This weekend, Los Angeles is the place to be! From concerts and culture to cuisine and more, there's something for everyone. Whether you're looking for a way to freshen up your Labor Day or a midnight snack fantasy, you'll find it in L. A. Café Gratitude Larchmont will host an all-plant-based ice cream showdown from 2 to 4 p.m., where ticket holders can sample frozen treats from JD's Vegan Ice Cream, Dream Pops and other local vendors.
Vote for your favorite, take some selfies in the photo booth and enjoy root beer floats made with Olipop functional soda (plus some sprayed with alcohol, if that's more your rhythm).One of the largest Asian food markets in the United States spans the Paddock Gardens field, in front of Santa Anita Park, during the summer. Come hungry and eat caffeine, this lively market, with more than 250 Asian street food and alcohol vendors, live music, artists, games and more, doesn't go to sleep until midnight. Listen to classical and jazz music in a dome more than a mile above L. The Mount Wilson Observatory hosts monthly concerts this summer (after a shortened version of its season last year) inside the dome of its 100-inch Hooker telescope, which was the largest telescope in the world for much of the first half of the 20th century. It's not exactly the Twilight on the Pier beachfront party, but Santa Monica's new free concert series once again sees the city team up with the much-loved McCabe's Guitar Shop for some outdoor shows. This September, you can watch concerts on Sunday afternoons in Gándara Park (right next to Bergamot Station and Line E) that explore Americana's roots. See murals and installations sprout up in Long Beach during this citywide art festival.
This year's event coincides with the return of Art Renzei, a multimedia art show along the coast. See how Asian-American and diaspora women and non-binary artists have responded to themes of wonder, self and identity through figuration during this show in Jeffrey Deitch's Hollywood gallery. This lesser-known film festival celebrates more than five decades of screening classic films. Enjoy a five-day program of old and rare silent films and short films screening at the Hollywood Legion Theater. Well-known KCRW DJs and local music bands will offer free outdoor tunes on select nights from July to September at Hammer Museum, One Colorado, CAAM, Descanso Gardens, Bowers Museum, Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, JANM and our favorite parties until midnight at Chinatown Central Plaza. One of L. A.'s beloved programs is back for the season - KCRW Summer Nights - and so is its format of open seating and picnics (whereas last year you needed a reservation).
You'll find the series on Friday nights in the LACMA Welcome Square (just behind Urban Light) starting in April. This epic (and free) outdoor concert series features live performances by artists from around the world on the fully renovated California Plaza stage in DTLA, where the shallow waters separating the stage from the audience have been replaced by lawns suitable for events. Don't miss a diverse and intriguing mix of bands, DJ sets and dance parties. Do you know it's summer in Los Angeles? When outdoor live music begins to spread across the city, including at MacArthur Park's Levitt Pavilion.
Westlake concert series returns this summer with free shows every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Expect a mix of local act genres ranging from cumbia to ska and EDM. Until the first screening at the cemetery brings loads of movie lovers to Hollywood Forever, carrying folding chairs, picnic blankets, snacks and lots of alcohol. Each year, Cinespia brings cult favorites to the sacred resting place of Old Hollywood greats and also a couple of off-site screenings.
Masters of Rooftop Outdoor Movie Viewing Have Returned for Another Screening Season in Downtown Los Angeles. Put on a pair of provided wireless headphones and sit in your seat to enjoy a mix of favorite classics and recent blockbusters. The show premiered in 1981 for the Los Angeles Bicentennial and features the 1933 earthquake, highway development and other city landmarks. Wendy Kennar is a mother, writer and former teacher who has lived her entire life in the same Los Angeles zip code.
So while weekdays are for school, weekends focus on places to beat the heat in Los Angeles and more end-of-season fun you'll find in our Los Angeles Kids Summer Activity Guide.
