes, and "snow," as in the kind that drifts gently from above, will also pump up the general air of razzmatazz-a-tude.
It's all free to watch, the pre-show begins at 7 while the show-show taps a toe at 7:30 p.m., and the fireworks round all of the over-the-top-ness out with even more over-the-top-ness.
Which is all to say, check in with yourself. Do you like a lot of sparkle and joy and holiday cheer, generally? As in a lot a lot? Best walk through The Americana at Brand's dazzling door to the season, which opens on the evening of Nov. 16.
And if you require more tree-lighting twinkle, keep in mind that The Promenade at Westlake will hold its seasonal kick-off on Friday, Nov. 17.
