BEST BETS Saturday 12/2

all day

Holiday

Descanso Gardens kicks off its nine-day Holiday Celebration. Musical entertainment, miniature railroad rides through the camellia forest, an art show and appearances by Santa Claus will be among the special attractions. Decorated trees, wreaths and fancy decorations will fill Van de Kamp Hall and the Boddy House. A “Brunch With Santa� event will take place opening day. The brunch will include scrambled eggs, ham, cottage potatoes, waffles and more.

* Holiday Celebration, Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada. Saturday-Dec. 10. Garden hours: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. $5; seniors and students, $3; ages 5-12, $1; under 5, free. Saturday brunch with Santa: 9 a.m.-noon. $18; ages 10 and under, $14. Includes garden admission. (818) 952-4401.

all day

Museums

“Americanos: Latino Life in the United States,� a major traveling exhibition opening at the Natural History Museum, looks at the Latino experience through a series of photographs by 30 prize-winning photographers. From Boyle Heights to Manhattan, the 120 photographs included in the exhibition offer portraits--or self-portraits--of family, community, work, spirituality, sports and arts as experienced by Latino cultures throughout the country.

* “Americanos: Latino Life in the United States.� Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., Exposition Park, Los Angeles. Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $8; students and seniors, $5.50; children 5-12, $2; children under 5 free. (213) 763-3466.

6:15pm

Music

It’s just not Christmas without a few dozen tubas bleating out Christmas carols. Tuba Christmas returns to Glendale this year to celebrate its 25th anniversary and to reestablish its relationship with the Glendale Symphony. Some 200 tuba players and 2,500 spectators are expected for this free concert before the symphony’s holiday concert.

* Tuba Christmas, 6:15 p.m. in front of the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Free. (818) 500-8720 or https://www.bassethoundmusic.com. Glendale Symphony at 8 p.m. $15 to $45. (800) 233-3123.

7pm

Theater

Rubicon Theatre Company presents the Kander & Ebb celebration, “The World Goes Round,� a cornucopia of songs from “Chicago,� “Caberet,� “Zorba,� “Kiss of the Spiderwoman, “New York, New York� and many more, performed by a veteran musical-stage cast.

* “The World Goes Round,� Rubicon Theatre Company at the Laurel, 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. 7 p.m. Regular schedule: Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Dec. 24. $20 to $35, except opening night gala, $125. (805) 667-2900.

8pm

Theater

With songs, dances and sketches inspired by the Bard, from an eclectic range of sources--Cole Porter and Sondheim to Dudley Moore and Monty Python--Britain’s touring hit comic musical, “The Shakespeare Revue,� is in town. Original director and co-writer Malcolm McKee heads the touring cast.

* “The Shakespeare Revue,� Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University, 24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. 8 p.m. $35. (310) 456-4522, (213) 365-3500.

8:30pm

Pop Music

Never heard of Charles Fox? Well, you’ve heard his songs if you’ve ever watched “Happy Days� or “Laverne and Shirley� or “Love, American Style� or “Wide World of Sports� or. . . . The Emmy and Grammy winner also has a pop standard--�Killing Me Softly�I THOT A WOMAN WROTE THIS AFTER SEEING DON MCLEAN??--to his credit, and a diverse range of film, stage and TV scores. The composer will conduct his work for the first time in a show featuring vocal contributions by Hal Linden, B.J. Ward and others, and choreography by Paula Abdul.

* Charles Fox, Gindi Auditorium, University of Judaism, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles. 8:30 p.m. $25 and $30. Also Sunday at 1 and 7:30 p.m., Tuesday at 8 p.m. (310) 476-9777.

*

Freebies

The Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra, conducted by Wilson Hermanto, plays music by Rossini, Paganini and Franck in Wilshire-Ebell Theatre, 4401 W. 8th St., at 8 p.m. Soloist in Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 is YeJin Kim. (310) 859-7668.

Artists will open their studios to the public for the first ever “Santa Fe Art Colony Holiday Sale and Salon� from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 2401 S. Santa Fe Ave., downtown Los Angeles. (323) 587-5513.