The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) today announced details of new tentpole programs launching with the opening of its new wing and community hub, NHM Commons: Ocean Encounters, an innovative puppet performance featuring hand-crafted, large-scale puppets, and T.REX 3D, a 22-minute film using the latest technology and sharing the latest research about the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex, including NHM’s own Thomas the T.rex. 

T.REX 3D will debut on November 18 and Ocean Encounters will begin on November 23. The celebration will also feature community organizations, food, and music, as well as hands-on activities, engaging discussions, artist workshops, and meet-and-greets with NHM Scientists.

“NHM Commons is a physical manifestation of our important work as museums of, for and with Los Angeles, a philosophy which has evolved from years of research, planning, and community listening, and actively drives partner engagement, programming and the evolution of the Natural History Museum,” said Lori Bettison-Varga, President and Director of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County. “The programs visitors will experience in NHM Commons nurture and celebrate community co-creation and belonging. I hope everyone will find something special to experience each time they visit.”

Following more than a year of close collaboration with the NHM Commons Advisory Coalition, community-centered offerings in the new NHM Commons theater will expand over the coming months to include new film series, theatrical experiences, live animal meet-and-greets, collection-related discussions, festivals, and other educational content. The NHM Community Plaza will also provide space for a range of outdoor programming—from live performances to science demonstrations. 

Now Welcoming You to NHM
NHM Commons will open on November 17 with a festive Opening Day Celebration and Block Party with a variety of free indoor and outdoor events at NHM Commons and programs throughout the museum that are free with general admission. Events include a Block Party on the new Plaza with a Community Resource Fair, food trucks, and music; live performances and engaging discussions in the new NHM Commons Theater. The day will also include meet n’ greets with NHM scientists, up-close collection previews, and hands-on activities and artist workshops. 

NHM Commons will be a modern and inviting “front porch” to the NHM campus. This new wing and community hub will feature 75,000-square feet of renovated space, new construction, and landscaping. A key design element of the new indoor-outdoor experience is the building’s transparent glass façade, which will enable the public to see into the Museum and its collection while offering views of the park from inside. Its centerpiece is an expansive Welcome Center that is free to the public, featuring Gnatalie, a 75-foot sauropod dinosaur skeleton with distinctive green fossils; Barbara Carrasco’s landmark 1981 mural L.A. History: A Mexican Perspective; and a temporary exhibit dedicated to NHM’s Community Science initiatives.

Additional highlights will include a new landscaped Community Plaza and Museum entrance, a new LA-focused retail space, a grab-n-go cafe from South LA Café, a new multi-purpose theater and a new exhibition gallery adjacent to the theater, which will initially feature Collective Knowledge, an exhibition highlighting the breadth of NHM’s vast collection with photos by National Geographic photographer Craig Cutler and Scott Bremner.

Sea-Creature Puppets Transport Visitors to the Prehistoric Past
Following the decade-long success of NHM’s Dinosaur Encounters program, the Museum will present a new live-performance puppet show featuring both prehistoric and contemporary sea-creature puppets (all of which are based on specimens found at NHM). The imagination-expanding show positions viewers as time-traveling deep-sea explorers who explore the under-the-sea lives of creatures like the Mosasaur and Ammonites —giant marine critters from the Age of Dinosaurs—through a kelp forest to meet a Desmostylian, and to share a meal with a Megamouth feeding on glowing, Bioluminescent Plankton. 

Created and performed by some of the nation’s best puppet makers and puppeteers, Ocean Encounters features large-scale puppets, spanning up to fifteen feet in length and some requiring multiple puppeteers. 

Ocean Encounters is family-friendly and will run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 10am, 11 am and 12 pm. Each showing is about 15 minutes long. The show is $10 with general admission and free for Members. 

T.Rex Takes the Big Screen
NHM will also debut T.REX 3D, a new film that shares the latest research about the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex, from hatchling to hulking adult, and prominently features NHM and its collections. Narrated by Sam Neill of Jurassic Park fame and made in collaboration with top tyrannosaur scientists, a coalition of natural history institutions, and pioneering paleo and visual effects artists, this original Giant Screen Films production aims to be the most engaging and accurate T.rex documentary ever made. With leaps in CGI technology and revolutions in tyrannosaur paleontology over the past twenty-five years, this family-friendly film offers a thrilling, immersive experience that brings visitors face-to-face with the iconic predator–including NHM’s own Thomas the T.rex–and his fierce Cretaceous counterparts.

In addition to Thomas the T.rex, NHM’s signature film will feature the Museum’s award-winning T.rex Growth Series, the Dueling Dinos, the Dino Institute, and interviews with Dr. Luis Chiappe Senior VP, Research & Collections and Curator, Dinosaur Institute. With hat tips to famous specimens, landmark discoveries, and wild cinematic depictions over the last century, the film will explore the interplay between speculation and evidence and reveal how the process of science refreshes and reimagines our understanding of this legendary dinosaur. 

T.REX 3D will screen daily in the new NHM Commons Theater and will be available initially in English, Spanish, and Simple Mandarin, as well as closed captions. The family-friendly film is $10 with general admission and free for Members.

Credit: NHM.

 Universal CityWalk Hollywood celebrates global pop icon Hello Kitty’s milestone 50^th anniversary by unwrapping a selection of scrumptious new menu items available at the highly-popular Hello Kitty® and Friends Cafe along with 50th-anniversary merchandise at the all-new Sanrio Smile Shop. This kicks off on Friday, November 1, which is Hello Kitty Day when Hello Kitty celebrates her birthday and limited-time 50^th items will be available through December 31.

The Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe and the Sanrio Smile Shop are located adjacent to one another at the heart of Universal CityWalk and complement the Animation Studio Store located within Universal Studios Hollywood which features a wide selection of Hello Kitty merchandise including exclusive items only found at the theme park.

The one-of-a-kind Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe is adding an assortment of 50^th-themed items to its unique, grab-and-go menu with artfully designed creations to reflect Hello Kitty’s playful spirit, including a 50th Cookie Sandwich, 50^th Anniversary Cake and Sparkling 50^th Drink, which is a strawberry sodawith coconut cream foam on top.Prepared by Universal Studios Hollywood Executive Chef Julia Thrash, the limited-time offerings join other Hello Kitty and Friends-themed sweet treats, including Hello Kitty® Mousse Dome, Seasonal Mousse Domes, Strawberry Cake, Berry & Cream Churro, Macaron Set and Hello Kitty® Cookie. The venue also serves supercute signature beverages, including Hello Kitty® Strawberry Green Iced Tea, My Melody™ Lemonade, Kuromi™ Berry Iced Tea, Tuxedosam™ Lemonade, Keroppi™ Matcha Latte, Chococat™ Frozen Mocha, as well as two new hot drinks – the Mocha Bow Bomb Latte and the Hot Chocolate Bow Bomb – that will make their debut on November 1.

The Sanrio Smile Shop, located next to the Hello Kitty and Friends Cafe, is a vibrant new store that celebrates all things Sanrio and Hello Kitty, inviting guests to step into the very pink world of Hello Kitty and her beloved friends – Cinnamoroll™, Keroppi™, Kuromi™, My Melody™, Badtz-Maru™ and Chococat™.

The shop features an assortment of themed merchandise and a treasure trove of iconic statement pieces, featuring a limited-time-only Hello Kitty 50^th Anniversary merchandise line available now until the end of the year, while supplies last. The celebratory line features an array of Hello Kitty t-shirts, plush, ceramic mugs, tumblers, notepads, stationery kits, lanyards, cell phone bags and backpacks. Customers will also find a selection of products themed in honor of the new Hello Kitty and Friends Café, including bright pink aprons emblazoned with the cafe’s logo, magnets, signs and hats. All merchandise at the new shop radiates the cheerful spirit of Hello Kitty, making it a paradise for fans looking to take home a piece of beloved memorabilia.

To commemorate Hello Kitty’s 50^th anniversary within the theme park, Hello Kitty debuted a soft pastel pink dress that reflects her iconic sense of style while capturing her endearing timeless appeal. Donning this new outfit, Hello Kitty can regularly be spotted welcoming and posing with guests and fans when they visit her at the Animation Studio Store.

More information about Universal CityWalk and Universal Studios Hollywood is available at www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com; like Universal Studios Hollywood on Facebook and follow @UniStudios on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter)

To learn more about Sanrio, please visit www.sanrio.com and follow @sanrio and @hellokitty on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest and subscribe to the Hello Kitty and Friends YouTube Channel.

Credit: Universal Studios Hollywood.

 Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM, Inc.) is excited to announce the return of Ice at Santa Monica, the city’s beloved holiday tradition. From  November 8, 2024, to January 20, 2025, the corner of Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue will be transformed into a winter wonderland, offering a magical ice-skating experience in the heart of downtown. Operated in partnership with Los Angeles-based Willy Bietak Productions, Ice at Santa Monica provides community members and visitors with festive fun throughout the holiday season.

The festivities kick off with the Grand Opening Celebration on Friday, November 8, from 5 to 11 p.m. Visitors can enjoy free ice skating during the 5:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. sessions (available on a first-come, first-served basis), groove to live DJ sets and enjoy captivating on-ice performances featuring Olympic hopeful skaters Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman, who have recently achieved notable successes in their competitive careers. Throughout the season, visitors can also indulge in rink-side fire pits, rent private party tents and participate in themed events like DJ nights, KUSC Classical Sundays, a Taylor Swift-themed night and a family-friendly New Year’s Eve countdown.

Admission to Ice at Santa Monica is $22 for a 60-minute session, including skate rental. The rink will be open daily:

• Sundays through Thursdays: from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. 
• Fridays and Saturdays: 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 
• Extended Hours (December 15 through December 30): Open daily until 11:00 p.m. every day.

In addition to the ice rink, DTSM, Inc. will host the Official City of Santa Monica Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony on Thursday, November 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. Santa Claus and City officials will light the official Santa Monica holiday tree on the world-famous Third Street Promenade. The event will feature live entertainment, holiday arts and crafts, free photos with Santa and even snowfall to create a magical experience for all ages.

Every Thursday in December leading up to Christmas–December 5, 12, and 19–from 5 to 7 p.m., the Third Street Promenade will come alive with Holiday Thursdays. These family-friendly events will feature live holiday entertainment, holiday arts and crafts activities, opportunities to write and hand-deliver letters to Santa and free holiday treats. Guests can also enjoy magical snowfall right on the Promenade and shop for unique gifts at the holiday markets. Pets are welcome to join in the festivities, making it a fun evening for the entire family. 

For more information on Ice at Santa Monica, please visit iceatsantamonica.com or call 310-807-4822. For details on all holiday happenings in Downtown Santa Monica, visit downtownsm.com/calendar. 

Credit: Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM, Inc.)