April 2024 events calendar for Los Angeles

Geek out with fellow TV nerds at PaleyFest, the annual weeklong festival of exclusive episodes, clips and panel discussions with the cast and creators of the hottest TV shows. Now in its 41st year, the Paley Center for Media-hosted festival is headed back to the Dolby Theatre with cast panels Curb Your Enthusiasm, Loki, The Morning Show, Young Sheldon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and a 25th anniversary celebration of Family Guy.

In celebration of the late Bob Baker, the namesake puppet theater hosts this annual celebration at Los Angeles State Historic Park. The free fest, which runs from 10am to 5pm, features puppet performances throughout the day, plus an assortment of crafts and activities that typically includes everything from bubbles to balloons to music.

Bibliophiles flock to the USC campus for this L.A. Times-curated event, where you can roam stalls from booksellers and catch readings and panels from some of the most recognizable names in literature on April 20 and 21.

In addition to the 300-plus exhibitors, this year’s event includes an always-impressive lineup of more than 500 speakers: Jose Andres, Ed Begley Jr., Sophia Bush, Jon Favreau, Max Greenfield, Tiffany Haddish, Tamron Hall, Mark Harmon, RuPaul, Kerry Washington, Henry Winkler and more, plus a cooking stage with Nancy Silverton, QCP and Tiffani Thiessen, among others.

Nearly 125,000 music lovers make a pilgrimage to the Empire Polo Club during each identical weekend of Coachella, whether bound for campgrounds or shuttling over from golf resorts and midcentury modern homes. Coachella’s all-embracing three-day lineup—topped this year by No Doubt, Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat and Tyler, the Creator—consistently crafts the pool of performers from which all other summer music festivals borrow.

RECOMMENDED: See our complete Coachella coverage

Pedal through Palms, Mar Vista and Venice during this Westside edition of the car-free, bike-friendly event.

Carb lovers, rejoice: this two-day festival dedicated to all things pizza is returning to L.A. Live. Sample over 40 different vendors, watch live dough demos and hear from pizza experts like Danny Boy’s Daniel Holzman and food writer and pizza maker Karen Palmer. More than a handful of Time Out’s favorite pizzerias in town: Pizzana, Schellz Pizza Co, Apollonia’s, La Sorted’s and Ozzy’s Apizza. Newcomers this year include Pizzeria Sei and Triple Beam.

Let the wild rumpus start at this celebration of beloved children’s author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. The Skirball Cultural Center will be displaying more than 150 sketches, storyboards and paintings from the Where the Wild Things Are creator.

Strap on your cowboy hat and make the pilgrimage to country music’s biggest jamboree, taking up residence at Coachella’s digs, the Empire Polo Club. Stagecoach is coming back for a three-day fest; expect the usual mix of contemporary and classic country. Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Morgan Wallen headline the 2024 edition, with additional sets from Jelly Roll, Elle King, Post Malone, Willie Nelson and more.

Once affectionately known as Localchella, now officially (and boringly) billed as “Goldenvoice Presents April,” this two-week series brings a bunch of Coachella acts to smaller stages considerably closer to home. For 2024, you can catch Blur, Jungle, Hatsune Miku and more at venues like the El Rey, Fonda and Fox Theater Pomona. (You’ll also find shows in the Bay Area and San Diego.)

Ice Cube, WC, E-40, Too Short, Mack 10, Xzibit and Jay Rock headline 93.5 KDAY’s annual hip-hop concert.