Things to do in L.A. this weekend: Aug 7–9

The Malibu Pier, boutique inn the Surfrider Malibu and Aviator Nation Dreamland have teamed up to present the perfect summer Sunday. During the second installment of this coastal concert series, you’ll find day-to-night live music from local artists and vinyl DJ sets spread across four beachside stages. Admission is free, but a VIP ticket will get you access to the Surfrider’s coveted private rooftop deck, plus a lounge and private bar. Stay tuned for the artist lineup.

As sunset continues to stick toward the later end of the evening, the Huntington is taking advantage of the extra daylight during this coveted after-hours series. Formerly open just for members, Twilight Garden Strolls is now open to the public, too, and will extend the San Marino garden’s hours until 7:30 or 8pm on select evenings in the summer. The 1919 Cafe will be open until 7:30pm (hot food stations close at 7pm), so you can even have dinner on the patio. New this year are family-friendly drop-in workshops where you can make your own clay pendants (July 5, July 26 and Aug 16). And just a heads-up that you’ll need a timed ticket that’s separate from regular morning or afternoon admission.

It’s not just for big-budget action scenes: The L.A. River inspires and supports artistic creations of all sizes and scopes, and you can check a bunch of them out during this annual event from Friends of the L.A. River. Swing by L.A. State Historic Park for live performances, an environmental art gallery and interactive eco-activities, as well as food trucks and a marketplace with booths from local vendors. Admission is free, but registration is required, so book your tickets online ahead of time. 

Santa Monica has really been stepping it up lately in the community programming department. Case in point: Tongva Twilight, a brand-new summer series offering free live music and films on Saturday nights, produced by Rum & Humble. Expect a lineup of big band ska, salsa, yacht rock and New Orleans funk, as well as music-themed films and free popcorn on select nights. Pack a picnic and enjoy an evening of entertainment with an ocean backdrop.

When luxury hotels in L.A. host outdoor moving screenings, sometimes they lean a little too far into luxury. But the Regent Santa Monica Beach seems to have struck the perfect balance: a screening on a pool deck overlooking the ocean that costs $40 but comes with unlimited popcorn and soda plus a snack pack. Given the proximity to the Santa Monica Pier, they’ve opted for a Route 66 theme this summer, with cocktails and food for purchase plus a lineup of road trip films.

Spend an evening with Hiccup and Toothless as the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra performs the film score live during a screening of How to Train Your Dragon—the 2010 animated original, not the recent live action remake.

Synchronize your swimming (and drinking) plans: The Aqualillies are bringing their annual Summer Watershow to the rooftop pool at Level 8’s Golden Hour for an evening of aquatic spectacle, vintage Hollywood glamour and enough synchronized swimming to make you seriously consider the purchase of a sequined bathing cap. The one-night-only performance on August 9 honors the legacy of Esther Williams, whose MGM aquamusicals turned swimming into unlikely silver-screen spectacle in the ’40s and ’50s. Expect elaborate choreography, plus DJ sets, cocktails and poolside bites with gorgeous DTLA views. A portion of ticket proceeds benefits Diversity in Aquatics.

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.

Take a break from watching cat videos on your phone and head to Eagle Rock to watch them
on the big screen surrounded by like-minded feline fans. The CatVideoFest, held over the weekend at Vidiots and Alamo Drafthouse, will screen a 70-minute compilation that’s sure to be the cat’s meow. Even better? Ticket proceeds go to local cat charities and shelters, so you’ll be doing your four-legged friends a favor. 

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. 

Make your weekend a little bit country at Hollywood’s cowboy-chic rooftop bar. Its weekly Wild West pool party and trading post series continues every summer Sunday. Expect a cowboy cookout, cocktails and music from a country DJ, so bring your boots and party till the sun sets over the city. There’s no cover, but if you’re coming with a group and want to splash out for a cabana reservation, you can do that here.

Perhaps the Los Angeles area’s most iconic flea market, this event around the exterior of the Rose Bowl is staggeringly colossal? The sheer size and scale of this flea market means that it encompasses multitudes: new and old, hand-crafted and salvaged, the cheap and the costly. On the second Sunday of each month, an odd mix of vendors populates the loop around the stadium: for every eye-catching artwork, there’s a ratty $5 T-shirt, and for each elegant craft there’s a competing “as seen on TV” demo. But you may have more luck in the rows and rows of old furniture, albums and vintage clothes and accessories that fill the adjacent parking lot.

Just when you thought Shakespeare was sounding a little, well, dated, enter the Actors’ Gang. Each summer, the Culver City theater spins a different play from the Bard into a high-energy, family-friendly and free-to-attend production, often wrapped in an irreverent theme (think everything from Toy Story to Power Rangers). This time around, Two Gentlemen of Verona gets a sci-fi twist dubbed Two Gentlebots of Verona. You’ll find the play the first four weekends in August at Culver City’s Media Park, then at the Buena Vista Branch Library in Burbank the last weekend of August.

About a month and a half before the start of the NFL season, you can see the Chargers take the field at their training facility in El Segundo—and for free, no less. For four weeks in July and August, the team holds practices at the Bolt that are open to the public, with covered bleacher seating behind the north end zone. Admission is limited to 2,000 fans per session; tickets are available the Monday prior to each practice week (so sessions from August 9 to 16, for example, are available to book on August 3). Look out for a handful of themed days, including a family day, a celebration of women in sports and a happy hour with some Chargers legends—just note that select days are exclusive to season ticket holders.

Catch family-friendly performers during this annual summertime concert series in the Getty’s beautiful Central Garden, where kids can dance and sing along to the likes of Dan + Claudia Zanes with Tyree Austin (jazz and gospel), Flor Bromley (bilingual Latin music) and Elizabeth Mitchell (folk). Picnics and blankets are welcome—lawn chairs, glass and alcohol are not. All the concerts are free, and you won’t need a ticket, though you will need a timed museum reservation.

In case “uncensored” wasn’t enough warning, make sure you leave the kids at home for this one. Part puppet show, part improv show, “Puppet Up! Uncensored” combines top puppeteering talent with music, jokes and shenanigans. It’s not just about watching the puppets either—you’ll be mesmerized by the sheer skill of the puppeteers on full display, who are coming up with songs on the fly while manipulating puppets onstage. If you’re a Jim Henson buff, this show is not to be missed: It’s put on by Brian Henson and Henson Alternative (the official adults-only arm of the Jim Henson Company), and you’ll see re-creations of Henson classics with a twist.

Say goodbye to dusty thoroughfares and violent porta-potties: Splash House takes the music festival concept off of sweltering desert land and places it poolside. Movers and shakers at this multi-location getdown are shuttled between the Saguaro, the Renaissance and the Hilton Palm Springs (with after-hours programming at the Palm Springs Air Museum) to lap up big-name dance acts and DJ sets. With the added comforts of air-conditioned rooms and critically acclaimed restaurant fare just steps away from the party scenes, the experience will make you question whether to bother with more punishing locales come next year’s festival season.

Mix fried food, carnival attractions and the occasional rodeo or demolition derby, and you’ve got the OC Fair. What started as a quaint fair in 1889 has since grown into a monthlong fest in the middle of summer. It also boasts a lineup of alfresco live music that’s more impressive than most fairs’—this year you can catch Willie Nelson, Cypress Hill, Patti LaBelle, the Head and the Heart, Diana Ross, Alison Krauss, Steve Aoki, Boy George and even comedian Trevor Noah, among others. See the full lineup here. 

The Music Center offers a free, joyous mash-up of music and dancing all summer long at this series, with different themes (salsa, Bollywood, cumbia and disco among them) and free dance lessons, plus live DJ sets so you can show off your new moves. Head to the Music Center’s Jerry Moss Plaza and join in the fun—no dance experience required. This year’s season begins with a combination kickoff event and World Cup watch party on June 26. Catch the Spain vs. Uruguay game live on the plaza’s big screens, get creative with soccer-themed art activities, then dance to a global mix of melodies after the match.

The latest addition to the growing roster of free summer concert series is a heavy hitter. Twenty-seven parks will host 108 concerts all across L.A. county. The shows—held Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings throughout July and August—will reflect the culture and diversity of the communities where they’re held, from North to East to South L.A. County. You can find a full list of the parks here. As for the lineup, independent music festival NextFest L.A. is in charge of the programming, highlighting local artists from the city’s thriving music scene. You can find the schedule here—new lineups are announced at the start of each week.

From mid-July through the end of August, Glendale’s beautiful Brand Park serves as the backdrop for free Friday night concerts. Bring chairs and a picnic (no alcohol allowed, though), and scope out a spot on the grassy hillside to hear an eclectic lineup of live music. Taking the stage on the lawn behind the library are the Secret Agents (retro jazz, July 17), Bella Brown & the Jealous Lovers (retro soul, July 24), Willow Stephens & the Robbery (pop, July 31), Raffi Joe Wartanian & the Sér Ensemble (Armenian folk, Aug 7), Orchestre Moto (Congolese rumba, Aug 14), Orquesta Ritmo Alegre (Cuban, Aug 21) and Carl Verheyen Band (rock, Aug 28).

One of L.A.’s best free live-music offerings, Jazz at LACMA has featured legit legends over its 35-year run at the museum. Seating for the program is available in the museum’s plaza on a first-come, first-served basis, though you’re welcome to picnic on the grass, too (you won’t really be able to see the show, but you’ll still hear it). You’ll find the series on Friday evenings in LACMA’s welcome plaza (just behind Urban Light) throughout the summer. We’re betting it’ll be even more popular than usual this year, with the new David Geffen Galleries in the background.

This epic (and free) outdoor concert series—now in its 40th season—features live performances by artists from around the world at the totally overhauled California Plaza stage in DTLA, where the shallow water separating the stage from the audience has been replaced by a proper event lawn. Don’t miss a diverse and highly intriguing mix of bands, DJ sets and dance parties on Saturday nights (and a few Friday Nights) from June 6 through August 29. Highlights this year include tributes to Stevie Wonder, Ritchie Valens and Roy Ayers, and an edition of KCRW Summer Nights headlined by Mariachi El Bronx and the Tijuana Panthers. Just be sure to RSVP ahead of time to reserve a spot.

For dinner and a movie, all in one, just follow the food trucks. During the spring, summer and fall, Street Food Cinema throws together a series of 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. into October 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. 

Life imitates art, literally: Classic paintings, statues and murals take on a new dimension as real people dress and pose to re-create original masterpieces—a trick popularized by vaudeville artiste Lolita Perine at the first festival in 1932. A professional orchestra, a narrator, intricate sets and theatrical lighting help bring the works to life at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach. This year’s theme, “The Greatest of All Time,” breathes life into art’s most iconic masterpieces, from the Trevi Fountain to works by Monet, Van Gogh and Rockwell. Your ticket also includes daytime access to the Fine Art Show, featuring artwork from local O.C. artists, live music, art classes and more.

Swing by Redondo Beach’s Fisherman’s Wharf on Thursday and Saturday evenings in the summer for a free series of concerts held on the west end of the pier. You can expect tribute shows on Thursdays (from Weezer to Oasis cover bands) and local contemporary acts on Saturdays.

Now one of L.A.’s most treasured summer traditions, Barnsdall Park’s wine tastings regularly attract sell-out crowds. Perched atop Olive Hill on the west lawn of the historic Hollyhock House (which you can tour during the evening for an additional $37), the Barnsdall Friday fundraisers include fine selections of boutique wines provided by Silverlake Wine set against a spectacular sunset, DJ sets and 360-degree views of the city. Bring along a blanket and a picnic basket, or just nosh on food from the variety of trucks parked up there. Though there used to be lots of kids running around, the event lawn is now 21-and-up—perfect for a date night. Proceeds support the park’s art programs and historic renovations—an especially crucial cause now, as the park is once again facing proposed budget cuts from the city.

There’s something wonderfully defiant about the continued existence of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, where whimsy feels like nothing less than a civic responsibility. Choo Choo Revue, the theater’s first new original production in 40 years, turns audiences into passengers aboard a gloriously handmade train populated by singing mushrooms, dancing luggage and plenty of brand-new puppets. The whole thing sounds faintly unhinged in the best possible way, not to mention the ultimate rebuttal to AI. The show runs now through August 30.

For more than 50 years, this venue has drawn theater aficionados to its storied, open-air stage for engaging productions in a magical setting. The 299-seat amphitheater in Topanga Canyon hosts audiences of all ages for plays from a wide range of genres, from Shakespearean classics to folk tales. This season, catch William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as a stage version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Noël Coward’s Waiting in the Wings and The People of Pompeii, a new dark comedy Bernardo Cubría wrote in the aftermath of the 2025 wildfires.

Catch free outdoor movies at the Dockweiler Youth Center. Bring a low-back chair to claim a first-come, first-served space. Tickets aren’t required, but RSVPs are appreciated to stay up to date on any changes.

Just in time for silver screen starlet Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, the Academy Museum is presenting a centennial celebration dedicated to the woman and her work, offering a look at the actress beyond her blond bombshell persona. In addition to posters, portraits, letters and rarely seen personal items—including decor from Monroe’s Brentwood home—highlights from the exhibition include screen-worn costumes from Some Like It Hot and the rarely exhibited famous pink dress Monroe wore in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes—which is a show-stopper in a glitzy room of its own. Tucked into the back corner of the exhibit, you can watch a compilation of the star’s onscreen work in CinemaScope—including the iconic subway grate scene.

The inimitable artist, musician and activist—and John Lennon’s other half—is the subject of the Broad’s highly anticipated upcoming show, Ono’s first-ever solo museum exhibition in Southern California. Organized in collaboration with the Tate Modern in London, “Music of the Mind” will allow visitors to directly interact with works from the artist’s seven-decade long career. In conjunction with the show, the museum will transform the olive trees on the outdoor East West Bank Plaza into Wish Trees for Los Angeles, where visitors can tie their own wishes on the branches. Many of the works invite audience engagement, in fact, all working toward a common goal of peace and connection. Also on display will be Acorn Event (1968) and Bed Peace (1969) anti-war works of activism Ono and Lennon worked on together. Tickets for the special exhibition are available at thebroad.org.

The Skirball’s Jack Kirby exhibition may be over, but the museum has followed it up with this expansive look at how comics came to dominate pop culture. Many of the creators of the medium were immigrants and outsiders—including Jewish Americans—who poured their experiences with struggle, aspiration and reinvention into their work. From the Great Depression through Y2K, comics reflected the national moment and actually helped shape American identity. On display, you’ll find original artwork and artifacts relating to beloved comic book characters, from Superman and Black Panther to Little Lulu and Archie.

This L.A.-centric exhibition looks at the Declaration of Independence’s promise of life, liberty and happiness, and how that promise has been fulfilled—or not—throughout the city’s development. Told via the stories of diverse Angelenos alongside historical and contemporary objects, media and art, the show “invites you to step into a conversation that has been shaping Los Angeles for over two hundred years.” 

Walk through a pavilion of fluttering tropical butterflies you can’t normally glimpse in Southern California, and peep a chamber with pupae and caterpillars at South Coast Botanic Garden’s seasonal exhibition. For an extra $6, you can pick up a nectar “lollipop” to attract and feed the butterflies yourself. Carve out some time to explore the beautiful gardens afterward.

This show aims to give Black queer culture in California—particularly in Los Angeles—the credit it’s due as a part of the decades-long fight for LGBTQ+ rights and recognition. Through historical materials, photographs, film and vintage newspapers, the exhibition recovers a history that’s been largely excluded from the record, introducing visitors to sites, protagonists and allies who played a role in the fight for democracy and free expression. 

Step into the story of a lovely lady in Studio City when the iconic Brady Bunch house—recently named a Historic-Cultural Monument by the city—opens its doors to the public for a fan’s fever dream. The home’s interiors have been renovated—thanks to HGTV’s A Very Brady Renovation—and meticulously decorated by the owner for a fully immersive experience. Walk up the carpeted staircase to check out the kids’ memorabilia-filled bedrooms; ogle the groovy green and orange kitchen; step into the wood-paneled study; snoop in Alice’s boudoir and more. The experience offers an interactive journey through TV history, and the intimate self-guided tours are limited to a handful of people at a time. Ticket proceeds benefit local dog rescue nonprofit Wags and Walks. The only caveat? They don’t come cheap—the $290 price tag will likely only attract die-hard BB fans, though a run of dates last November did sell out.

You may have come across Danish artist Thomas Dambo’s massive troll sculptures—which he makes from reclaimed wood and hides in nature to encourage people to get out and enjoy the outdoors—on Instagram. But you don’t need to book a trip to Denmark to see the gentle giants. The 87 acres of Palos Verdes’s South Coast Botanic Garden are currently home to 12 of the whimsical figures, and you can glimpse them all with your general admission ticket. For $33, you can take a guided walking tour of the Twelvelings (with general admission included). To see the trolls in a different light, one night a month, the gardens will host the Canopy Club—an after-hours dance party in the woods with pop-up performances, food and drinks ($34–$50).

Nature lovers, rejoice! The Natural History Museum is bringing back its annual Butterfly Pavilion, which will be open March 22 through August 23 and house up to 30 butterfly and moth species, as well as an assortment of California plants. The seasonal outdoor exhibit allows for adults and children alike to witness nature up close—we’re talking walking amid hundreds of butterflies and having them land on your arms or shoulders. You’ll need to purchase a $10 add-on ticket on top of your museum ticket in order to explore the pavilion for a half-hour.

It’s a very Fast & Furious kind of year in L.A. between Universal Studio’s roller coaster and this 25th anniversary exhibition of the movie franchise. The Petersen Automotive Museum is showcasing movie vehicles, stunt cars and production prototypes in its second-floor galleries, including the 1993 Toyota Supra “Stunt #3” and 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) in the original film, Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) 1968 Dodge Charger R/T and 1993 Mazda RX-7, Suki’s (Devon Aoki) 2001 Honda S2000 and more.

Travel back to the LBC circa 1996 inside the Grammy Museum’s new celebration of Sublime. Three decades after the release of the legendary Long Beach ska-punk-reggae trio’s self-titled breakthrough—as well as the passing of singer and guitarist Bradley Nowell—the museum has assembled this nostalgic showcase of flyers, instruments and black-and-white performance photos. Highlights include handwritten lyrics to “Wrong Way,” archival live footage and Nowell’s sticker-covered acoustic guitar.

The reopened Getty Villa will descend into the underworld with this exhibition, which looks at the ritual spells and religious writings ancient Egyptians employed to garner favor with Re and Osiris in the afterlife. See the Getty’s collection of rare Book of the Dead rare hieroglyphics-adorned and illustrated manuscripts, dating back to around 1000 BCE, which were last displayed in 2023. The show should dovetail nicely with the museum’s “Sculpted Portraits From Ancient Egypt,” which runs through January 2027.

The multisensory nature of art is explored in this exhibition, which looks at the intertwined relationship between contemporary art and living materials through large-scale installations, painting, mixed-media sculpture, video and sound. Over 20 artists from North, Central and South America have employed mediums like stones, avocado, cacao, achiote, cochineal and clay in their works, inviting visitors to engage their senses of touch, smell and hearing when interacting with the art. 

First up on the Academy Museum’s 2026 calendar is a deep dive into Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo. One of Hayao Miyazaki’s most beloved films, Ponyo was notable for its focus on hand-drawn animation, with not only the characters but the backgrounds drawn frame-by-frame rather than using animation cels or CGI. Last year, Studio Ghibli donated original production materials to the Academy Collection, so this show will highlight those items, including art boards, posters, a Studio Ghibli animation desk and original drawings—some of which will be displayed in North America for the very first time—pairing them with immersive and interactive elements like an animation table and a play environment for kids.

The Pacific Asia Museum’s galleries have been closed for months in preparation for this immersive new exhibition, which is taking over the entire museum and marks a new, artist-centered shift to its programming. The ambitious show will use the visual language of mythology to take visitors on an immersive journey through the immigrant experience, combining objects from USC PAM’s 5,000-year-spanning historical collection with new media technology and works by over 20 contemporary artists, led by L.A.-based Korean American muralist Dave Young Kim. Highlights include a wrap-around video installation in a reconstructed airplane cabin and an AI feature that puts visitors in the shoes of an immigrant. Along the way, mythical creatures—dragons, cranes, guardian spirits and shapeshifters—nod to intergenerational legacies.

A display of over 30 mummified people and animals is back at the California Science Center. This time around, you can see a selection of specimens never before shown in Los Angeles. Mummies are, of course, most often associated with ancient Egypt, and while Egypt is represented here, you’ll also see mummified remains that were discovered in Germany, Hungary, Peru—even the University of Maryland. Memorable artifacts include two “bundle” mummies making their West Coast debut, amulets and organ jars, an ancient Egyptian cat mummy and a shrunken sloth head. The museum’s IMAX theater will be screening the complementary Mummies 3D: Secrets of the Pharaohs.

The California Science Center is inviting kids to get in the game with a new 17,000-square-foot exhibition about the power of play and the human body in motion. Besides teaching about the science behind sports, it also offers interactive challenges and video coaching from a team of Los Angeles-based mentor athletes including dancer Debbie Allen, the Dodgers’ World Series hero Freddie Freeman, Olympic medalist softball player Rachel Garcia and more. And for the first time ever, the center has commissioned public art—all by local artists—to complement the exhibition, including a Dodgers mural by Gustavo Zermeño Jr. The free exhibition will run at the Science Center through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Natural History Museum’s taxidermy dioramas turn a century old this year, and to celebrate the museum is reviving an entire hall of displays that’ve been dark for decades. Expect some fresh approaches to these assembled snapshots of the wilderness, including alebrijes made of recycled materials, a crystalline depiction of pollution and a tech-driven display of the L.A. River.