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  1. Festival of Colors (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Never mind that animated land in Anaheim: With festival-goers sporting ear-to-ear perma-grins and engaging in ever-flowing group hugs, Norwalk, CA was the happiest place on earth during this March's Festival of Colors.

    More photos: Festival of Colors LA

  2. Festival of Colors (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Festival of Colors LA.

  3. Lucha VaVOOM (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Leaping luchadores and dazzling dancers performed as part of just another night of Lucha VaVOOM at the Mayan. That the voice of Spongebob Squarepants, among other local comedians, served as ringmaster made the whole thing uniquely and wonderfully LA.

    More photos: Lucha VaVOOM

  4. Lucha VaVOOM (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Lucy Fer at Lucha VaVOOM.

  5. Coachella (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Only Coachella can bring out sun-kissed club kids and diehard music lovers to the middle of the desert for a chance to see everyone from 2 Chainz to The Postal Service. Don't let the Indio address fool you—we're claiming this mammoth fest for LA.

    More photos: Coachella

  6. Coachella (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Coachella 2013, Weekend 2, Day 3.

  7. Coachella (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Coachella 2013, Weekend 2, Day 1.

  8. CicLAvia (Photograph: Riley Carithers)
    Photograph: Riley Carithers

    LA's favorite car-free fest pedaled its way to Venice, across Wilshire Boulevard and through the heart of Downtown over three separate events this year with plenty of bizarre bikes in tow.

    More photos: CicLAvia

  9. LA Pride (Photograph: Riley Carithers)
    Photograph: Riley Carithers

    Only weeks before Prop 8 and DOMA were overturned, LA Pride turned WeHo into the most colorful and exuberant place to be.

    More photos: LA Gay Pride 2013

  10. Venice Music Crawl (Photograph: Riley Carithers)
    Photograph: Riley Carithers

    Venice knows how to do grime and luxury, but we weren't so sure about tunes until the Venice Music Crawl proved that music isn't an Eastside-only scene.

    More photos: Venice Music Crawl

  11. Everything is Festival (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Cinefamily's indefinable film fest returned this year and included a look at old-school pornographic and violent video games—we saw plenty of pixels that we'll never be able to erase from our minds.

    More Photos: Most Outrageous Video Games (slightly NSFW) at Everything Is Festival

  12. Everything is Festival (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Everything is Festival.

  13. Echo Park Rising (Photograph: Kate Wertheimer)
    Photograph: Kate Wertheimer

    For a city of almost 4 million, LA can still feel pretty cozy thanks to top-notch community fests like Echo Park Rising.

    More photos: Echo Park Rising

  14. FYF Fest (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Don't dismiss FYF as a Coachella wannabe; the enthusiastically-named fest came into its own this year with a weekend of headline-worthy acts such as My Bloody Valentine and TV on the Radio, all without losing its positive vibes and DIY ethos.

    More photos: FYF 2013

  15. FYF Fest (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    FYF 2013, Day 1.

  16. FYF Fest (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Solange at FYF 2013, Day 1.

  17. Exxopolis (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Whether it was the hours spent lining up in the sun or the visual overload once inside, nothing was quite as deliriously engaging this year as the inflatable art cathedrals of Exxopolis.

    More photos: Exxopolis

  18. Exxopolis (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Architects of Air: Exxopolis.

  19. Hello Kitty jet at LAX (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Sanrio broke the kawaii barrier when EVA Air's Hello Kitty-wrapped jet touched down at LAX, complete with a bento box of airline food too cute to eat.

    More photos: Hello Kitty jet at LAX

  20. Hello Kitty jet at LAX (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Hello Kitty EVA Air Jet at LAX.

  21. Backstage with Local Natives (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Among all of LA's one-of-a-kind concerts, we couldn't help but have a soft spot for our time backstage before Local Natives' homecoming show at the Greek Theatre.

    More photos: Backstage with Local Natives at the Greek

  22. Backstage with Local Natives (Photograph: Jakob N. Layman)
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Local Natives at The Greek Theatre.

  23. Beard and Mustache Competition (Photograph: Kate Wertheimer)
    Photograph: Kate Wertheimer

    Beardos throw the best parties, or so we learned as the many mustachioed men took the stage at the LA Facial Hair Society's inaugural Beard and Mustache Competition.

    More photos: Los Angeles Facial Hair Society's First Beard and Mustache Competition

  24. Zombie Fashion Show (Photograph: Joshua Thaisen)
    Photograph: Joshua Thaisen

    Flesh-eating zombies (thanks to some Hollywood makeup magic) invaded Downtown LA for the year's most repulsively lovely fashion show.

    More photos: Zombie Fashion Show (NSFW)

  25. Festival Supreme (Photograph: Joshua Thaisen)
    Photograph: Joshua Thaisen

    Location aside—sorry, Santa Monica Pier—Festival Supreme's compelling comedic lineup (Zach Galifianakis, Eric Idle, Tenacious D and the Lonely Island only scratch the surface) left us wanting more.

    More photos: Festival Supreme

  26. Festival Supreme (Photograph: Joshua Thaisen)
    Photograph: Joshua Thaisen

    Festival Supreme 2013.

  27. Day of the Dead (Photograph: Michael Juliano)
    Photograph: Michael Juliano

    After a day and night among the sugar skulls and marigolds, it was clear that there's nothing in LA quite like Hollywood Forever's celebration of Día de los Muertos.

    More photos: Day of the Dead

  28. Day of the Dead (Photograph: Michael Juliano)
    Photograph: Michael Juliano

    Day of the Dead 2013 at Hollywood Forever.

  29. Day of the Dead (Photograph: Michael Juliano)
    Photograph: Michael Juliano

    Day of the Dead 2013 at Hollywood Forever.

Best of 2013: Los Angeles events in photos

Mega concerts, neighborhood festivals, massive celebrations—we saw it all this year and picked out the best photos of 2013's many worthwhile events.

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There are tons of things to do in Los Angeles that are always within reach—and you can easliy spend several years here and still have a long LA bucket list. We can pack our cars at any time for trips to the best beaches or sweat it out on hilly hikes (you know, there are more places than just Runyon). But the memories that stand out as the best of 2013 are from LA's one-of-a-kind events and festivals that make each calendar year exciting. Click through the slide show for a trip down memory lane: our favorite things we saw in 2013.

RECOMMENDED: Look back at the best of 2013 in Los Angeles

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