Free events in LA: The best free things to do in the city

One of L.A.’s best free live music offerings, Jazz at LACMA has featured legit legends over its three-decade run at the museum. Seating for the program is available in the museum’s plaza on a first-come, first-served basis, though you’re welcome to picnic on the grass, too (you won’t really be able to see the show, but you’ll still hear it). You’ll find the series on Friday evenings in LACMA’s welcome plaza (just behind Urban Light) throughout the summer.

Every Sunday you can find dozens of food vendors at this market at ROW DTLA, with a mix of much-loved pop-ups and future foodie stars. Look out for this year’s new vendors, including Basket Taco Co, Battambong Barbecue and Taste of the Pacific.

Hollywood’s Japan House has tapped artist Sebastian Masuda to dive into the roots of all things cute and colorful with this exhibition on Japanese kawaii culture. The free show includes multiple pieces and installations from Masuda.

Form a gallery in the sky made entirely of kites during this community festival from Clockshop and California State Parks. Held in honor of the communities surrounding L.A. State Historic Park, the free fest features flying demonstrations, art workshops and musical performances.

Former HiFi space Gabba Gallery ushers in its new DTLA home with this retrospective of counterculture illustrator EMEK, famous for his posters for the likes of Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails and Neil Young, as well as the annual Coachella poster.

Did this past year’s Basquiat exhibition in DTLA leave you wanting more? Head to Beverly Hills where Gagosian will be displaying 30 rarely loaned Jean-Michel Basquiat pieces that were created in L.A. during the iconic artist’s time spent at his Venice studio between 1982 and 1984.

“Let’s hang out at the Pier” is something Santa Monica locals probably say next to never, but this monthly series is trying to change that. Every third Thursday you’ll find everything from performances to storytelling to a classic car show on the Santa Monica Pier, all free to attend.

What does living in L.A. look like? It’s a wildly different picture depending on each Angeleno’s point of view, and so to celebrate that diversity of perspectives, Hollywood gallery Jeffrey Deitch will display pieces from a dozen local artists that delve into underground economies, landscapes, surveillance, backyard hangouts and public transit, among other topics.

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.

See a free salsa concert every second Friday of the summer during this series at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. This year’s lineup includes Rumbankete, Gabrielito y La Verdad, Son Mayor, Son Miron and Club Mambi—all featuring Super DJ Robby.

See works from seven contemporary artists (Eliseo Art Silva, Allison Hueman, Anthony Francisco, Maryrose Cobarrubias Mendoza, Christine Morla, Maria Villote and Junn Roca) who address issues related to Filipino culture and the Filipino-American experience during this exhibition at the Forest Lawn Museum.

See early works in assemblage, installation, happenings and conceptual artmaking at this examination of art from the decades that followed the Korean War, the first such exhibition in North America to focus on this period.

Take a seat under the arch at the former Hollywood & Highland for this free series of movie screenings, typically held on the last Friday of the month. Stop by the Ovation Hollywood booth for free popcorn and discounted treats from the TCL Chinese Theatre concessions stand.

Roam the stalls at this Memorial Day arts festival, sample the fine foods and listen to the music—and then take a dip in the nearby Pacific. A few logistical changes for the last few fests have streamlined the layout: You’ll still find on-the-street stalls and sidewalk vendors along Hermosa and Pier Avenues, but the live music has been moved to the beach while there’s a proper carnival and arts festival inland behind the Hermosa Beach Community Center.

First he’s putting on a comedy show to combat the climate crisis, and then the next night he’s hosting a whisky tasting? Well, Nick Offerman, you’ve surely won us over. Venture over to Venice on May 10 for an unveiling of the actor and comedian’s new Scotch whisky collab with Lagavulin. You’ll have a chance (assuming you’re at least 21, obviously) to sip on the new spirit, catch a debut that’s advertised as a “multisensory” installation full of “tropical delights” “Scottish charm” and meet Offerman himself. Though the event is open to the public, you’ll need to request a spot in order to attend.

Watch a movie inside Pasadena’s charming One Colorado shopping plaza during this free summer series. If you happened to have spent at least $50 per person cumulatively at the shopping center’s vendors earlier in the day, you’ll nab free VIP seating, which includes popcorn, candy and a beverage, plus a free ticket to the IPIC.

The Music Center offers a free, joyous mash-up of music and dancing all summer long, with different themes (samba, Bollywood and reggaetón, among them) and free dance lessons plus live DJ sets. Head to the Music Center plaza and join in the fun—no dance experience required.

The Venice Artwalk returns for its 45th year to benefit the Venice Family Clinic with an auction and a free opportunity to glimpse the Venice and wider L.A. art scene. From May 10 to 19, pop into 910 Abbot Kinney to see pieces from Ed Ruscha, Larry Bell, Ed Moses, Alison Saar, Kenny Scharf, Patrisse Cullors, Sayre Gomez and more.

Most commencements are nothing more than a formal cap-and-gown sort of situation, but Otis College precedes its ceremony with a fashion show (Fri 8–9pm), book (Fri 6–9pm) and ceramic (Fri 5–9pm, Sat noon–6pm) sales, and two days of open studios (Fri 6–10pm, Sat noon–6pm) and art and design work on display in its annual exhibition (Fri 5–10pm, Sat noon–6pm).

Catch a slate of free family-friendly movies at Santa Clarita’s William S. Hart Park during this free summertime series.

The first Rose Parade in 1890 was staged to show off California’s sun-kissed climate. The tradition is still going strong, complete with elaborate floral floats, musical performances and marching troupes (not to mention the crowning of the fresh-faced Rose Queen and her court), but the celebration now draws more than a million spectators who line the streets of Pasadena. The big Rose Bowl football game follows the parade. Later in the year, the event is spoofed with a day of costumed mayhem at the Doo Dah Parade. The parade—held on New Year’s Day—kicks off at 8am at the corner of Green Street and Orange Grove Boulevard before making its way east onto Colorado Boulevard. Near the end of the route, the parade turns north onto Sierra Madre Boulevard and concludes at Villa Street, where you can see the floats showcased.  Bleacher seats are available—about $120 in the TV zone and closer to $75 farther east—but you can grab a spot on the sidewalk for free. People traditionally camp out overnight, but if you’d rather show up the morning of, head east of Lake Avenue and you’ll have an easier time.

Santa Monica illuminates the Third Street Promenade with a canopy of rainbows lights as part of this citywide LGBTQ+ celebration. Look out for a party along the expanse of the Third Street Promenade on June  22 (noon–8pm) as well as an afternoon of music at Santa Monica Place (noon–6pm).

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.

Every spring and fall since 1973, artists have descended upon the Beverly Gardens Park to showcase their works to browsers and buyers at this festival (once called the Affaire in the Gardens). This year will feature 230 artists exhibiting paintings, sculptures, watercolors, photography and much more. Set on four blocks along the grassy Santa Monica Boulevard between Rodeo and Rexford Drive, the event will include something for everyone with free kids’ activities, food trucks and beer and wine gardens with live music.

The desert-spanning biennial is back, with premieres of site-specific works from about a dozen artists. For its fifth iteration, Desert X will once again stage outdoor installations across about 40 miles of the Coachella Valley from March 8 to May 11, 2025.