We curate an L.A. weekend itinerary of the city's best concerts, culture and cuisine, every week, just for you.
Friday
Take part in a scavenger hunt and comedy-theater show at Gene Wilder & Fidel Castro's New Year's Rockin' Eve (in Limbo): An Immersive Theater Experience. You'll be free to explore all of UCB Sunset in search of themed performances like a Facebook echo chamber, the physical manifestation of Reddit and a karaoke room playing nothing but tracks from musicians who died in 2016.
Settle in for a long night at the Egyptian Theatre for a screening of Lawrence of Arabia. The late, great Peter O'Toole stars in this beloved three-and-a-half-hour epic about British colonialism, screened here in glorious 70mm.
Alternatively, indulge your love of magical woodland spirits and creatures with a screening of My Neighbor Totoro. Catch Hayao Miyazaki's whimsical masterpiece during a midnight showing at the Nuart Theatre.
Saturday
Ring in the new year with a new best friend at Best Friends Animal Society's year-end pet adoption drive. The organizations Mission Hills headquarters as well as the NKLA shelter in West L.A. and six L.A. Animal Service shelters are knocking adoption fees down to $20.17 for fixed, vaccinated and micro-chipped furry friends.
Catch a matinee of Home Alone at the New Beverly—because nothing says "happy holidays" like child neglect and terrorizing young'uns. Take a John Hughes script, add a particularly cute Macaulay Culkin, a John Candy cameo and Chris Columbus' direction, and you get a reliable '90s blockbuster.
Kick 2016 to the curb and take your pick between New Year's Eve parties like Time Out and Ace Hotel Present A Dream Disco: New Year's Eve at the Theatre at Ace Hotel, the Grand Park and Music Center-spanning N.Y.E.L.A. or Prohibition NYE at Union Station. If you're more in the mood for a New Year's Eve concert, you'll find everything from a Cut Copy-headlined festival in Long Beach to local punk icons X at the Roxy Theatre.
Sunday
Dive into 2017 at a selection of Polar Bear Plunges. Swimmers across the city will take to the not-so-icy waters for the annual New Year's Day tradition, with meet-ups at Cabrillo Beach, Hansen Dam, Venice Beach and Huntington Beach, among others.
Keep your PJs on this New Year's for a pajama bar crawl around Main Street in Santa Monica. The crawl includes six stops, including a complimentary mimosa during check-in at Areal Restaurant and a VIP Beer Garden at Ashland Hill.
Glide around an ice skating rink in your bathing suit and a pair of shades—only in Southern California, right?—during the Polar Bear Skate at the Holiday Ice Rink Pershing Square. The Downtown rink is hosting its twist on a polar bear plunge with a beach-themed bash. Just try not to fall, lest you want to feel an icy burn on your exposed bottom.
Monday
If you can tear yourself off of the couch on this extra day off, consider a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Parade (on the 2nd this year due to its "never on Sunday" tradition). Now in its 128th year, the sun-kissed tradition celebrates the new year with florally decorated floats. You'll have to buy tickets or camp out overnight for a prime spot near Old Town, but hop on the Metro in the morning and you'll find plenty of room east of Lake Avenue.
If you want to see the floats without all of the parade business, then check out the Post-Parade Float Showcase instead. Mosey on over to Sierra Madre Boulevard and Washington Street where you'll be able to view the floats and their floral handiwork close up.
Find more things to do this weekend by clicking each day or by heading over to our weekend calendar.
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