MEDIA CONTACT
Elizabeth Kivowitz | 310-466-8769 | [email protected]   

Imagine bouncing through the cosmos, witnessing the birth of stars, planets and galaxies.

“Westwood Wonder,” UCLA’s February edition of First Thursdays, will feature night-sky immersive audio and visual experiences, viewings of the moon and planets through high-powered telescopes, and Orbitron rides that simulate an astronaut spinning in space.

Professors and graduate students from UCLA’s Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences will be on hand to answer questions about our galaxy, including NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter and ELFIN, a NASA mission built around the first UCLA student-constructed satellites ever sent into orbit.

There will also be dancing to an out-of-this-world DJ, explorations of planets’ surface topography via an augmented reality sandbox, Instagram-able moments in an anti-gravity photo booth and dance lessons on a dance floor made to look like the surface of the moon.

WHEN

Thursday, Feb. 2

Noon to 4 p.m.: UCLA Mentorship Café at the Westwood Village Farmers Market — explore professional interests with UCLA alumni

7 to 10 p.m.: “Westwood Wonder” block party featuring cosmic fun

VISUALS

  • Walk-in audio/visual immersive cosmos light installation
  • Instagram-able moments in an anti-gravity photo booth
  • Spinning Orbitron ride
  • Planet- and stargazing through telescopes
  • Topography exploration in an augmented reality sandbox
  • DJ and dancing on the “moon’s surface”
  • Dance performances

MEDIA KIT

Images, graphics, videos and fact sheet

WHERE

Broxton Avenue in Westwood Village, Los Angeles (map)

PARKING

Journalists should contact Elizabeth Kivowitz at 310-466-8769 or [email protected] for details. Most regular-sized vehicles can park in UCLA Lot 36 on Kinross Avenue between Gayley and Veteran avenues.

BACKGROUND

The First Thursdays series, which began in March 2022, aims to forge connections between the UCLA campus and its neighbors and to support the continued revitalization of Westwood Village.

Monthly events on Broxton Avenue involve daytime activities at the weekly farmers market and evening block parties with immersive activities, art, music, dance and food. First Thursdays are put on by UCLA Strategic Communications in partnership with the Westwood Village Improvement Association.

Past daytime activities at the farmers market have included mentorship cafés, mindful awareness instruction, financial literacy coaching and live poetry. Evening themed block parties have included student art exhibitions, immersive experiences, live musical performances, cooking demonstrations and competitions, DJ music, dance lessons, and food giveaways, among other highlights.

The events are all free and open to the public.