Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
24
Mardi G ras,
W est Hollywood. The
festivities—including liv e jazz and lots
of food—take place along S anta Mon-
ica Boulev ard, fr om D oheny D rive to
La Brea Avenue, and in the alley behind
Santa M onica Boulev ard. Contact the
West H ollywood Conv ention & Visi-
tors B ureau at
&
800/368-6020
for
details. Late February or early March.
M
ARCH
Los Angeles M arathon,
D owntown.
This 26-mile r un attracts thousands of
participants, from world champions to
the guy next door; the big day also fea-
tures a 5K r un/walk and a bike mara-
thon on the same r oute. The run starts
in Downtown Los Angeles. Call
&
310/
444-5544
or visit www .lamarathon.
com for r egistration or spectator infor-
mation. First weekend in March.
Santa Barbara International Film Fes-
tival,
Santa Barbara. For 10 days each
March, S anta B arbara does its best
impression of Cannes. There's a flurr y
of for eign and independent film pr e-
mieres, appearances by actors and direc-
tors, and symposia on cinematic topics.
For a r undown of ev ents, call
&
805/
963-0023.
Early to mid-March.
California P oppy B looming S eason,
Antelope Valley. Less than an hour 's
drive north of Los Angeles lies the Cali-
fornia Poppy Reserve, part of the state
park system. In spring, miles of hillside
blaze with brilliant hues of r ed and
orange, dazzling the senses of motorists
who flock to witness the display . F or
information and directions, call
&
661/
723-6077.
M id-March to mid-M ay.
For information on the annual
Califor-
nia Poppy Festival,
held at full bloom
(usually in late A pr), call
&
661/723-
6077
or visit www.poppyfestival.com.
American I ndian F estival and M ar-
ket,
Los Angeles N atural H istory
Museum. A t this sho wcase of N ative
American ar ts and cultur e, the fun
includes traditional dances, storytelling,
and arts and crafts, as w ell as a chance
to sample N
ative American foods.
Admission to the museum includes
festival tickets. F or fur ther details, call
&
213/744-DINO
(213/744-3466).
Late March.
A
PRIL
Toyota G rand P rix,
Long B each. An
exciting weekend of Indy-class auto rac-
ing and enter tainment in and ar ound
downtown Long B each draws world-
class drivers from the United States and
Europe, plus many celebrity contestants
and spectators. Contact the Grand Prix
Association at
&
888/82-SPEED
(888/
827-7333) or www .longbeachgp.com.
Mid-April.
Renaissance Pleasure Faire,
Irwindale.
This annual ev ent—one of the largest
and oldest in the countr y—takes place
at the r elatively hidden S anta Fe Dam
Recreation Area. It features an E lizabe-
than mar ketplace with costumed per-
formers. The fair pr ovides an entir e
day's activities, including sho ws, food,
and crafts. You're encouraged to come
in period costume. F or ticket informa-
tion, call
&
626/969-4750,
or log on
to the national w ebsite, www .renfair.
com. Weekends fr om early A pril to
mid-May
M
AY
Cinco de Mayo,
Los Angeles. A w eek-
long celebration of the Mexican victory
over the F rench Army in 1862 takes
place thr oughout the city . There's a
carnival atmosphere with large cr owds,
live music, dancing, and food. The
main festivities are held at El Pueblo de
Los Angeles State Historic Park, Down-
town; call
&
213/628-1274
for infor-
mation. O ther ev ents ar e held ar ound
the city. The week surrounding May 5.
National O range S how,
S an B ernar-
dino. An Inland Empire tradition since
1911—when ther e w ere mor e orange
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