October 2019 events calendar for Los Angeles
Plan your month with our October 2019 events calendar of the best activities, including free things to do, Halloween festivals and our favorite fall concerts
While fall foliage is sparse in L.A., the there’s no shortage of Halloween spirit. It’s October, so there are precious few weeks left to hit up costume stores and stockpile some of the best Halloween candy. If Halloween isn’t really your holiday, then celebrate the end of summertime crowds and enjoy one of the best hikes in L.A. Regardless, you’ll find something to do among the street fairs, Halloween parties and other fun festivals in L.A. in our October events calendar.
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Hot Tub with Kurt and Kristen
Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler host their variety show, Hot Tub, every Monday night at the Virgil. Expect a fresh, oddball lineup each week of stand-up comics, sketch performances and new music.
Street Food Cinema
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.
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend aren’t phoneys. Firstly, they chose their name before the whole prepubescent Twilight craze kicked off. What’s more, they all studied musicology, making them that rare thing on today’s rock scene: a band who know their shit. Their music, a hybrid of pop, rock and South African influences which they’ve dubbed ‘Upper West Side Soweto’, certainly reveals a careful craft and intelligence. See them play the Bowl in support of their latest record, Father of the Bride.
The Who
The Who—that is, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, some other musicians and two very prominent ghosts—come to town on their “Moving On!” tour. Despite the name, though, this isn’t a farewell scenario; instead, the band is pegging this as a new chapter, with their first new album in over a decade due out as well. See them during a pair of orchestra-backed shows at the Hollywood Bowl.
Van Morrison
The great bard of Irish R&B turns up for a show at the Hollywood Bowl. You never know what you’re going to get from a Van gig—or what mood the famously prickly singer-songsmith will turn up in—but he remains one of the least contrived performers of his generation. While Morrison’s vocals might have diminished over the years, his penchant for thrilling improvisational risk remains very much intact.
Free
Artists & Fleas Venice
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.
Asssscat
Every Saturday and Sunday, the UCB franchise’s longest-running, most beloved showcase starts when a base cast of the theater’s current top-brass—including founding UCB members Matt Walsh, Matt Besser and Ian Roberts—takes the stage. Then they introduce the surprise celebrity alumnae and friends who will be joining them (think Horatio Sanz, Ben Schwartz, Adam Pally). And finally, another special guest takes the stage, a non-improviser (think Flea, Cat Power, Rebel Wilson, Lena Dunham) who opens the show with a personal story, that’s deftly mined for laughs by the players. But you have to go to find out who’s there—that’s part of the fun. Looking for a cheap night out? Sunday shows are free, but seating is first-come, first-served, so be sure to arrive early.
So Cal Corgi Beach Day
Is it the stumpy legs? The size-too-big ears? The woolly rump? Whatever the cause, we love corgis, and so do the devoted dog owners at So Cal Corgi Nation. This semiannual meetup often invades the Huntington Dog Beach (100 Goldenwest St), just north of the southern entrance by Tower 22, but make sure to check the event's Facebook page for the latest location. RECOMMENDED: The cutest corgis at Corg-A-Palooza
‘Bauhaus Beginnings’
Dive into the founding principles of the influential German art school at this Getty Research Institute exhibition, which includes over 250 rare prints, drawings, collages, notebooks and ephemera from the Bauhaus’s founding and early years.
Concerts
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend aren’t phoneys. Firstly, they chose their name before the whole prepubescent Twilight craze kicked off. What’s more, they all studied musicology, making them that rare thing on today’s rock scene: a band who know their shit. Their music, a hybrid of pop, rock and South African influences which they’ve dubbed ‘Upper West Side Soweto’, certainly reveals a careful craft and intelligence. See them play the Bowl in support of their latest record, Father of the Bride.
The Who
The Who—that is, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, some other musicians and two very prominent ghosts—come to town on their “Moving On!” tour. Despite the name, though, this isn’t a farewell scenario; instead, the band is pegging this as a new chapter, with their first new album in over a decade due out as well. See them during a pair of orchestra-backed shows at the Hollywood Bowl.
Van Morrison
The great bard of Irish R&B turns up for a show at the Hollywood Bowl. You never know what you’re going to get from a Van gig—or what mood the famously prickly singer-songsmith will turn up in—but he remains one of the least contrived performers of his generation. While Morrison’s vocals might have diminished over the years, his penchant for thrilling improvisational risk remains very much intact.
Morrissey + Interpol
Oh, this charming man! British national treasure Morrissey brings his Smiths and solo hits to OC, with support from moody aughts post-punk band Interpol.
Jonas Brothers
Nope, you haven’t traveled back in time: Nick, Joe and Kevin are back with their first album in a decade and this headlining gig at the Hollywood Bowl, with support from Bebe Rexha and Jordan McGraw.