The 49 best things to do in L.A. this weekend (2024)

Hilltop sunset views and rising bands combine to make this Getty tradition a worthy destination for Angelenos on both sides of the 405. This year’s lineup of free Saturday night shows continues with Julia Holter. Tip: Avoid the traffic and the crowds and arrive early, preferably after 3pm when the parking price drops to $15 (though it’s $10 if you wait until the show starts). You’ll get to visit the exhibits, which stay open until 8pm on Saturdays, and beat the dinner rush.

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We thought this year’s Hollywood Bowl lineup was already kenough, but here’s one more addition thathas us dreaming in pink:Barbie will screen at the Bowl this summer with a live orchestra performing the score. On July 27, conductorMacy Schmidt will lead theBarbie Land Sinfonietta, an all-women, majority women-of-color orchestra, in a performance that accompanies a showing of the Greta Gerwig film.

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If the word Hallyu means anything to you, then pencil this annual K-pop convention into your calendar this summer. For three days, the L.A. Convention Center hosts panels, workshops, signings and more, as well asCrypto.com Arena concerts on Saturday and Sunday stocked with Korean celebs and superstars.

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More than100 wines plus wineries, food trucks, music and a beautiful setting—sounds like a perfect Saturday to us. Uncorked Wine Fest returns—this time to the California Science Center—sending wine fiends into a frenzy with some incredible varietals. General admission will be able to sip from 8 to 11pm, while VIP gets an extra hour to imbibe starting at 7pm. Tickets include all beverage tastings, with food sold separately.

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Take your pup with you to this dog-friendly comedy show at the Annenberg PetSpace, with sets from Taylor Williamson, Leah Knauer, Hugo Galaxy, Angie Stroud and Antjuan Tobias.Caitlin Benson hosts, with support from DJ CLASSIC MATERIAL.Tickets include two drinks, and a portion benefits the PetSpace Extraordinary Care Fund.

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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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Mel Brooks forever changed the comedy world with a productive couple of decades of parody masterpieces. In celebration, see the 1974 Western farce Blazing Saddles, featuring classic performances by Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn and Harvey Korman, followed by a live conversation with the legendary writer-director.

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Ghouls, goblins, the undead and fans of the macabre will descend onthe Long Beach Convention Center’s Midsummer Scream to see some of the biggest names in the genre lead panels, sign autographs and pose for pictures—all in between shopping the best horror merch in town and taking in the grade-A blood-curdling cosplay, of course.

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Do you hear the theater kids sing? Singing the songs ofBoublil and Schönberg? Expect thousands of theater fans to pack the Hollywood Bowl for this all-star tribute to the duo oflyricist Alain Boublil and composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, who were responsible for the musicals Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre, The Pirate Queenand La Révolution Française.

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Paul Scheer leads this always-excellent mix of improvisers, who perform monthly at Largo. Regular guests include the likes of Rob Huebel, Jason Mantzoukas, Rob Riggle, Lisa Gilroy, Carl Tart,Seth Morris, Mary Holland, Owen Burke, Lily Sullivan, Tim Baltz and more.

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Can’t look away from the neon-hued gleam of a modded car’s underglow? Then make your way to this MotorTrend-presentedtuner car meet-up at Compton’s Kaiser Kars, where about 250 cars will be paired with music, art and vendors.

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As sunset creeps later and later into the evening, the Huntington is taking advantage ofthe extra daylight with this coveted after-hours series.Formerly openjust for members,Twilight Garden Strollsis now open to the public, too, and will extend the San Marino garden’s hours until 8pmonselect evenings in the summer. Just a heads up that you’ll need a timed ticket that’s separate from regular morning or afternoon admission.

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Dozens of teams in elaborately decorated boats hit the water every year at the biggest and most famous dragon boat festival in the region. Between races, see performances by Chinese acrobats and dancers, plus demonstrations of traditional crafts and martial arts.

After three years of being hosted in the spring, the summer edition of Dine LA is back with a vengeance. Running from July 12 to 26, over 300 eateries will provide special prix fixe lunch and dinner menus running from $15 to $65-plus, with plenty of meal deals involved.Among the biannual restaurant week’sdizzying full listof menus, we’ve picked out some of our favorite deals here.

Nineties singer-songwriters Melissa Etheridge and Jewel coheadline more than two dozen dates together this summer, including a stop in Inglewood at the YouTube Theater.

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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.

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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Take a seat atop Westfield Fashion Square’s parking garage for this afresco film series. Each Friday and Saturday in the summer, you can catch a different popcorn flick, includingTop Gun,La La Land,The Sandlot,Clueless and more.

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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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