Thousands of Tickets Remain for Millennium Bash

With one week left before a series of city-sponsored millennium festivals, less than half of the 92,000 free tickets for the event at Van Nuys Airport have been snatched up, but city officials believe demand will increase as the events draw near.

Many tickets are still available for four other New Year’s Eve festivals being hosted by the city as family-friendly, alcohol-free celebrations of the new millennium.

Adolfo Nodal, general manager of the city Cultural Affairs Department, said he was pleased with the results so far and predicted more tickets will be claimed as a new publicity campaign kicks in.

“It’s pretty encouraging,” Nodal said of the distribution of free tickets, which are available at city libraries and some Ralphs and Food 4 Less grocery stores.

Nodal said the last report he received, for the first 10 days of the distribution, indicated about 23,000 of the 92,000 available tickets had been picked up by residents for the Van Nuys Airport festival. Nodal said that report was made last week, and he estimated the number may have increased to as much as 40,000.

As of Dec. 16, 20,000 of the 54,000 tickets for the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw festival had been distributed, 8,000 of the 50,000 tickets at Civic Center/Alameda Street were taken and 19,000 of the 30,000 tickets for Grand Avenue had been distributed. The city official said he did not have any estimates for the San Pedro site, where a problem forced the city to recall and reprint tickets.

Nodal was reluctant to predict the Van Nuys event will reach capacity.

“It’s a very big site,” Nodal said. “It’s hard to fill.”

The 13-hour Van Nuys show will feature music by B.J. Thomas, the original Tierra and Canned Heat, a parade of 2,000 line dancers, children’s entertainment and crafts, and a fireworks and laser show to mark the start of the New Year.

Similar shows are planned for the other festivals, including the Civic Center/Alameda Street show, where Los Lobos is the headliner.

Nodal said many people will not think of plans for New Year’s until after Christmas, when he expects a rush for tickets.

Residents may get information on the celebrations by calling (213) 485-2787, or going to the festivals’ Web site: lacelebrate2000.org.