Las Posadas has been a part of Olvera Street since its founding in 1930. Reenacting the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem with traditional songs, colorful costumes, and vibrant music brings one of the oldest Christmas stories to life. While the event is rooted in Christian and Catholic traditions, all are welcome to participate.
Each night the crowd gathers as the pastores, or shepherds, are led by the angel to ask for shelter at one of the shops on Olvera Street. Initially turned away, Mary and Joseph are finally given shelter and songs of celebration can be heard up and down Olvera Street. The procession starts and ends at the Avila Adobe, the oldest house in Los Angeles. At the end, each visitor is given a cup of hot champurrado and a piece of delicious pan dulce, or sweet bread. This is a nine (9) night festival, ending on Christmas Eve with a live Mary and Joseph, honoring the birth of Jesus.
Upcoming Events
$15
The festival strives to connect the audience to Mexico through cultural entertainment, creating the most authentic experience. The festival is for all audiences, and every event is open to the general public. Every film has English subtitles.
Mesoamerican artists held a cosmic responsibility: as they adorned the surfaces of buildings, clay vessels, textiles, bark-paper pages, and sculptures with color, they (quite literally) made the world. Color mapped the very order of the cosmos, of time and space. The exhibition explores the science, art, and cosmology of color in Mesoamerica. See website for ticket prices and registration.
Free
LéaLA, the premier Spanish Book Fair & Literary Festival, returns from September 19-22, 2024, at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes located at 501 N. Main Street in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Organized by the University of Guadalajara Foundation USA, this year’s event, themed Building Peace Together, celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring the rich traditions, language, and culture of the Latino community through literature, art, and intellectual dialogue. As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, LéaLA will highlight…
This gallery features an immersive, multichannel media installation created by the legendary director of the Academy Museum. Pedro Almodóvar is one of our time’s most daring and influential writer-directors, transforming Spanish cinema with his 21 feature films. Almodóvar’s films—marked by exquisite performances, lush production design, and moving scores—are also profoundly humanistic and compassionate. See website for ticket prices.
Free
Justice in our Barrios, Paz al Mundo: A Moratorium on War and Carrying the Legacy Forward, the inaugural exhibition of the Lincoln Heights Youth Arts Center (LHYAC). The exhibition features the personal archive of Rosalio Muñoz, peace activist, social justice organizer, youth mentor with roots in Lincoln Heights and Highland Park, and a Co-Founder of the Chicano Moratorium. Muñoz life’s work underscores the importance of asking ourselves how we can continue building people power and agency and that, together, we…
