Friday
Explore something or other about rainbows, the human psyche and what sounds like a psychedelic nightmare on Friday at Alone: Unweave the Rainbow. Set to take over an undisclosed Hollywood location, the immersive theater experience warns that you may be "aggressively touched" or "tenderly embraced"—quite frankly, both of those outcomes sound terrifying.
If you prefer your frights a bit more traditional, catch a screening of The Strangers at Elysian Park. Pack a picnic and bring a blanket for a night of pre-show games, festivities and an interactive screening hosted by the Great Horror Campout headmaster.
Just up the river you'll find an evening devoid of any sorts of terror during the kickoff of Roaring Nights at the Zoo. Roam the LA Zoo after hours as pop-up zookeeper talks, a set from indie rock tribute band Black Crystal Wolf Kids, local food trucks and a full bar descend on the adults-only event.
Saturday
Name another major American metropolis where you can find coyotes, parrots and mountain lions running wild within city limits. Exactly. To celebrate our peculiar wilderness, the Natural History Museum is throwing LA Urban Nature Fest this weekend. Sit it on a taxidermy workshop, brush up on your photography skills and learn about wildflowers and edible wild foods during the first day of the fest.
Angelenos, let it all hang out. The World Naked Bike Ride hits LA on Saturday with its bare-as-you-dare dress code to fight "indecent exposure to cars." A bodypainting-filled fest starts at noon at a location to-be-named (you'll need to RSVP for that) and the ride kicks off at 2:30pm through DTLA and Echo Park. Check out our tastefully non-sexual but NSFW photos from last year's event.
Forget all of those bro-tastic beer commercials: ladies like brews, too. LA Beer week is proving it with the Ladies of LA Craft Beer. Beer blogger Girls Who Like Beer sits down with a quartet of lady brewers and writers for a panel discussion, beer flight and pizza bites at Mohawk Bend.
Follow Sunset into Chinatown for the next installment of KCRW's Summer Nights. Party into the night (for free) at Chinatown Central Plaza with sets from a duo of KCRW DJs, as well as Chinese food vendors, a flea and vintage market, and hands-on cultural activities.
Sunday
If yesterday's buck naked bike ride was a bit too much, maybe the Los Angeles River Ride is more your speed. Pedal around Griffith Park or trek to Long Beach and back; there are 10 routes to choose from, ranging from 15 to 100 miles, so there's something for all ages and ability levels.
Bloody Mary haters, you may want to sit this one out. Del Frisco's Grille is hosting the Santa Monica Bloody Mary Battle to crown the best concoction of vodka, tomato juice and celery. Five local bars and restaurants will compete in a blind taste test, as chosen by a panel of judges and, luckily, you.
Head over to LACMA for a performance and discussion from freak folk musician Devendra Banhart. He'll be talking about his new book of drawings, I Left My Noodle on Ramen Street (which you can get signed), and bringing has band along for a free performance.
Make your way back to the LA River for the latest installation at Con/Safos. Artist Rafa Esparaza stacked 1,500 adobe blocks along the river to create the ultimate palette for local grafitti artists. For this third round of works, sculptor Timo Fahler and graffiti artist Vyal (responsible for the mural outside EightyTwo) were tapped to cover the wall. Check out the unveiling over a sunset, taco-filled reception on Sunday.
Find more things to do this weekend by clicking each day or by heading over to our weekend calendar.