October 2026 events calendar for Los Angeles

It’s been almost a decade since 24K Magic, but its foot-tapping facsimile of ’70s funk, ’80s disco-pop and ’90s R&B still hasn’t lost its sheen, and we’re betting that Mars’s party tunes will still have enough funk to get you uptown—or to SoFi Stadium, where Mars is stopping for four nights in October on his Romantic Tour. The outing marks the singer’s first global headline tour since his 24K Magic World Tour (though L.A. was treated to a couple of shows in summer 2024 when he christened Intuit Dome as its first performer). Opening the shows will be Raye and Mars’s Silk Sonic collaborator, Anderson .Paak, who’ll perform as DJ Pee .Wee. 

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 is even joining the fun this time around as the cultural event expands from the Historic Core to Grand Avenue. Head to the museum for a free exhibition tour at 5pm.

Each fall for the past 20 years, the Getty Villa’s Outdoor Classical Theater series has brought a dramatic work to life—often with a unique spin—in the museum’s outdoor, ancient-Greece-style amphitheater. This time around, the Latino Theater Company takes on the tale of the heroine Antigone, setting Sophocles’s story instead in Tenochtitlan, Mexico, and incorporating Aztec mythology. Enjoy the ocean breeze while you dine on concessions like esquites, tortas, tamales and Mexican wedding cookies, then settle in for the show.

To celebrate a decade since their groundbreaking L.A.-based HBO series premiered, creator Issa Rae and showrunner Prentice Penny are launching a 13-city Insecure anniversary live tour alongside their new rewatch podcast, Blocc Party. The tour will fittingly conclude its run in Inglewood on October 8 at the YouTube Theater with candid behind-the-scenes conversations, untold stories and (potential) special appearances from fellow cast members Yvonne Orji, Jay Ellis and Natasha Rothwell.

Listen to classical and jazz in a dome more than a mile above L.A. during this mountaintop concert series curated by artistic director Cécilia Tsan. The Mount Wilson Observatory is once again hosting monthly concerts this summer inside the dome of its 100-inch Hooker telescope—which was the largest telescope in the world for much of the first half of the 20th century. Tickets cost $65 (that also includes access to the exhibit at the observatory), and it’s highly recommended that you buy them in advance since seating is limited. Note: You’ll need to be able to climb 53 steps to reach the dome, and children under 12 aren’t permitted. 

Frogtown Arts’ monthly riverfront event fills the neighborhood with food, arts and crafts, games and music. Start at Salazar and stroll past a dozen participating spots along the river, including Spoke Bicycle Cafe, Lingua Franca, Just What I Kneaded, Justine’s Wine Bar and Frogtown Brewery—about a 30-minute walk in all. Expect gallery exhibitions, music, family-friendly activities, pet adoptions and more. Parking in Frogtown is notoriously hard to come by, so ridesharing is encouraged.

Artist and composer Emmit Fenn turns an Arts District soundstage into a multisensory music experience during this limited-run performance. The phone-free, roughly two-hour event progresses across three environments: a snowy field where you can enjoy tea, the main music space where synchronized lights appear to float atop a darkened pool of water and a post-show gallery with behind-the-scenes imagery.

Walk in James Dean’s footsteps as the Griffith Observatory hosts two special screenings of Rebel Without a Cause—right where key scenes from the movie were filmed. The observatory hosted two sold-out screenings of the film last year in honor of its 70th anniversary, so it’s bringing the popular event back this October. Watch it in the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon theater, snap pictures at themed photo ops, and enjoy free parking and after-hours access to the observatory, which is typically closed on Mondays.

The Bungalow at the oceanfront Fairmont Miramar Hotel is pairing Bavarian fun and beachy vibes at a weekend-long Oktoberfest celebration. Raise a stein of Paulaner or Hefeweizen beer by the sea, and feast on bratwurst, pretzels, käsespätzle, apple strudel and more. Also on offer: tunes from Festmeister Hans und Die Sauerkrauts, plus German pop music, comedy, classic folk games, and men and women’s stein-holding contests. Last year, adult entry was $20, but this year it’s free to get in.