November 2026 events calendar for Los Angeles

The L.A. Zoo’s annual Halloween celebration includes two weekends of spooky decor and up-close-and-personal interactions with some of the zoo’s creepiest crawlers. Look out for trick-or-treating, a spooky storytime, education stations, slime from Sloomoo Institute and photo ops. The animals will get in on the Halloween action, too, with pumpkin feedings scheduled a couple of times a day.

Celebrate Day of the Dead at the end of Route 66 with this two-day art installation surrounding the Santa Monica Pier’s historic carousel, which will be decked out in marigolds and papel picado during the free, family-friendly event. Sunday’s celebration will start with an Aztec blessing and parade beginning at the west end of the pier—Día de los Muertos attire is encouraged—followed by a blessing of the ofrendas in the carousel building, ballet folklorico performances and live music. (Specifics of Saturday’s programming have yet to be announced.) In addition to altars made by local artist Sylvia Sanchez, there will also be a community altar, and attendees can pay tribute to loved ones who’ve passed away by sharing stories and photographs of their favorite Pier memories. This year’s event in particular pays tribute to Pedro Infante, a central figure in the golden age of Mexican cinema.

There’s no shortage of pop culture conventions, but not many local ones can rival the annual Los Angeles Comic Con—which turns 15 this year. The convention draws thousands of comic fans to Downtown L.A. for an epic three-day expo. This year, expect comic book and TV panels, anime screenings and celebrity appearances from pop culture royalty: Nic Cage, Hayden Christensen, Aaron Paul, Bob Odenkirk, Krysten Ritter, Christopher Lloyd, Rosario Dawson, Rainn Wilson and more. Make sure to come in costume for the cosplay contest, and bring the kids for trick-or-treating between booths on Halloween afternoon.

Back for more after a farewell tour a few years back, the legendary rock band returns to town for two nights at the Hollywood Bowl. Billed as “Aerosmith & Friends,” the show has assembled quite the lineup of collaborators, including Guns N’ Roses, the Black Crowes, Run DMC, Heart, Billy Idol, Tom Morello, Sammy Hagar, members of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Alice in Chains, plus quite a few more folks. Note that the lineup will vary by night.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts hosts its first Family Fest of the season on November 1 with a free celebration of Día de los Muertos that will teach kids about the holiday with interactive activities. Guests of all ages can hear stories from Lil’ Libros authors, build their own altars during workshops from Self Help Graphics, get their faces painted with Day of the Dead–inspired designs, listen to music from Mariachi Tierra del Sol Juvenil de Los Angeles, and learn traditional dance styles from Everybody Dance LA. Santa Monica’s Cayton Children’s Museum will pop up, too, with “Guiding Spirits With Tissue Paper Marigolds,” an activation that encourages creativity and self-expression.

Peruse altars in the plaza of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument at this Day of the Dead celebration, which incorporates pre-Columbian, Aztec, Mayan and Catholic traditions. Expect plenty of festive wares from the merchants on Olvera Street, along with altars that go on display each morning and a candlelight procession every night for nine nights. Stop by during weekends for face painting (for a fee) and theatrical performances. And on Halloween, there’ll be a 5K race through the area, which you can register for here.

South Coast Botanic Garden’s adorable dog-walking hours jump from a once-a-month treat to an every-weekend affair just during the month of October at Dogtoberfest. In addition to dog-friendly walking paths, the garden throws a bunch of Oktoberfest-style activities into the mix. For the humans, you’ll find beer stations along a Pup Crawl throughout the garden, as well as on the main lawn. That’s where you’ll find the bulk of the programming, too, including live music from Die Sauerkrauts, plus stein-holding, pretzel-tossing and yodeling contests. For the pups, expect training obstacles along the garden pathway and races on the lawn. As for the beer aspect, a VIP ticket gets you a flight of beer (or root beer) samples, a full-size beer, a pretzel necklace and a few other small perks. New this year is the dog VIP ticket, which comes with a free “dog beer” tasting (who knew that existed?), a treat, a photo of your pet and access to the VIP Top Dog Zone, complete with splash pads and doggie pools.

For a Day of the Dead day trip, head to Catalina Island for its art and history museum’s eighth annual celebration of Día de los Muertos. Bring the family for a colorful celebration of life and death with live music and performances, kids’ art projects, local food vendors and tequila tastings for the grown-ups. The free event is popular, so they ask that you RSVP ahead of time.

SoCal’s most recognizable cemetery chain—we’re not the only ones who think it’s strange that’s a thing, right?—is honoring the dead with Día de los Muertos celebrations at four of its locations. The Glendale, Cypress, Covina Hills and Cathedral City locations all host festivities complete with altars, six-foot-tall Catrinas, hand-painted alebrijes, folklorico dance and mariachi performances—and even Bob Baker Marionette performances at the first three locations. Cathedral City hosts its celebration on the following evening, November 2 (5–8pm).

Pasadena’s own indie-folk queen Phoebe Bridgers plays a few homecoming shows at Intuit Dome. Like her preview event at Madison Square Garden, these Halloween-time dates on “The Lost Tour”—her final shows on the U.S. leg of the tour—are phone-free events; all phones, smart watches and accessories will need to be secured in Yondr pouches.

You’ve heard “Pinball Wizard” approximately a million times. But now see it all play out onstage when The Who’s Tommy comes to the Pantages. A dazzling new production of Pete Townshend’s groundbreaking 1969 rock opera will be performed in L.A. October 27 to November 15, introducing a whole new generation to the deaf, blind and mute boy who nonetheless “sure plays a mean pinball.” Expect powerhouse vocals, explosive choreography and enough rock ’n’ roll bombast to shake the chandeliers. Sadly, the baked beans choreo is strictly in the movie adaptation.

This Denver-originated Halloween attraction returns to SoCal with over 10,000 thousand hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns lining a mile-long pathway at the beautiful South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes. This year’s event adds a whimsical circus scene, a Día de los Muertos tribute and an under-the-sea display. Pumpkin light shows, bounce pads, inflatables and festive food complete the family-friendly experience.

Head to Gloria Molina Grand Park for a two-week display of over a dozen altars created by professional artists and community organizations. On November 1, the event closes with Noche de los Muertos, which will feature cultural performances, local artisans selling goods at a mercado, and more family-friendly activities. All of the festivities are free.

This traveling horror-themed Halloween cocktail pop-up stops at Melrose Umbrella Co. again this October. The women-owned concept—created by industry veterans Erin Hayes and Kelsey Ramage—is taking over the Beverly Grove bar, serving up expertly mixed cocktails amid metal music and spooky decor (including the famous 12-foot-tall skeleton from Home Depot). Drink highlights include the Bone Temple, made with Teremana Blanco Tequila, and Abyssa’s Obsession, made with pumpkin-infused Kraken Black and Gold Spiced Rums—plus fun glassware you can purchase for yourself. Spirit-free options are also available. And if you can’t get enough Black Lagoon, there’s another SoCal outpost at Midnight Oil in Long Beach.

Cole Escola’s gleefully irreverent comedy—a hilariously anachronistic historical burlesque about Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to her husband’s assassination—is the funniest play in years. The touring production hits Downtown L.A.’s Ahmanson Theatre this fall, with Alaska Thunderfuck in the title role. Check out our full five-star review of its Broadway run.

Are you listening? The anthemic Jimmy Eat World pairs up with reunited indie pop darlings the Format for this celebration of two aughts classics, Bleed American and Dog Problems, at the Hollywood Bowl.

The University Park theater’s 21st annual Day of the Dead block party includes a bunch of outdoor musical performances; La Sonora Show and Banda la Fastidiosa are on the lineup, as well as Aztec dance troupe Huitzilopochtli and ballet folklórico group Sol de Fuego, plus a procession led by ceremonial dancers. Also on offer at the lively celebration are carnival rides, homemade tamales, craft booths and more. 

Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme headlines this benefit show at the Wiltern for the Sweet Stuff Foundation and CORE. In case the whole “doing good” part isn’t enough motivation for you, the stellar lineup sure might be: The evening includes appearances and performances by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Justin Willman, Norah Jones, Beck, St. Vincent, the Kills, Michael Shuman, Troy Van Leeuwen, Chad Smith, John McEnroe, Andrew Watt, Bill Burr, Sarah Silverman, Dean Delray and Dan Soder, plus an award presented by Jack Black.

An evolution of the long-running Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk, the newly dubbed DTLA Artnight finds dozens of Downtown businesses opening their doors to art lovers on the first Thursday of every month, when over 25 galleries will debut new exhibitions. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure kind of experience, but if you start at Emerging Gallery (125 E 4th St), you can pick up a map of all the participating spots. MOCA even joins the fun, as the cultural event has expanded from the Historic Core to Grand Avenue.

Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! Composer Daniel Pemberton leads a 70-piece orchestra and choir at the Dolby Theatre in this live score of Project Hail Mary, the soaring Ryan Gosling–starring space epic.

It’s hard to imagine a lovelier setting than the Huntington’s rose garden in bloom. Add in live music provided by the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, and there’s no better place to spend a Monday afternoon. Wander among the blooms while solo and duo performers share their strings skills on violin, cello and guitar. Admission is included with your $29 Huntington ticket.

It feels like Oktoberfest all year round at Silver Lake’s long-running Red Lion Tavern, but it’s especially festive in the fall, when it celebrates the Bavarian tradition all the way through mid-November. Order the Oktoberfest platter—an epic array of pretzels, brats, schnitzel and sides—alongside a four-liter boot of beer. You’ll also find live music and stein-holding contests on select nights. Check the bar’s Instagram for programming updates.

Slow down and soak in the magic of the woods during these guided, moonlit forest walks at the Arboretum, inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin yoku, which is said to boost immune strength, reduce stress and improve cognitive function. Each after-hours meditative walk starts just before sunset and wraps up underneath the full moon with herbal tea.

Co-organized with Warner Bros. Archives, this immersive exhibition explores the world-building of Ryan Coogler’s record-breaking and Oscar-winning film Sinners. Centered around the film’s iconic Club Juke sequence, it uses music as an ancestral thread to trace Black cultural memory and the Great Migration from the Mississippi Delta to California. Featured artifacts include original film costumes for Michael B. Jordan’s Smoke and Stack, the Club Juke sign and Sammie “Preacher Boy” Moore’s guitar. On your way out, stop by the interactive installation “Sounds That Carry Us,” where visitors can reflect on their own musical memories.

Downey’s annual Day of the Dead celebration returns to the city’s center, where over 25,000 guests are expected. The sprawling free festival typically features art exhibits by Latinx artists, crafts, face painting, a chalk walk, live entertainment across three stages, food trucks and a beer and wine garden. Kids can enjoy storytimes and puppet shows, and decorate their own sugar skulls. And, of course, there are altars: Besides a community altar, you’ll find altars displayed on and in classic cars, a pet altar and shoebox altars.

Catch Curtis Cook, Brandie Posey, Rick Wood and John Michael Bond host this free comedy show on Wednesday nights at Hollywood’s Y2K-inspired Zero Lounge. The event coincides with the bar’s daily 7-to-10pm happy hour, so hang out for a bit and garnish your comedy with a cocktail or mocktail.

Rossoblu may be saying goodbye forever as it prepares to close its doors November 1, but that doesn't mean it’s not throwing one hell of a farewell bash—twice! Before chef Steve Samson permanently closes his Downtown L.A. restaurant, he’s inviting some of his favorite culinary collaborators into the kitchen for two family-style dinners. The October 27 lineup includes Gilberto Cetina of Holbox, Josiah Citrin of Mélisse, Neal Fraser of Redbird, Ray Garcia of Broken Spanish Comedor, Suzanne Goin of A.O.C. and David LeFevre of the Arthur J. On November 17, Dave Beran, Maynard Llera, Brad Mathews, Phil Pretty and Jon Yao take over for round two. Both multi-course feasts cost $250 per person, with 10 percent of proceeds benefiting the Independent Hospitality Coalition. One last excuse to eat very, very well at Rossoblu.

Your online obsessions head IRL during this music, comedy and podcast-filled festival in Irvine. For You Fest features a who’s who of online personalities at Great Park on November 14 and 15. Quenlin Blackwell, Owen Thiele, Tana Mongeau, Trisha Paytas and Caleb Hearon and Drew Afualo top the conversation-focused part of the lineup, and a DJ set from Trixie Mattel leads the music stage, with additional performances from Meg Stalter, Rebecca Black and many more. Expect meet and greets, a trend-driven marketplace and a food and beverage village to round out the offerings.

Every October, Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group hosts a chilling series of vignettes that’s been named one of Yelp’s top 10 scariest haunts in the country. Armed with a shoddy flashlight to illuminate their path, guests navigate a labyrinth of terror both before and after watching a series of shocking scenes (over the course of roughly 40 minutes) that will unsettle even the most stoic of horror fans. The haunted house-slash-theater experience has been scaring audiences for over 20 years in its North Hollywood theater, and this year’s event is being touted as “bigger and badder than ever.”

See the marionette theater’s family-friendly take on Halloween during the two-month return of its Hallowe’en Spooktacular—a refurbished production of its long-running “boo-sical revue” where you can see over 100 silly and spooky puppets take the stage. A newer addition is the Día de los Muertos sequence that pays tribute to the holiday. Once October arrives, each show will include a costume parade, so dressing up is encouraged.

Time to dance away the sadness to the beat of a whole lot of drum machines: Darker Waves is bringing a bunch of ’80s new wave, post punk and alternative rock legends to Huntington Beach. Morrissey and Smashing Pumpkins top the lineup, with additional sets from Simple Minds, Bad Religion, Adam Ant, the Psychedlic Furs, Soft Cell and more, including some more contemporary picks like Silversun Pickups, Cold Cave and Mariachi El Bronx.

Boyle Heights–adjacent gallery and community center Self Help Graphics & Art has presented this Day of the Dead celebration for over half a century. And though its brick-and-mortar location is currently under renovation until 2027, SHG will still stage its annual tradition outside of the gallery as it prepares for its homecoming. The event will begin with a procession at Mariachi Plaza (1:45pm), where Danza Azteca Chicomecoatl will lead an animated procession to the nearby arts center, which will host a big outdoor block party with local food and craft vendors, altars, face painting, drop-in workshops and live entertainment—including sets by Los Lobos, La Santa Cecilia and Chulita Vinyl Club LA. Look out for some themed, family-friendly art workshops in the lead-up to the event, too, at the East L.A. County Library (Oct 24, 31: noon–3pm).

A favorite of in-the-know shoppers, MAUM Market is returning to ROW DTLA. 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.

L.A.’s star-studded lecture series returns—both virtually and in person—with a lineup of writers, artists, performers, scientists and business leaders who will graciously blow your mind. For both online and IRL events, you’ll often have the option of purchasing a signed copy of the speaker’s book, as well. Highlights from the upcoming month include evenings with Andy Serkis (Nov 6) and Andy Richter (Nov 19).

“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. 

With its tongue exercise of a title, the Tyler, the Creator–curated hip-hop fest returns to Dodger Stadium for two days of live tunes, carnival rides, games, food trucks and more. The lineup for the 12th edition of the carnival Turnstile, Steve Lacy, Future and Don Toliver, plus a performance from Tyler himself.

Organized by New York’s Museum of Modern Art and presented by the Hammer Museum, the MoMA Contenders series presents 10 influential, innovative films made in the past year that MoMA’s Department of Film believes are bound for big things. In addition to screenings of all 10 films, most are normally accompanied by a post-screening discussion with some of the creatives involved in the project. This year’s picks include I Want Your Sex (writer Araki), Obsession, Project Hail Mary (directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller), All of a Sudden (writer-director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi), Possible Love (director Lee Dhang-dong), The Invite, La ola negra, Once Upon a Time in Harlem and Clarissa. More special guests will be announced soon.

Street Food Cinema has put together a series of outdoor holiday screenings in the closest thing to a Dickensian town square in L.A.: Heritage Square. In between Victorian home tours, piano sing-alongs, strolls through a light tunnel and sips on hot chocolate and mulled wine, you can catch screenings—many of them double features—of flicks like Elf, Home Alone, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol and more. Just make sure to bundle up in your best Christmas sweater.

The masters of alfresco movie viewing are keeping outdoor screening season alive with a slate of holiday favorites. Its Fireside Films series ensures you’ll stay cozy, with outdoor heaters and a complimentary hot beverage with each ticket. Expect a steady stream of festive picks (Elf, Home Alone, The Holiday), mixed with local favorites (La La Land, Friday) and recent releases (Project Hail Mary, Michael), throughout November and December. There’s even a Gilmore Girls marathon November 10 and a Friendsgiving event November 25.

This returning fest from industry titans Insomniac takes four stages of trance music to the Queen Mary waterfront—including the new Long Beach Amphitheater. For this year’s fest, you’ll find the likes of Above & Beyond, Paul van Dyk, Ferry Corsten and Marsh, Dash Berlin, Aly & Fila, Vini Vici, Infected Mushroom, Artbat and Enrico Sangiuliano.

Billing itself as “Orange County’s biggest party since 1977,” the Old World Oktoberfest promises enough beers, brats and bands to make you feel like you’re in Munich—albeit with better ocean views. Every Wednesday through Sunday between September 12 and November 8, this re-created Bavarian village will offer a sausage-filled menu, oompah and German bands, a biergarten, dancing and more. While Old World’s Oktoberfest is 21-plus with a cover charge on Friday and Saturday evenings, it’s open to families and revelers of all ages on Saturday afternoons and other nights. (Entry is free on Wednesday and Thursday nights, as well as Saturday afternoons, just book ahead online.)

Head to the mountains for the annual Oktoberfest at Big Bear Lake, where you’ll be able to clink steins every weekend from September to early November. Beer will be flowing, knockwursts will be cooked up, and dirndls will be worn. The entertainment lineup includes numerous bands—many straight from Germany—and other performances, and one lucky damsel will be named the Oktoberfest Queen when she wins the stein-carrying contest. Others can test their skills with free log-sawing, stein-holding and chugging competitions.

Perhaps the Los Angeles area’s most iconic flea market, this event around the exterior of the Rose Bowl is staggeringly colossal. The sheer size and scale of this flea market means that it encompasses multitudes: new and old, hand-crafted and salvaged, the cheap and the costly. On the second Sunday of each month, an odd mix of vendors populates the loop around the stadium: for every eye-catching artwork, there’s a ratty $5 T-shirt, and for each elegant craft there’s a competing “as seen on TV” demo. But you may have more luck in the rows and rows of old furniture, albums and vintage clothes and accessories that fill the adjacent 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 her Social and Public Art Resource Center team are the center of a new exhibition at the Skirball, where you can see recently completed mural sections focused on the 1960s—in particular the Civil Rights Movement—that soon will be part of the larger work.

Following the wildly successful first edition of her Daisy Chain Fields music festival, Olivia Rodrigo is stepping into the spotlight at the Grammy Museum, where a new two-part exhibition is devoted to the pop star. Running through February 22, 2027, “Olivia Rodrigo: the cure unraveled” features an exclusive look at the handcrafted hospital sets, costumes, props, stop-motion animatronics and original artwork from the singer’s music video for single “the cure.” Meanwhile, “note by note,” the second installment, which opens September 25, offers a journey through the prolific singer’s career so far, with outfits and accessories spanning all three of her album cycles and two world tours, plus items fresh from the Daisy Chain Fields grounds.

Face your fears and head to the Natural History Museum’s Spider Pavilion, where you can observe several hundred orbweaver spiders in a living exhibit just outside of the museum. Scared the spiders might be hard to spot in the wild? Fret not. In previous iterations, we’ve spotted ones about the size of an adult’s palm. Gulp. (But don’t worry: The scariest ones—from tarantulas to wolf spiders—are in enclosed habitats.) 

Admire suspended sheets of textiles—including the metallic ones that would be incorporated into the curtains at the new David Geffen Galleries—along with colorful sketches and a recreation of Tokyo store NUNO at LACMA’s showcase of pioneering textile designer Reiko Sudō.

Five photographers who pushed their medium in new directions in the second half of the 20th century present their unique takes on the city in this Getty Center show. Influenced by techniques including social documentary practices, staged scenes and fashion, the photographs of Laura Aguilar, Reynaldo Rivera, George Rodriguez, Patssi Valdez and Ricardo Valverde expanded Chicano and Chicana representation in Los Angeles.

“Somehow it’s a happier ending than I thought it would be—it felt so bleak,” Tacita Dean says of crafting this tribute to the then-fading format of analog film back in 2011. But now in the year of The Odyssey, Dean’s commission for the Tate Modern—restaged here at the Marciano Art Foundation’s cavernous theater gallery—feels like a triumphant touting of film’s resurgence: An 11-minute-long collage (all of the cutouts were achieved in camera) plays out on a vertically-oriented reel of 35mm film. Make sure to head up to the mezzanine viewpoint to peek into the projection booth. The show coincides with Pierre Leguillon’s selection of old advertisements that feature prominent artists promoting commercial brands, with presentations created for both the ground-floor library and the second-floor gallery.

The Skirball’s Jack Kirby exhibition may be over, but the museum has followed it up with this expansive look at how comics came to dominate pop culture. Many of the creators of the medium were immigrants and outsiders—including Jewish Americans—who poured their experiences with struggle, aspiration and reinvention into their work. From the Great Depression through Y2K, comics reflected the national moment and in the process actually helped shape American identity. On display, you’ll find original artwork and artifacts relating to beloved comic book characters, from superheroes like Superman and Black Panther to comedic classics like Little Lulu, Archie and Alfred E. Neuman. The exhibition does a great job of tracing the entire history of the medium in an accessible and engaging way, and should satisfy both comic book lovers and history buffs alike.

Just in time for silver screen starlet Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, the Academy Museum is presenting a centennial celebration dedicated to the woman and her work, offering a look at the actress beyond her blond bombshell persona. In addition to posters, portraits, letters and rarely seen personal items—including decor from Monroe’s Brentwood home and the star’s makeup products—highlights from the exhibition include screen-worn costumes. Particularly noteworthy are the scandalous-at-the-time beaded dresses from Some Like It Hot and the rarely exhibited famous pink dress Monroe wore in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes—which is a show-stopper in a glitzy room of its own.

This L.A.-centric exhibition looks at the Declaration of Independence’s promise of life, liberty and happiness, and how that promise has been fulfilled—or not—throughout the city’s development. Told via the stories of diverse Angelenos alongside historical and contemporary objects, media and art, the show “invites you to step into a conversation that has been shaping Los Angeles for over two hundred years.” 

Do you get a little thrill every time you go to the Beverly Hills Hotel? You have architect Paul R. Williams to thank, even if you might not know the name. This exhibition at the USC Fisher Museum of Art aims to fix that. “Paul R. Williams: An Architect Considered” specifically spotlights the visionary architect’s multifamily housing projects through original drawings, photographs and plans, juxtaposed with new commissions by contemporary artists and architects. The message is clear: Williams didn’t just shape Los Angeles; he imagined a more livable version of it, one gorgeous building at a time. Complementary Williams exhibitions at LACMA and the Getty Center will open later in the year.

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 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.

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. 

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.

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.

Thanksgiving in Los Angeles can be tough like an overcooked turkey—especially if you're without plans. Make sure that doesn't happen with our Thanksgiving guide.