Free things to do in Los Angeles this month

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.

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!

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.

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.

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 classic diner hasn’t been open to the public in over 25 years, so don’t miss your chance to step inside.

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.

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 through large-scale installations, painting, mixed-media sculpture, video and sound. Over 20 artists from North, Central and South America have employed mediums like stones, avocado, cacao, achiote, cochineal and clay in their works, inviting visitors to engage their senses of touch, smell and hearing when interacting with the art. On Saturday, April 4, get an after-hours sneak peek of “Several Eternities,” plus three more new spring exhibitions, complemented by sets by Chulita Vinyl Club DJs in the courtyard, a photobooth and a cyanotype art-making activity—all free.

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. 

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. 

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 rare 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.

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.