Various locations in L.A.

The summer edition of Dine L.A. is back from July 25 to August 8, with hundreds of restaurants participating in the two-week blitz of bang-for-your-buck set menus. Scattered among the prix-fixe tradition’s dizzying full list of menus are some of L.A.’s best restaurants offering their signature fare at a more budget-friendly price point. Before you make a reservation, check out our list of the best lunch and dinner deals the event has to offer.

Say goodbye to dusty thoroughfares and violent porta-potties: Splash House takes the music festival concept off of sweltering desert land and places it poolside. Movers and shakers at this multi-location getdown are shuttled between the Saguaro, the Margaritaville and the Renaissance (with after-hours programming at the Palm Springs Air Museum) to lap up big-name dance acts and DJ sets. With the added comforts of air-conditioned rooms and critically acclaimed restaurant fare just steps away from the party scenes, the experience will make you question whether to bother with more punishing locales come next year’s festival season.

This two-weekend event celebrates Japanese culture with displays of taiko drumming, tea ceremonies, calligraphy, dancing and more. Crowds of nisei—the word refers to the first generation of Japanese to be born in America—gather for festivities and a parade through Little Tokyo that culminates with the coronation of the Nisei Week Queen (Aug 10, 4pm). The following weekend, the Nisei Week Plaza Festival offers plenty of live entertainment, shopping, games, Japanese food and sake. Most events are free and centered around the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, with the exception of Crazy Talented Asians—a showcase of AAPI creativity at the David Henry Hwang Theater (Aug 16, 8pm, $45). Find the full calendar of events here.

A free, all-ages music and comedy festival that celebrates L.A.’s vibrant Eastside—what’s not to like? Now in its 15th year, Echo Park Rising is a one-day fest featuring dozens of performances from handpicked local up-and-coming bands and comedians. With Echo Park venues ranging from the Echo, Echoplex and Stories Books & Cafe to the Semi-Tropic, P.F. Candle Co. and Lowboy, as well as various special discounts and sales at local businesses, this is always a neighborhood affair not to be missed. Get the party started early with pre-festival family-friendly festivities at the Echo Park Farmers’ Market Friday at 3pm. 

The term CicLAvia stems from a similar Spanish word for “bike way,” and in L.A. it’s become a shorthand for the temporary, festival-like closing of L.A.’s streets. The event (inspired by the first Ciclovías in Bogotá, Colombia) welcomes bikes, tricycles, skateboards, strollers and basically anything else without an engine to ride a rotating cast of car-free routes. You’ll inevitably always find a route each year around Downtown, but past events have taken it anywhere from the harbor to the San Gabriel Valley. Expect music, street performances and food trucks, as well as general whimsy and shenanigans along the way. Shop owners and restaurants along the CicLAvia route also tend to host specials. It goes without saying that you should bike or take the Metro to your desired spot along the route.

Get ready: In 2028, Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympic Games. After initially vying for a bid in 2024, L.A. was awarded the ’28 Games back in 2017.