If you’re already going broke on Valentine’s Day ideas, you’ll be happy to hear there are plenty of free things to do in February. From a Chinatown parade to a party at a brewery, these are the best ways to make the most of your month without breaking into your wallet.
Feb 3, 4
Chinese New Year Festival in Monterey Park; Downtown Monterey Park
Ring in the Lunar New Year in the real heart of L.A.’s Chinese community at this annual two-day Monterey Park festival.
Feb 6–May 6
“Harald Szeemann: Museum of Obsessions”; Getty Center
Discover how the avant-garde-leaning curator came to redefine exhibition-making. A satellite show at ICA LA (Feb 4–Apr 22) includes a re-created installation of inventions by Szeemann’s grandfather.
Feb 11
Broken Hearts Circus; Angel City Brewery
Make a circus out of L.A.’s dating scene with this pre-Valentine’s bash, complete with stilt walkers and a magician.
Feb 11–25
The Dialectic of the Stars; Various locations
Step into a free visual art and performance festival at five unique L.A. venues, featuring works by 19 emerging and established French and American artists and collectives.
Feb 14
Ricardo Lemvo y Makina Loca; Union Station
Learn how to dance in the style of kizomba—that’s Angolan for “party”—in Union Station’s handsome ticketing hall at this high-energy Valentine’s Day event.
Feb 15
The Monk of Mokha; Los Angeles Central Library
Listen to Dave Eggers chat with Mokhtar Alkhanshali, the subject of his newest book about coffee, the American dream and civil war.
Feb 17–Apr 1
“Geta Brătescu: The Leaps of Aesop”; Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles
The artist’s first solo presentation in L.A. showcases the disruptive and literary-inspired 91-year-old forerunner in the field of Romanian Conceptualism.
Feb 17
Golden Dragon Parade & Chinese New Year Festival; Chinatown Central Plaza
Participate in one of L.A.’s oldest traditions as the 119th parade steps off in Chinatown.
Feb 17
Lunar New Year Festival; Pacific Asia Museum
Ring in the Lunar New Year with a free afternoon of pan-Asian activities at the Pasadena museum.
Feb 25–May 13
“Dora De Larios: Other Worlds”; Beta Main
Welcome the work-in-progress Main Museum’s new mazzanine gallery space with a walk through this selection of ceramic pieces from the late Boyle-Heights-born artist’s six-decade career.
Through Mar 4
“Cuba Is”; Annenberg Space for Photography
More than 100 photos fill this Century City museum to tell the tale of the island nation from before the revolution to its contemporary coming out.
Through Apr 8
“Welcome to the Dollhouse”; MOCA Pacific Design Center
Peruse different approaches to the concept of domesticity with works of sculpture, photography, painting, video and drawing from the 1960s to the present drawn from MOCA’s collection.
Through Apr 8
“Skip Arnold: Truffle Hunt”; ICA LA
This performance-inspired exhibition collects the ephemera from a journey to Italy via Switzerland in search of truffles.
Through May 6
“Stories of Almost Everyone”; Hammer Museum
Through the work of 30 artists, this very meta exhibition examines the relationship between a piece of art’s inherent narrative and the meaning suggested by its display within an institution.
Ongoing
Free concerts; Various locations
Listen to some tunes without breaking the bank with free shows at the Echo, the Satellite and more.
Ongoing
Free museum days; Various locations
Make the most of free days at LACMA, the Natural History Museum and more, plus always-free museums like the Hammer, Getty and Broad.