Last-minute Mother’s Day ideas: SoCal events with room for you (for now)
Mom’s the word! For you Mother’s Day planning procrastinators, be warned: Your options are narrowing. Your usual go-to’s may still closed because of the pandemic, and reservations for major destinations that have reopened — think the Huntington Botanical Gardens, Descanso Gardens, the Getty Villa — have already been snapped up for Sunday. Unless you can convince Mom to celebrate on Friday or Monday instead (wah-wah), you’ll want to consider these other options. Tickets for the places and events listed here appeared to be available as of Thursday morning:
In-person events
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Maybe it’s the fact that much of the campus has been demolished, or perhaps it’s the arduous ticketing system that requires you to set up an online account before snagging a reservation. Either way, LACMA had reservations available for various entries times on Sunday, meaning there’s still hope on selling Mom on a morning or afternoon of art in the campus’ Resnick Pavilion and BCAM building. Exhibitions include a three-decade survey of Yoshitomo Nara, plus work by Bill Viola, Vera Lutter, Cauleen Smith and Do Ho Suh. $10-$25; ages 12 and younger are free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (323) 857-6010. lacma.org
“Fried Green Tomatoes”
Celebrate the day (and vaccinations) with a movie day. TCM Big Screen Classics presents 30th anniversary screenings of this 1991 comedy-drama starring Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary-Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson. Various theaters. 3 and 7 p.m. Sunday. $15; advance purchase required. fathomevents.com
“Mother’s Day Rides Celebration”
Bring Mom to the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo for a wine and chocolate tasting, followed by a ride in one of the museum’s classic cars. 610 Lairport St., El Segundo. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. $5-$15; ages 10 and under are free. automobiledrivingmuseum.org
Bowers Museum
Disneyphiles can check out “Inside the Walt Disney Archives: 50 Years of Preserving the Magic.” Other shows on view include “Treasures in Gold & Jade: Masterworks from Taiwan” (through Sept. 5). 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana. $10-$15; children younger than 12 are free. (714) 567-3600. bowers.org
Long Beach Museum of Art
The museum’s restaurant on a bluff overlooking the ocean, Claire’s, still has tables for brunch and a bergamot blood orange fizz. Inside the museum, meanwhile, you can find “CA Designed 1955,” an exhibition featuring midcentury home furnishings — think Charles and Ray Eames, Jerome and Evelyn Ackerman, Sam Maloof — from a 1955 exhibition curated by the museum’s then-director Samuel Heavenrich in partnership with the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Reservations for the restaurant and museum are required. 2300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. $8-$10; children 12 and younger are free. (562) 439-2119. www.lbma.org
“Mother’s Day Live Music”
Local singer-songwriter Lisa Ritchie performs an outdoor show. 2nd & PCH, E. 2nd Street & Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. Free. 2ndandpch.com
Virtual celebrations
If you’re not able or eager to get out into the world, these Mother’s Day-themed digital programs can bring the world to your screen.
Cookin’ With Mama — A Mother’s Day Extravaganza
Dora Herrera and her mom, Socorro — proprietors of Yuca’s, the tiny but beloved taco stand in Los Feliz — share their recipe for Mexican chicken and potato salad in this virtual cooking class. 6 p.m. Friday. $25. www.eventbrite.com/e/cookin-with-mama-a-mothers-day-extravaganza-tickets-151682130335
“MOMentum Place”
This annual circus-style Mother’s Day celebration staged by Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon moves to Zoom and features aerialists, acrobats, a ventriloquist and more. 2 p.m. Sunday. $35. theatricum.com
“Versos y Besos With Las Colibrí”
The female mariachi ensemble celebrates singer-composer Manuela C. Garcia in a special Mother’s Day concert filmed at Union Station and co-presented by Metro Art and the Autry After Hours. 7 p.m. Sunday; available afterward on demand. Free. unionstationla.com
“Mother’s Day Tea Celebration”
A tea curator, a chef and a florist are among the pros offering tutorials on how to host an elegant tea party in this online benefit for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday. $35 for program; $150-$175 for food and tea packages for pickup or delivery (order deadline is Thursday). eventbrite.com
“Día de las Madres”
Mariachi Ángeles de Pepe Martínez Jr. and Ballet Folklorico Ollín are among the performances in this recorded Ford Theaters streaming concert. 3:30 p.m. Sunday; available for three months afterward on the Ford’s YouTube channel. Free. theford.com, facebook.com and youtube.com
“Mother’s Day Virtual Serenade”
All-female ensemble the Mariachi Divas mark the occasion with a livestream event. 9 a.m. Sunday. Free. facebook.com and instagram.com
“Bon Vivant — Crowns of Love”
Instructor Julianna Ostrovsky shows how to make a tiara from scratch using materials from home in a new installment of this online, interactive and adults-only arts and crafts series presented by LACMA. 10 a.m. to noon Sunday. $35, $45; pre-registration required; ages 21 and up only. lacma.org
“Mother’s Day Havdalah”
The Society for Humanistic Judaism at Encino’s Adat Chaverim presents this Zoom event celebrating women in Jewish history. 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Free. RSVP at (888) 552-4552 or info@humanisticjudaismla.org.
The Getty Center and the Broad museum are open! Here is our May guide to the most promising exhibitions across Southern California.
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