August 2022 events calendar for Los Angeles

This Ain’t No Picnic takes its name from one of promoter Goldenvoice’s first festivals, held in Irvine in 1999, but for a more recent comparison, the lineup has very strong FYF vibes. Like that now-defunct fest, you’ll find a genre-spanning mix of on-the-horizon acts and familiar names, including the Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, a reunited Le Tigre, Beach House, Phoebe Bridgers, Earl Sweatshirt, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Four Tet and Floating Points, some longtime local faves like the Descendents and Sparks, and ASMR trailblazers the Ying Yang Twins.

To follow its retrospective of beloved animator Hayao Miyazaki, the Academy Museum will next focus on nearly an entire century of often-overlooked cinema. A collaboration with Washington, D.C.’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, “Regeneration” dives into the works of Black filmmakers from the birth of the motion picture industry through the Civil Rights era. The research-driven exhibition counts filmmakers Ava DuVernay and Charles Burnett among its advisers.

It’s been at L.A. State Historic Park and Coachella, but pan-Asian music and media collective 88rising’s music fest has seemed to settle on the grounds outside the Rose Bowl for its summertime home. For the 2022 edition on August 20 and 21, the Head in the Clouds lineup includes Jackson Wang, NIKI, Rich Brian, Yebi Labs (Joji DJ Set), BIBI, Jay Park, CHUNG HA and more, plus a food fest from 626 Night Market.

Pedal through East, West and… plain-old Hollywood during the latest edition of the car-free, bike-friendly fest.

Each summer, Bard fanatics watch their favorite works come to life at the historic Old Zoo in Griffith Park. Independent Shakespeare Co. puts on a series of lively productions each week, inviting audiences to take a seat on the grass (read: bring a picnic blanket) and enjoy performances like this season’s headliners: Knight of the Burning Pestle (July 2–31) and Macbeth (Aug 6–Sept 4).

Summer’s just heating up, but thanks to a returning nightlife partnership it’s set to be scorching: Santa Monica mainstay the Bungalow teamed up with beloved radio station KCRW to throw a night market every Thursday just a block from the beach.

If the word Hallyu means anything to you, then pencil this annual K-pop convention into your calendar this summer. For three days, the L.A. Convention Center hosts panels, workshops, signings and more, as well as Crypto.com Arena concerts on Saturday and Sunday stocked with Korean celebs and superstars.

The beloved Getty Center turns 25 years young in 2022, and to celebrate the hilltop museum is hosting a series of free festivals across L.A. On most weekends this summer, the Getty will collaborate with a different local community partner on a two-day arts fair filled with music, workshops and food.

The lineup for August includes events in Crenshaw (Aug 13, 14) and Watts (Aug 27, 28).

Scott Aukerman’s Comedy Bang Bang has invaded all sorts of comedy mediums—podcast, live performances and, formerly, a TV show and a regular stand-up show—and for good reason. The uproarious, improv-based show’s “open door policy” leads to classic in-character interruptions from Paul F. Tompkins, Lauren Lapkus and Jason Mantzoukas, to name a few.

This epic (and free) outdoor concert series features live performances by artists from around the world at the totally overhauled California Plaza stage in DTLA, where the shallow water separating the stage from the audience has been replaced by a proper event lawn. Don’t miss a diverse and highly intriguing mix of bands, DJ sets and dance parties.