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 35-year 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. We’re betting it’ll be even more popular than usual this year, with the new David Geffen Galleries in the background.

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. Thirteen new vendors are joining the lineup this year: Feast on burgers and orange chicken sandwiches from Terrible Burger, Viennese street food from Franzl’s Franks, Neapolitan-meets-Persian pies from Mamani Pizza, plant-based corn dogs from Stick Talk 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.

L.A. native and artist Gary Baseman is bringing his unmistakable style to “Off the Menu,” his first solo exhibition in the city in over a dozen years. The show is a love letter to L.A. dining, featuring 40 of the artist’s “action” drawings that he’s doodled on menus while dining at local restaurants, from Musso and Frank to Canter’s. And it couldn’t be held in a more fitting place: the iconic Johnie’s Coffee Shop, right across from the Academy Museum. The exhibition’s opening (May 8, 3–6pm) will coincide with the Metro D Line expansion’s opening—it’s just steps from the Wilshire/Fairfax station. On May 9, there will be an opening reception (6–9pm), and the show will remain open through June 14. The classic diner hasn’t been open to the public in over 25 years, so don’t miss your chance to step inside.

Hilltop sunset views and rising bands join forces to make this Getty tradition a worthy destination for Angelenos on both sides of the 405. This year’s lineup of free Saturday-night shows includes aja monet (May 30), Hunx and His Punx (June 13), LEENALCHI (July 11), Horse Lords (July 25) and Laurel Halo (Aug 22). Tip: Avoid the traffic and the crowds and arrive early, preferably after 3pm when the parking price drops to $15 (though it’s actually free if you wait until the show starts, after 6pm). You’ll get to visit the exhibits, which stay open until 9pm on Saturdays, and beat the dinner rush.

The multisensory nature of art is explored in this exhibition, which looks at the intertwined relationship between contemporary art and living materials. With its focus on artists’ relationships to the materials they use, “Several Eternities” highlights that commonality and aims to reframe the discussion around artists and race. Twenty-two artists from North, Central and South America have employed mediums like soil, stones, avocado, cacao, achiote, cochineal and clay in their works—the organic matter making it an ambitious exhibition to mount. From the moment you walk in, you can smell the soil, feel a vibrating wall and listen to the many “sonic interventions” throughout the show. The large-scale installations and sculptures—many rooted in Indigenous worldviews—steal the show. The experience ends with a welcome moment to pause: a meditative, black-walled room, with ocean sounds and sand covering the floor.

Step back into the era of grunge, supermodels and the dawn of the internet at this free exhibition at the ASU FIDM Museum in DTLA. This retrospective explores the decade’s spirit of rebellion and experimentation, featuring high-fashion couture from icons like Vivienne Westwood and Gianni Versace alongside the flannel shirts, slip dresses and bold prints that defined everyday style. Through a curated mix of garments, vintage magazines and video footage, visitors can trace how 1990s innovation continues to shape contemporary trends.

This epic (and free) outdoor concert series—now in its 40th season—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 on Saturday nights (and a few Friday Nights) from June 6 through August 22. Highlights this year include a season kickoff with Grupo Soñador and Wachiwara, tributes to Stevie Wonder, Ritchie Valens and Roy Ayers, and an edition of KCRW Summer Nights headlined by Mariachi El Bronx and the Tijuana Panthers. Just be sure to RSVP ahead of time to reserve a spot.

The birthplace of Los Angeles will now be home to the Queer Mercado, a first-of-its-kind queer Latino cultural celebration that will bring drag, DJs, live music, cocktails, taquitos and more to Olvera Street on the third Saturday of each month. The community-run marketplace will host cultural activations including live art, a fashion showcase and 40 curated vendors, from local painters to queer designers to ceramicists.

The reopened Getty Villa will descend into the underworld with this exhibition, which looks at the ritual spells and religious writings ancient Egyptians employed to garner favor with Re and Osiris in the afterlife. See the Getty’s collection of rare Book of the Dead hieroglyphics-adorned and illustrated manuscripts, dating back to around 1000 BCE, which were last displayed in 2023. The show should dovetail nicely with the museum’s “Sculpted Portraits From Ancient Egypt,” which runs through January 2027.

Catch free outdoor movies at the Dockweiler Youth Center. Bring a low-back chair to claim a first-come, first-served space. Tickets aren’t required, but RSVPs are appreciated to stay up to date on any changes.

Downtown Burbank shuts down its main thoroughfare to car traffic for this biannual arts festival, curated by indie artisan marketplace Jackalope. Over 170 local hand-selected artisans will fill San Fernando Boulevard from Magnolia Boulevard to Angeleno Avenue. Shop art and photography, one-of-a-kind glass goods and ceramics, original fashion and jewelry, paper items, home decor, tasty treats and more. You’ll also find live music and activities for kids—including free workshops where they can make friendship bracelets and flower picture frames. And unlike some artisan markets, Jackalope offers free admission.

Explore the history of early Los Angeles life with free admission to five museums in Northeast L.A. and Pasadena. The annual Museums of the Arroyo Day is the perfect opportunity to brush up on historical architecture—the Gamble House, Heritage Square and the Lummis Home—and relics from L.A.’s past—the L.A. Police Museum and Pasadena Museum of History. Note that there’s no shuttle service this year as there has been previously. But if you don’t want to drive, some of the sites are bike- and A Line-friendly. 

This show aims to give Black queer culture in California—particularly in Los Angeles—the credit it’s due as a part of the decades-long fight for LGBTQ+ rights and recognition. Through historical materials, photographs, film and vintage newspapers, the exhibition recovers a history that’s been largely excluded from the record, introducing visitors to sites, protagonists and allies who played a role in the fight for democracy and free expression. 

Catch free outdoor movies at Burton Chace Park. Bring a low-back chair to claim a first-come, first-served space. Tickets aren’t required, but RSVPs are appreciated to stay up to date on any changes.

In celebration of the late Bob Baker’s legacy, his namesake puppet theater hosts this annual celebration at Los Angeles State Historic Park. The free fest and outdoor carnival features puppet performances throughout the day, plus an assortment of other entertainment, vendors, crafts and family-friendly activities. For the first time this year, there will be a doggie costume contest you can enter your pup into. Though it usually takes place in April, this year’s event has been pushed to September due to rain. Stay tuned for the grand marshal announcement and lineup of special guests.

LA Pride may have moved out of West Hollywood, but that hasn’t stopped the city from holding its own colorful Pride celebration. While WeHo Pride technically kicks off each year on May 22, Harvey Milk Day, the bulk of events will take place June 5 through 7 in and around West Hollywood Park. WeHo Pride features an all-weekend music fest dubbed OUTLOUD that will feature performances from the Pussycat Dolls, JADE, Ava Max, Ashlee Simpson, Confidence Man, Blue Man Group and more. That follows a free night of music on Friday, where Ava Max, Jess Glynne, Maude Latour, Cakes da Killa and Darumas will perform, in addition to a Drag King Showcase. Registration is still required for entry and gets booked up right away, but you can join the waitlist here. The weekend’s musical lineup coincides with the free WeHo Pride Street Fair along Santa Monica Boulevard, between Hancock and La Peer, on Saturday and Sunday (noon–10pm). There, you catch (free!) live performances by Meg Stalter (of Too Much and Hacks fame), as well as Willa Ford, Cailin Russo, Say Now and Elio, on a pair of stages. In addition, you’ll find the Women’s Freedom Festival (noon) and Dyke March (6pm) on Saturday, June 6. Then, on Sunday, June 7, WeHo Pride will hold a parade that starts at Santa Monica Boulevard and Crescent Heights Boulevard at noon and heads west on Santa Monica to San Vicente Boulevard. 

For Los Angeles art aficionados, it’s hard to imagine a time before Hauser & Wirth filled its former flour mill in the Arts District with blue-chip art. But at the same time, it seems like the opening was only yesterday. Well, the gallery is turning 10 this weekend, and celebrating a decade in DTLA with an afternoon of art, culture, entertainment and free food. You can take a salsa lesson, build a flower bouquet or create a mosaic at hands-on workshops, take a guided tour of the excellent exhibition “Destiny Is a Rose: The Eileen Harris Norton Collection,” listen to live music, watch a film about the Watts Towers and hear pioneering British artist Keith Tyson speak—and make sure to check out his brand-new exhibition, “The Generative Universe.” Oh, and maybe the best part: Enjoy free biscuits (the best in the city) from on-site restaurant Manuela and ice cream from Salt & Straw. Happy birthday, H&W!

Beloved interactive children’s museum Kidspace is heading outdoors to Brookside Park for a free, full-day block party, featuring local performers including Ballet Folclórico MEXICA, Altadena’s BLOW Brass Band, Long Story Shorts, stilt walkers, jugglers and many more. Kids can have hands-on fun with chalk art and water play, while adults can enjoy food trucks, coffee and ice cream. You can even adopt a pup from the Pasadena Humane Society. The museum itself—adjacent to the park—is offering free admission all day as well (it’s typically only free on the first Friday of the month). The entire event is a celebration of the Pasadena and Altadena communities.

Take a seat under the arch at the former Hollywood & Highland for this free series of movie screenings, held on the last Friday of the month from May through September. RSVP ahead of time, then pick up a cozy blanket from the Ovation Hollywood booth, as well as free popcorn and discounted treats from the TCL Chinese Theatre concessions stand.

Just ahead of the dog days of summer, celebrate this dog day: a pup-friendly party and “yappy hour” at the Los Angeles Central Library’s Maguire Gardens with dog-friendly vendors selling everything from gourmet dog food to CBD pet products to handcrafted bandanas. You and your four-legged friend will also find pet portraits, treats, activities, community dog walks, photo ops and live music. Drinks from on-site Italian restaurant Settecento will be available for purchase.