The Skirball Cultural Center will host its annual Hanukkah Festival on Sunday, December 14, 2025, inviting people of all communities and generations to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Light to kick-off the holiday season. Highlights of the kid- and family-friendly event include:

• Dance to a vibrant blend of Yiddish and soul music with Festival headliners Klezmer Juice
• Climb aboard the award-winning and newly reopened Noah’s Ark at the Skirball (limited walk-up tickets available day of, first-come, first-served)
• Explore nature-based play in the new Bloom Garden, inspired by the Jewish values of renewal, connection, and caring for the earth
• View In Celebration of Light and Liberty, a Hannukah lamp designed by Zachary Oxman for the official residence of the Vice President of the United States
• Join a special talk and food tasting inspired by Sabor Judio: The Jewish Mexican Cookbook, with authors Ilan Stavans and Margaret Boyle, moderated by LA Times columnist Gustavo Arellano
• Discover Black-Jewish connections through temporary exhibitions, Draw Them In, Paint Them Out: Trenton Doyle Hancock Confronts Philip Guston and Glass Sukkah: This Home Is Not a House by contemporary artist Therman Statom
• Journey through the Skirball’s permanent exhibition Visions and Values: Jewish Life from Antiquity to America
• Enjoy the timeless Hanukkah story brought to life with puppets and music by Skirball Storytellers
• Harness the magic of color and light with Padlab Lighting to reveal hidden messages, create prismatic rainbows, and draw using UV light in the Light Lab
• Meet the one-and-only Monty Pickle, a puppet filled with Jewish joy, for a special story time and pickle tasting in the Pickle Lounge
• Don’t miss additional kid-friendly activities, including artmaking, a sing-along, Dreidel Lounge, photo booth, and a special Light Lab
• Purchase traditional Hanukkah treats, including jelly doughnuts (sufganiyot) and fried potato pancakes (latkes)—or get your latkes Mexican-style with mole sauce, crema, and queso fresca
• Conclude the celebration at sundown with a special community candle lighting ceremony

For general information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit skirball.org.

General Admission = $20.00
Seniors and full-time students = $15.00
Children 2-17 = $13.00
Members and children under 2 = FREE
Parking = FREE

Hannukah Festival Schedule
10:30 am | Early check-in begins, Noah’s Ark tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis
11:00 am | Museum exhibitions open, including Noah’s Ark at the Skirball
12:00 pm | Hanukkah Festival begins
4:00 pm | Noah’s Ark closes
4:30 pm | Community candle lighting ceremony
5:00 pm | Hanukkah Festival ends

About Hanukkah
The Skirball’s annual Hanukkah Festival kicks-off the first night of Hanukkah, commemorating the freedom that the Maccabees fought to preserve nearly 2,000 years ago. It is a winter festival of light that is observed by Jews around the world who gather with family and friends to light a Hanukkah menorah (hanukkiah) for eight nights—bringing more light into the world during the darkest season of the year.

About the Skirball

The Skirball Cultural Center is a place of meeting guided by the Jewish tradition of welcoming the stranger and inspired by the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality. We welcome people of all communities and generations to participate in cultural experiences that celebrate discovery and hope, foster human connections, and call upon us to help build a more just society.

Visiting the Skirball

The Skirball is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90049. Museum hours: Tuesday–Friday, 12:00–5:00 pm; Saturday–Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm; closed Mondays and holidays. Reservations are recommended for General Admission and the permanent exhibition Noah's Ark at the Skirball, which requires timed entry and is ticketed separately. For general information, the public may call (310) 440-4500 or visit skirball.org.