Los Angeles provides no limit of things to do, some awesome and some not so awesome. Since time is precious in this fast paced city we curate a list of things to do in Los Angeles for every weekend that’ll help you decide how you want to spend your limited supply of attention (not to mention dollars!).
This weekend, from Friday, June 29 to Sunday, July 1, features Roaring Nights at the LA Zoo, a Norton Simon’s A Night in Focus, Summer Happenings at the Broad, Chinatown Summer Nights, a Pirate Invasion in Long Beach, a block party in Venice, and MUCH more.
Hope you find the rundown useful and, as always, enjoy your week!
Friday June 29th, 2018
1. The Los Angeles Zoo’s annual after-hours music series, Roaring Nights, is back for summer 2018. Come experience DJs, indie bands, Silent Disco, the all-new Glamping Lounge, adult beverages, more than a dozen great food trucks each evening and more. Kicking off the series is 80’s night with legendary DJ Richard Blade and Flashback Heart Attack covering some of the greatest songs of the 1980s. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)
2. Celebrate summer in Los Angeles at Outdoor Movies at the Skirball. Films selected for this series are all related to current Skirball exhibits. This week check out The Muppet Movie, starring Jim Henson’s most beloved characters and come early to view the The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited exhibit.
3. Summer Nights in the Garden returns to the Natural History Museum this weekend. Sip garden-inspired cocktails, listen to live music, take garden tours and more. FREE
4. Shakespeare By The Sea will once again offer a ten-week program of admission-free performances with two featured productions: The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Winter’s Tale at a variety of venues across the Los Angeles. The series continues with performances of The Winter’s Tale at Point Fermin Park in San Pedro on Friday and The Merry Wives of Windsor on Saturday. FREE
5. The Music Center’s annual Dance DTLA series is back for 2018 with a series of Friday-night events at Grand Park. This week features DJ Nights an evening curated by some of the city’s best and most influential DJs. Enjoy music, dancing, and more from 9 p.m. to midnight. FREE
6. 626 Night Market returns for three nights of deliciousness from June 29-July 1 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia.
7. Friday Flights at The Getty invites artists to respond to the iconic architecture, gardens and exhibitions of the museum through multiple art forms that include music, performance and film. FREE
8. The South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes will host a family friendley movie night on their 87 acre property this Friday. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)
9. Rooftop Cinema Club returns to the rooftops of LEVEL in DTLA and NeueHouse in Hollywood with multiple screenings this week that include Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, The Big Lebowski, Mean Girls and more.
10. There’s a Cult Gaia sample sale happening Thursday and Friday in DTLA with up to 80% off retail prices on their swoon worthy accessories.
11. Shakespeare on the Bluff brings Shakespeare’s greatest plays to Loyola Marymount University for free shows in June and July. Kicking off the series is A Midsummer Night’s Dream this Friday. FREE
12. Dew Tour’s summer skate competition and festival returns to the Long Beach Convention Center and Rainbow Park Lagoon from June 28 to July 1 for a free four-day celebration of all things skate culture.
13. Grand Park will host Big L.A. Portrait Gallery from June 7 to July 4, transforming itself into a nighttime art gallery featuring photos by Los Angeles-based artists. Photography will be projected onto the 100 square-foot wall of the historic L.A. County Hall of Records right in front of Grand Park. Art will be on display nightly from sundown to midnight and is free to the public. FREE
14. Feastown will host an Underground BBQ experience with Bartz Barbecue this Friday where Central Texas Style BBQ takes center stage with smoked Prime Angus beef brisket and pulled pork smoked for 12 to 16 hours over white post oak.
15. Are you a Chase bank customer? Got a freebie you might want to know about. Coolhaus is teaming with the Forum and Chase to hand out free ice cream sandwiches to Chase customers on Fridays all summer long. Locations will change every Friday, and the offer is ice cream sandwich per cardholder. Get more info here.
16. Barnsdall Fridays returns to Barnsdall Art Park for the tenth year in a row, with evening tastings of boutique wines and music from KCRW DJs perched atop a hill with incredible city views.
17. Beyond the Streets is a fully immersive exhibition of street and graffiti art comprised of over 30 artist in a massive 40,000+ square feet exhibits. Artist are an eclectic mix of street and beyond including Retna, Shepard Fairey, Kenny Scharf Dennis Hopper and Jenny Holzer. Open Tuesday through Sunday this week. Open Tuesday through Sunday this week. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)
18. Free Family Movie Nights at Redondo Beach Pier will screen Wonder Woman this Friday. FREE
19. For over 30 years, Grand Performances has offered a variety of performance events at California Plaza, for free. Their 2018 summer series runs June 1 through August 18. FREE
20. Jazz at LACMA welcomes Melissa Morgan at the BP grand entrance at 6 p.m. FREE
21. June is California Avocado Month and Grand Central Market in DTLA is the place to be for all things avocado. A select group of chefs have rolled out avocado inspired offerings on their menu just for the month.
22. 260 Sample Sale LA in Beverly Hills will host a ALC sample sale from June 27 to July 1 with up to 75% off retail price.
Saturday June 30th, 2018
23. LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes will host a free Latino-themed film screening series starting June 30th and occurring once a month till October. Kicking off the series is a screening of 1978 film Up in Smoke.FREE
24. Summer Happenings at The Broad is a series of late-night events featuring music, performance and art. Now in its third year, the series kicks off with an evening inspired by The Broad’s new exhibition, A Journey That Wasn’t which explores artists’ representations of time, memory and repetition. Gang Gang Dance, DJ Stretch Armstrong and more perform this Saturday to open the summer series.
25. Chicas Tacos in DTLA will celebrate their anniversary on June 30 with Baja Market L.A. Taking place in the backlot of Chicas Tacos. The event will highlight Baja Mexico’s Valle De Guadalupe with an afternoon fiesta showcasing a roster of talent from the region.
26. Back for the 15th year in a row, The Independent Shakespeare Co. presents Shakespeare in the Parkat the Old Zoo in Griffith Park with a free performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. FREE
27. Eat|See|Hear returns for 2018 with a screening of Lady Bird at Santa Monica High School Amphitheater. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)
28. Pasadena’s Norton Simon Museum of Art will host a garden party this weekend called A Night in Focus featuring botanical activities, live jazz, plein air sketching, watercolor sketching and savoring food and drink items for purchase in the Garden Cafe. The garden party admission is free with the purchase of museum admission.
29. KCRW’s Summer Nights offers free all-ages outdoor music shows over the course of the summer throughout Los Angeles and this weekend they’ll takes over Chinatown with DJs Liza Richardson and Garth Trinidad. FREE
30. Street Food Cinema returns this weekend with a screening of The Sandlot at Victory Park in Pasadena and Top Gun at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Culver City. Select screenings are discounted via Goldstar. DISCOUNTED
31. Pirates Invasion of Long Beach and Mermaid Festival returns to Shoreline Aquatic Park from June 30-July 1, with thousands of costumed pirates descending from three separate pirate ships. See sword fights, cannon and musket battles, treasure hunts and costume contests all weekend. There will also be a mermaid-themed village with mermaid games, mermaid royalty and more. FREE
32. NoHo Summer Nights Festival at Center Stage Opera presents The Best Of Broadway, Vol IV featuring Broadway tunes from Gershwin to Andrew Lloyd Webber, performed by The Center Stage Opera Orchestra. FREE
33. Harold & Belle’s 10th Annual Block Party and Crawfish Boil will once again feature all-you-can-eat New Orleans style cooking, live music and kid friendley activities.
34. The MAK Center for Art and Architecture located at the site of the hostiric Schindler House, in partnership with SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP) will debut POETIC STRUCTURE: ART + ENGINEERING + ARCHITECTURE an exhibition highlighting the artistic elements integrated into engineering in architecture. SOM engineers and visual artists will show models, projections and installations including a kinematic pavilion over the landscape grounds of the Schindler House.
35. The Sorting Room nightclub housed within the Wallis Center’s Lovelace Studio Center presents a new season of unpredictable performances from poets, composers, jazz singers, cabaret veterans and more in a variety of genres alongside happy hour drink specials. This week Our Lady J’s Gospel of Dolly will take the stage.
36. Cinespia is back for its 17th summer season, at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for screenings of films modern, cult, and classic. This Saturday they’ll screen Vertigo.
37. Pearl’s BBQ in DTLA is celebrating Fourth of July weekend with a Texas style picnic celebrationwith live music, cocktails, games and southern barbecue by Pitmaster Dana Blanchard.
38. One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival is a 40 day celebration through mostly free art events and exhibits between May 22 through June 30. This weekend will be taken over by the TransLifeLA PoPUp Film Festival. FREE
39. Unscene and Goon bring back Unscene Fest on June 30 through July 1 at the Hi Hat showcasing up and coming Los Angeles artists including Girl Friday, Young Jesus, Slugs and more. The show is all ages and cost $7.
40. Meet Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams at the International Printing Museum. Located in Carson, the annual Independence Day Celebration promises a fun fact-filled day with patriotic keepsakes, tours of the museum, costumed period actors, musical performances and an All-American meal of “Freedom Dogs”, apple pie and “Patriotic Punch.”
41. San Gabriel Mountains Beer Series taking place at Central Park in Pasadena will feature beer tastings, music, food trucks, workshops and information from experts on how to conserve and protect the San Gabriel Mountains.
Sunday July 1st, 2018
42. Redondo Beach will be hosting a family-friendly fireworks show at Seaside Lagoon featuring huge inflatable slides, patriotic music and a special menu from Ruby’s Diner.
43. It’s Reggage Night with Beres Hammond, Alpha Blondy and Protoje at the Hollywood Bowl when KCRW’s World Festival returns for the 20th year at the popular outdoor concert venue. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)
44. Mount Wilson Observatory is offering a classical music concert within the dome of the 100-inch telescope above the observatory this Sunday.
45. Tiny Porch Concerts returns to Agoura Hills with free monthly concerts with an artistic slant. This month there will be a artist lead walk and workshop, a sound experience and a performance by Willie Nile with special guest Shane Alexander. FREE
46. The third annual SAM JAM Venice Block Party hosted at Oakwood Park is focused on bringing the Venice community together through music, food, and art to support charity Inner-City Arts. On the bill this year is a DJ set by Young The Giant, XYLØ, Gallant and more.
47. Shakespeare’s most magical play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream returns to the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon for 12 performances throughout the summer, from June 3-September 3.
48. Outdoor theater Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, located in Topanga Canyon summer 2018 season begins on June 2 with a performance of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus.
Schedule courtesy of We Like LA.