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.

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totally overhauled California Plaza stage in DTLA, where the shallow water separating the stage from the audience has been replaced by a proper event lawn.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.

Everyone’s favorite NPR member station has a hand in a slew of summer concert slates at public plazas and beloved museums, and this summer’s schedule is reliably packed. Familiar KCRW DJs will be providing free, open-air tunes on select nights from June through September at Maydan Market, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, La Brea Tar Pits, CAAM, ASU FIDM Museum, the Kidspace Children’s Museum, Hauser & Wirth, MOLAA, California Plaza, LACMA, Wende Museum, Union Station, downtown Long Beach, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Bowers Museum, the Autry and the NoHo Arts District. (Missing from the lineup this year and last are the party-till-midnight bashes at Chinatown Central Plaza.) The details slightly differ at each spot, but you can typically expect a bunch of food trucks, beer gardens and after-hours museum admission. Regardless of the location, you really can’t go wrong with any evening spent at Summer Nights. (Note: The kickoff June 1 event at Maydan Market and Aug. 8’s LACMA event are only for KCRW members.)

The Original Farmers Market is host to a plethora of fun, family-friendly outdoor events, and its Thursday-night concerts during its Summer Music Series are some of its best. Take a load off near the end of the work week and stop by the Market Plaza from 7 to 9pm to hear a genre-spanning mix of live music, from Hawaiian radio to Sinatra–style swing to Texas blues.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Each summer, Bard fanatics watch their favorite works come to life at the historic Old Zoo in Griffith Park. For 16 years running, Independent Shakespeare Co. has put on a series of lively productions each week, inviting audiences to take a seat on the grass (bring a picnic blanket) and enjoy performances like this season’s headliner, Shakespeare political thriller Coriolanus, which will be followed by the self-explanatory The Comedy of Errors. With construction of a permanent stage still in process on the main lawn, this summer’s shows will again be held in the dell at the top of the Old Zoo—meaning available space is smaller, and although performances are still free, reservations are required.

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.

If you haven’t made it to Miracle Mile to check out the new David Geffen Galleries yet, the museum is offering you the perfect opportunity: the LACMA Block Party on June 20. This massive, free public event features complimentary admission to the entire museum campus—including the brand-new 110,000-square-foot space. Visitors can enjoy gallery tours, hands-on art activities for kids, live music and DJ sets, plus a special edition of the museum's Latin Sounds concert series. The festivities will begin to wind down at 6pm, when the city’s collective attention will turn to Wilshire Boulevard for a spectacular, human-powered Art Parade—hosted in collaboration with Hollywood’s Jeffrey Deitch gallery—with mobile art installations, performances and sculptures. While admission is free, you should reserve advance tickets here. Dreading the traffic? Try taking the newly opened Metro D Line extension right to the museum’s doorstep.

Affectionately dubbed LITLIT, this free fair hosted by the Los Angeles Review of Books is a celebration of indie booksellers, presses and literary arts organizations along the West Coast. Head over to SCI-Arc in the Arts District to peruse tomes and chat with local publishers. The lineup of over 50 vendors includes A Good Used Book, Heavy Manners Library and Angel City Press at Los Angeles Public Library. The weekend is also chock-full of expert-led panels, covering topics like West Coast publishing and archiving Los Angeles. Oh, and did we mention it’s all free?

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.

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. 

It’s official: Los Angeles has soccer (football?) fever. The city is hosting eight FIFA World Cup matches at SoFi Stadium between June 12 and July 10. Don’t have the cash to score tickets? You’re in luck. While it won’t be quite the same as having a seat right on the pitch, there will be a rotating slate of fan zones across L.A. County, with official watch parties held from Venice to Downtown L.A. to Burbank to Pomona. Some of these events are free, while others are charging a nominal fee. In any case, you’ll get to enjoy live match viewing and immersive fan experiences closer to home and still be part of the global moment. One highlight from the lineup: “The Heart of the City” Fan Zone at Union Station from June 25 to 28, which will offer four days of free, all-ages programming at the transit hub, screening the matches both in the historic Ticket Concourse and outside.

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.

Check nearly 80 American classic cars, from hot rods to trucks, at this annual auto show at the Original Farmers Market. This year’s event celebrates the centennial of Route 66 with a tribute to cars of the 1960s, but anyone who drives a car older from before the year 2000 is welcome to register their ride. Otherwise, you can just browse the stalls and cars all afternoon for free.

Why not pair your World Cup watch party with some world-class art and one-of-a-kind views? The Getty will be screening pretty much every match that occurs during the museum’s operating hours (including some extended Friday evenings) throughout the run of the World Cup. You can catch them on TV at the Trellis Bar & Lounge (when you get off the tram, to the right of the entry stairs) and the Garden Terrace Café (the expansive patio between the museum courtyard and gardens). As usual, you’ll need a free timed ticket to the museum, but as a World Cup bonus, the usually-paid parking will be free after 5pm from June 11 to July 19.

Each year, Santa Monica illuminates the Third Street Promenade with a canopy of rainbow lights as part of this citywide LGBTQ+ celebration. Look out for a daytime party along the expanse of the Promenade on June 13 with a drag brunch, community booths, games, Rainbow Storytime and more. Afterward, Santa Monica Block Fest keeps the party going with a free, family-friendly Pride and World Cup-themed music festival in the Entertainment Zone, complete with a night market and pop-up bars. 

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 World Cup will turn Los Angeles into one giant watch party, but this free Griffith Park screening (held at the Autry Museum) feels like a special treat. Presented by Councilmember Nithya Raman, the Consulate General of Paraguay in Los Angeles, L.A. Parks Foundation and Street Food Cinema, Fútbol for the People pairs the USA vs. Paraguay match with food trucks, lawn seating, family-friendly games and the kind of communal sports energy Angelenos rarely get enough of. Expect a lively, multicultural crowd, plenty of cerveza-fueled cheering and a surprisingly wholesome night under the stars on June 12. Doors open at 4pm.

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. 

The best things in life really are free—love, happiness and an evening spent watching movies on a giant inflatable screen at the beach. On select dates from June until August, pack up your folding chairs, grab your kids and head to Long Beach for this unique outdoor screening. Thanks to Alfredo’s Beach Club, you can give your babysitter the night off while you and the fam enjoy a host of kid-friendly flicks. Bring your own picnic, or munch on eats from the nearby snack stand. You’ll find the event on Granada Beach.

The beachside city has been hosting this Juneteenth celebration for 34 years—three decades before it was recognized as a federal holiday. The theme of this year’s family-friendly event—“A Legacy of Liberation: Honoring our Resistance and Resilience”—represents the past and ongoing fight for equity and justice. Expect a free day of live music, fun activities, inspiring stories, delicious food and an interactive West African drumming workshop. The evening before, on June 19 itself, Santa Monica Cultural Affairs is hosting an inaugural Juneteenth Gathering, centered around wellness and community, complete with a free film screening, sound immersion, art workshop and DJ sets at Christine Emerson Reed Park and the Miles Memorial Playhouse.