SkyPark at Santa’s Village is pleased to announce the return of its signature Pumpkins in the Pines and Fall festivities! Saturdays and Sundays only, October 8th-30th, visit the park for a park-wide pumpkin patch, gorgeous Autumnal theming, seasonal entertainment, special activities, themed food & beverages, and more! You can even grab a pumpkin spice latte from Kringle’s Coffee & Gifts to start the season off right.

New this year: The Magical Meadowlands Train Tour

Not yet old enough for the spooky Fantom Forest? The new Magical Meadowlands Train Tour offers the perfect hay-ride (train-ride) through the Skypark Meadowlands, where young guests can learn all about a secret pumpkin patch and an adventure with Santa and Arrow.

On October 29th & 30th, bring your little ones to participate in Arrow’s Spooky Balance Bike Race, sponsored by Prevelo! Starting at 10am at the Silver Bells Arena, cheer for the balance bike riders (ages 2-9) as they make their way around the track. This is the friendliest and cutest competition in the park!

Costume Contests:

• Oct 22 & 23: SkyPark Costume Contest at 3pm by Santa’s house.

• Oct 29: Halloween Monster Mash Skate Night with live DJ at the Silver Bells Arena from 7pm to 9pm

• Oct 29 & 30: SkyPark Costume Contest at 3pm by Santa’s house.

• Oct 30: Mountain Biker Costume Parade and contest behind the Pedal Pub at 1pm.

Weekend Activities:

Weekends: Trick or Treating & Monster Mash Light Show

Oct 21: Dead Man’s Party Concert

Oct 28: Halloween Costume Party with Sixty Grit Band

Oct 22 & 29, Magical Meadowlands Train Tour 6pm – 8pm

Oct 22 & 29: Fantom Forest (ages 13 and up)

Oct 29: Cider press demonstration

You can also purchase tickets here.

Credit: SkyPark at Santa’s Village.

I had the opportunity to visit an amazing new digital art gallery, THE LUME Los Angeles, and the launch of the world premiere of STREET ART ALIVE, and I really was blown away!

STREET ART ALIVE opened on April 22^nd to the public. I had planned to visit mid-June but I was, unfortunately, feeling under the weather.  But, there is still time to experience STREET ART ALIVE  at THE LUME Los Angeles this month! What is it? It is a multi-sensory exhibit that transports visitors on an unforgettable journey through the streets and alleys of more than 20 iconic cities, including New York City, London, SaÞo Paulo, Melbourne, and Berlin. It is amazing! It’s a 45-minute ticket but you can stay longer so you can see everything! It is even encouraged to stay longer so you can see it all!

 

To bring this highly unique and authentic experience to life, Grande Experiences, owners and creators of THE LUME digital art galleries, and creators of STREET ART ALIVE, worked in collaboration with prolific artists including Blek Le Rat, considered the Godfather of stencil art, D*Face, known for vibrant pop art-inspired murals and Lady Pink, nicknamed “First Lady of Graffiti,” one of the first women active in the early ‘80s New York City subway graffiti subculture.  

The STREET ART ALIVE experience includes: 

• Interactive installations throughout over 25,000 sq. ft, featuring a large-scale, 360-degree multi-sensory gallery. 
• Eight original full-sized sections of the Berlin Wall, which artists from across the globe used as a canvas for their political statements and powerful social commentary. Throughout the exhibit’s run, THE LUME Los Angeles will invite local street artists to add their voices to these iconic and symbolic concrete walls. 

• An audio experience for STREET ART ALIVE with a specially curated soundtrack with music from genre-defining legends.  From the distorted punk/pop spilling out of CBGB’s onto the Bowery in New York City in the late ’70s to the turntablism, break beats and rap poetry of 80’s Hip Hop, street art is the visual expression of these seminal sounds.  
• Themed café and bar 

STREET ART ALIVE showcases a pivotal art movement and tells the story of street art through the lens of the artists in a way that visitors of all ages and cultures can relate to. Art generated from the streets from all over the world transcends the art itself, striking at the heart of social issues, community sentiment, politics and current world affairs. I loved it! There’s even a Chalk Wall at the end where you can add your own art and statement!

Tickets to THE LUME Los Angeles’ STREET ART ALIVE start at $39 and are available for purchase online at https://thelume.com/losangeles/.  

More information can also be found by visiting https://thelume.com/losangeles/ 

New gallery hours started July 5th: 

• Friday, 12 PM – 8:00 PM 
• Saturday & Sunday: 10 AM – 8:00 PM 

Instagram: @thelumelosangeles
TikTok: @thelumelosangeles
Facebook: THE LUME Los Angeles

This is one place you can’t miss this Summer!

Self Disclosure: I received a media visit to facilitate this post. Images: SoCal City Kids.

I had the opportunity to put on my Pink Lady Jacket and go check out the opening night of the Musical Theatre West’s musical production of “Grease” and was blown away! It was an incredible performance! The show runs on select dates, July 8 – July 24, 2022, at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center on the campus of Cal State Long Beach. Tickets for the rockin’ return of Grease to the Musical Theatre West stage range from $20 – $96 each and are available now, by phone at 562-856-1999 or online at musical.org.

The show may not be exactly as you imagine but the message is clear through the performance that it’s wonderful to be who you are and that you don’t have to be anyone else. I know, I know….it still does follow the basic traditional Grease movie and has all the great sing-a-long songs but this one also has a wonderful message with wonderful talented performers. There’s still time to see it this month and I highly recommend it!