October 2018 events calendar for Los Angeles
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.
RECOMMENDED: Full events calendar for 2018
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Halloween Horror Nights
Confront familiar foes at Universal Studios' annual Halloween festivities, where big-budget scares meet iconic horror movie characters. Navigate eight mazes, scare zones and the "Terror Tram"—last year's tie-ins included The Walking Dead, The Shining, Ash vs. Evil Dead and American Horror Story. This year's theme? The Purge. They do make for some pretty fun walk-throughs, but there's something about that level of corporate partnership that just ceases to be scary for some. See more of the best haunted houses in L.A.
“Photo Ark”
Seasoned photographer and author Joel Sartore has contributed to National Geographic magazine for over two decades. Now, Angelenos will have a chance to see a glimpse of his stunning photos of some of the world’s most threatened species with this selection of 100 large-format prints. Sartore’s Photo Ark project has brought him to over 40 countries to capture portraits of 8,000 species in his quest to catalog all of the world’s animals before they disappear.
Arctic Monkeys
The snotty British garage-rockers return after a four-year hiatus. The ferociously talented quartet headlines with its blend of full-tilt, sinewy rock, which is constantly undergoing sharp-witted evolution.
Dear Evan Hansen
In this captivating original musical, high school student Evan Hansen is thrust into social relevance after a classmate's suicide. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s score combines well-crafted lyrics with an exciting pop sound, and Steven Levenson’s book gives all the characters shaded motives. Read the review of its run on Broadway.
Drake + Migos
Billed as the Aubrey and the Three Amigos Tour, this arena-filling series finds the turtleneck-sweater–wearing, “I fuck with Turrell” rapper teaming up with the ad-libbing trio behind “Bad and Boujee.” Expect the two to at least perform together during “Walk It Talk It.”
Gorillaz
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.
Strut Your Mutt
This isn’t your average dog walk! Best Friends Animal Society’s annual event and fundraiser to help homeless pets is back this year with a walk through Exposition Park and a canine-themed fest. Gather your pack and check out the pet contests, treats and fun for dogs and humans alike, all in support of shelter pets in need. Register now to complete challenges and win cool prizes. Your registration, and anything else you raise, goes to the participating L.A. area shelter or rescue group of your choosing.
Politicon
Politics—on both sides of the aisle—and entertainment collide at this two-day convention. Expect to see live broadcasts, panels, movie screenings, debates, art, book signings, music and comedy at the L.A. Convention Center. Guests include Henry Winkler, Dennis Rodman, Chris Christie, Malcolm Nance, Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, Ana Navarro, Cenk Uygur and more.
6th Annual Vegan Chili Cook-Off
Grab some clothing with a little give and head to Tony's Darts Away, where Artisanal Brewers Collective is hosting their 6th Annual Vegan Chili Cook-Off. Watch five chili champions battle it out to claim the #1 title, and you can taste their all-vegan goods along the way. This year's challengers include Avocadamama, whose plant-based mac and cheese pop-up lights up Highland Park on a weekly basis; Clean South LA, who focuses on vegan comfort foods such as seitan popcorn chicken; Krimsey's Cajun Kitchen, which brings a taste of Louisiana to NoHo with vegan po'boys, beignets and more; Taqueria la Venganza, who normally whips up traditional street tacos, sans animal product; and Word of Mouth, a food truck whose game is plant-based comfort foods like jalapenño poppers and fried Chick'n sandwiches. Judges who'll be tasting this year's chili and crowning a winner include chef Tal Ronnen (Crosscroads), chef Caroline Concha of Beelman's (Artisanal Brewers Collective's DTLA vegan pub) and Maggie Ortlieb, the founder of VegOut. For $10 at the door, spectators get to try five three-ounce samples—and vote in the People's Choice Awards. A portion of proceeds benefit the Freedom + Rescue Project.
Eastside Food Festival
The Eastside Food Festival is back for its fifth year of celebrating the Eastside's food culture. This year's event will feature more than 35 hand-selected vendors serving their best bites, including newcomers Kismet and Otoño, along with returning favorites like Kettle Black, Jeni’s Ice Cream, Homestate, Pine & Crane. Between noshing on food, attendees will be entertained with popular L.A. musicians and DJs, discussion panels, demos and tastings.
Popular
Rooftop Cinema Club
The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing have returned for their fourth season of screenings in Hollywood—and its second in Downtown L.A. Known for excellent film choices and a steady supply of snacks and booze, Rooftop Cinema Club is your snazzy, comfortable and less stressful alternative to other outdoor movie screenings. Taking full advantage of beautiful city views, RCC promises to offer some of the most unique and incredible movie-going opportunities for film lovers throughout 2018. You don’t even need to bring your own blanket or camping chair—Rooftop Cinema Club provides you with your very own comfy lawn chair, as well as blankets on request for the ultimate cozy experience. And instead of listening to the movie over loudspeakers, you’ll get a set of wireless headphones so you never have to miss a word. [Full disclosure: Time Out is the exclusive ticketing partner for Rooftop Cinema Club.]
Cinespia Cemetery Screenings
It isn’t summer in L.A. until the first cemetery screening brings hoards of movie-lovers to Hollywood Forever, toting folding chairs, picnic blankets, snack spreads and lots of booze. Each year, Cinespia brings classic cult favorites to the hallowed resting place of such Hollywood greats as Rudolph Valentino and Bugsy Siegel. This year’s first batch of screenings includes The Neverending Story, Drive, Almost Famous and Casablanca. Angelenos line up for hours to partake in the concept—and to enjoy DJ sets, dance parties, sleepovers and more magical mischief otherwise strictly forbidden behind the cemetery gates. It’s an L.A. rite of passage, a quintessential summer experience and one of the best film venues in the city. Just be sure to get your ticket early, arrive early (doors open at 6:45pm), pee early... it’s getting a bit overcrowded, to say the least.
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. New this year are two overnight camping events that extend the movie screening into a fun summer camp experience for grown-ups.
Escape: Psycho Circus
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 & the Bad Seeds
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.
Free
Smorgasburg LA
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.
Monday night residencies at the Satellite
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...."
Monday night residencies at the Echo
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.
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.
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.
Concerts
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
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.
Escape: Psycho Circus
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.
Arctic Monkeys
The British garage-rockers return after a four-year hiatus. The ferociously talented quartet headlines with its blend of full-tilt, sinewy rock, which is constantly undergoing sharp-witted evolution. Its most recent iteration? Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino, a lauded album loosely themed as a space-age lounge act. Prepare for lift off.
Gorillaz
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.
Spiritualized
Jason Pierce brings his veteran space-rock outfit Spiritualized over from London (not quite the outer reaches of the galaxy, but still).
Theater
What Happened When
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.
The Cake
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.
Wicked Lit
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.
Dear Evan Hansen
In this captivating original musical, high school student Evan Hansen is thrust into social relevance after a classmate's suicide. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s score combines well-crafted lyrics with an exciting pop sound, and Steven Levenson’s book gives all the characters shaded motives. Read the review of its run on Broadway.
Movies
Cinespia Cemetery Screenings
It isn’t summer in L.A. until the first cemetery screening brings hoards of movie-lovers to Hollywood Forever, toting folding chairs, picnic blankets, snack spreads and lots of booze. Each year, Cinespia brings classic cult favorites to the hallowed resting place of such Hollywood greats as Rudolph Valentino and Bugsy Siegel. This year’s first batch of screenings includes The Neverending Story, Drive, Almost Famous and Casablanca. Angelenos line up for hours to partake in the concept—and to enjoy DJ sets, dance parties, sleepovers and more magical mischief otherwise strictly forbidden behind the cemetery gates. It’s an L.A. rite of passage, a quintessential summer experience and one of the best film venues in the city. Just be sure to get your ticket early, arrive early (doors open at 6:45pm), pee early... it’s getting a bit overcrowded, to say the least.
Rooftop Cinema Club
The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing have returned for their fourth season of screenings in Hollywood—and its second in Downtown L.A. Known for excellent film choices and a steady supply of snacks and booze, Rooftop Cinema Club is your snazzy, comfortable and less stressful alternative to other outdoor movie screenings. Taking full advantage of beautiful city views, RCC promises to offer some of the most unique and incredible movie-going opportunities for film lovers throughout 2018. You don’t even need to bring your own blanket or camping chair—Rooftop Cinema Club provides you with your very own comfy lawn chair, as well as blankets on request for the ultimate cozy experience. And instead of listening to the movie over loudspeakers, you’ll get a set of wireless headphones so you never have to miss a word. [Full disclosure: Time Out is the exclusive ticketing partner for Rooftop Cinema Club.]
The Exorcist
Friedkin's film about the possession of a 12-year-old girl works as an essay in suspension of disbelief and on the level of titillatory exploitation. Although harrowing, its effects depend entirely on technical manipulation, and with Friedkin's pedestrian handling of background story and supporting characters, we're left more or less willing the film towards its climax. Sure enough, during the act of exorcism the girl obliges with a spectacular levitation. It would all be forgiveable, somehow, if the film was at all likely to alter anyone's perceptions one jot. But all The Exorcist does is take its audience for a ride, spewing it out the other end, shaken up but none the wiser.
28 Days Later
After breaking into a primate research facility, a group of animal rights activists discover caged chimps chained up before banks of screens displaying horrifying, violent images. Ignoring the warnings of the terrified researcher who maintains that the chimps are infected, they begin to free the animals and are immediately subjected to a bloody attack from the enraged creatures. Twenty-eight days later, Cycle courier Jim awakes from a coma in the deserted intensive care unit of a London hospital. He wanders out into a church where he finds dead bodies piled in heaps on the chapel floor. A sudden explosion from a makeshift bomb heralds the arrival of fellow "survivors" Selina and Mark. They take Jim to safety and explain to him that this infection is transmitted by blood and overwhelms the infected victim with a murderous rage within seconds. Britain has been overrun, and they have no way of knowing if it has spread worldwide. Their only hope of survival may lie in the hands of a Manchester group of soldiers, as they claim to have the "answer" to infection and invite any survivors to join them at their blockade. Faced with no practical alternative, the group sets out northwards, unaware that the worst is yet to come.
Halloween Organ & Film: Nosferatu
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.
