Community News

AOP Holiday Happenings

Discounted Late Nights – The Aquarium will offer Discounted Late Nights on Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 27. Those who make reservations to visit on weekends after 6 p.m. can enjoy the aquarium’s outdoor exhibits for just $15 per person. Guest will be able to enjoy holiday décor and special night-time lighting. Food and drinks will be available for purchase and both gift stores will be open for holiday shopping. Lorikeet Forest will be closed. Cost is $15 per person; free for Aquarium members.

Aquarium Holidays – Saturday, Dec. 5, through Wednesday, Dec. 23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Families can enjoy holiday décor and music as they visit the aquarium’s outdoor areas with advance reservations. Take selfies with life-size cardboard cut outs of aquarium mascots in their holiday finery. Look for our hidden “Santa in the Sea” figurine that will be placed in various spots throughout the outdoor areas.

The first 25 guests each day to correctly report the location of “Santa in the Sea” figurine will receive a small prize. Plus, get a start on holiday shopping at the aquarium’s gift stores, which feature marine-related gifts. See some of our most popular gifts on their website.

The aquarium’s free virtual Hanukkah show will stream from the Aquarium Holidays web page and social media on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 10 a.m. with music, storytelling and Pacific Pals puppets.

The aquarium’s free virtual Kwanzaa event will stream on the Aquarium Holidays web page and social media on Saturday, Dec. 26, at 10 a.m., with opportunity to learn about the principles and practices of Kwanzaa. All Aquarium Holidays programs are subject to change and weather dependent.

General admission cost is $19 per person (outdoor areas only, reservations required). Hanukkah and Kwanzaa virtual programming is free.

Holiday Gift Guide – Looking for holiday gift ideas that also help the ocean and support the Aquarium of the Pacific? The aquarium has many unique options to choose from, including animal encounters, personalized cameo greetings and symbolic animal adoptions. Dollars spent with the aquarium support its animal care, conservation and education programs and help the institution grow and recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can check out the aquarium’s 2020 Holiday Gift Guide at www.aquariumofpacific.org.

Comedy/Musical Fundraiser

Proving that a pandemic will not interfere with holiday cheer for a good cause, the Long Beach Playhouse, Held2gether and WomenShelter Long Beach (WSLB) have joined forces to put on a virtual show to raise spirits and money for these three organizations. The night of merriment on Dec. 5 includes improv by the award-winning troupe, Held2gether, along with music and performances by actors from the Long Beach Playhouse and an important message from WSLB.

The improv and musical performances will be intertwined with videos and a raffle. It will be delivered live on YouTube. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be split between Held2gether, WSLB and the Playhouse.

Ticket buyers can purchase $5 general admission or choose to be Superstars ($15), Merry Elves ($25) or Santas ($50). Purchase tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/miracle-a-comedy-musical-fundraiser-tickets.... Ticket buyers will be sent a special link that will open the virtual door to an evening of fun beginning at 7 p.m. The show will be available to ticket buyers after it is streamed live, for the following week.

More Information can be found at www.lbplayhouse.org/show/miracle.

Pageant Cancelled

This year would have been 48th annual “Portraits of the Prince of Peace” Pageant. However due to the COVID-19 pandemic the pageant is cancelled for 2020. The pageant looks forward to a presentation once again in 2021.

In normal years the pageant is presented through the joint efforts of six Long Beach churches located on Wardlow Road. The churches participating are: The Neighborhood Church, St. Luke’s Lutheran, University Baptist, St. Cornelius Roman Catholic, Long Beach Christian Reformed and Calvary Chapel of Long Beach. The pageant is an outdoor event featuring over a dozen separate visual presentations with living statues and live animals depicting the prophecy and birth of Jesus Christ. There are many participating musical groups that provide live music. The pageant would have been open to the public free of charge.

The pageant has a Facebook page with the name Portraits of the Prince of Peace Pageant. A video from a previous pageant is posted there as a virtual way of presenting the pageant for this year. The Facebook page also has photos from previous pageants. Take time to remember the story the pageant presents, which is the prophecy and birth of Jesus Christ.

Towne Center Santa Photos

Long Beach Towne Center offers its shoppers a creative way to capture traditional photos with Santa … from the comfort and safety of their own homes. They have partnered with PictureMeSanta.com to provide digitally created pictures of children, families and pets with Santa Claus even if they can’t visit in person this year.

Participants take a photo at home against a white backdrop, upload the digital photo to the PictureMeSanta website, then select their digital photo package. Digital photo packages start at $29.99 for one person in the photo; additional people can be added for $6 per person. Photos will be delivered via email in three to seven days; rush orders can be delivered in one to two days for an additional fee. All photos will be delivered in a digital format.

The shopping center is offering the community a $5 discount on Santa photo packages using coupon code: SANTALT at checkout. For details, visit https://PictureMeSanta.com.

Beatles Christmas Show

Christmas is coming and nothing says joy and love like the Beatles, rocking live in your living room. After ten consecutive years of holiday concerts, Abbey Road – A Tribute to the Beatles, plan to deliver the joys of the season even if it means pivoting for the pandemic. The award-winning band will bring their beloved Christmas with the Beatles show by way of a livest ream event that you can tune into from the safety and comfort of your own home.

Live from the legendary Belly Up stage in San Diego, see the band perform on Friday, Dec. 18, featuring mash-ups of Christmas classics and Beatles faves. Livestream tickets are $12.

This electrifying livestream will bring some much-needed rockin’ Christmas spirit to Beatles fans everywhere. Featuring all the Fab Four’s top hits along with some great holiday tunes, Abbey Road’s holiday concert show promises to be a night of reminiscent fun. From the Beatles’ early days as mop-topped leaders of the British Invasion through their psychedelic Sgt. Pepper era, Abbey Road re-creates an authentic Beatles concert experience, complete with period-accurate costume changes and spot-on harmonizing.

Tickets may be purchased online at https://bellyuplive.com/abbey-road/. The show starts at 7 p.m.