Plan out your month with the city’s best concerts, culture, cuisine and more.
THINGS TO DO
July 4
Americafest; The Rose Bowl
See an explosive celebration of all things red, white and blue at this fireworks, music and stunt show.
July 4
Fourth of July Block Party; Grand Park
Watch Downtown L.A. light up for free at this patriotic street party.
July 5–8
Anime Expo; L.A. Convention Center
Celebrate the often quirky art and culture of anime with four days of panels and plenty of cosplay.
July 13–Aug 12
OC Fair; OC Fair & Event Center
Mix fried food, carnival attractions and the occasional rodeo or demolition derby, and you’ve got the OC Fair.
July 13, 27
Summer Nights in the Garden; Natural History Museum
Spend an evening outside with live music, garden-inspired cocktails, hands-on science projects, botanical tours and food trucks.
July 14, 15
Lotus Festival; Echo Park Lake
Celebrate the bloom of Echo Park Lake’s beloved floating flowers with this food, music and cultural fest.
July 20
Roaring Nights at the L.A. Zoo; L.A. Zoo
See the zoo in a whole new light at this after-hours ’90s-themed party.
July 26
Lucha VaVoom; Mayan Theater
The exuberant, high-flying wrestling-meets-burlesque show stages its summer spectacular.
July 28–Aug 5
U.S. Open of Surfing; Huntington Beach
Hit the beach to cheer on the country’s biggest pro surfers at this annual competition.
Find more things to do in our July 2018 events calendar.
FOOD & DRINK
Through Aug 31
Friday Night Wine Tastings; Barnsdall Art Park
Roll out a blanket and sip on pours of wine on the Hollyhock House’s front lawn.
July 13–27
DineLA Restaurant Week; Various locations
Choose from hundreds of L.A. restaurants for two weeks of discounted meals, ranging from $15 lunches to $50 dinners.
July 20–22
626 Night Market; Santa Anita Park
Come hungry and grab a late-night snack at the summer kickoff of this massive Asian street food market.
July 24
Taste of Farmers Market; The Original Farmers Market
Sample tastes from L.A. and around the world during this feast at the beloved market.
July 26
LUCKYRICE Feast; Vibiana
Celebrate LA’s phenomenal Asian fare at the annual LUCKYRICE Feast featuring Bone Kettle, Button Mash, Little Sister and more.
July 27
East LA Meets Napa; LA Live
Savor rich wines and bites of Mexican cuisine at this annual festival showcasing some of our city’s best Mexican restaurants, along with Latino-owned wineries in Napa.
July 28, 29
California Pizza Festival; Los Angeles Center Studios
Sample slices from local chefs as well as pizzaiolos flown in from Naples, Italy.
ARTS & CULTURE
Through Aug 26
“Beyond the Streets”; Werkartz
Explore a massive Chinatown gallery filled with works from Shepard Fairey, Retna, Guerrilla Girls, Invader, Takashi Murakami and more
Through Sept 23
“Complete Cubes”; Hauser & Wirth
Venice artist Larry Bell has constructed reflective minimalists cubes since the 1960s that range in size from two inches to over three feet.
Through Oct 21
“Icons of Style: A Century of Fashion Photography, 1911–2011”; Getty Center
The Getty examines how photographers have influenced the course of fashion and style through 200 photos as well as a selection of costumes, advertisements and magazine covers.
Through Sept 2
“The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited”; Skirball Cultural Center
Immerse yourself in the world of the Muppets creator with classic clips, costumes and historic puppets, including Kermit the Frog, Rowlf and Bert and Ernie.
Through Feb 2019
“A Journey That Wasn’t”; The Broad
The show inspired by the passage of time includes works from the likes of Gregory Crewdson, Andreas Gursky, Glenn Ligon and Anselm Kiefer, as well as the return of Ragnar Kjartansson’s The Visitors.
Through Oct 7
“Judy Chicago’s Birth Project: Born Again”; Pasadena Museum of California Art
The soon-to-close PMCA displays 16 team-assembled needlepoint works from the seminal feminist artist.
Through Oct 29
“Line & Color: The Nature of Ellsworth Kelly”; Norton Simon Museum
The Norton Simon pairs two complementary series of lithographs: Kelly’s delicate line drawings of plants and his bold, abstract color-field pieces.
Through Sept 2
“Made in L.A.”; Hammer Museum
The fourth in the Hammer’s ongoing series of biennial exhibitions focuses on work created by 32 emerging and under-recognized L.A. artists.
July 7–Sept 1
Pageant of the Masters; Festival of Arts
See classic paintings come to life during this Laguna Beach musical and theatrical tradition.
July 12–Aug 18
“One Shot”; UTA Artist Space
UTA relocates its gallery from Boyle Heights to an Ai Weiwei-overhauled warehouse in Beverly Hills with this survey of late 1950s to early ‘70s Color Field painters.
July 15–Mar 31
“3D: Double Vision”; LACMA
See how three-dimensional technology has transcended View-Masters and 19th-century stereoscopes and worked its way into cutting-edge digital art.
July 19–Aug 4
New Original Works Festival; REDCAT
See what’s cutting edge in the city’s vibrant performing arts scene at this annual showcase of artistic creativity.
July 28
Summer Happenings at the Broad; The Broad
Spend a late night at the Broad with performances from Faust, Matmos and Eye during this art happening.
FILM
Ongoing
Rooftop Cinema Club; NeueHouse • LEVEL
Continue the outdoor movie season at the Hollywood and Downtown rooftop series.
Through July 28
Cinespia; Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Roll out a blanket in the cemetery as the summertime screening series continues.
Through Sept 15
Eat|See|Hear; Various locations
The outdoor screening series travels to different locales throughout the city each Saturday during the summer.
Through June 28
Melrose Rooftop Theatre; E.P. & L.P.
Sink into a beanbag for film screenings atop the ultra-chic Melrose rooftop bar.
Through Aug 21
Moonlight Movies on the Beach; Granada Beach
Pack up your folding chairs and head to Long Beach for this unique outdoor screening series.
Through Sept 13
Silver Lake Picture Show; Sunset Triangle Plaza
Liven up your Thursday nights at this free Eastside screening series.
Through Aug 9
Skyline Sound + Cinema; The Bloc
Though Downtown L.A.’s Alamo Drafthouse is still under construction, you can catch an alfresco sampler of its film programming during this inaugural series.
Through Oct 27
Street Food Cinema; Various locations
Follow the food trucks to this seasonal, outdoor screening series.
July 8
Tiki Night; Egyptian Theatre
Travel to the tropics during this annual celebration of all things tiki, including Polynesian dance performances and a pair of screenings.
July 12–22
Outfest Los Angeles; Various locations
Take advantage of two weeks of screenings, parties and galas at this annual gay and lesbian film festival.
July 13
Outdoor Movies at the Skirball; Skirball Cultural Center
Pair the Skirball’s Jim Henson retrospective with a screening of Labyrinth.
July 20, 21
Jaws in Concert; Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra tackles the iconic shark theme against the backdrop of the Steven Spielberg classic.
July 23
Hairspray 30th Anniversary; Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Debbie Harry, Ricki Lake and John Waters join this Barry Jenkins-hosted screening.
MUSIC
Through Aug 25
KCRW Summer Nights; Various locations
Bust a move as this beloved live music and DJ series continues with nights in Pasadena, Chinatown and at Union Station.
July 2–4
The Go-Go’s; Hollywood Bowl
L.A.’s all-female new-wave group comes out of semi-retirement for a fireworks-filled Fourth of July.
July 3
Zedd in the Park; Los Angeles State Historic Park
The German EDM superstar throws his very own mini fest featuring Whethan, Medasin and Oliver Tree.
July 5
Primus + Mastodon; Greek Theatre
Sheer musicianship elevates Primus above a thrash-funk novelty act; Mastodon grinds out an impressively convoluted, amped-up take on prog metal.
July 7
Dead & Company; Dodger Stadium
The Grateful Dead lives through this jam band that’s three parts Dead, one part Allman Brothers Band and one part John Mayer.
July 7
Summertime in the LBC; Queen Mary
Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, the Game, Ja Rule & Ashanti and more top this hip-hop fest at the Queen Mary.
July 22
My Bloody Valentine; Shrine Expo Hall
The seminal shoegaze band plays its first L.A. shows in five years at this FYF makeup show.
July 19
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks; The Roxy Theatre
The former Pavement frontman continues to dole out addictive melodies and schizophrenic verbiage.
July 26–Aug 30
Skirball Cultural Center Sunset Concerts ; Skirball Cultural Center
Grab a seat in the Skirball’s courtyard for the kickoff of this free concert series, starting with Goapele.
July 27
Wu-Tang Clan; Shrine Expo Hall
Mark the 25th anniversary of 36 Chambers with a set from all members of the hip-hip innovators.
July 31, Aug 1
Animal Collective; The Theatre at Ace Hotel
The experimental pop quartet plays through its 15-year-old freak folk record, Sung Tongs.
See more concerts in our July 2018 concert calendar.
THEATER
Through Sept 30
The Crucible; Theatricum Botanicum
Arthur Miller set his now-classic play during the Salem witch-hunt era of the late 17th century—though he wrote it amidst the needlessly damaging politics of the McCarthy era.
Through Aug 18
Grand Performances; California Plaza
Scope out a diverse mix of music, live scores, films, poetry and theater at this water-encompassed stage.
Though July 29
The Humans; Ahmanson Theatre
Playwright Stephen Karam serves up all that unsettles our existence in this Pulitzer finalist and Tony winner about a family gathering for Thanksgiving.
Through Aug 18
Shakespeare by the Sea; Various locations
Enjoy one of the many free performances of The Merry Wives of Windsor or The Winter’s Tale, put on by Shakespeare by the Sea throughout summer.
July 6–29
On Your Feet!; Pantages Theatre
Feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger? The show’s title perfectly describes the true story of the musicians who relaunched and mainstreamed Latin music—and the audience’s reaction.
July 14–Aug 19
Cry it Out; Atwater Village Theatre
This play by Molly Smith Metzler explores new motherhood—and the new loyalties, priorities and jealousies it brings.
SHOPPING & STYLE
July 20
Odd Nights at the Autry; Autry National Center
Head to the latest installment of this monthly market, nighttime dance party, happy hour and shopping extravaganza.