June 2021 events calendar for Los Angeles

After spending the past year at the drive-in—and giving us a much-appreciated way to see old movies on the big screen—seasonal fave Street Food Cinema is making its way back to its old park-hopping format, albeit with some social-distancing–friendly tweaks.

As sunset creeps later and later into the evening, the Huntington is taking advantage of the extra daylight with this coveted after-hours series. Typically open on select dates and just for members, Summer Evening Strolls will be open to the public, too, and will extend the San Marino garden’s hours until 8pm from Friday through Sunday evenings, from Memorial Day to Labor Day (including those Monday holidays, too). Look our for tickets to be released every other Tuesday at noon beginning June 1.

Now that California’s reopening, comedian Allison Goldberg has a simple answer to what you should do first: everything. That’s exactly what this outdoor event on the state’s reopening day will feature: comedy, music and dance, haiku, breathwork, juggling, a (consensual) kissing both and fire, possibly. Oh, and there’ll be a celebration of every missed holiday and birthday. Every. Single. One.

Grab a seat in the parking lot of lauded outfit L.A. Dance Project’s Downtown-adjacent studio for this series of outdoor performances. Dances in the Open features a new work choreographed by former New York City Ballet principal dancer Janie Taylor, set to Igor Stravinsky’s Concerto for Two Pianos, as well as a reprise of Solo at Dusk, a piece from Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber that premiered during LADP’s drive-in performances.

Take a trip back to New York in the ’60s with this collection of Andy Warhol photographs that pay homage to his famed studio, the Factory. The 120 images on display (20 of them for the first time) are broken into six categories that range from Polaroid collages for magazines to 16mm screen tests to portraits of Warhol’s artist friends like Debbie Harry, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Dolly Parton, Grace Jones and Keith Haring. Catch it at NeueHouse Hollywood in June and early July—just make sure to secure a ticket first.

The already-mostly-outdoors Manuela recently expanded into the Hauser & Wirth complex’s street art-filled garden, and now the boozy spinoff has hatched a weekly series to wind down into the weekend. Every Friday night, from 5:30 to 9pm, you can step into the art gallery’s Garden Bar to find eight tiki-inspired cocktails.

The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing have returned, with both a Santa Monica drive-in and a new rooftop in El Segundo (the typical Hollywood and DTLA locations are still on hold for now).

The Hammer Museum’s excellent, ongoing series of biennial exhibitions ups the ante each year with its spotlight on emerging and under-recognized L.A. artists, and the fifth edition is no exception—with a co-presentation at the Huntington Library, too.

Live dance returns to the Music Center—outdoors only for now—with this series of ticketed ballet, tap and modern dance performances on a new stage set up in the Jerry Moss Plaza. Alternatively, you can stream it for free online each Sunday evening.

Settle back in to one of L.A.’s favorite offbeat pastimes—picnicking on the lawn at Hollywood Forever Cemetery—during this inaugural event from the Los Angeles LGBT Center. The Pride-themed event features music from DJ Asha and drag performances by Amber Crane, Greasy Bouffanti and Lauren Banall. Ticket are available per picnic pod of six people, so make sure to gather some friends.

This salon-style assembly of photos in guest curator jill moniz’s single-room exhibition celebrates 35 local artists who challenge ideals of beauty, representation, cultural capital and objectivity. Thouhg not necessarily linked by any aesthetic quality, the works on displays—pulled primarily from artists of color—also serve as inspiration for Getty Unshuttered, a program for up-and-coming teenage artists that’s also on display in the gallery.

Originally staged at Alcatraz, “Trace” displays portraits of activists and prisoners of conscience made from millions of LEGO bricks. Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was inspired to create this installation after he was imprisoned in Beijing due to his political activism.

See more than 100 works pulled from the archives of Judson Studios, L.A.’s celebrated 123-year-old glass studio, in this examination of its collaborations with contemporary artists pushing the boundaries of art glass. Objects on display at the Forest Lawn Museum include stained glass artworks, preparatory drawings, oil paintings, watercolors and archival photographs.

The Broad swings its doors open again with this first-floor assembly of pieces that speak to unrest, loss and recovery. You’ll find plenty of familiar figures from the museum’s collection (El Anatsui, Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer and Julie Mehretu, among them), but just under half of the 59 works in the show are on display at the museum for the first time. While the paintings and sculptures span decades and weren’t created during these unprecedented times, their themes—which tackle the AIDS crisis, colonialism, capitalism, gender- and race-based violence—certainly resonate with the current moment.

Plunge into the deep end while watching a slate of classics during this outdoor screening series at the Hollywood Roosevelt’s Tropicana Pool & Cafe. You’re welcome to get wet (towels, blankets and heaters are available on a first-come, first-served basis) or stay dry; either way, arrive in a costume themed to the night’s film selection and you’ll nab a free cocktail or candy. Tickets are available by the table (up to four people) or bed (two to four people comfortably).

Follow the history of the culture-defining record label with this decade-spanning dive into Motown. The Grammy Museum exhibition includes stage outfits from the Supremes, the Jackon 5 and Boyz II Men, as well as some more recent additions like Migos; Stevie Wonder’s harmonica; and a station where you can learn the Temptations’ signature dance moves.

Two long-running SoCal institutions are teaming up this summer for a string of performances: The beloved Bob Baker Marionette Theater is staging weekend shows at Knott’s Berry Farm to mark the farm-turned-theme park’s 100th anniversary.

Immersive Van Gogh has delayed its opening, with no new premiere date yet. It’s also yet to announce location info.

True to its name, this exhibition transforms the iconic paintings of Vincent van Gogh into moving, wall-filling projections. “Immersive Van Gogh” promises half-a-million cubic feet of projections that pull from some of the post-Impressionist’s most recognizable pieces, including The Bedroom, Sunflowers and, yes, The Starry Night.

Artist April Bey’s first solo L.A. exhibition taps into Black Americans’ cultural embrace of space travel and extraterrestrial visioning over the past half century—a movement we now dub Afrofuturism.

NeueHouse Hollywood flips its third-floor terrace into an alfresco comedy club during this Friday night series. Like a proper comedy club, the 21-plus show comes with a two-drink minimum—which we suggest pairing with some tacos and margs from the Broken Spanish pop-up while you’re there.

UTA Artist Space director Zuzanna Ciolek helms the curation of this collection of works from 14 defiant women whose art challenges traditional notions of feminine beauty and identity. Participating artists include Firelei Báez, Tawny Chatmon, Charlotte Colbert, Kim Dacres, Florine Démosthène, Genevieve Gaignard, Sanam Khatibi, Klara Kristalova, Shannon T Lewis, Jesse Mockrin, Gahee Park, Hiba Schahbaz, Kiki Smith and Jessica Stoller.

This collection of photographs and ephemera at the California African American Museum examines how stereotype-challenging organizations support young Black women’s in vital race work, from the 1890s to the 1960s.

Partake in some goat yoga on the front lawn of one of SoCal’s most handsome homes during this series at the Gamble House. Pasadena’s Arts and Crafts masterpiece is inviting yogis to come stretch and practice their posture as a trip of goats trots around.

Santa Monica hosts a free art walk underneath strings of rainbow lights that line the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place and the Santa Monica Pier.

Typically held the last Friday in June, this year’s day devoted to delicious food on wheels expands to an entire week. From June 20 to 27, you’ll find discounts or free drinks and sides from dozens of food trucks around L.A.

Peruse rows of locally-made crafts, clothes, jewelry and food at this every-other-Sunday market in Hollywood. On top of the 100-vendor-strong lineup, the market has a trio of key features in its favor: free entry, on-site parking and a dog-friendly policy. You’ll find it on Cahuenga Boulevard, by the corner of Hollywood Boulevard.

Catch drive-in movie screenings by the water thanks to this new Marina del Rey series. Starting weekend evenings in June, you can catch a decades-spanning mix of sort-of-family-friendly flicks. Advance tickets are required, but all spots are first-come, first-served; snacks are available for preorder, as well. You’ll find the movies at public parking lot #2 (13477 Fiji Way) near Burton Chace Park.

British artist Phyllida Barlow takes over Hauser & Wirth’s courtyard with a site-specific monumental installation as part of this indoor-outdoor presentation of new large-scale works from the experiential sculptor.

Travel a few millennia back in time to see jewelry, sculptures and cuneiform writing from the ancient Sumerians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. The objects on loan from the Louvre are broken up into three galleries, each themed to a different “first”—cities, writings and kings—and filled with items that date from the initial Mesopotamian cities in about 3200 B.C. to Alexander the Great’s conquest of Babylon in 331 B.C.

Reggae, surf rock and lots of beer all get brewed together during this boozy Orange County fest. The brand-new event heads Oak Canyon Park on June 26 with over 25 breweries in tow, and four hours of unlimited tastings to sip your way through the 100-plus brews they’ll be pouring. Musical acts include the likes of Fortunate Youth, the Expendables, Pacific Dub and more. We’ll say upfront that massive beer tasting events never quite live up to our expectations, but here’s hoping this one is the exception to the rule.

Catch a series of movies in the Valley screened at the locations where they were shot or at a local landmark that fits the film’s theme.

In 2008, DMB lost LeRoi Moore after 17 years as saxophonist and founding member. Since then, Dave Matthews has solidly taken the reins of his band, enlisting old friends like guitarist Tim Reynolds and Béla Fleck for live work.

We might not have hit go-in-the-pool season quite yet, but sit-by-the-pool season is all the time. You can do just that—and eat dinner and watch a movie while you’re at it—during this poolside screening series at Downtown’s JW Marriott. Each $45 reservation includes one appetizer or snack, one entrée and unlimited popcorn.

L.A.’s star-studded lecture series returns—albeit in virtual form—with a lineup of writers, artists, performers, scientists and business leaders who will graciously blow your mind. Like the in-person events, you’ll have the option of purchasing the speaker’s book—otherwise, some of the discussions are free to view.

Whether you’re an art aficionado or you’re in the market for some cool prints to dress up your work space or home, head to Self Help Graphics & Art’s annual print fair—which this year heads online. Browse the collection of limited-edition fine art prints by SHGA’s community of Chicano and Latino artists. All proceeds from the fair will go towards the the non-profit visual art center’s general fund and professional printmaking program.

Discover the next big thing at this art fair—which heads to ROW DTLA for an IRL edition—with works from over 75 up-and-coming and independent artists, curated for collectors and fans with varying budgets.

The museum has assembled 30 years of works from the wildly popular Japanese artist (known for canvases of fiendish, wide-eyed children and animals) and examined them through the lens of his longtime passion for music.

Nature lovers rejoice! Spend a day at the Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Pavilion, which is open through September 6 with up to 30 butterfly and moth species and an assortment of California plants.

Walk through a pavilion of fluttering butterflies and peep a chamber with pupae and caterpillar’s at South Coast Botanic Garden’s new exhibition. In the spring and first half of the summer SOAR will feature tropical butterflies, while in the late summer and fall it’ll flip to monarch butterflies.