Santa Monica Place Explodes with Holiday Cheer as ’98 Holiday House’ Officially Kicks Off with a Show-Stopping Performance by Il Volo

  • byJasmin
  • December 15, 2025
  • 2 minute read
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98 Holiday House Kick Off At Santa Monica Place With Performance By Il Volo Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images - Getty Images

The holiday season officially began in spectacular fashion as the ’98 Holiday House Kick Off event lit up Santa Monica Place, drawing crowds, celebrities, and holiday shoppers for an unforgettable evening of music, celebration, and festive spirit. The highlight of the night was a breathtaking live performance by Il Volo, whose powerful vocals transformed the open-air shopping destination into a magical winter wonderland.

Held against the iconic Southern California skyline, the event marked the grand opening of the ’98 Holiday House, a festive installation designed to celebrate community, creativity, and the joy of the holiday season. From twinkling lights to seasonal décor, Santa Monica Place was transformed into a vibrant hub where fashion, music, and holiday cheer came together.

Il Volo Delivers a Holiday Moment to Remember

Gianluca Ginoble, Piero Barone and Ignazio Boschetto of Il Volo... News Photo - Getty Images

As the crowd gathered in anticipation, the arrival of Il Volo — comprised of Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto, and Gianluca Ginoble — sent excitement through the plaza. Known worldwide for their operatic pop sound and emotional performances, the trio did not disappoint.

Il Volo performed a selection of beloved classics and holiday-inspired pieces, their soaring harmonies echoing through the venue and stopping shoppers in their tracks. Fans could be seen filming, singing along, and visibly moved as the trio delivered a performance filled with elegance, warmth, and unmistakable star power.

For many in attendance, the performance felt intimate despite the large crowd — a signature of Il Volo’s ability to connect deeply with audiences, whether in grand concert halls or unexpected public settings.

A Festive Celebration of Community and Style

98 Holiday House Kick Off At Santa Monica Place With Performance By Il Volo Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images - Getty Images

The ’98 Holiday House is more than just a seasonal pop-up — it is a curated experience celebrating creativity, fashion, and togetherness. The kickoff event featured stylish guests, influencers, and media personalities, all capturing the festive atmosphere through photos and videos that quickly spread across social media.

Stock photos from the event showcased joyful crowds, beautifully decorated spaces, and candid moments of Il Volo interacting with fans, further amplifying the reach of the celebration. From sparkling lights to elegant holiday installations, the visuals perfectly captured the spirit of the season.

Santa Monica Place Transformed for the Holidays

98 Holiday House Kick Off At Santa Monica Place With Performance By Il Volo Stock Photos, High-Res Pictures, and Images - Getty Images

Santa Monica Place has long been a destination for luxury shopping and entertainment, but the ’98 Holiday House Kick Off elevated the space into something truly special. Guests wandered through holiday-themed installations, enjoyed seasonal treats, and soaked in the festive ambiance while live music set the tone for the weeks ahead.

Organizers emphasized that the event was designed to bring people together — families, tourists, and locals alike — creating shared moments of joy during one of the most anticipated times of the year.

A Perfect Start to the Holiday Season

The combination of Il Volo’s world-class performance and the vibrant holiday décor made the ’98 Holiday House Kick Off an undeniable success. Attendees left with smiles, holiday inspiration, and memories of a night where music and celebration collided beautifully.

As the holiday season unfolds, Santa Monica Place’s ’98 Holiday House promises to remain a must-visit destination — and for those lucky enough to witness Il Volo’s performance, the kickoff event will be remembered as a magical start to the most wonderful time of the year.

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For a moment, it feels like time rewinds — and Elvis is back on stage. The newly released trailer for EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert is giving fans something they never expected to see: rare, beautifully restored concert footage of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll in his element. No narration. No distractions. Just Elvis — raw, powerful, and completely magnetic. These aren’t the overplayed clips we’ve all seen before. The trailer reveals intimate angles, close-ups, and moments between songs that feel almost too personal — the kind that remind you why Elvis wasn’t just famous, but unforgettable. You can see it in his eyes. You can hear it in his voice. You can feel it in the way the crowd responds. For longtime fans, it’s emotional. For newer generations, it’s a revelation. And for anyone who ever wished they could experience an Elvis concert live, this might be the closest thing yet. But there’s one detail in the trailer that has fans talking even more — something subtle that makes the footage feel incredibly present, as if the decades in between simply disappear

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THE VOW OF SILENCE — ANN-MARGRET FINALLY BREAKS FOR ELVIS PRESLEY Introduction LOS ANGELES — For more than half a century, she kept her lips sealed. Not a whisper, not a confession, not even a nostalgic slip. Ann-Margret, the flame-haired dynamite of the Silver Screen, refused to add fuel to Hollywood’s longest-running rumor: her secret love with Elvis Presley. But now — older, wiser, and finally ready — she steps out of the shadows, not to sell a scandal, but to mourn the only man who ever matched her fire. Her voice trembles as she says the words that instantly send shockwaves through Hollywood’s golden memories: “It was intense… deeply real,” Ann-Margret admits. “What we had was serious, profound, and genuine.” No ghostwriters. No book deal. No TV tell-all. Just a woman revealing the truth she guarded like sacred scripture. THE UNSTOPPABLE SPARK THAT SHOOK 1960s HOLLYWOOD Spring 1963. The sun bounces off chrome cars, gossip magazines scream from every newsstand, and the set of Viva Las Vegas becomes the epicenter of a cultural earthquake. On one side: Elvis Presley, already a living myth — the King of Rock and Roll, adored by millions, worshipped like a deity. On the other: Ann-Margret, the Swedish-born wildcat with a voice like velvet and a soul that defied Hollywood’s fragile femininity. The moment they met, the air cracked. Sparks didn’t fly — they detonated. Crew members later described their chemistry as “radioactive,” “dangerous,” and “too real for the cameras.” Even between takes, their laughter synced, their bodies moved in rhythm, and their energy pulled like magnets. Director George Sidney confirmed what the entire set had already whispered: “They didn’t need to act. The electricity you saw on film—that was them. Completely authentic.” Their on-screen flirtation spilled effortlessly into late-night motorcycle rides through the Nevada desert, intimate dinners far away from the flashbulbs, and long emotional conversations about fear, fame, and the loneliness of living in the spotlight. Ann-Margret eventually admitted: “We were soulmates. He understood me in ways no one else ever did.” But destiny had already written a cruel footnote in their love story. THE HEARTBREAK NO SCRIPT COULD FIX Elvis was already promised — not by contract, but by expectation — to Priscilla Beaulieu, the young woman waiting faithfully at Graceland. Ann-Margret grew up with strict values. Loyalty wasn’t negotiable. She refused to become the woman who broke another heart, even if it shattered her own. And so the affair ended. Not with a fight. Not with betrayal. But with two people letting go of something bigger than either of them could control. Their romantic relationship ended — but their bond never died. THE FLOWERS NO ONE SPOKE ABOUT In the decades that followed, Hollywood moved on. Paparazzi found new obsessions. Fans forgot. Publicity machines buried the truth. But something quiet and haunting endured. Every opening night of Ann-Margret’s career, a bouquet arrived in her dressing room. Always elegant. Always perfect. Always anonymous. No card. No initials. No signature. Just the familiar whisper of memory. She never needed to ask. The tradition lasted more than ten years — until the night everything changed. AUGUST 16, 1977 — THE WORLD STOPS Ann-Margret was preparing for her Lake Tahoe performance when a stagehand leaned in and delivered the sentence that cracked her world open: Elvis Presley was gone. Gone at 42. Gone too soon. Gone with a silence that roared across the planet. Ann-Margret could barely speak when recalling the moment to a close friend: “I couldn’t breathe. It felt like the world stopped.” The crowd waited. The band tuned up. The spotlight dimmed. But she never walked onto the stage that night. Instead, she wept behind the curtain — not as a Hollywood star, but as a woman mourning the man she once loved. Days later, while thousands flocked to Graceland, Ann-Margret slipped quietly through a side entrance. No cameras. No entourage. No reporters. She said goodbye alone. Invisible in a sea of grief. But grieving more deeply than anyone around her could imagine. FOUR DECADES OF LOYALTY AND A PROMISE SHE NEVER BROKE For the next forty years, Ann-Margret did something unheard of in Hollywood: she kept her silence. No tell-all memoir. No scandal-driven interviews. No exploitation of the most explosive love story of her life. She calls her silence “a promise.” “It wasn’t something to sell,” she told a journalist quietly. “It was something to protect.” She later married actor Roger Smith, a man who understood, accepted, and respected the quiet devotion she still carried for Elvis. Their marriage lasted until Smith’s death — a testament to loyalty, maturity, and emotional truth. Even those closest to Elvis confirmed it: Longtime friend and Memphis Mafia member Marty Lacker stated: “She truly loved Elvis — and he loved her. That was real. He just couldn’t live two lives.” Those words—simple, raw, devastating—explain everything better than any tabloid ever could. A SONG THAT NEVER STOPS PLAYING The world spins forward. Graceland welcomes new generations. Hollywood rewrites itself every year. But the story of Elvis and Ann-Margret remains frozen—glowing, untouchable, and strangely eternal. It’s not about scandal. Not about gossip. Not even about forbidden love. It’s about two souls who collided with the force of a supernova and carried the warmth of that collision for decades afterward. Ann-Margret’s silence was never emptiness. It was respect. It was love. It was the last gift she could give the man who once held her heart with the intensity of a thousand spotlights. And now, finally breaking her vow, her truth reveals the quiet heart of a legend we all thought we already knew. Some stories don’t fade. Some flames don’t die. Some promises echo louder than words ever could. And perhaps this one isn’t finished yet. Video

Introduction LOS ANGELES — For more than half a century, she kept her lips sealed. Not a whisper,…