October 2018 events calendar for Los Angeles

For dinner and a movie, all in one, just follow the food trucks. During the summer and fall, Street Food Cinema throws together a series of mostly outdoor parties 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. New this year are two overnight camping events that extend the movie screening into a fun summer camp experience for grown-ups. 

The San Bernardino rave scene injects itself with a bit of Halloween flair at this annual music fest. Insomniac Events—the group behind EDC and the Wonderland series—is setting up four stages at the NOS Events Center; past headliners include Tiësto, Kaskade, Four Tet and more. Explore the grounds to find mazes alongside ominous artwork and freak show performers.

Nick Cave hasn’t lost his flair for the down-and-dirty fury that defined his early work with the Birthday Party, which is evident on his band’s 2016 release, Skeleton Tree, as well as at his live shows—can you name another 50-year-old man you’d like to hear describe a case of the “No Pussy Blues?” Check out the cult-favorite, Aussie alt-rockers.

Make your way to the desert for the Joshua Tree Music Festival, a gathering of like-minded indie musicians who will be rocking out to a dance-world-electro-funk’n groove. The biannual festival is a four-day party with over 30 bands in a unique lineup of artists who aren’t necessarily household names. There’s free water to all patrons, no service charges on tickets and yoga classes aplenty.

Far from those kid-friendly rides through a pumpkin patch, this hayride unleashes all sorts of demons, and bogeys on Griffith Park. It's an actual hayride—a long one—paired with a "scary-go-round" for wee ones (and 'fraidy cats), a number of scare zones and a pitch black maze filled with "demons and maniacs," and probably lots of frisky teenagers. This year, the attraction celebrates its 10th anniversary, so be prepared for an even more epic night that will haunt your nightmares to come. RECOMMENDED: Behind the scares at the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride

Indulge your inner foodie and shopaholic at this weekly food-focused market. The Brooklyn export has landed in the Arts District and become a hotbed of fantastic food and retail vendors, with some that are testing out their dishes before launching a full-blown brick-and-mortar in the city. Bonus: there is plentiful (and free, for two hours!) parking in the nearby parking garage. 

The newest flea market on the block, the Venice outpost of this artisan/craft-focused flea market mini-empire is bringing records, vintage and vintage-inspired clothing, cosmetics, jewelry and more to the Westminster Avenue Elementary School. A handful of small batch confectioners provide sweet treats to snack on or take home, while food trucks and nearby restaurants provide heartier bites. Though relatively small in size, owing perhaps to its prime location bookending the neighborhood’s famed Abbot Kinney stretch, vendors hawk a diverse range of hand-made and expertly curated wares that seems to simultaneously fit in and stand out in one of the nation’s most unusual neighborhoods.

Want to admire the moon and constellations up close, but don’t have your own powerful telescope at home? Not to worry, Griffith Observatory has you covered with their popular (and free) monthly Public Star Parties. Head out to the Observatory’s expansive lawn among hundreds of other star enthusiasts and check out the views through a wide variety of telescopes, with savvy amateur astronomers happy to discuss what you see through their equipment. The views of celestial objects above and L.A.’s majestic city lights below make this a special evening for the whole family.

Silver Lake's legit little music venue offers up some of the best local music in the city every Monday night... for free. Check out LA bands that are about to make it big (acts like Fitz & the Tantrums, Superhumanoids and even Local Natives have graced the residency stage) without spending a dime—well, except on maybe a beer, or a round for the folks onstage. Check the Satellite calendar to see who's on the bill each month. Acts often have a rotating cast of openers, so you can see different bands each week while watching the main act work on material, become more comfortable onstage and find their rhythm as the month goes on. Then a few years from now, you can say "I saw them when...."

It's free music every Monday when sponsored, up-and-coming local bands call the Echo stage home for a one-month stint, honing their stage presence and giving various opening acts a chance at the spotlight as well. If you're worried a Monday night will fill up to capacity, you can RSVP on the Echo website for VIP entry. When a band is on its third or fourth Monday and killing it, this is a pretty convenient way to make sure you're in on the action.

The San Bernardino rave scene injects itself with a bit of Halloween flair at this annual music fest. Insomniac Events—the group behind EDC and the Wonderland series—is setting up four stages at the NOS Events Center; past headliners include Tiësto, Kaskade, Four Tet and more. Explore the grounds to find mazes alongside ominous artwork and freak show performers.

Nick Cave hasn’t lost his flair for the down-and-dirty fury that defined his early work with the Birthday Party, which is evident on his band’s 2016 release, Skeleton Tree, as well as at his live shows—can you name another 50-year-old man you’d like to hear describe a case of the “No Pussy Blues?” Check out the cult-favorite, Aussie alt-rockers.

Make your way to the desert for the Joshua Tree Music Festival, a gathering of like-minded indie musicians who will be rocking out to a dance-world-electro-funk’n groove. The biannual festival is a four-day party with over 30 bands in a unique lineup of artists who aren’t necessarily household names. There’s free water to all patrons, no service charges on tickets and yoga classes aplenty.

There was a time when Donald Glover was just a sitcom star who released clever, embarrassingly confessional rap tracks under a moniker devised by a Wu-Tang Clan name generator. These days, he’s the creator of genre-defying FX show Atlanta, a part of the Star Wars universe (as young Lando Calrissian) and the creative voice behind the striking music video for his latest track, “This is America.” On tour behind his not-yet-titled “final” album, Glover will be joined by Mississippi hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd and Long Beach rapper Vince Staples.

It’s an event, to say the least, when the world’s biggest cartoon band brings its chart-topping show to town. Murdoc & Co. are of course helmed by Damon Albarn and cult cartoon artist Jamie Hewlett, with a cast of impressive (as in, spit-out-your-drink-impressive) collaborators. For the band’s Demon Dayz Festival, they’ve recruited Erykah Badu, The Internet, DRAM and others.

It was a dark and stormy night for three siblings—and for the audience members gathered around them. Written by Rattlestick Playwrights Theater’s Daniel Talbott, this piece is described as part ghost story, part memory play.

A baker must create a cake for her daughter, who comes home to marry a woman. Will Mom rise to the occasion? Debra Jo Rupp (That ’70s Show) stars in this world premiere by writer Bekah Brunstetter (Switched at Birth). Head to the Echo Theater Company at Atwater Village Theatre to catch the must-see production this season, which runs through August 6. 

When a woman loses her twin sister, a strange business puts her in touch with a dying man. Their story leads into the afterlife in this magical-realism world premiere by José Rivera, inspired by Dante’s Inferno. Jo Bonney directs.

Spend a night in an Altadena cemetery as you're led across the grounds for two spooky theatrical productions. Wicked Lit stages classic horror stories and invites a limited number of patrons to experience the immersive performances each night. This year's stories include The Chimes: A Goblin Story and the word premiere of Teig O'Kane and the Corpse.

Layoffs, promotions and strikes threaten to tear apart fellow factory workers who have spent their workdays and free time together. Written by Lynn Nottage (Intimate Apparel). Lisa Peterson (Electricidad) directs.

Before vampires dressed in designer clothes and looked like Robert Pattinson, silent film director F.W. Murnau created the classic German expressionist retelling of every kid's favorite campfire tale. Settle into the Walt Disney Concert Hall for a screening and live score of the film from organist Clark Wilson on Halloween night.