Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
26
S
EPTEMBER
Los Angeles County F air,
P omona.
Horse racing, arts, agricultural displays,
celebrity enter tainment, and carniv al
rides are among the attractions at one of
the largest county fairs in the world,
held at the Los Angeles County F air
and E xposition Center . Call
&
909/
623-3111
or visit www.fairplex.com for
information. Throughout September.
Long Beach B lues F estival,
Long
Beach. G reat per formances b y blues
legends such as E tta J ames, D r. J ohn,
and the Allman B rothers make this an
event you won't want to miss if you love
the blues. Located in the middle of the
athletic field at Long B each S tate, the
event ser ves cold beer , wine, and food
throughout. Call
&
562/985-5566
or
log on to www
Pro of S urfing—plus extr eme spor ts
like BMX biking, skateboar ding, and
more. The festiv al includes enter tain-
ment, food, tons of product booths and
giveaways—and plenty of tanned,
swimsuit-clad bodies of both sex es. For
more information, call
&
714/969-
3492
or log on to www
.surfcityusa.
com. End of July.
Festival of Arts & Pageant of the Mas-
ters,
Laguna B each. A 60-plus-y ear
tradition in ar tsy Laguna, this festiv al
centers on a fantastic per formance-art
production in which actors r e-create
famous old masters paintings. O ther
festivities include live music, crafts sales,
art demonstrations and workshops, and
the grass-r oots S awdust F estival acr oss
the street. Grounds admission is $3 to
$5; pageant tickets range fr om $15 to
$80. Call
&
800/487-FEST
(800/487-
3378) or 949/494-1145; ther e's online
info at www.foapom.com. July through
August.
A
UGUST
Nisei Week J apanese F estival,
Los
Angeles. This w eeklong celebration of
Japanese cultur e and heritage—and
.kkjz.org. Labor D ay
weekend.
Simon Rodia Watts Towers Jazz Festi-
val,
Los Angeles. This event pays trib-
ute to the r oots of jazz in gospel and
blues, as w ell as celebrating the av ant-
garde and Latin jazz scene. I t's also a
great oppor tunity to visit the Watts
Towers. Call
&
213/847-4646
or log
on to www.trywatts.com. Late Septem-
ber.
O
CTOBER
Catalina I sland J azz Trax F estival,
Catalina I sland. Contemporar y jazz
greats play at Avalon's legendary Casino
Ballroom. This enormously popular fes-
tival takes place o ver 2 consecutiv e
3-day w eekends. Call
&
760/323-
1171
or see www .jazztrax.com for
advance ticket sales and a schedule of
performers. Early October.
Hollywood Film Festival,
Hollywood.
More than 50 films fr om the U.S. and
abroad ar e scr eened, with celebrities
in abundance. There's also a v ariety
of wor kshops and mar ketplaces for
aspiring actors and filmmakers. Call
3
L.A.'s oldest ethnic festiv al—is held in
the J apanese American C ultural and
Community Center P
laza in Little
Tokyo. Festivities include parades, food,
Taiko D rum per formances, ar ts, and
crafts. Call
&
213/687-7193
or log on
to www.niseiweek.org. Mid-August.
African M arketplace and C ultural
Fair,
Los Angeles. African ar ts, crafts,
food, and music ar e featur ed at this
cultural-awareness event. It's one of the
largest festivals in the world celebrating
the cultur es of Africa and the African
Diaspora. It's spread over 3 weekends at
Rancho La Cienega P ark, 5001 R odeo
Rd. Call
&
323/734-1164
or visit
www.africanmarketplace.org. Weekends
from mid-August to Labor Day.
