May 2024 events calendar for Los Angeles

Netflix’s stand-up specials keep us cackling at home, but the streaming service’s ambitious comedy festival is nothing to laugh at. Initially announced for 2020, Netflix is a Joke: The Festival made its delayed debut in 2022 with a staggering 295 shows over the span of a week in L.A. Now, it’s headed back here May 2 to 12, 2024 and upping the ante: More than 300 shows at 35 venues with sets from Ali Wong, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Chris Rock, Taylor Tomlinson and literally hundreds of others.

L.A. has changed immeasurably since 1921, when this event was first staged as an agricultural fair. However, the perennially popular event still has farm-friendly appeal (livestock beauty contests, local produce) alongside the more modern acrobats, wine tastings, exhibitions and concerts.

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The aughts indie nostalgia shows no signs of stopping, so its no surprise that Just Like Heaven—a music fest that’s featured basically every beloved 2000s indie band—is coming back for its fourth edition. The fest will take over the golf course next to the Rose Bowl on May 18, 2024 with a lineup that’s pulled straight from your old iPod: The Postal Service, Phoenix, Death Cab for Cutie and the War on Drugs top this year’s lineup, with additional sets from Miike Snow, Gossip, Passion Pit, Tegan and Sara, Washed Out, Alvvays, Phantogram, Broken Social Scene and more.

The krautrock and electronic pioneers sent museumgoers into a frenzy over their intimate shows in New York and London institutions about a decade back. Now, the proto-techno quartet is reviving that marathon format to stage nine shows at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Each one will focus on a different album, starting with Autobahn, while the final concert will pull from their entire catalog.

Be prepared: The Lion King is turning 30, and to celebrate its anniversary a mix of Broadway and film stars (from both versions of the movie) will perform alongside a screening of the animated classic at the Hollywood Bowl. On May 24 and 25, a live orchestra will accompany a screening of 1994’s animated classic, The Lion King, with song performances by the cast of the original film: Nathan Lane (Timon), Ernie Sabella (Pumbaa), Jeremy Irons (Scar), Jason Weaver (the singing voice of young Simba); the 2019 remake: Billy Eichner (Timon); the Broadway edition: Bradley Gibson (Simba); and a guest appearance from Jennifer Hudson, who hasn’t been involved in any version of the musical, but come on, she’s Jennifer Hudson.

Pedal your way through the harborfront neighborhood during the latest edition of the car-free, bike-friendly event.

Hot off his coheadlining tour with Drake, inventive Southern rap star 21 Savage returns to L.A. for a show at the Forum.

Cake on the eyeliner, cry it off and then dance away the tears at the return of this 1980s-to-aughts goth, new wave and punk fest with Duran Duran, Interpol, Blondie, Simple Minds, Placebo, Soft Cell, Adam Ant, Gary Numan and more. The one-day-only event features dozens of alt obsessions on the golf course next to the Rose Bowl, where it once again returns.

The hour stands before another springtime, and the Renaissance Pleasure Faire is nigh. Good mistresses and masters, prepareth thy schedules and costumes for the return of the oldest Ren Faire in the country, a spectacle that cov’reth 20 Irwindale acres with Elizabethan libations and amusement: fully armored joust tournaments and tea parties with the Queen along with beguiling stage acts, rides, games, delicious edibles and ales abound. The fesitivies will transpire each weekend at the Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area; procureth day or season passes in advance by visiting ye olde online box office. And no, we can’t stop talking like this.

For dinner and a movie, all in one, just follow the food trucks. During the spring, summer and fall, Street Food Cinema throws together a series of outdoor parties—usually alfresco, sometimes in a drive-in format—that include screenings of some of our favorite movies, paired with an assortment of gourmet food trucks and even a live music performance from a cool local band. The screenings are held in venues across L.A. and alternate from week to week, so make sure to check the schedule. Some of the outdoor venues are dog-friendly, allowing you to bring your four-legged cinema lover along.

See more of this season’s outdoor movie screenings in L.A.