What to Know
- Grand Illuminations
- The Yard at Cal Plaza
- Downtown Los Angeles
- Dec. 4-Jan. 6, 2025
- Nightly through 10 p.m.
- The Dec. 4 kick-off — the Grand Holiday Celebration — will feature live music, market vendors and more; please bring a toy to donate to the Para Los Niños drive (new and unwrapped)
Encountering a dandelion or two while sauntering through the heart of the city isn't all that unusual.
The intrepid sprouters do have a way of making their puffy presence known, pretty much anywhere you go, and that includes the places packed with skyscrapers, traffic, and a perpetual case of on-the-go-itis.
But finding a surreal electric dandelion that is taller than you are? Actually, finding several of them in full and fabulous twinkle, right in Downtown Los Angeles?
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Several visitors to The Yard at Cal Plaza will have this illuminated experience in the coming weeks as "Grand Illuminations," a new holiday light installation, gives the evening some glittery joy.
Presented by the DTLA Alliance, "Grand Illuminations" will shimmer with the wizardry of Liquid PXL, the Los Angeles-based art collective.
Ten "Electric Dandelions" will be on view — you may have encountered these sizable eye-catchers at Burning Man back in 2016 — while an Arbor Arch Trellis will add to the atmosphere.
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A luminous tree created from LED lights will stand an impressive 25 feet, another element sure to draw visitors seeking a sparkly snapshot or two.
"The Yard at Cal Plaza holds such a special place in my heart, as some of my earliest memories of visiting downtown were trips to 'Grand Performances,' says Abram Santa Cruz, founder of Liquid PXL.
"It's truly a joy to showcase my art in such a prominent, central, and accessible setting for all Angelenos to enjoy this holiday season."
Entry is free and the lights will shimmer nightly, through 10 p.m. each evening, from Dec. 4 through Jan. 6, 2025.
Want to be there for the joyful launch? Swing by Dec. 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. for live music and the flip-the-switch ceremony.
