The Abbey World AIDS Day Tree Lighting is back for its 16th year tonight, Monday, December 1, turning the big tree on Robertson into a fundraiser for The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and an important moment of remembrance. In a year where the Trump administration is turning its back on World AIDS Day, this is a great chance to be with your community, to honor lives lost, and to celebrate progress made in access to HIV prevention.
Actor and model Colton Haynes will be on hand to lead the countdown; Daniel Franzese will keep the show moving as the host and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles will provide the holiday music. The fun kicks off at 7:00 pm with the tree lighting set for 8:59 p.m.
This is not a formal event, it’s a Monday night at The Abbey, so come as you are.
MISTR is presenting this year’s ceremony, which underscores the way the conversation around HIV AIDS has shifted. The platform operates online, connecting people to PrEP, DoxyPEP, STI testing, Hep C testing and long term HIV care. On a night that looks back at the worst years of the AIDS crisis, it is also a reminder that prevention is easier to access when it’s literally on your phone.
The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation is the reason World AIDS Day is front and center. The icon launched the foundation in 1991 after years of pushing Hollywood to take the epidemic seriously. Today, ETAF funds direct care, prevention programs, advocacy and education, with a focus on communities that still struggle to get access to treatment and information.
You do not need an invite. It’s one of those “only in WeHo” events where holiday cheer, a night at The Abbey and HIV activism underscores why the day still matters – even if Trump doesn’t think so.
