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

The Hammer Museum’s excellent, ongoing series of biennial exhibitions ups the ante with each edition of its spotlight on emerging and under-recognized L.A. artists. This October’s exhibition—the seventh such show—brings together works from 28 artists, spanning film, painting, theater, photography, sculpture and video, that engage with the city of Los Angeles. Highlights include Kelly Wall’s penny press and wishing well, plus racks of postcards of L.A. skies fabricated out of glass; Patrick Martinez’s East L.A.–inspired cinder block wall, adorned with Mayan murals and neon trim (as well as another neon sign that reads “Agua is LIFE, NO ICE;” and recreations and photo documentation of the late Alonzo Davis’s freeway murals from the 1984 Olympics. Before you even step inside, you’ll notice Alake Shilling’s Buggy Bear Crashes Made in L.A., which, yes, is a giant inflatable bear driving a car that’s careening towards theGlendon Avenue corner of the Westwood museum.

Head to Gloria Molina Grand Park for a two-week display of 19 altars created by professional artists and community organizations. This year, in light of the recent ICE raids, the ofrendas will not only honor deceased loved ones but also L.A.’s immigrant communities. The displays officially kick off on October 25, during Grand Ave Arts: All Access, complemented by an afternoon of face painting, printmaking and sugar-skull crafting, plus live mariachi music (11am–4pm). On November 2, the event closes with the illuminating Noche de los Muertos, which will feature an Aztec ceremonial dance, local artisans selling goods at a mercado, and activities including lantern-making. Latin Grammy nominee Lupita Infante will wrap up the celebration with a candlelight set (3–7pm). All of the festivities are free.

Every Sunday, you can find dozens of food vendors at this market at ROW DTLA, a Brooklyn import that boasts a mix of much-loved pop-ups and future foodie stars. Over a dozen new vendors joined the lineup this year: Feast on Afro-Caribbean cuisine from withBee, Lebanese street food from Teta, ice cream tacos from Sad Girl Creamery and more. Wash it all down at the family-friendly beer garden. You’ll also find shopping stalls selling everything from framed vintage ads to jewelry made locally with ethically sourced gemstones. Entry and the first two hours of parking are free.

Peruse altars in the plaza of El Pueblo at this Day of the Dead celebration, which incorporates pre-Columbian, Aztec, Mayan and Catholic traditions. Expect plenty of festive wares from the merchants on Olvera Street, along with altars that go on display each morning and a candlelight procession every night for nine nights. Stop by during weekends for face painting (for a fee) and theatrical performances. And on Día de los Muertos itself, November 1, there’ll be a 5K race through the area, which you can register for here.

This is one of the largest Halloween street parties in the world, and there’s really no better place to be on October 31st. Sure, the crowd is huge (like, a half-million people huge) and a bit belligerent, but the amazing display of costumes and general merry-making spirit deem it at least a worthy stop, if not your main destination for the evening. There will be dancing, drinking and many impromptu costume contests. Even if you don’t plan on entering one, it’s best to still come dressed to the nines—no one likes a party pooper in jeans and a T-shirt. Find it along Santa Monica Boulevard, between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard. See our guide to the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval.

Billing itself as “Orange County’s biggest party since 1977,” the Old World Oktoberfest promises enough beers, brats and bands to make you feel like you’re in Munich—albeit with better ocean views. Every Wednesday through Sunday between September 7 and November 9, this re-created Bavarian village will offer a sausage-filled menu, oompah and German bands, a biergarten, dancing and more. While Old World’s Oktoberfest is 21-plus with a cover charge on Friday and Saturday evenings, it’s open to families and revelers of all ages on Saturday afternoons and other nights. (Entry is free on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday nights, as well as Saturday afternoons, just book ahead online.)

Japan House Los Angeles is bringing an exhibition of shokuhin sampuru—hyper-realistic food replicas that have crossed over from marketing tool to art form (think Is It Cake? but cultural)—to Los Angeles for the first time. See mouthwatering faux food representing each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, from coffee house parfaits to izakaya skewers, as well as Chinese and Western cuisine, and try your own hand at food presentation by filling a bentō box yourself.  

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.

Downey’s annual Day of the Dead celebration returns to the city’s civic center, where over 25,000 guests are expected. The sprawling free festival features seven art exhibits by Latinx artists, crafts, face painting, a chalk walk, live entertainment, food trucks and a beer and wine garden. Kids can enjoy storytimes and puppet shows, and decorate their own sugar skulls. And, of course, there are altars: Besides a community altar, you’ll find altars displayed on and in classic cars, a Dodger blue altar, a pet altar and shoebox altars.

SoCal’s most recognizable cemetery chain—we’re not the only ones who think it’s strange that’s a thing, right?—is honoring the dead with Día de los Muertos celebrations at four of its locations. The Glendale, Cypress, Covina Hills and Cathedral City locations all typically host altars, six-foot-tall Catrinas, hand-painted alebrijes, folkloric dance and mariachi performances.

Get ready for Oasis’s Rose Bowl shows by revisiting the Gallagher brothers’ early days of fame, captured through the lens of music photographer Kevin Cummins. Musichead Gallery on Sunset will have the portraits on display through October 28, but on opening night this Thursday, Cummins will be on hand, where he’ll talk about all things Oasis and the music scene in Manchester. He’ll also be signing copies of his new book about the band, which is included in the $55 opening-night ticket price.

The Getty Villa reopens to the public five and a half months after its Palisades Fire closure with this international loan exhibition dedicated to the Greek Mycenaean civilization and the kingdom of Pylos, which Homer immortalized in the Iliad and Odyssey. It’s the first major museum show in North America devoted to the Late Bronze Age Mycenaeans. See treasures excavators unearthed from Messenia, the Palace of Nestor and burial sites including the tomb of the Griffin Warrior (1450 BCE)—think clay tablets, gold cups, ornate weapons and tiny signets and sealstones adorned with awe-inspiring amounts of detail. 

Celebrate Day of the Dead at the end of Route 66 with this two-day art installation surrounding the Santa Monica Pier’s historic carousel, which will be decked out in marigolds and papel picado during the free, family-friendly event. Saturday’s celebration will start with an Aztec blessing and parade beginning at the west end of the pier—Día de los Muertos attire is encouraged—followed by a blessing of the ofrendas in the carousel building, ballet folklorico performances and live music. (Sunday’s programming has yet to be announced.) In addition to altars made by local artists Sylvia Sanchez and Yolanda Medina, there will also be a community altar, and attendees can pay tribute to loved ones who’ve passed away by sharing stories and photographs of their favorite Pier memories.

Boyle Heights–adjacent gallery and community center Self Help Graphics & Art has presented this Day of the Dead celebration for over half a century. And though its brick-and-mortar location is currently under renovation until 2026, SHG will still stage its annual tradition, albeit with a few off-site tweaks. The event will still begin with a procession at Mariachi Plaza (2pm), but it’ll then move a few stops east on the E Line to East L.A. Civic Center Park, where you’ll find altars, a marketplace, food, face painting and live entertainment. Look out for some themed, family-friendly art workshops in the lead-up to the event, too, at the East L.A. County Library (Oct 18, 25: noon–3pm).

Midcity Mercado’s third-annual Day of the Dead block party in West Adams celebrates the heritage of the community with live music and dancers, free carnival rides and games, workshops, an art gallery, food trucks and a marketplace. Latin Grammy-nominated artist Danny Lux will headline the Sonidos Stage presented by Adidas this year. The centerpiece of the event is the community altar, which everyone is invited to contribute their photos to. It’ll all go down in the heart of West Adams, at 5640 W Adams Blvd.

For a Day of the Dead day trip, head to Catalina Island for its art and history museum’s seventh annual celebration of Día de los Muertos. Bring the family for a colorful celebration of life and death with live music and performances, kids’ art projects, local food vendors and tequila tastings for the grown-ups. The free event is popular, so they ask that you RSVP ahead of time.

Upscale animal shelter the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace celebrates Day of the Dead with an animal-centric spin, honoring the pets we’ve loved and lost. Bring your furry friends and pictures of any past pets you’re still missing to frame, decorate and add to a communal altar. Cena Vegan will provide food for the humans, while La Pawnaderia will be serving snacks for pets. There will also be complimentary pet portraits, screen-printing, photo-ops, face painting, live mariachi music and more.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts hosts its first Family Fest of the season Saturday morning with a free celebration of Día de los Muertos that will teach kids about the holiday with interactive activities. Guests of all ages can hear stories from Lil’ Libros authors, build their own altars during workshops from Self Help Graphics & Art, get their faces painted with Day of the Dead-inspired designs, learn traditional dance styles from Pacifico Dance Company and more.

The University Park theater’s 20th annual Day of the Dead block party includes a bunch of outdoor musical performances; five-time Grammy winners the Avila Brothers join Pasitico Latin Band, Mariachi Calilajara, Aztec dance troupe Huitzilopochtli and ballet folklórico groups Sol de Fuego and Flor de Mayo on this year’s lineup, as well as a procession led by ceremonial dancers Comparsa de Chinelos Amigos de Morelos. Also on offer are homemade tamales, craft booths, a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, food and craft vendors.