Central Library Centennial Festival
About the Event
Celebrate Central Library’s 100th birthday with a full day of special events and festivities!
Admission is free. Tickets are not required but are highly encouraged. Secure your free ticket on Eventbrite.
Centennial Festival Kick Off & Ribbon Cutting
The Central Library Centennial Festival kicks off with a ribbon cutting and remarks from our City Librarian, John F. Szabo, and a recitation by Los Angeles Poet Laureate, Brian Sonia-Wallace.
- 10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
- Maguire Gardens
- Teens, Adults
Ashley Anne & The Carnations
description forthcoming
- 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
- Maguire Gardens
- All Ages
Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats
Get ready for an elegantly silly time with the bilingual (English & Spanish), swingin’ sounds of GRAMMY Award-winning band Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats! Family members from 0 to 122 will find themselves lighter and smiling through and through!
- 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Mark Taper Auditorium
- All Ages
Los Angeles Central Library POPS! A Centennial Pop-Up Book Celebration
Join the creators of the Los Angeles Central Library POPS: Celebrating a Century of the Light of Learning in conversation about the development and design of their brand-new pop-up book!
Author Christina Rice, illustrator Mirelle Ortega, paper engineer Matthew Reinhart, and book designer Becca Lofchie will all be on hand to pop, pull, and present on the wonderful display of LAPL pride that is Los Angeles Central Library POPS!
The program will be followed by a book signing at the Angel City Press booth in the Children’s Courtyard.
- 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Mark Taper Auditorium
- All Ages
Puppet Show / Storytime
Stories, songs, and the official Central 100 Puppet Show!
- 10:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.
- Children’s Literature Department
- Babies & Toddlers, Kids
Mixed Media Pop-Up Book Workshop
Teaching Artist Rachel Curry will guide workshop participants in creating original carousel books, a type of pop-up book with cut-and-layered paper panels that can be displayed in a circular structure reminiscent of a carousel ride.
Participants will explore a variety of materials, including collage, rubber stamps, archival images, writing, and drawing, to create one-of-a-kind artist books inspired by the Central Library’s collections, history, architecture, and legacy.
Registration is required to attend this in-person program. To participate, please email rsvpoctavialab@lapl.org.
- 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
- Octavia Lab
- All Ages
Central 100 Limited Edition Button Making
Make your own commemorative Central 100 button inspired by past designs.
- 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
- Thornton Courtyard
- All Ages
Special Collections Tours
Join us in the Special Collections reading room to view materials from the collection. Meet on the 3rd floor outside Literature & Fiction at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., or 2 p.m. Capacity of 15 people per tour.
- 11 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
- Literature & Fiction
- Adults, Seniors
Central Library Artist Spotlight: David Bunn
David Bunn will discuss his piece A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place (1993), in which he transformed the library's obsolete card catalog into a functional work of art that transports visitors through the eight floors of the Tom Bradley Wing. This discussion will be moderated by Angi Brzycki, Senior Librarian of the Special Collections Department at Central Library.
- 11 a.m. - 12 noon
- Meeting Room A
- Adults, Seniors
Pop-up Poetry With Los Angeles Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace
Text here
- 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
- Art, Music & Recreation
- All Ages
For disability-related accommodations, please call (213) 228-7430 at least five business days prior to the event.