Light the Skirball's City of Light
The Sunday afternoon the Skirball Cultural Center holds its Hanukkah Festival, the courtyard fills with the smell of frying latkes and the sound of a klezmer clarinet. In 2026 the festival runs Sunday, December 6, from 12:00 to 5:00 pm (the museum opens at 11:00 am). You can build a miniature "City of Light," drift through the Dreidel Lounge, catch the Skirball Storytellers performing the Hanukkah story with puppets, and wander the "Light Lab" and "Shadow Story" corner. The LA band Mostly Kosher plays live klezmer, and the day closes with a community candle lighting at sunset. Jelly donuts and potato pancakes are on offer, and the museum galleries stay open throughout.
While you're there, find "In Celebration of Light and Liberty" in the Main Lobby: a Hanukkah lamp shaped as a pomegranate tree, designed by Jewish American artist Zachary Oxman for the official US Vice President's residence and first displayed under VP Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Its leaves are made from copper salvaged from the old roof of the Grand Salon at Ellis Island.
- Admission: $23 general, $18 seniors and full-time students, $16 children 2–17, free for members and children under 2; children must come with an adult.
- Buy in advance — limited walk-up tickets are sold first-come, first-served once advance tickets run out.
- Parking is free, and Audrey's Museum Store and on-site dining are open.
Follow the Menorahs Across the City
Los Angeles marks the eight nights with public lightings scattered from the Fairfax District to Beverly Hills, each with its own character. The rhythms below are what these institutions have reliably done; check each venue's calendar for the 2026 dates, since the holiday's position on the Gregorian calendar shifts year to year.
- Beverly Hills: a municipal menorah lighting at Beverly Gardens Park's Lily Pond (9439 Santa Monica Blvd), traditionally held at 5:30 p.m. on an evening during the holiday.
- Original Farmers Market (6333 W. 3rd St): an afternoon celebration on Market Plaza with youth performances, crafts and family activities, followed by the menorah lighting.
- Temple Emanuel Beverly Hills (300 N. Clark Drive): a 4 p.m. menorah lighting followed by a community party with a bounce house, face-painting, family activities, snacks and music — open to non-members. The congregation also typically hosts a young professionals' cookie-decorating and wine-and-cheese evening and a ChaiVillage Hanukkah party for seniors with Temple Isaiah.
Hear the Holiday: Concerts and Shabbat
Music carries much of the season. At Wilshire Boulevard Temple's Resnick Family Campus in Brentwood (11960 Sunset Blvd), a Hanukkah concert has featured Joshua Washington ("JoDavi") premiering an eight-song Hanukkah album. Temple Israel of Hollywood (7300 Hollywood Blvd) holds a Hanukkah Shabbat at 6:30 p.m. where you may bring your own chanukiah; an oneg follows. Temple Emanuel's candle-lit L.A. Oneg Hanukkah service rounds out the options. All three welcome visitors — confirm the 2026 schedule at wbtla.org, tioh.org and tebh.org.
Eat, Spin, and Stay Into the Evening
The food of the holiday is part of the draw: latkes and jelly donuts at the Skirball, snacks and music at the Temple Emanuel party, an oneg after services at Temple Israel. Between events, the Original Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax is the natural place to graze — its Hanukkah afternoon pairs crafts and performances with the lighting itself. Carry a dreidel for the downtime; it's the season's other tradition, alongside the menorah.
Plan Around the Calendar
Hanukkah is an eight-night festival of light commemorating the Maccabees' fight for religious freedom roughly two thousand years ago and the rededication of the Second Temple. Because the Hebrew calendar determines the dates, the nights fall differently each year — so build your visit around the venues rather than fixed dates: reserve Skirball tickets for December 6, 2026, then watch the calendars at Beverly Gardens Park, the Original Farmers Market, Temple Emanuel, Wilshire Boulevard Temple and Temple Israel of Hollywood as the holiday approaches. Book early, park once, and let the lightings set your route across the city.