Light the First Candle at the Skirball
Walk into the Skirball Cultural Center on a December afternoon and the lobby glows. In the Main Lobby you'll find "In Celebration of Light and Liberty," an exhibition built around a Hanukkah lamp designed by Jewish American artist Zachary Oxman for the official residence of the US Vice President. It is shaped as a pomegranate tree, its leaves made from copper salvaged from the old roof of the Grand Salon at Ellis Island, and it was first displayed when Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff, the first Jewish Second Gentleman, lived there. That lamp sets the tone for an afternoon that is part museum visit, part street fair, part candle lighting.
The Hanukkah Festival itself runs Sunday, December 6, from 12:00 to 5:00 pm, with the museum open from 11:00 am. Admission is $23 general, $18 for seniors and full-time students, $16 for children 2–17, and free for members and children under 2; children must be accompanied by an adult. Advance tickets are the sure route in, though limited walk-up tickets are released first come, first served once advance tickets sell out. Parking is free, which makes the whole outing easier to plan.
What to Do Between Noon and Sunset
The programming is dense enough to fill the whole five hours. Plan your afternoon around these:
- Live klezmer from the LA band Mostly Kosher, giving the festival its soundtrack.
- The Hanukkah story told by Skirball Storytellers, a good anchor for younger visitors.
- Art-making areas, plus a Light Lab and a Shadow Story corner for hands-on experimenting with light.
- A miniature "City of Light" building activity, where you construct a small illuminated cityscape.
- The Dreidel Lounge, for a game between activities.
- The community candle lighting ceremony at sunset, the moment the day builds toward — the festival marks an eight-night winter holiday of light, observed by lighting a hanukkiah, and here you light it with a crowd around you.
Food is available on site, and Audrey's Museum Store is open for shopping. If you're considering membership, a Hanukkah Festival membership offer is available on site on December 6 only.
Time Your Visit Around the Light
December in Los Angeles gets dark early, and the festival is built to take advantage of it. Arrive near noon if you want to work through the art-making, the Light Lab and the City of Light before the afternoon thins out; arrive later if the candle lighting is your priority. The museum opens at 11:00 am, an hour before the festival, so you can see the Oxman lamp and the rest of the galleries before the crowds settle in. Sunset comes early, so keep an eye on the sky and position yourself for the community lighting rather than being caught mid-activity.
A Day Built for Families and Curious Adults Alike
The festival is designed so that children and adults are doing things side by side rather than watching each other. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and the mix of storytelling, building, spinning and art-making keeps younger visitors moving while the klezmer and the exhibition give the adults something to linger over. Bring the family, or come on your own and treat it as a cultural afternoon with music and a candle lighting at the end.
Start With December 6
One date anchors the whole trip: Sunday, December 6, 12:00–5:00 pm at the Skirball Cultural Center. Buy tickets in advance, note that parking is free, and plan to stay through sunset for the candle lighting. Build the rest of your Los Angeles weekend around it, and the festival becomes the fixed point in a December visit rather than an afterthought.