Beginning Saturday and running through May 15, the City of West Hollywood will celebrate its Russian-speaking community. Immigrants from regions of the former Soviet Union account for a significant portion of the population of West Hollywood. Each year in May, the City of West Hollywood, through its Russian Advisory Board, presents a series of events that engage the Russian-speaking community, as well as the community at-large, with Russian heritage and culture.
This year’s May event line-up includes these highlights:
— The 71st Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day will honor Russian-speaking community members who are veterans of the Soviet military of WWII and who have contributed socially, culturally and civically to the City of West Hollywood. Victory in Europe Day, generally known as V-E Day or VE Day, was the public holiday celebrated on May 8, 1945 to mark the Allied Forces’ formal acceptance of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender, which marked the end of World War II in Europe. The Victory in Europe Day event will take place on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Plummer Park’s Fiesta Hall, located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.
— The 15th Annual Russian Arts and Culture Festival is a day of family-friendly events celebrating the rich culture and heritage of the more than 500,000 members of the Los Angeles region’s Russian-speaking community. The festival will take place on May 15 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. The festival is free and open to the public, and it will include a day of entertainment, music, food vendors, Russian crafts and jewelry and numerous local exhibitors. The big stage on the lawn will feature the annual Children’s Concert from noon to 2:30 p.m., and there will be an annual Gala Concert from 5 to 7 p.m.
— The 11th annual Russian Community Awards presentation will take place on May 15 at 4 p.m. at Plummer Park, located at 7377 Santa Monica Blvd. The city’s Russian Advisory Board will present four awards to recognize individuals, businesses and organizations that have had a positive impact and bettered the lives of members of the Russian-speaking community in West Hollywood and the Los Angeles region. The event is free and open to the public.
Additional events are planned throughout the week at various locations. A full schedule of event listings is available online.
West Hollywood is home to a large community of people from regions of the former Soviet Union. According to a 2013 survey of the community in West Hollywood, there are 3,872 people living in the city who identify a former region of the Soviet Union as their primary ancestry. This represents approximately 11% of the city’s total population of 34,399 people.
For more information about Russian-themed events in May, please call Tatiana Rodzinek, the City of West Hollywood’s Russian Community Outreach Coordinator, at (323) 848-6826. For people who are deaf or hearing impaired, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
My grandparents all left Russian Villages to come to America. I don’t want to live in an area called a Russian Village. It’s bad enough that the City sees all of the East Side as mostly Russian, when it is not.
I think, Russian Advisory Board need and can be more active. City sponsored Russian choir
and Literature Club never show up on festivals. It’s a shame to see on Russian festival Asian
and Armenian dancers and singers. City spend about $600000 on Pride events. How much they allowed for Russian events ? May be we need more money to make our festival a real RUSSIAN.
And by the way. In LA we have Little Armenia, Koreatown, Little Ethiopia, Thai Town,
Boystown. Why not to have RUSSIAN VILLAGE !?