Going South

* Anniversary--Steve Allen will host the Alex Theatre’s 75th Anniversary Show at 8 p.m. Saturday in Glendale. The show will offer a glimpse of the Alex’s debut in 1925 with vaudeville acts, dance numbers, newsreels, celebrities and excerpts from John Ford’s 1925 silent film “Lightnin’,” which was the main attraction on opening night. A free outdoor event on Brand Boulevard, featuring singers, bands, entertainers, clowns and refreshments, will precede the show from noon to 4 p.m. The theater is at 216 N. Brand Blvd. $7.50. (800) 414-2539.

* African--Forward Kwenda and Erica Azim will perform mbira music from Zimbabwe at 8 p.m. Saturday at Cal State Northridge. Mbira is the name of the instrument and the type of music it produces. The instrument, created by the Shona people of Zimbabwe, consists of 22 to 28 metal keys mounted on a hardwood soundboard with a large calabash resonator. Kwenda, of Zimbabwe, is internationally known as “the Coltrane of Mbira.” Californian Erica Azim, who has lived and studied in Zimbabwe, has played mbira for more than 25 years. She and Kwenda recorded a CD, “Svikiro: Meditations of an Mbira Master,” in 1991 that is available on the Shanachie label. The campus is at 18111 Nordhoff St. $9-$15. (818) 677-2488.

* Mexican Independence--The Los Angeles Zoo will celebrate Mexican Independence Day this weekend with music, crafts and food for the entire family. Children’s dance groups, mariachi music and pinata-making demonstrations will be featured. Zookeepers will offer close-up views of Mexican beaded lizards, tapirs and ocelots. The zoo is at the Ventura and Golden State freeways. (323) 644-6400. Internet: https://www.lazoo.org.

* Celtic--Blackwaterside will perform at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Raven Playhouse in North Hollywood. Blackwaterside--which has recorded two CDs and features flutist Susan Craig Winsberg, vocalist Garnet Tree and guitarist Sean Clegg--is known for its lyrical adaptations of traditional Scottish and Irish tunes. The venue is at 5233 Lankershim Blvd. $10. (818) 752-3488.