March 2026 events calendar for Los Angeles

Treat your ears to a vibrant concert on a spring or summer night by attending MUSE/IQUE’s annual program. This concert series, held at cultural venues across L.A., features a mix of performances inspired by music movements and public figures, including tributes to Quincy Jones, Joni Mitchell, the world of Oz, the Harlem Renaissance, the American Sound and more. You can make a $75 donation to the performing arts nonprofit for a single event, or become a MUSE/IQUE member if you’re interested in multiple programs.

Dress your kid like a bona fide Angeleno—with vintage styles sourced from Depop sellers. Elemeno is teaming up with the online marketplace and Dr. Seuss for a first-of-its-kind, all-kids vintage pop-up market this weekend (1020 N La Brea Ave). Alongside a curated selection of vintage vendors, there’ll be interactive activity stations, a reading nook and a special appearance by the Lorax. You can even bring your kid’s favorite outfit from home for free customization at the Depop x Dr. Seuss heat press station.

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.

Support women-owned restaurants and dine at some of L.A.’s best spots during the return of this annual food fest in honor of Women’s History Month. Regarding Her's festival will offer themed menu specials, cooking classes, convos and collabs from women restaurateurs all month long. Highlights from this year’s lineup include La Festa Della Donna, a special International Women's Day celebration at Smorgasburg (Mar 8); the Echo Park Bop, a walking food and drink tour of 10 women-owned restaurants including Quarter Sheets, Bakers Bench, Bar Flores, Tsubaki, Little Fish and Valerie Confections (Mar 22); Maydan Market Monday (Mar 23); the return of All Day Baby via a biscuit pop-up (Mar 28); and a women-powered Lincoln Avenue Parking Lot Party Benefit for Altadena (Mar 29). You’ll also find other fun one-offs on the calendar, including a cacao tasting at the Chocolate Dispensary (Mar 12) and a “Sweetcute” ice cream social at the Very Best Cookie in the Whole Wide World (Mar 21). Check the website for the full lineup.

Melrose Trading Post, one of the city’s coolest weekend flea markets, is back with its second annual event, Melrose Fashion Week, which shines a light on local designers, sustainable fashion and the creative expression that thrives on Melrose. Head to MTP this Sunday morning for a community re-dye workshop with with Circular Fashion L.A. from 10am to 4pm. Then, at noon, runway shows will kick off, showcasing looks made from vintage, secondhand and upcycled materials by both Melrose designers and high school and college student designers. 

L.A. cultural organizations will come together at the historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre to celebrate Women’s History Month with live performances, interactive art, dance, music and a marketplace. Bob Baker Marionette Theater, Chevalier’s Books, Self Help Graphics, the Ebell Chorale, Leigh Purtell Dance Theatre, Vox Femina and the Korean Cultural Center are just some of the highlights of the lineup, as well as an art show, vintage fashion, film-focused tours of the Ebell and a family-friendly musical about Rosie the Riveter. 

You may have come across Danish artist Thomas Dambo’s massive troll sculptures—which he makes from reclaimed wood and hides in nature to encourage people to get out and enjoy the outdoors—on Instagram. But you don’t need to book a trip to Denmark to see the gentle giants. The 87 acres of Palos Verdes’s South Coast Botanic Garden are currently home to 12 of the whimsical figures, and you can glimpse them all with your general admission ticket. For $33, you can take a guided walking tour of the Twelvelings (with general admission included). To see the trolls in a different light, one night a month, the gardens will host the Canopy Club—an after-hours dance party in the woods with pop-up performances, food and drinks ($34–$50).

A favorite of in-the-know shoppers, MAUM Market is returning to ROW DTLA on March 21. The market champions AAPI artists, creatives and entrepreneurs, and the result is a mindfully curated shopping experience. Find accessories, art, kids’ toys, beauty and wellness goodies, ceramics, stationery, clothing, jewelry, home wares and treats at the family-friendly and pet-friendly fair. Though it used to charge a nominal fee for tickets, entry is now free.

The twice-in-a-row World Series champions kick off a new season by taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium, with pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto starting the Thursday game. At Friday’s game, the team and coaches will receive their World Series rings in a special ceremony, and those showing up on Saturday can snag a Will Smith “Game 7 Home Run” bobblehead.

A sound bath already represents peak relaxation, but Alice Moon doubles down on peace and tranquility in her Moon Soul Sound Baths by hosting them inside a mattress store. The result is part zen retreat, part self-care slumber party. Bring a pillow and get cozy in the showroom of Mattress Central in Atwater Village as Moon helps you unwind with singing bowls, chimes and an ocean drum. Note: Fresh sheets are provided for all attendees to lay on, and you’ll receive a sleep mask to wear and take home with you.

This Bergamot Station Arts Center comedy fest brings together about 35 stand-ups at the Santa Monica gallery complex, with a mix of informative panels for comedians (which are free) and ticketed performances from up-and-coming names, with an emphasis on representing woman-identifying, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ talent. You’ll find shows each night, from March 25 to 28, at mission-driven comedy club the Crow.

The largest native plant garden in California is hosting a free, family-friendly event to teach about the beauty, variety and resiliency of native plants and how to protect them. Dozens of regional nonprofits, landscapers and agencies will be on hand as resources, plus there’ll be live music, storytime, crafts, a local artisan market, food trucks and more. Another reason to make the trek to Claremont: Amid wildflower season, the botanical garden a reliable place to spot perennials. Find California poppies, chick lupine, desert globemallow, island morning glory and more along the picturesque trails.

Inspired by Taiwan’s world-famous Lantern Festival, San Gabriel’s Lunar Lantern Festival will once again bring colorful displays to the streets of the city’s Mission District. The free weekend celebration will also offer family-friendly activities, music and dance performances, street food vendors, artisanal craft booths and games. Kids can take home a free zodiac-animal-shaped lantern, courtesy of the Taiwan Tourism Administration. 

Veg out at this weekend-long plant-based food fest in Westwood Village (formerly North Hollywood), which features dozens of food vendors from across the country serving everything from pizza to ice cream to burgers. Sample a cornucopia of small $5-and-under bites, or opt for a larger portion of your favorite dishes. You’ll find the action anchored at 1036 Broxton Avenue, home to the largest pedestrian plaza in L.A.—the event is both family-friendly and pet-friendly. Admission is free, though you can spring for an $84 swag bag full of vegan goodies valued at over $200.

Whatever else it may or may not be, Beetlejuice is spectacularly weird. But Broadway’s musical reboot of Beetlejuice, Tim Burton’s 1988 film, is buggy—though it looks great. Check out our full review from its New York run.

Vibe Check prides itself on spotlighting the some of the country’s “youngest, freshest and chillest” comedians in showcases that have sold out in L.A., New York and Chicago. The lineup at this installment at the Lab at Hollywood Improv—Clay Horwitz, Learnmore Jonasi, Camille Corbett and Michael Turner, plus surprise guests—is made up of up-and-comers you may recognize from late-night TV, streamers or sketches on social media. They promise “unique perspectives and inclusively clever commentary”—all for only $14.

It’s the best of both worlds: Indulge your nostalgia and take home free makeup at this pop-up experience at the Grove, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana (feel old yet?) ahead of a Disney+ special. The immersive experience allows fans to step inside a real-life re-creation of Hannah’s legendary closet, complete with interactive Maybelline beauty stations for stage-ready makeovers and Polaroid photo ops. Entry is free but first-come, first-served.

Griffith Park is made up of over 4,210 acres, so this little slice of greenery off the 134 Freeway near Glendale often gets overlooked as you drive by. You might not even have noticed that it’s named for silver screen star Bette Davis, who used to live across the street and ride horses nearby. In celebration of the actress’s life, the Friends of Griffith Park are hosting a morning of free activities for nature lovers. You can birdwatch by the L.A. River with the Feminist Bird Club of Los Angeles—herons, grebes and osprey are known to frequent the stretch—watch equestrian demonstrations, chat with a historian and explore the picnic area’s Miyawaki-inspired micro-forest.

Nature lovers, rejoice! The Natural History Museum is bringing back its annual Butterfly Pavilion, which will be open March 22 through August 23 and house up to 30 butterfly and moth species, as well as an assortment of California plants. The seasonal outdoor exhibit allows for adults and children alike to witness nature up close—we’re talking walking amid hundreds of butterflies and having them land on your arms or shoulders. You’ll need to purchase a $10 add-on ticket on top of your museum ticket in order to explore the pavilion for a half-hour.

Under-the-radar varietals get their day in the sun at this festival dedicated to unique wines (formerly called the Festival of Forgotten Grapes). Forget chardonnay and pinot noir—surprise your palate with sips of wine varieties made from unknown grapes (think semillon, tannat and teroldego) grown by winemakers across the state. Sample offerings from over 50 California wineries, and if you like what you taste, you can order as many bottles as you like at the fest and have them all delivered to you after the fact for one $20 delivery fee (which is waived if you buy 12 bottles or more). 

Known for its engaging and exciting performances, American Contemporary Ballet will present a double bill of choreographer George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco and La Source—it’s the first time the two ballets have been paired together in L.A. (and the latter, in particular, hasn’t been staged in full here in 40 years). Compare and contrast the differences between the two works, which are similar in structure but worlds apart, as the dancers of ACB perform to live music.

Spring at Knott’s Berry Farm means a celebration of its namesake fruit, and come mid-March you’ll be able to stuff your face with all things boysenberry. Knott’s turns its theme park into a food fest of sorts, with dozens of boysenberry-infused items that you can try to work your way through, thanks to an event tasting card. (Of course, there’ll be boysenberry-themed merch, too, plus crafts from local artisans.) Expect both delicious and questionable boysenberry creations alike—think elote, sausage, tortillas, smoothies, Brussels sprouts, bao buns, wings, sangria, beer and wine. Park admission starts at $65, while a pass with three tasting items and parking costs $95. If you already have a season pass or an admission ticket, a six-item tasting card costs $55.

Disneyland’s already the happiest place on earth, but throw in a massive parkwide food festival—and now it’s somehow even happier. Running nearly two full months, the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival takes over the state-themed park with eight different culinary marketplaces with themes such as garlic, local breweries and wineries, peppers and food-truck fare. Just be sure you don’t forget the rides in all of the culinary whirlwind—fan-favorite Soarin’ will temporarily bring back its California-themed version just for the occasion.

Artist Ralph Steadman—known for his unmistakable illustrations, cartoons and collaborations with Hunter S. Thompson—has imbued his work with political, satirical, environmental and spiritual threads throughout his six-decade-plus career. Now, on the eve of his 90th birthday, you can see 149 of Steadman’s works, including some influenced by Los Angeles, for free at the Torrance Art Museum—it’s the only Southern California stop on the show’s national tour. If you’re feeling inspired, you can embark on your own off-the-page adventure, thanks to the exhibition’s accompanying interactive Gonzo Art Trail (find details here).

Lincoln Heights brewery and cider house Benny Boy is celebrating its fourth anniversary with a carnival-themed bash, complete with face painting, flash tattoos, music, live portraits, tarot card readings, carnival games and, of course, plenty of beer. Correa’s Mariscos, Zef BBQ and Nyletta will be on hand to sell fair food and treats.

Shop local at this free, pet-friendly celebration of small businesses, which is expanding and trading in its Mar Vista setting for the heart of Venice Beach: You’ll find live music, art, fashion and food under the famed Venice sign at Windward and Pacific Avenues. The festival brings together over 300 local brands and artists three times a year, attracting thousands of shoppers. This time around, there will be four stages for live music—with a TBA lineup of local musicians and surprise guests sponsored by the upcoming BeachLife Festival—as well as DJs, fitness and kids’ entertainment.

Made up of a Melrose Avenue workshop and two galleries—including one designed by Frank Gehry—Gemini G.E.L. has been at the forefront of fine art printmaking for 60 years now, an accomplishment it’s celebrating in this show which doubles as a love letter to L.A. On display are innovative works by artists including David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha and Robert Rauschenberg—many of which haven’t been shown in decades—which are inspired by the atmosphere and streets of Los Angeles.

Step aboard the Queen Mary and into your own Agatha Christie novel at this new interactive murder mystery dinner from the team behind Murder & Mayhem on the Mary. Based on the ocean liner’s real-life “Last Great Cruise,” which set off from Southampton on Halloween 1967, the spooky yet silly experience combines a multi-course dinner with comedy, clues, live music and audience participation. 

Catch sets from up-and-coming performers, local legends and global talents during this free music series at the Getty, which features a pair of shows from a different band each weekend. The concerts kick off in February with Inuit soul musicians Pamyua and continue in March with gospel choir Jimetta Rose & the Voices of Creation and April with Persian poets Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat. Get there early to check out the museum’s exhibitions, then head to the Harold M. Williams Auditorium for the show.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo—featuring iconic imagery, effects and, of course, performances by Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak—may have been under-appreciated at the time of its release, but it’s proved one of Hitchcock’s most beloved, tender and lasting films. Nevertheless, Stewart’s acrophobia will leave you thankful that you’re firmly planted in your seat. Revisit the classic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, with Bernard Herrmann’s score performed live to film by the LA Phil.

Comedy renaissance man Paul Scheer leads this always-excellent mix of improvisers, who perform monthly at Largo. Regular guests include the likes of Rob Huebel, Jason Mantzoukas, Rob Riggle, Carl Tart, Seth Morris, Mary Holland, Owen Burke, Edi Patterson, Tim Baltz and more.

Explore the Autry into the evening at the Griffith Park museum’s Thursday-night series that spotlights the city’s emerging and established artists, musicians, poets and writers. Programming ranges from free salsa lessons to DJ sets to old-timey radio plays. The museum galleries stay open late, too, plus drinks and food trucks are also on offer.

Cure a case of the Mondays with a restorative sound bath at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center’s private Garden of the Clear Stream, an urban oasis in Little Tokyo. At the start of every week in April, you can bring a mat and enjoy an hour of healing sounds and reflection amid the garden’s lush flora and cascading waterfall. Afterward, stick around to purchase lunch and a matcha and enjoy them in the garden.

“Let’s hang out at the Pier” is something Santa Monica locals probably say next to never, but this monthly series is trying to change that. Every third Thursday from September to May, you’ll find everything from live music to storytelling to a classic car show on the Santa Monica Pier, all free to attend. 

This springtime spinoff in Insomniac’s Wonderland series adds a whimsical, carnival-like atmosphere to the house, techno, dubstep, trance and bass-heavy festival. Go down the rabbit hole in San Bernardino with multiple themed stages, where the likes of Tiësto, Zedd, GRiZ, SLANDER, Steve Angello, Diesel and more will perform.

The Wilco frontman’s freewheeling solo shows balance acoustic takes, deep cut requests and charming banter. He’s playing two consecutive nights—first at the Belasco, then the United Theater on Broadway (if you prefer a seated show)—as part of his Twilight Override Tour, in support of his folksy fifth solo album. Speaking of those requests, you can submit your own here.

Spend an afternoon underneath Torrance’s cherry blossoms as dancers and Japanese folk musicians perform at this annual Pan-Asian celebration. You’ll also find a craft fair with everything from ceramics to intricate textiles handcrafted by local artisans, plus food from South Bay vendors. Bring a blanket and picnic amid the pink and white blooms.

Perhaps the Los Angeles area’s most iconic flea market, this event around the exterior of the Rose Bowl is staggeringly colossal—but what else would you expect from a 90,000-seat stadium? The sheer size and scale of this flea market means that it encompasses multitudes: new and old, handcrafted and salvaged, the cheap and the costly. On the second Sunday of each month, treasure hunt among the odd mix of vendors that populates the loop around the stadium—and don’t miss the rows and rows of old furniture, albums and vintage clothes and accessories that fill the adjacent parking lot.

Celebrate the history, diversity and wildlife of our fair city with the locally beloved Bob Baker Marionette Theater. This puppet-filled ode to L.A. first debuted in 1981 for the city’s bicentennial, and while it retains its retro charm, it’s been refreshed for 2026 with new animal puppets and updates that reflect Los Angeles today.

The masters of alfresco movie viewing are keeping outdoor screening season alive throughout winter with their Fireside Films series, which ensures you’ll stay cozy, with outdoor heaters and a complimentary hot beverage with each ticket. Enjoy a steady stream of modern classics, (The Notebook, Pulp Fiction) local favorites (La La Land, Friday) and recent releases (Wicked: For Good, Sinners)—as well as the odd TV marathon (think Gossip Girl and Pushing Daisies—screened atop LEVEL DTLA throughout the winter months.

Feeling like you and your four-legged friend are attached at the hip? Spend even more quality time together during this dog-friendly series at Palos Verdes’ South Coast Botanic Garden. One Sunday a month, you can roam the gardens’ 87 acres with your fur baby. Nearly all of the paths are open to pups, except for the rose garden and a couple of other small areas. You’ll find plenty of water stations set up across the grounds, as well as an optional obedience class for purchase. You—the human—will need a reservation, while your best friend—the pup—will need to remain on their leash at all times, including in the parking lot.

Celebrated Chicana artist Judy Baca’s half-mile-long The Great Wall of Los Angeles, a collaborative mural begun in the ’70s along the Tujunga Wash, has received all sorts of museum love in the past few years, including at a LACMA show where the muralist and her team painted new sections of the work during museum hours. Now, Baca and the Social and Public Art Resource Center are returning to Jeffrey Deitch Los Angeles to exhibit the newest segment of the mural—which documents activism and resistance in the 1970s—continuing their mission to give voice to the voiceless through art.

When Mexican director Alejandro G. Iñárritu made his debut feature, Amores Perros, over a million feet of film didn’t make it to the final cut (to put that into perspective, the finished two-and-a-half-hour movie used around 18,000 feet of film). Twenty five years later, some of these unearthed reels of celluloid now zip through a ground-floor gallery at LACMA as part of a multi-channel film installation. As much a piece of sculpture as it is film or video art, Sueño Perro assembles six 35mm projectors that pierce the hazy near-dark space with raw, nonlinear snippets of the movie, fed from a mesmerizing curtain of film stock speeding along sprockets. It’s an intense experience, both sonically (during the car crash that connects the feature’s storylines) and visually (dog fighting plays a pivotal role in the film, though you’ll see here some of the behind-the-scenes tricks that kept the production cruelty-free).

A display of over 30 mummified people and animals is back at the California Science Center; after the exhibition debuted there back in 2010, it traveled through the U.S. and Europe before returning to L.A., which is the final stop on its tour before the artifacts are returned to their lending museums. This time around, you can see a selection of specimens never before shown in Los Angeles.

Mummies are, of course, most often associated with ancient Egypt, and while Egypt is represented here, you’ll also see mummified remains that were discovered in Germany, Hungarian, Peru—even the University of Maryland, which in the 1990s carried out the first ancient Egyptian-style mummification performed in 2,800 years.

Memorable artifacts include the two Peruvian “bundle” mummies making their West Coast debut, amulets and organ jars (just like you learned about in history class), an ancient Egyptian cat mummy and a shrunken (but still very cute) sloth head. Be warned, though, that as you make your way through the different rooms, the displays become more macabre and, dare I say, haunting, with mummified organs and babies—so make sure you (and any kids in attendance) know what you’re getting into before visiting the exhibition.

The museum’s IMAX theater will be screening the complementary 40-minute Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs, and if you buy combo tickets for both the exhibition and film, you get a small discount on both.

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.

Whether or not you follow soccer, you probably know by now that Los Angeles is hosting eight matches of the World Cup in summer 2026. In celebration of its arrival, this LACMA show will display Lyndon J. Barrois Sr.’s ode to the world’s most beloved sport. The artist’s miniature “sportraits” re-create classic moments in both women’s and men’s soccer using materials like gum wrappers, glue and paint—even if you’re not a sports fan, the playful sculptures and stop-motion animations will win you over.

Ponyo loves Sosuke! And we love this exhibition at the Academy Museum dedicated to the wholesome Hayao Miyazaki film. Studio Ghibli donated more than 100 objects to the Academy Collection, and you’ll find everything from an animation desk to colorful art boards to dozens of frame-by-frame pencil drawings of the scene when Sosuke first finds Ponyo. Though you may recognize a couple of items from the museum’s debut Hayao Miyazaki retrospective, the vast majority of Ponyo pieces are new—and some have never been displayed in North America before. It’s also a colorful and super kid-friendly exhibition; you can watch clips of the gorgeously hand-drawn movie, recreate the wave-running scene and even make your own stop-motion animation. You’ll find it on the museum’s second floor, inside the first few galleries of the “Stories of Cinema’ space.

The Pacific Asia Museum’s galleries have been closed for months in preparation for this immersive new exhibition, which is taking over the entire museum and marks a new, artist-centered shift to its programming. The ambitious show will use the visual language of mythology to take visitors on an immersive journey through the immigrant experience, combining objects from USC PAM’s 5,000-year-spanning historical collection with new media technology and works by over 20 contemporary artists, led by L.A.-based Korean American muralist Dave Young Kim. Highlights include a wrap-around video installation in a reconstructed airplane cabin and an AI feature that puts visitors in the shoes of an immigrant. Along the way, mythical creatures—dragons, cranes, guardian spirits and shapeshifters—nod to intergenerational legacies.

The beloved late singer, who’s ascended to music and fashion icon status since her untimely death in 1995, is the focus of a new show at the Grammy Museum. Co-curated by the singer’s sister, Suzette Quintanilla, the exhibition peeks behind the curtain of Selena’s life, artistry and career, exploring how her legacy continues as a symbol of empowerment for both young women and Latin communities. Though the exhibition is limited to a single gallery on the fourth floor, it’s packed with iconic items: You can see the singer’s personal artifacts displayed for the first time outside of the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas, including her Grammy Award, cellphone, hand-drawn fashions and microphone, still marked with her signature red lipstick. In preparation for the opening, artist Mister Toledo recently created a mural of the singer outside the museum.

Anonymous feminist art collective the Guerrilla Girls—whose members gained notoriety for donning gorilla masks and fighting the patriarchy—is coming up on its 40th anniversary, and the Getty Center is marking the occasion with a behind-the-scenes look at the group. See photography, protest art and the group’s famed posters—sporting statistics, bold visuals and satirical humor—that showcase the tactics the members used to demand recognition for women and artists of color. The Guerrilla Girls have even created a newly commissioned work for the exhibition. And you can add your own mark on the “graffitti wall” installation, giving visitors a creative outlet for their complaints about the world today. 

Accompanying programming throughout the run of the show will include a conversation between the Guerrilla Girls and author Roxane Gay, a feminist Valentine’s Day mail art workshop, cocktail receptions with the exhibition curators, tours and more.

Robert Therrien’s Under the Table has long been one of the most popular pieces in the Broad’s collection (you know the one—the giant table and chairs that you ask your friend to snap a photo of as you stand underneath). Well now the museum is hosting the largest-ever solo exhibition of the artist’s work, displaying more than 120 pieces, including many that have never been shown in museums before. Expect more huge housewares and striking works, plus some intimate drawings and surprises from the late L.A.-based artist. The specially ticketed show will fill the first-floor galleries through April 5, 2026.

Don’t go in the water, but do go to the Academy Museum to see the largest exhibition ever dedicated to Steven Spielberg’s original summer blockbuster, Jaws—which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The museum was already home to the last surviving model shark from filming, but now you can go behind the scenes and see some 200 original objects from the film across multiple galleries. Some highlights: a re-creation of the Orca fishing boat, the dorsal fin used both in Jaws and its sequels, costumes worn by the central trio and a room full of vintage film posters and merch promoting the film. There are interactive elements, too: You can have your own Chief Brody dolly-zoom moment (and see the lens used to film the famous shot), play the iconic John Williams two-note score and control a replica of the mechanical shark.

When I first stepped foot inside of this exhibition of decommissioned Confederate monuments and reflective contemporary art pieces, I was taken aback by the scale of it all. I’d seen the installation photos of the side-by-side statues of Confederate generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee on horseback, but as I craned my neck up at these towering tributes, they felt awe-inspiring in the most dreadful meaning of the phrase.

Most Angelenos don’t need to be convinced of the immoralities of the Confederacy—but most likely haven’t been forced to come face-to-face with such Civil War iconography either. “Monuments,” displayed almost entirely at MOCA’s Little Tokyo warehouse with a single Kara Walker installation at the Brick in East Hollywood, presents tangible proof that these monuments removed from public view over the past decade were not simple, somber remembrances for the recently deceased, these were larger-than-life celebrations of the Confederacy forged in the Jim Crow era and often financed by folks seeking to twist its history.

Works from 19 artists respond either directly or thematically to the many statues on display, or in some cases physically alter them: Bethany Collins’s Love is dangerous chisels pieces of the granite pedestal of a Stonewall Jackson monument into Carolina rose petals. Other graffitied or paint-splattered statues speak for themselves: The Robert E. Lee monument at the center of 2017’s Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia resides here reduced to a pile of bronze ingots and a bucket of leftover slag.

The matter-of-fact wall text lends context to hauntingly-shot portraits of wicked people and beautifully-detailed busts of complicated figures. Seated in front of a colossal globe, a monument to Matthew Fontaine Maury pays homage to the father of modern oceanography—who, the wall text notes, sought to expand American slavery into Brazil. The text next to a comparatively modest statue of Josephus Daniels notes his progressive stances on women’s suffrage and trust busting—and advocacy for white supremacy.

“Monuments” is a tremendous undertaking in every sense, and easily L.A.’s most essential exhibition to see in 2025 (and 2026, as its run extends through the spring). It’s worth every cent of its $18 ticket price, though if you book far enough ahead of time, you can take advantage of free admission on the first Friday of every month.

Right on the heels of the release of his new film, Mickey 17, director Bong Joon Ho steps into the spotlight at the Academy Museum’s latest “Director’s Spotlight” exhibition (past subjects have included Spike Lee and Agnès Varda). The first-ever museum show dedicated to the Oscar-winning South Korean filmmaker will trace Ho’s career, creative process and cinematic influences. See over 100 storyboards, research materials, posters, concept art, creature models, props and on-set photos from the director’s archive and personal collection. On opening day, March 23, catch screenings of Okja (2pm) and Parasite (7:30pm) in the David Geffen Theater—Ho himself will be there in person.

The Natural History Museum’s taxidermy dioramas turn a century old this year, and to celebrate the museum is reviving an entire hall of displays that’ve been dark for decades. Expect some fresh approaches to these assembled snapshots of the wilderness, including alebrijes made of recycled materials, a crystalline depiction of pollution and a tech-driven display of the L.A. River.

The California Science Center is inviting kids to get in the game with a new 17,000-square-foot exhibition about the power of play and the human body in motion. Besides teaching about the science behind sports, it also offers interactive challenges and video coaching from a team of Los Angeles-based mentor athletes including dancer Debbie Allen, the Dodgers’ World Series hero Freddie Freeman, Olympic medalist softball player Rachel Garcia and more. And for the first time ever, the center has commissioned public art—all by local artists—to complement the exhibition, including a Dodgers mural by Gustavo Zermeño Jr. The free exhibition will run at the Science Center through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.