September 2019 events calendar for Los Angeles
Plan your month with our September 2019 events calendar of the best activities, including free things to do, festivals and concerts
September may signal the end of summertime, but you’d never know it with this month’s packed schedule of major events. Start wrapping up your summer playlist and get in one last visit to one of L.A.’s best beaches while the water’s still, relatively speaking, warm. If you’d rather skip town, take advantage of the long Labor Day weekend to squeeze in a weekend getaway. But don’t worry, there’s no shortage of food fests, street fairs and other fun festivals in L.A. in our September events calendar.
RECOMMENDED: Full events calendar for 2019
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‘Light the Barricades’
Before “W|ALLS: Defend, Divide, and the Divine” arrives at the Annenberg Space for Photography, the Century City museum is mounting its first citywide public art installation.
Silence at Descanso
Artistic directors Christopher Rountree and Anna Bulbrook have curated a series of unbounded musical performances at specific sites across the Descanso Gardens grounds.
“Judy Chicago: Los Angeles”
Survey some of the feminist artist’s early works, from her time spent in Los Angeles and Fresno between 1965 and 1972, including a mix of paintings, drawings, sculpture, installations and documentation of Chicago’s environmental and fireworks projects.
Ali Wong
The Fresh Off the Boat scribe and American Housewife co-star attacks the Wiltern for eight nights of stand-up.
Halloween Horror Nights
Confront familiar foes—including ones from Stranger Things—at Universal Studios’ annual Halloween festivities, where big-budget scares meet iconic horror movie characters.
Long Beach Beer Week
The new 10-day festival will feature pours from more than 40 LBC breweries, brewpubs and beer-forward restaurants, not to mention events across the city, like tap takeovers, brewer meet-and-greets, demos, pairing dinners, beer yoga and more.
Art Women Art Week
Partake in a weeklong series of films, panels and pop-ups celebrating women from the swanky rooftop at E.P. & L.P.
Oogie Boogie Bash
Well, well, well, what have we here? The Nightmare Before Christmas’s bug-stuffed sack has taken over the Halloween duties at Disneyland, moving the theme park’s annual after-hours, specially ticketed seasonal event across the way for the debut of Oogie Boogie Bash at California Adventure.
Maggie Rogers
The YouTube sensation has become a bona fide pop star thanks to a transition from delicate folk songs to soulful dance pop.
Welcome to the West Music Festival
Ice Cube, Too Short, Roddy Rich, King Lil G, DJ Quik and others top this hip-hop fest in Ontario. Nipsey Hussle headlined the fest’s inaugural outing, so this second edition will pay tribute to the late rapper’s legacy.
Popular
Art Women Art Week
Partake in a weeklong series of films, panels and pop-ups celebrating women from the swanky rooftop at E.P. & L.P. A subset of Melrose Rooftop Theatre, Art Women Art Week pairs contemporary classic flicks with relevant discussion panels (think an entertainment industry talk paired with A Star is Born or an art panel with Frida). In addition, you’ll find a music video or short film directed by women paired with each screening.
All My Single Friends
Partake in an evening that’s party comedy show and part live dating experience during All My Single Friends. Here’s the gist: All attendees wear a sticker that says whether they’re taken or up for grabs while comedians Avra Friedman and Daliya Karnofsky host interviews with singles and comedians. After the show—and a couple of tequila shots—single attendees jot down who they’re interested in and the hosts reach out on their behalf. Use the promo code BAE for $5 off tickets.
Maggie Rogers
The YouTube sensation has become a bona fide pop star thanks to a transition from delicate folk songs to soulful dance pop.
Silence at Descanso
Artistic directors Christopher Rountree and Anna Bulbrook have curated a series of unbounded musical performances at specific sites across the Descanso Gardens grounds. Each performance explores a different theme, starting with the stacked “Ritual” event on September 7, featuring Zola Jesus, Jonas Baes, Low Leaf, Miya Folick and Saul Williams. The series continues on September 21 with “Light,” featuring Suzanne Ciani and Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and on September 28 with “Listening,” featuring Gloria Cheng, Lisa E. Harris, L’Rain and Julia Holter.
Judd Apatow
Long before he was Hollywood's go-to comedy director, he was a kid from Long Island trying to make it in stand-up. Look out for his pop-in appearances at the Comedy Store, or grab tickets for one of his “Judd Apatow & Friends” shows at Largo.
Free
Museum Day
In the spirit of Smithsonian Museums, which offer free admission every day, Museum Day is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian magazine in which participating museums across the country open their doors to anyone presenting a Museum Day ticket… for free. Frequent participating museums include the Autry Museum of the American West, Japanese American National Museum, GRAMMY Museum, Museum of Latin American Art and more. Want more free museums, more of the time? These L.A. museums offer free admission every single day.
Level 8 Drive-In
The parking garage at the Grove has some surprisingly spectacular city views from its top level, which makes it the perfect spot for this new pop-up drive-in movie theater. On the last Wednesday of the month all summer long, the shopping center is hosting free screenings with designated spaces for cars, as well as plush lounge seats if you decide to Uber over there instead. In addition to complimentary popcorn and soda, you’ll find a famous movie car at each event (think the “Greased Lightning” convertible for Grease and the DeLorean for Back to the Future) thanks to a partnership with the Petersen Automotive Museum and O’Gara Coach. Reservations are already all booked for the first screening, so be sure to step on it for the others.
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.
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.
Barnsdall Art and Craft Fair
Peruse gifts for sale from Barnsdall’s students and faculty at this free fair next to the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Hollyhock House. Expect handcrafted jewelry, ceramics, cards, prints, paintings, drawings and photos alongside treats from local vendors. The event is free to enter, though you can purchase a $5 raffle ticket, which supports the Barnsdall Art Center.
Concerts
Maggie Rogers
The YouTube sensation has become a bona fide pop star thanks to a transition from delicate folk songs to soulful dance pop.
Silence at Descanso
Artistic directors Christopher Rountree and Anna Bulbrook have curated a series of unbounded musical performances at specific sites across the Descanso Gardens grounds. Each performance explores a different theme, starting with the stacked “Ritual” event on September 7, featuring Zola Jesus, Jonas Baes, Low Leaf, Miya Folick and Saul Williams. The series continues on September 21 with “Light,” featuring Suzanne Ciani and Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and on September 28 with “Listening,” featuring Gloria Cheng, Lisa E. Harris, L’Rain and Julia Holter.
Welcome to the West Music Festival
Ice Cube, Too Short, Roddy Rich, King Lil G, DJ Quik and others top this hip-hop fest in Ontario. Nipsey Hussle headlined the fest’s inaugural outing, so this second edition will pay tribute to the late rapper’s legacy.
Ty Segall
The prolific singer-songwriter finds room for lo-fi garage-rock riffs and acoustic strums at his shows, sometimes performed solo and at other times with the backing of his many associated bands. For this summer residency, Segall will play through a different album every Friday night at the Teragram Ballroom. Expect a noisy, fuzzed-out set during these Freedom Band-backed performances, which include playthroughs of Melted, Goodbye Bread, Emotional Mugger and Manipulator, as well as a to-be-announced slate each night (the first 500 people to purchase three or more tickets to different shows will received a limited 7” of new, unreleased music, so we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s tied to that). Tickets are available for individual shows ($28–$30) starting Friday, April 26 at 8am, or you can see all 10 for $200.
We Still Believe
The Black Madonna, leading feminist producer of the electronic underground, tops this outdoor show at Chinatown Central Plaza, with additional DJ sets from Mike Servito, Surround, Heidi Lawden, Masha and more.