The best upcoming concerts in L.A.

Treat your ears to a vibrant concert on a spring or summer night by attending MUSE/IQUE’s annual program. This concert series, held at cultural venues across L.A., features a mix of performances inspired by music movements and public figures, including tributes to Quincy Jones, Joni Mitchell, the world of Oz, the Harlem Renaissance, the American Sound and more. You can make a $75 donation to the performing arts nonprofit for a single event, or become a MUSE/IQUE member if you’re interested in multiple programs.

Catch sets from up-and-coming performers, local legends and global talents during this free music series at the Getty, which features a pair of shows from a different band each weekend. The concerts kick off in February with Inuit soul musicians Pamyua and continue in March with gospel choir Jimetta Rose & the Voices of Creation and April with Persian poets Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat. Get there early to check out the museum’s exhibitions, then head to the Harold M. Williams Auditorium for the show.

Originally born from a Craigslist ad placed by founder Zach Lupetin, this Venice-based collective's tunes bring to mind Bob Wills, Bob Dylan and even the more contemporary Old Crow Medicine Show. Their energetic and engaging live sets are like a ride through the history of American folk music. It's hard not to be in a good mood while taking in the "new-wave jug-band" and its delightful cacophony of fiddles, ukeleles, tubas, washboards and kazoos. They’re playing a special show at the Troubadour to mark the release of their new album, Is It You, Is It Me. 

This laid-back, Gen X-ish music fest will once again take over the Redondo Beach coastline for three days in May. Duran Duran, the Chainsmokers, the Offspring, Slightly Stoopid and James Taylor and His All-Star Band headline the 2026 edition, with additional sets from My Morning Jacket, Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Grouplove, Peach Pit and more.

This chill fest—quite literally compared to the scorching desert outings—brings a few dozen acts to San Luis Obispo. This year’s lineup includes Chris Lake, the Backseat Lovers, Magdalena Bay, INJI and TOPS at Dairy Creek Golf Course.

Make your way to the desert for the Joshua Tree Music Festival, a gathering of like-minded indie musicians who will be rocking out to a dance-world-electro-funk’n groove. The biannual festival is a four-day party with over 30 bands in a unique lineup of artists who aren’t necessarily household names. There’s free water to all patrons, minimal service charges on tickets and yoga classes aplenty.

On the outskirts of town at the Motor Speedway, Electric Daisy Carnival is pure, condensed Vegas. There is a VIP Ferris wheel. Helicopters shuttle in high rollers. The massive crowd is soaked in ecstasy and spray tan. Every millionaire DJ that plays the laser-riddled nightclubs on the Strip is here. EDC introduced EDM as a Day-Glo spectacle for the masses in America, and its lineups in recent years have certainly lived up to the hype (this year’s includes John Summit, Martin Garrix, Tiësto, Zedd, Kaskade, the Prodigy, the Chainsmokers and many more). Once you let the neon and bass wash over you, it is the time of your life.

After years on the Central Coast, the annual event has more recently made a move significantly closer to L.A., at Bakersfield’s Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area. Sure, it’s still a bit of a trek, but where else can you find a sustainable, vegetarian festival dedicated to equal parts music, food, art, yoga and wellness? Expect to do some serious soul-searching during this five-day retreat, all while immersing yourself in everything from a speaker series to an old timey trading post. Empire of the Sun, Mau P, Sara Landry, Zeds Dead, Chase & Status, Mochakk, Barry Can’t Swim and Tinashe top the 2026 lineup.

This weekend-long concert will once again return to West Hollywood Park as part of WeHo Pride; the reunited Pussycat Dolls, Jade and Ava Max top the 2026 edition, with additional sets from Ashlee Sumpson, Confidence Man, Flo, Blue Man Group and a DJ set from Melanie C. If the ticket prices have you down, don’t worry: Friday night’s programming is usually free with an RSVP.

In a world of lies (and, these days, alternative facts), the only thing we can rely on is Shakira’s hips. Watch them shake with precision when the Colombian superstar returns for a stop at Intuit Dome.