Get us in your inbox

Search
Griffith Park
Photograph: Shutterstock

Things to do in Los Angeles today

Discover these things to do in L.A. today—including free and cheap concerts, screenings, shows, parties and more

Advertising

Looking for last-minute plans? Figuring out how to stop from slipping into yet another night on the couch? Find out the best things to do today in Los Angeles with picks for our favorite screenings, concerts museum exhibitions and more.

Sometimes, you make plans to go out months in advance. Other times, you’re left scrambling for plans a few hours from now—consider this your social emergency savior for those situations. So stay occupied no matter what day it is with these things to do in Los Angeles today.

(On the other hand, if you’re a bit more of a planner, you can also check out our calendars for things to do this week and weekend, as well as our month-by-month overview of events below.)

RECOMMENDED: Full Los Angeles events calendar

Things to do in Los Angeles today

  • Art
  • Installation
  • price 3 of 4
  • Boyle Heights

For one summer in 1987, a carnival popped up in Germany with traditional rides adorned with artwork by Salvador Dalí, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Sonia Delaunay and a couple dozen others. And then… it kind of just vanished, sent off into storage for decades. But now, thanks to a couple of art world partners and Drake, Luna Luna has been revived in L.A., restored and reassembled in a soundstage in Boyle Heights through May 2024. Though you can’t climb aboard the rides here, the atmosphere is magical and—for contemporary art fans for sure—worth the relatively steep price of admission. On the other hand, as alluring as that reflective Dalídome is though, we’d say that splurging on a VIP pass (which comes with a couple of other perks) isn’t worth it just to snap a photo inside of it. You can read more here about our experience at Luna Luna.

  • Movies
  • price 2 of 4
  • Downtown

The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing have returned for another season of screenings in Downtown L.A. Known for excellent film choices and a steady supply of snacks and booze, Rooftop Cinema Club is your snazzy, comfortable and less stressful alternative to other outdoor movie screenings. You don’t even need to bring your own camping chair—Rooftop Cinema Club provides you with your very own comfy lawn chair (with optional blankets for purchase to up the coziness). And instead of listening to the movie over loudspeakers, you’ll get a set of wireless headphones so you never have to miss a word. Find the full schedule on their site, or in our outdoor movie calendar.

Advertising
  • Art
  • price 0 of 4
  • Boyle Heights

Your favorite plush ’80s obsession meets the contemporary art market at this show from Corey Helford Gallery, which features pieces of Care Bears-inspired work by 75 currently working artists. Oh, and of course there’s a pop-up shop as part of the Boyle Heights-area show.

  • Things to do

Support women-owned restaurants and dine at some of L.A.’s best spots during the return of this annual food fest. Regarding HER's RE:Her festival will offer themed menu specials, convos and collabs from women restaurateurs all month long. Highlights from this year include a paella night featuring Casa Vega and Gasolina Cafe (March 22), a chaat party at Benny Boy Brewing (March 10) and a "chefs of the Arts District" dinner (March 20).

Advertising
  • Art
  • Painting
  • price 0 of 4
  • Beverly Hills

Did this past year’s Basquiat exhibition in DTLA leave you wanting more? Head to Beverly Hills where Gagosian will be displaying 30 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.

  • Things to do
  • price 1 of 4
  • USC/Exposition Park

Nature lovers rejoice! Spend a day at the Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Pavilion, which will open from March 17 through August 25 with up 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.

Advertising
  • Art
  • price 0 of 4
  • Hollywood

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.

  • Art
  • price 0 of 4
  • Downtown Arts District

In 1993, artist Charles Gaines mounted “ The Theater of Refusal: Black Art and Mainstream Criticism,” a UC Irvine gallery show that responded to the country’s cultural and political crises with works from then-up-and-coming Black artists. Now, three decades later, Hauser & Wirth has revived the show in two parts: a small reprise of “The Theater of Refusal” with ’90s pieces from Gaines, Gary Simmons and Lorna Simpson, as well as a larger room that continues the show’s themes with recent works from Lauren Halsey, Rashid Johnson, Caroline Kent and more.

Advertising
  • Things to do
  • price 3 of 4

Expect to hear plenty of people shouting “you can’t sit with us!” during this Mean Girls-inspired experience in Santa Monica. Each ticket comes with an entree and side (think “Stab” Ceasar salad and cheese fries) in a cafeteria-style setting, plus access to the Cool Mom Bar and plenty of photo ops (like Regina’s bedroom mirror, the Burn Book and the talent show). Find it at 2020 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica.  

Recommended
    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising