March 2021 events calendar for Los Angeles
Plan your month with our March 2021 events calendar of the best activities, including free things to do, festivals and our favorite concerts
Shed that extra, light sweatshirt—spring is here. Fill your lungs with the sweet, less-smoggy air on one of the best hikes in L.A. or set out in search of some (fingers crossed) wildflower blooms. Whether you’re looking for things to do around town or a weekend getaway, there are plenty of springtime happenings to find in our March events calendar.
RECOMMENDED: Full events calendar for 2021
While many traditional in-person events are still canceled, we’re recommending what Angelenos can do safely outside, from in their cars or at home.
This March’s best events
Street Food Cinema
Outdoor movie season isn’t canceled—it’s just headed to the drive-in. Seasonal fave Street Food Cinema is making some social-distancing–friendly tweaks to its schedule and parking itself at a few locations for drive-in movie screenings. There are some important rules you’ll need to follow: Guests must remain in their vehicles (except for when going to the restrooms or food trucks) and wear masks when interacting with staff. Cars must park one space apart from each other. And though outside food and beverages are permitted, dogs are not.
Sugar Rush
Sugar Rush will take over the former Westfield Promenade (6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd) this spring with a parking lot full of candy-inspired displays and tunnels. The Woodland Hills event comes from the same team as last year’s Haunt’oween LA and WonderLAnd. Whereas those two drive-thrus put visitors on a set course, this one introduces branching paths into the mix.
Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience
This Stranger Things-themed experience will bring the Netflix series to life with an hourlong adventure that transports visitors to Hawkins and the Starcourt Mall circa 1985. And as the name implies, you’ll be able to take it all in from the safety of your own car. Hatched by the UK’s wildly creative Secret Cinema, the experience will take groups of 24 cars at a time through “a world of bitchin’ tunes, mullets and monster hunts,” including sets complete with actors in costume and special effects. You’ll drive through the Starcourt Mall, Russian labs and the Upside Down and stop for extended periods of time at each to see different scenes play out. Read our full review of Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience.
The Frida Cinema Pop-Up Drive-In
Santa Ana’s Frida Cinema is hopping around Orange County for a series of pop-up drive-in screenings. You’ll find most of the screenings at the Mess Hall at FLIGHT in Tustin, with some additional ones in cities around the county.
Knott’s Taste of Boysenberry Festival
Spring at Knott’s Berry Farm typically means a celebration of its namesake sweet, and come early March you’ll still be able to stuff your face with all things boysenberry—you just won’t be able to jump on any rides afterwards. Like its fall tasting events, Knott’s will once again turn its theme park into an outdoor food fest with over 65 boysenberry-infused items that you can partially work your way through thanks to an event tasting card. (Of course, there’ll be boysenberry-themed merch, too, plus crafts from about 20 local artisans.) Expect questionable and delicious boysenberry creations alike, including elote, smoothies, Brussels sprouts, bao buns, wings, beer and wine. The event runs on select dates from March 5 through May 2. You’ll need to purchase a tasting card for a specific date in order to enter. A regular tasting card includes five bites and costs $45 (a slight increase over previous events), while a three-taste kids card costs $20. Again, none of the rides will be running, but on the upside there’s no extra charge for parking.
Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope
The Skirball presents this online exhibition about the country’s socioeconomic troubles, with a human-first lens based on the book of the same name by Based on the New York Times bestseller of the same name by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.
Dog Walking Hours at South Coast Botanic Garden
Feeling like you and your four-legged friend are attached at the hip right now? Spend even more quality time together during this dog-friendly series at Palos Verdes’ South Coast Botanic Garden. Every third Sunday, you can roam the gardens’ 87 acres with your fur baby. You—the human—will need a reservation and a face covering, while your best friend—the pup—will need to remain on their leash at all times, including in the parking lot.
SOUND/STAGE
Ever wondered what a show would look like at the Hollywood Bowl with no crowd? You can find out—for free—with the launch of this new video series from the LA Phil. SOUND/STAGE features nine performances filmed at the temporarily shuttered Bowl, as well as some additional footage from the nearby Ford. You’ll find sets from Andra Day, Kamasi Washington and Chicano Batman as well as orchestral suites conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. Each performance is paired with essays, interviews and playlists from the likes of Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Pico Iyer, Herbie Hancock, Rian Johnson, Gabriela Ortiz and Alicia Vera, among others. The sets are free to watch (though donations are encouraged) and will stream weekly from September 25 through November 20. And if you’re really missing the Bowl—are we the only ones who got a little weepy watching the preview video?—you can relive past performances with a radio series from KCRW as well as some highlights on KCET and PBS.
First Fridays at the Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum’s in-person First Fridays may have gone the way of the dodo, but the museum isn’t letting the after-hours event go totally extinct—instead, it’s digging it up and brushing it off for an online presentation. NHM First Fridays Connected will assemble speakers for Zoom webinars alongside a dance party on YouTube. And best of all: It’s all entirely free to attend (though reservations are required).
Films.Dance
Each Monday, from late January through early May, you can catch the free, streaming premiere of a dance performance thanks to this new series. Films.Dance brings together 15 short films that’ve been shot in the past year from 150 artists around the globe, under the creative direction of L.A.’s Jacob Jonas The Company and presented by the local Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, as well as Chicago’s Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater. You’ll find each short Monday at 9am on the Films.Dance website, as well as on its Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Looking for some more things to do this month?
Order takeout from one of your favorite local restaurants
You’ve eaten through two bags of beans and six cans of chickpeas. Now what? You leave it to some of the city’s top restaurants and bars, who are making your social distancing as painless as possible. We’re keeping a running list of our favorite pickup and delivery menus that are popping up at L.A. restaurants.
And make sure to add in a booze order, too
Some of L.A.’s best restaurants and bars have your back when you need a stiff drink at home. Restaurants and bars can now deliver alcohol to your door—whether it’s craft beer, wine or house-made cocktails—as long as they’re offering food, which means we can finally sip from some of our favorite spots in town from the comfort of our own couches.
Go to the drive-in
Cinephiles, rejoice! You can watch a movie from somewhere other than your couch at L.A.’s half-dozen or so old-school drive-ins.
Or head to one of these pop-up drive-ins
Alfresco screenings usually pop up across the city well past the summer season. But this year, with most screenings pivoting to drive in formats, it seems like we still have months of movies to look forward to.
Take a scenic drive around L.A.
Finally, our automobile-addicted culture has an upside: You can see some of L.A.’s most stunning scenery safely from your car window. With traffic still relatively low, you may be inclined to drive as far as you can, but we’d stick to whichever scenic drive in our guide is closest to your area. Drive safe!
Go for a walk or hike—but maybe not at your usual spots
Runyon’s open again… yay? Going for a hike is great and all (assuming you’re following proper social distancing guidelines and wearing a face covering). But if you’re looking to avoid crowds, maybe stick to a walk in your own neighborhood or a lesser-known hike.
Find some peace at a botanical garden
If your neighborhood isn’t conducive to walking and you’re looking for a wide-open outdoor space, most major gardens are open again. Do note that tickets are limited and must be purchased online. And remember to keep a safe distance from other visitors.