Long Beach’s celebration of Latin American comic arts returns next month as the Latino Comics Expo and the Museum of Latin American Art partner once again for a day devoted to creators, fans, and graphic storytelling.

Established in 2011, the Expo has become the top gathering for Latino comic artists, animators, writers, experts, and the audiences who champion their work.

This year’s edition takes place Sunday, Dec. 7, inside MOLAA’s Viva Event Center, transforming the space into a hub of creativity.

Attendees can browse Artist Alley filled with illustrators and vendors, join meet-and-greets with industry professionals, and sit in on engaging panels highlighting everything from character development to the evolution of Latin American comics.

A roster of featured artists — including animators, writers, and producers — will be speaking throughout the day.

Hands-on programming rounds out the event, like children’s workshops, a story-boarding session led by industry pros, and a drawing workshop for aspiring artists.

The Expo atmosphere continues outdoors with food trucks, a beer tent, and plenty of space for cosplay.

And if you’re a teacher of any kind, you’re extra lucky: Save the date for Tuesday, Dec. 2, when MOLAA’s Evening for Educators featuring special guest artists and a hands-on story-boarding workshop gets underway at 4:30 p.m.

Gates to the expo open at 11 a.m. and the vendor hall closes at 5 p.m. Onsite parking is available for $15, but admission to both the Latino Comics Expo and the Evening for Educators is completely free.

LBCC

Long Beach City College will close out the semester with a powerhouse evening of music as its Big Band, Vocal Jazz ensembles, and — for the first time in the school’s history — its brand-new Mariachi Ensemble share the stage.

The concert takes place Friday, Dec. 5, in the LBCC Auditorium, marking a significant moment for the college’s expanding music program. The show will start at 7 p.m.

While LBCC’s large jazz ensembles are perennial favorites, this year’s program adds a cultural milestone: the debut of the Mariachi Ensemble.

Rooted in 19th-century western Mexico, mariachi began as a regional folk tradition featuring string instruments and lively rhythmic patterns. As it evolved through the 20th century, trumpets, vocal harmonies, and dancers were incorporated, transforming mariachi into a symbol of Mexican identity.

Mariachi and jazz might seem worlds apart, but the two traditions share surprising common ground. Both rely heavily on improvisation, call-and-response, and rhythmic drive.

In fact, in recent decades, artists on both sides of the border have experimented with jazz harmonies and mariachi instrumentation, creating crossover styles that highlight their shared musical DNA.

LBCC’s program taps into that spirit of exploration, pairing the college’s seasoned jazz ensembles with an art form rich in both history and innovation.

Tickets to the evening are $15 general, $10 for seniors, staff, veterans, and kids, and free for LBCC students with an ASB sticker.

Check out shorturl.at/kg0Im for tickets.

LBSC

The Long Beach Shakespeare Company will in the holiday season with a sparkling twist on a classic tale in “Cinderella Magical Christmas,” a witty re-telling written and directed by Terry Hill and produced by Holly Leveque.

Blending timeless storytelling with iconic American music, the production offers a fresh holiday tradition for families and theater lovers.

This probably isn’t your Cinderella of wicked sneers and paper-thin villains. Hill’s reimagining softens the archetypes, bringing nuance and humanity to the familiar cast.

For instance, the stepmother — so often portrayed as a one-note antagonist — is re-envisioned as a woman grappling with misplaced anger, while the step-sisters emerge not as exaggerated tormentors but as teenagers navigating insecurity and identity.

The beloved symbols remain — the pumpkin carriage, the midnight dash, the fateful glass slipper — but they gain emotional depth as the story leans into deeper themes.

Underscoring the narrative is a lush musical tapestry drawn from the Great American Songbook, filled with classics by Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, and Jerome Kern.

Ultimately, Cinderella Magical Christmas hopes to offer a holiday experience that is at once familiar and delightfully new.

Head to shorturl.at/z6B3z for tickets.