The last holiday weekend of summer is here! While you can always opt for the bevy of fun available in L.A., this weekend features some great LDW choices! We scouted the World-Wide-Web so you don’t have to and listed our picks of Labor Day focused fun! Read the round-up below and make the most of your weekend!!
L.A. County Fair
Location: Fairplex, Pomona
L.A. has changed immeasurably since 1921, when this event was first staged as an agricultural fair. However, the perennially popular event still has farm-friendly appeal (livestock beauty contests, local produce) alongside the more modern acrobats, wine tastings, exhibitions and concerts.
L.A. Times-The Taste
Location: Paramount Studios
The Taste attracts foodies of all types to the Paramount back lot for a weekend to sample some of the best food and wine L.A. has to offer. Various L.A. Times editors and writers will host daily panel discussions and demonstrations on topics from farm-to-table cuisine to how to mix the perfect cocktail. Your ticket allows you full nibbling privileges, as you soak up knowledge from the esteemed panelists.
Fiesta Hermosa
Location: Downtown Hermosa Beach, Hermosa Beach
Roam the 400 stalls at this arts festival, sample the fine foods and listen to the music—and then take a dip in the nearby Pacific. Look out for the Fiesta over both Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.
626 Night Market
Location: Santa Anita Park, Arcadia
The midnight snacker’s greatest fantasy is just a car ride away. One of America’s largest Asian food markets spans the course of Santa Anita Park’s front Paddock Gardens. Come hungry and come caffeinated—this lively market, complete with over 100 Asian street food and booze peddlers, live music, artists, films, games, and beyond, won’t put itself to bed until midnight each evening.
Cinecon Classic Film Festival
Location: Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood
Film buffs, unite. This lesser-known cinephile festival is celebrating 55 years of showing classic film fare and selling top movie memorabilia in the heart of Hollywood this Labor Day weekend. Enjoy a five-day program of rare and “unusual” films, shown back-to-back at the Egyptian Theatre.
Maestro of the Movies: The Music of John Williams
Location: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood
Nobody’s film credits can compare to John Williams: Star Wars, E.T., Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter and literally a hundred others. David Newman conducts the LA Phil as they tackle the composer’s iconic film scores set to a selection of movie clips, with an appearance from Williams himself.
Street Food Cinema
Location: Multiple Venues
For dinner and a movie, all in one, just follow the food trucks. During the summer and fall, Street Food Cinema throws together a series of mostly outdoor parties that include screenings of some of our favorite movies, paired with an assortment of gourmet food trucks and even a live music performance from a cool local band.
Cinespia Cemetery Screenings
Location: Hollywood Forever Cemetery
It isn’t summer in L.A. until the first cemetery screening brings hoards of movie-lovers to Hollywood Forever, toting folding chairs, picnic blankets, snack spreads and lots of booze. Each year, Cinespia brings classic cult favorites to the hallowed resting place of such Hollywood greats as Rudolph Valentino and Bugsy Siegel.
Pasadena Daydream
Location: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena
Pasadena Daydream, a single-day concert curated by and featuring the Cure, will take over Brookside at the Rose Bowl. The spectacularly moody lineup also features Pixies, Deftones, Mogwai, Throwing Muses, the Joy Formidable, Chelsea Wolfe, the Twilight Sad, Emma Ruth Rundle and Kælan Mikla.
The Music Center Plaza Reopening
Location: The Music Center, DTLA
The half-century–old Music Center Plaza unveils the results of its 20-month, $41 million renovation with a slew of free outdoor celebrations. Scope out the brand new Go Get Em Tiger outpost, the Mullin Wine Bar and the new restaurant Abernethy’s, attend the latest Dance DTLA, catch free performances and more.