Light Festival

Every year during the holiday season, Crystal Springs Road in Griffith Park sparkles at night during the Department of Water and Power and Griffith Park's Light Festival. It features a full mile of spectacularly lighted displays which can be enjoyed from the comfort of your car, or during a casual walk.

Lotus Festival

The Lotus Festival is the biggest special event sponsored by the Department of Recreation & Parks. For 25 years, the Lotus Festival has been celebrating the people and cultures of Asia and the Pacific Islands. For two days in July, over 100,000 people attend the Lotus Festival, many of them from cultures other than that of Asia or the Pacific Islands.

There is a reason for this festival being held in July. The lotus flower is significant to Asian cultures as a symbol of rebirth, and it is in July that lotus flower blooms. Echo Park was chosen for the site of the Lotus Festival because it is centrally located near Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Korea Town, and the Filipino communities.

Pershing Square

Mayor Aguilar dedicated this land for use as park land in 1866. On November 8, 1918 the park was formally named Pershing Square in honor of the World War I general. The next major change came in the 1950's when a three-story, 1800-car underground parking garage was built beneath the park to serve the growing downtown business community.  In 1989, the Pershing Square Property Association contributed $ 8.5 million, and the Community Redevelopment Agency provided $ 6 million to assist the Department of Recreation & Parks in the renovation of the park. Their common goal was realized when the park was dedicated on February 3, 1994.

Today, Pershing Square is the site for the Summer Lunchtime Concert Series. Every Tuesday and Thursday, from May to September, the downtown community is treated to a free lunchtime concert. New this year is the lunchtime Nightclub Concert Series, continuing Pershing Square's tradition of free concerts into the month of October.

During the months of November to January, Pershing Square becomes the site of Los Angeles' only outdoor ice skating rink. An estimated 300,000 skaters and spectators will enjoy this 60' x 80' attraction during the winter holiday season. Complimenting the rink will be an exciting holiday environment including outdoor arts and crafts boutiques, Yuletide taste treats, ice skating lessons, and entertainment.

Salute to Recreation

The Salute to Recreation is the biggest event in the San Fernando Valley, about 100,000 people attend the three-day event in June every year. Salute to Recreation was created in 1982 as a means of acquainting the community with some of the activities and services offered by the Recreation and Parks Department. The Salute features Carnival rides, International Marketplace, a Karate competition, a Hawaiian Village, Senior Dance , live continuous entertainment on four stages, a Children’s Area, Children’s Cookie Baking Contest, and a Tennis Tournament. Fireworks will close the event on Sunday night.