The 53 best things to do in L.A. this weekend (2024)

Amidst sounds of snoozing lions, cackling monkeys and exotic birds, cozy up to35 craft brews at the L.A. Zoo’s annual beer-centric bash. Opening the gates after hours from 6:30 to 10pm, this historical landmark boasts a night filled with live bands, DJ sets, pub-style grub for purchase, close-up animal encounters and more beer than you can imagine (a five-ounce cup and samples are included). Throw back a cinnamon-dusted churro and dance through the exhibits at this 21-plus event. Chances are, you’ve never seen the L.A. Zoo quite like this.

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America’s largest pro surfing competition attracts the world’s elite, who compete for big money while wowing thousands of beach boys and girls with their skill, grace and innovative board designs. Heating up the festivities are live bands, a sports expo and after-parties with the friendly locals.

An art show, live music, food, drinks, a lowridermeet-up and high-flying wrestling come together for this annual lucha libre festival at Lincoln Heights’ Plaza de la Raza.

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This interactive Grammy Museumexhibition is put on in collaboration withHYBE (the South Korean entertainment company behind some of the biggest K-pop bands in the world) and will explore the power and history of the genre, with outfits and items from the likes ofBTS, SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, ENHYPEN and LE SSERAFIM. Just note that tickets to the exhibition—which require a timed reservation—cost an additional $20 on top of regular museum admission.

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Some of L.A.’s mostbeautiful buildingsare locked away behind wrought iron gates, too-high hedges or, in the case ofBullocks Wilshire, admission to an accredited law program. The formerArt Decodepartment store isn’t typically open to the public as it’s now part of the Southwestern Law School campus, but one weekend a year, the school opens up the historic building to public exploration.

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It’s that time of year again, Angelenos—the Arts District’s Angel City Brewery is back with its annual Avocado Fest, where adventurous beer lovers can order up aKölsch-style avocado ale infused withfresh avo, cilantro and lime juice (plus a tropical take, the Guavacado Ale). Throughout the afternoon, expect all sorts of avo-themed bitesand activities, including an avocado juggling contest and eating contests. Bottoms up!

Otto Tausk conducts the beloved annual tradition, featuring the iconic “1812 Overture” with the LA Phil, the USC Trojan Marching Band and the Bowl’s famous pyrotechnic display.

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R&B crooner and pianist John Legend tackles the genre with refreshingly classy, old-school charm.See him at the Greek for a pair of “evening with” shows, which pair songs and stories from his career.

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The self-dubbed Comic-Con for cat people comes to the Pasadena Convention Center with speakers, meet and greets, furniture, art, toys and clothing—For humans? Felines? Hopefully both. Expect a panel of feline-friendly speakers as well as meet and greets. Needless to say, we’ll be stalking the event’s every move.

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You won’t actually find this event at Baroo until mid-August, but reservations drop at 9am this Friday—and they’ll likely be snapped up almost instantly—hence its inclusion on this list. From August 15 to 18, Baroo’s Mina Park and Kwang Uh will host Jeong Kwan, the world-famous Buddhist nun featured on Chef’s Table that has trained the likes of Le Bernardin’s Eric Ripert and Aitor Zabala of L.A.’s soon-to-reopen Somni. During the weekend, Kwan will serve a Thursday night dinner ($175), lead a Saturday midday traditional ritual monastic meal ($50) and teach a Sunday morning fermentation class ($80). All meals will be fully vegan and proceeds will be donated to a charity chosen by Kwan.

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EDM juggernaut HARD Summer has hopped around Southern California in recent years,and last year returned to L.A. proper—and for 2024 now heads to the grounds of Hollywood Park, next to SoFi Stadium. No matter the location,its dedication to bringing the biggest names in the hip-hop and electronic scene has stayed the course. This year’s lineup includesDisclosure, FISHER + Chris Lake: Under Construction, Nelly Furtado, REZZMAU5, Major Lazer, Jamie xx, Subtronics, Zeds Dead and more.

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A superb new production of a Stephen Sondheim classic (we gave its New York run five stars),Company follows bachelorette Bobbie andherconflicted feelings about commitment on the occasion of her 35th birthday.

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One ofthe bestmade-in-America shopping events in the country, the annual Unique market features clothes, accessories and art pieces from a number of quality handmade brands. Check out local products and rub elbows with the different designers and artists showcasing their work.

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Legendary guitarist and singerJosé Feliciano headlines this annual celebration of the soulful genre.Boyle Heights’ Los Carmelos opens.

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Pack a picnic and roll out a blanket for this family-friendly screening series at the Huntington. The San Marino botanical garden will show a different movie on select Fridays, withhands-on activities and themed concessions for purchase for each (they just ask that you leave the booze at home).

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Listen to kid-friendly performances during this summertime concert series in the Getty’s beautiful Central Garden. Picnic blankets are welcome, but note that lawn chairs are not.

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Each summer the Hollywood Bowl hosts an evening dedicated to Jamaican music. For Reggae Night XXII, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Stephen Marley top the bill.

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Catch a mix of tribute bands and nostalgic throwbacks during this summertime concert series at DTLA’s Pershing Square.

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Mix fried food, carnival attractions and the occasional rodeo or demolition derby, and you’ve got the OC Fair. What started as a quaint fair in 1889 has since grown into a nearly monthlong fest.

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Each summer, Bard fanatics watch their favorite works come to life at the historic Old Zoo in Griffith Park. Independent Shakespeare Co. puts on a series of lively productions each week, inviting audiences to take a seat on the grass (read: bring a picnic blanket) and enjoy performances like this season’s headliner:As You Like It.With construction resuming on the main lawn, this summer’s show will move back to the dell at the top of the Old Zoo—meaning available space is smaller and reservations are required.

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Everyone’s favorite NPR member station has a hand in aslew of summer concert slates atpublic plazas and beloved museums, and this summer’s schedule is particularly packed. Familiar KCRW DJs and local buzz bands will be providing free, open-air tunes on select nights through September at Union Station,CAAM,Descanso Gardens, Bowers Museum, Century Park, the AutryandKCRW’s Santa Monica headquarters.

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The Music Center offers a free, joyous mash-up of music and dancing all summer long, with different themes (samba, Bollywood and reggaetón, among them) and free dance lessons plus live DJ sets. Head to the Music Center plaza and join in the fun—no dance experience required.

Every Sunday you can find dozens of food vendors at this market at ROW DTLA, with a mix of much-loved pop-ups and future foodie stars. Look out for the market’s Ice Cream Alley through September 1, which includes sweets vendorsMoom Maam, Kinrose Creamery, Nobuko Shave Ice and Happy Ice, plus pop-upsfrom 626 Ice Cream, Sad Girl Creamery and El Churro Panzon.

Expand your mind on breezy summer nights by listening to the words of the Bard for free. The program, founded in 1998, will put on two plays—Cardenio and Henry IV—with the help of talented local actors. “By the Sea” is a bit misleading; though some of the locations are ocean adjacent, and largely in the South Bay and Long Beach, the troupe takes the plays on tour all across Los Angeles, performing for audiences from Pasadena to Beverly Hills while promoting literacy.

Initially adreadful 1930s propaganda film about the absolutehorrors of the devil’s lettuce,Reefer Madness has since morphed into an ironically pro-marijuana piece of pop culture—most notably with the 1998 L.A. premiere of this acclaimed musical satire by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney, as well as its 2005 film adaptation. Now some fuzzy number of years later, the production has been reignited in L.A. at the former King King space on Hollywood Boulevard.

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Now one of L.A.’s most treasured summer traditions, Barnsdall Park’s wine tastings are back after a five-year hiatus. Perched atop Olive Hill on the west lawn of the historic Hollyhock House (which you can tour during the evening for an additional $25), the Barnsdall Friday fund raisers include fine selections of boutique wines provided by Silverlake Wine with a spectacular sunset and 360-degree views of the city.

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See a free salsa concert every second Friday of the summer during this series at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. This year’s lineup includes Rumbankete,Gabrielito y La Verdad, Son Mayor,Son Miron andClub Mambi—all featuring Super DJ Robby.

Nature lovers rejoice! Spend a day at the Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Pavilion, which will openfrom March 17 throughAugust 25 withup to 30 butterfly and moth species and an assortment of California plants. The seasonal outdoor exhibit allows for adults and children alike to witness nature up close—we’re talking having bufferlies take flight and land on your arms or shoulders. Prime time for these unique butterfly flight experiences are between 10 and 11am each morning.

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Walk through a pavilion of fluttering butterflies and peep a chamber with pupae and caterpillars at South Coast Botanic Garden’sseasonal exhibition.For an extra $6, you can pick up a flower vial or ring filled with nectar to attract and feed butterflies.

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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.

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The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing have returned for another season of screenings in Downtown L.A., with nearly-nightly showings this spring.

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Every Sunday during the summer at sunset, both hotel guests and vistors at the Fairmont Miramar can slip into something waterproof and enjoy a flick around the Santa Monica hotel’s luxurious pool. You’ll find a mix of nostalgic favorites and more recent releases on the Hulu-curated schedule. Eats and libations will be available for purchase from the FIG Restaurant menu, and though seating is free for hotel guests, visitors will have to secure a reservation; tickets total to about $60 with tax, tip and fees, but that includes a $45 food and drink credit plus complimentary popcorn.

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Let the wild rumpus start at this celebration of beloved children’s author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. The Skirball Cultural Center will be displaying more than 150 sketches, storyboards and paintings from theWhere the Wild Things Are creator.

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Best known for her rhinestone-studded paintings of Black women, collages of old Jet Magazine spreads and revisions of historic paintings, Thomas’s large-scale works (80 of them from the past two decades)are on display at theBroadin this transportive exhibition.

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This major Ed Ruscha retrospective includes his meticulous photos of L.A. streets and a reconstruction of his Chocolate Room (which, yes, is a room made out sheets upon sheets of chocolate).

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David Zwirner has onlyhad an L.A. gallery for about a year—plus a new flagship that opens with this show—but the gallerist’s history stretches back three decades elsewhere around the globe. To celebrate, you’ll find works by all of the gallery’s artists across its three L.A. buildings, includingNjideka Akunyili Crosby, Josef Alberts, Diane Arbus, Ruth Asawa, R. Crumb, Dan Flavin, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Donald Judd, Toba Khedoori, Paul Klee, Barbara Kruger, Yayoi Kusama, Gerhard Richter, Richard Serra and more.

It’s more than just the low clearance: This exhibition at the Petersen explores the custom paint, engraving, upholstery and, of course, thegravity-defying suspension of the lowrider scene. In addition to iconic cars, the exhibit spotlights influentialartists inthe Chicano lowrider art scene.

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See large ceramic and bronzesculptures atLACMAplus a few more sculptural pieces and collaborative video works atCAAMduring thiscrosstown exhibition of Black feminist artist Simone Leigh.

See how theHairspray andPink Flamingos writer and director’s delightfully filthy style has redefined the possibilities of independent cinema—as well as what exactly goes into making an indie movie—during this career-spanning exhibition at the Academy Museum.

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Move through a suite of sci-fi installations that depict a world overcome by rising seas and unchecked capitalism in this exhibition from Josh Kline. The MOCA Grand Avenue show includes a mix of sculpture, photography, moving images and ephemeral materials.

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Two documentarians of Chicano culture—iconic black-and-white photographer Estevan Oriol and the formerTeen Angels magazine—put the spotlight on L.A.’s art, lowrider and tattoo culturein this Beyond the Streetsexhibition.

See exploratory pencil-drawn line illustrations from the famous French fashion designer’s archive at this OCMA exhibition.

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He cocreated Captain America, Black Panther, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and some of the Marvel universe’s most cosmic characters.Corey Helford Gallery and the Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center pay homage to the legendary comic book artist with this tribute show near Boyle Heights, which features comic-inspired pieces from over 70 artists, as well as original Kirby artworks.

See works from seven contemporary artists (Eliseo Art Silva, Allison Hueman, Anthony Francisco, Maryrose Cobarrubias Mendoza, Christine Morla, Maria Villote and Junn Roca) who address issues related to Filipino culture and the Filipino-American experience during this exhibition at the Forest Lawn Museum.

Hollywood’s Japan House has tapped artistSebastian Masuda to dive into the roots of all things cute and colorful with this exhibition on Japanese kawaii culture. The free show includes multiple pieces and installations from Masuda.

See 1930s-to-50s concept carsplus artworkfrom Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol and David Hockney at this Petersen exhibition.

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The GRAMMY Museum celebrates hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with interactive DJing, rapping and sampling stations and instantly recognizable artifacts like LL Cool J’s red Kangol bucket hat and the Notorious B.I.G.’s red leather pea coat.

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Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung goes from indie to windy with this helter-skelter tornado movie.

Nicolas Cage is a living nightmare in the most chilling supernatural horror since Hereditary.

A summer babysitter that will entertain kids, and suffice for chaperones.

Ti West wraps his blood-splashed Mia Goth trilogy with a sexy and fun ’80s-set horror.

The life of Riley gets more complicated in this joyful and bold sequel.

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