The 48 best things to do in L.A. this weekend (2024)

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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LA Pride may have moved out of West Hollywood, but that hasn’t stopped the city from holding its own colorful Pride celebration in and around West Hollywood Park.

WeHo Pride featuresan all-weekend music fest dubbed OUTLOUD, as well as the free WeHo Pride Street Fair (Sat, Sun noon–8pm). In addition, you’ll find the Women’s Freedom Festival (noon–6pm) and Dyke March (6–6:30pm) on Saturday. Then, on Sunday, WeHo Pride will hold a parade that starts at Santa Monica Boulevard and North Crescent Heights Boulevard at noon.

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The L.A. Conservancy offers a delightful summer time machine in the form of classic films, screened inside Downtown’s grand old movie palaces throughout the month of June.

This year’s lineupincludesThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligariand The Seven Year Itch at the Orpheum on June 1, Bullitt andGaslight at the Los Angeles Theatre on June 8, andFrom Russia with Love andMi Vida Loca at the Palace Theatre on June 15.

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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 includes Hailu Mergia (June 1), Slauson Malone 1 (June 15), Helado Negro (July 20), Julia Holter (July 27) and Woods (Aug 24). 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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Wantto peer through the eyepiece of Mt. Wilson’s historic telescopes? Your best and most economical bet just might be one of the Talks & Telescopes events. These monthly Saturday night astronomy lectures are followed up with a few hours of stargazing on portable telescopes on the grounds as well as the 60 and 100-inch telescopes for only $50 (a fraction of the price of the observatory’s late-night stargazing sessions).

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This epic (and free) outdoor concert seriesfeatures live performances by artists from around the world at thetotally overhauledCalifornia Plazastage in DTLA, where the shallow water separating the stage from the audience has been replaced by a proper event lawn.Don’t miss a diverse and highly intriguing mix ofbands, DJ sets and dance parties.

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Thisweekend-long concert will once again return to West Hollywood Park as part of WeHo Pride.Kylie Minogue, Janelle Monáe and Diplo headline this year’s fest with additional sets from Doechii, Ashnikko, Noah Cyrus, Trixie Mattel, Keke Palmer, Channel Tres, Yaeji, Big Freedia, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, VINCINT and more. If the ticket prices have you down, don’t worry: Friday night’s programming is free with an RSVP and includes sets from Kesha,Adam Lambert, Monét X Change and LaGanja Estranga.

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

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Watch a movie inside Pasadena’s charming One Colorado shopping plaza during this free summer series. If you happened to have spent at least $50 per personcumulatively at the shopping center’s vendors earlier in the day, you’ll nab free VIP seating, which includes popcorn, candy and a beverage, plus a free ticket to the IPIC.

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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 fromJune through September at Union Station,CAAM,Descanso Gardens, Bowers Museum, Century Park, the Autry, KCRW’s Santa Monica headquartersand—our favorite—the party-till-midnight bashes at Chinatown Central Plaza.

The details slightly differ at each spot, but you cantypically expect a bunch of food trucks, beer gardens and after-hours museum admission.Regardless of the location, you really can’t go wrong withany evening spent at Summer Nights.

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See performances from the LA Opera, Long Beach Opera, Pacific Opera Project, Synchromy, Overtone Industries, Mission Operaand Beth Morrison Projects during this weeklong opera celebration across L.A.

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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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Irish playwright-director Conor McPherson spins a tale of strife in the Great Depression—set to songs by Bob Dylan—in Girl From the North Country, which we gave four stars during its New York run.

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One of L.A.’s best free live music offerings, Jazz at LACMA has featured legit legends over its three-decade run at the museum. Seating for the program is available in the museum’s plaza on a first-come, first-served basis, though you’re welcome to picnic on the grass, too (you won’t really be able to see the show, but you’ll still hear it). You’ll find the series on Friday evenings in LACMA’s welcome plaza (just behind Urban Light)throughout the summer.

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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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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 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 this year’s new vendors, includingBasket Taco Co, Battambong Barbecue and Taste of the Pacific.

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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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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.

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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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Come out and play at this 30th anniversary show ofSmash, which the pop-punk band will perform in full at the Honda Center.

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Dance company Blue13 turns the Victorian homes of Heritage Square into an interactive performance space during thise indoor-outdoor, choose-your-own-adventure show at the historic museum.

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This women-run wine festival is back at Long Beach’s Harry Bridges Memorial Park with hundreds of wines, brews and spirits from all over the world. Food trucks, live music and artisan pop-up boutiques will also be on-site, and all proceeds will benefit the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club. Each $100 GA ticket includes entry to the fest, unlimited drink tastings and a souvenir wine glass. Ride-sharing and public transport highly recommended.

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Did this past year’s Basquiat exhibition in DTLAleave you wanting more? Head to Beverly Hills where Gagosian will be displaying 50 rarely loaned Jean-Michel Basquiat pieces that were created in L.A. during the iconic artist’s time spent at his Venice studio between 1982 and 1984.

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Sail over to Catalina Island for this music, DJ and wine event that was literally born out of the “It’s the %$#&*@ Catalina Wine Mixer” line in Step Brothers. The weekend begins with a screening of the Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly buddy comedy at the Avalon Theatre and continuesthe next day at Decanso Beach Club with wine (duh), lawn games and a mix of livemusic and DJ sets.

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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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Judy Baca’shalf-mile–long TheGreat Wall of Los Angeles, a collaborative mural painted in the ’70s along the Tujunga Wash, has received all sorts of museum love in the past few years. But LACMAhas a particularly unique show to boast about: The local Chicana muralist and SPARC artists will paint two new sections ofThe Great Wall during museum hours. The exhibit also debuts a new section of the wall, in honor of activists known as the Freedom Riders, dubbedGeneration on Fire.

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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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Former HiFi space Gabba Gallery ushers in its new DTLA home with this retrospective of counterculture illustrator EMEK, famous for his posters for the likes ofFoo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails and Neil Young,as well as the annual Coachella poster.

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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.

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What does living in L.A. look like? It’s a wildly different picture depending on each Angeleno’s point of view, and so to celebrate that diversity of perspectives, Hollywood gallery Jeffrey Deitch will display pieces from a dozen local artists that delve into underground economies, landscapes, surveillance, backyard hangouts and public transit, among other topics.

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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.

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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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George Miller delivers the full-throttle, no-prisoners-taken prequel we’ve all been waiting for.

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No Andy Serkis, no problems for Wes Ball’s thoughtful ape adventure.

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Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt share a ton of goofy chemistry in this nitrous pull of an action-comedy.

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Alex Garland’s brutal, dystopian vision of America at war with itself is visceral but vague.

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Eschewing gimmicky callbacks, this horror prequel is thoughtful and engaging—but still unsettling.

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