Holiday Events, Food & Toy Drive In West Hollywood

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA — The City of West Hollywood will celebrate the holiday season with special programming and its annual food and toy drive throughout the month of December, the City announced Tuesday. There will be decorative street pole banners and a commemorative holiday card with original artwork created and donated by the artist Shag, and the card includes a poem called "Homecoming" that was specially penned by West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Charles Flowers.

Printed cards are available at West Hollywood City Hall, the West Hollywood Library and Plummer Park, but the poem and digital image of the card are available on the City's website. Street pole banners with the holiday artwork may be seen on Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood.

Here are a few of the upcoming holiday City events:

• Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 12 p.m.: the City of West Hollywood and the Avanti Art Center’s student dancers will present a special performance of The Nutcracker at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. Suggested donation is $10. For more information, call 310-980-3171.
• Saturday, December 14, 2019 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: the City of West Hollywood will present the Holiday Jazz Quartet Quintet as part of its 2019‐20 Winter Sounds free indoor concert series. This holiday concert will take place at the City of West Hollywood’s Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room at the West Hollywood Library, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. It will feature vibraphonist Nick Mancini and his quintet who will perform a special holiday jazz concert. Admission is free and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, music samples, and parking information, please visit www.weho.org/wintersounds.
• Saturday, December 28, 2019 at 11 a.m., children are invited to bring their parents and guardians and join the City of West Hollywood at the West Hollywood Library for a special holiday Drag Queen Story Hour at the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. Draq Queen Story Hour is exactly what it sounds like: glittering, magical drag queens capturing the imagination, playfulness, and gender fluidity of childhood, while giving kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models. At Drag Queen Story Hour, children are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people present as they wish — a world where dress up is real. Drag Queen Story Hour is for children of all ages. No registration necessary and admission is free. For more information, please visit www.colapublib.org/libs/whollywood.
• Tuesday, December 31, 2019 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on January 1, 2020: #BOOM!, West Hollywood’s premiere alcohol- and drug‐free New Year’s Eve event, will bring hundreds of people together for a fabulous celebration, complete with a DJ, dancing, food, and alcohol‐free midnight toast. #BOOM! will take place at the West Hollywood Park Auditorium, located at 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard. This year’s theme is “The Boom Ball!” Admission is free. Attendees must be 18 years or over to enter and capacity is limited. For more information and to RSVP, please visit www.eventbrite.com/e/boom-2020-an-alcohol-and-drug-free-extravaganza-tickets-79270106021.

The City of West Hollywood will also put on its 29th Annual West Hollywood Toy and Food Drive. The City and the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station will partner to donate toys and holiday meals for families in need. Each family will receive a holiday meal and two toys for each child in the family.

The City will accept donations from Monday, December 2,until Friday, December 20, with the goal of providing up to 900 families with meals and gifts. For the past three decades, contributions from local businesses and residents have helped provide more than 7,300 local families with food and gifts in the spirit of the holiday season. New unwrapped toys are needed, as well as new clothing, store coupons and discount cards, the City said.