Things to do in L.A. this weekend: Jan 16–18

Celebrate the Lunar New Year early with this pan-Asian celebration of the flavors, sights and sounds of Asia. The expo, established more than four decades ago, will take over multiple stages and exhibition halls at Fairplex in Pomona. Over 1,400 vendors, live entertainment—from Chinese acrobats to Japanese taiko drummers—and multiple food pavilions share the space with concurrent, separately ticketed celebrations devoted to K-pop, anime and more.

Green Day, Twenty One Pilots and Cage the Elephant top this radio-friendly rock fest at the Kia Forum. Sublime, Good Charlotte, Myles Smith, Gigi Perez and Almost Monday round out the lineup for the annual iHeartRadio event (which is back after skipping last year in the midst of the wildfires). If you can’t make it to Inglewood, you can tune in to ALT 98.7 to listen to the show live on January 17.

Stand-up comedy can be a vulnerable profession, but Naked Comedy takes it to a whole other level. Making its L.A. debut this weekend, this popular NYC series hosted by comedian Billy Procida finds a lineup of up-and-coming comedians literally performing in the buff. Enjoy a night of pantless punchlines at the Elysian Theater—if you can’t make it this Friday, don’t worry, the body-positive show will be back. Oh, and it should go without saying, but phones are strictly not allowed out during the performance.

Spend your day off giving back at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Each year on MLK Day, L.A. Works hosts a massive gathering of volunteers, who donate their time to help those in need—from families displaced by the wildfires to immigrant communities in danger of deportation—through hands-on service opportunities. Entry is free (though advance tickets are required), and food truck fare and merch from Black-owned businesses will be for sale.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts is hosting a Lunar New Year edition of its free Saturday-morning Family Fests. Welcome the year of the horse with activities the entire family can get in on, from trying the art of origami to eating traditional foods to watching lion and dragon dance performances or improv by Asian American comedy troupe Cold Tofu.

For more than four decades, this South L.A. tradition has assembled marching bands, floats, street performers and local civic leaders as part of the world’s longest-running MLK Day celebration. You might have noticed the new name—for decades the event has been known as the “Kingdom Day Parade” and was organized by the Congress of Racial Equality of California. This year, however, due to some drama with permits, the parade is being presented by Bakewell Media and the Los Angeles Sentinel and broadcast by ABC live at 11am. The parade route kicks off on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Western Avenue, heads west to Crenshaw Boulevard and swings around Leimert Park Plaza, where you’ll find a free post-parade festival (11am–5pm). 

The beloved late singer, who’s ascended to music and fashion icon status since her untimely death in 1995, is the focus of a new show at the Grammy Museum. Co-curated by the singer’s sister, Suzette Quintanilla, the exhibition will peek behind the curtain of Selena’s life, artistry and career, exploring how her legacy continues as a symbol of empowerment for both young women and Latin communities. You can see the singer’s personal artifacts displayed for the first time outside of the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas, including her Grammy Award, cellphone, hand-drawn fashions and microphone, still marked with her signature red lipstick. In preparation for the opening, artist Mister Toledo recently created a mural of the singer outside the museum.

You’ve probably seen the nostalgic black-and-white photos of Los Angeles on LA Explained’s Instagram account. And now you can see historical sites in person on its new walking tour through the hillside enclaves of Whitley Heights and Hollywood Heights. Instead of your typical tourist spots, you’ll see often-overlooked landmarks, historic homes and hidden pathways and hear stories about the rise of the film industry. The tour will fittingly begin at the Hollywood Heritage Museum—the longest existing motion picture production building in Hollywood, which used to house Cecil B. DeMille’s office.

Want to feel better about your own love life? This long-running storytelling series—billed as “a more salacious version of the Moth”—finds locals taking the stage to spin stories of bad dates into comedy gold, sharing their most hilarious and unhinged hookups with the audience. The show is popping up in L.A. this month at the Three Clubs in Hollywood.

Listen to and discuss one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s landmark speeches, listen to a concert by the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, and make your own faux stained glass inspired by Dr. King’s vision of the “Beloved Community” during this annual MLK tribute at the California African American Museum. Entry is free, but donations of new or gently used children’s books for a book drive are encouraged.

The recently restored historic Ojai Playhouse—which is actually a single-screen movie theater—is honoring the inimitable David Lynch a year after his death, celebrating his birthday with a week of programming. (And yes, it’s a bit of a trek to get there, but Ojai is a perfect spot for a day trip.) Each night from Thursday, January 15, to Tuesday, January 20, you can catch a free screening of one of the director’s films, including Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, The Elephant Man and more. (See the full lineup here.) Be sure to order a damn fine cup of coffee on your way in—the theater purchased Lynch’s own espresso machine from his estate and is serving up lattes using his favorite coffee beans. And on Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm, James Franco is debuting a new work-in-progress play, Desert Films, about Robert Blake’s Mystery Man persona from Lost Highway. Tickets to that are $57. The weekend will culminate with a free group meditation on Sunday.

Whether you’re a hopeless romantic or skeptic, you’re likely to get teary at the onstage version of The Notebook, which revisits Allie and Noah’s love story live. Based the Nicholas Sparks novel, here the tale is turned into a musical, with music and lyrics by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson. Read Time Out theater critic Adam Felman’s take on the Broadway production here.

For some peak cozy, wintry vibes, watch a classic British mystery unfold inside of a beautiful historic mansion at Theatre 40’s production of J.B. Priestley’s classic play. A police detective arrives at the home of the upper-middle-class Birling family at dinnertime, interrogating each family member about the apparent suicide of a young woman—all leading to a startling conclusion. 

Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s year-end production, formerly known as Holiday on Strings, has been reimagined as a holiday special complete with puppets in party clothes singing carols. Head to the troupe’s Highland Park location for the hour-long show, which follows host Demitrius Nova Twinklestar III on a tour of BBMT’s holiday traditions: You’ll see sledding slopes, caroling penguins, Santa’s workshop and more. 

Located just blocks from the ocean, Ice in downtown Santa Monica brings a bit of winter to the comfortable coastal city. The 8,000-square-foot outdoor rink runs daily from November to mid-January on the corner of Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue (less than a 10-minute walk from the E Line). Tickets for an hourlong slot ($24) include skate rentals, and you can book private parties and fire pits if you’re looking for something a bit more premium. Look out for cozy treats for sale, plus special events like classical Sunday afternoons and a sparkly shindig for Taylor Swift’s birthday (Dec 13).

The rooftop of West Hollywood hot spot E.P. & L.P. wears many hats: On any given night, you’ll find a trendy rooftop bar, as well as alfresco movie screenings from Melrose Rooftop Theatre, a roller rink or, most recently, an ice skating rink, which is popping up again this January and February thanks to Aussie clothing brand Hello Molly. Tickets for an hour-long skating session include skate rental and a sweet treat—not to mention some of the best views in the city—while seasonal cocktails are available for purchase. Note: Kids are welcome on weekends from noon to 3pm, but the rink is 21+ the rest of the time.

Anonymous feminist art collective the Guerrilla Girls—whose members gained notoriety for donning gorilla masks and fighting the patriarchy—is coming up on its 40th anniversary, and the Getty Center is marking the occasion with a behind-the-scenes look at the group. See photography, protest art and the group’s famed posters—sporting statistics, bold visuals and satirical humor—that showcase the tactics the members used to demand recognition for women and artists of color. The Guerrilla Girls have even created a newly commissioned work for the exhibition. And you can add your own mark on the “graffitti wall” installation, giving visitors a creative outlet for their complaints about the world today. 

Accompanying programming throughout the run of the show will include a conversation between the Guerrilla Girls and author Roxane Gay, a feminist Valentine’s Day mail art workshop, cocktail receptions with the exhibition curators, tours and more.

Robert Therrien’s Under the Table has long been one of the most popular pieces in the Broad’s collection (you know the one—the giant table and chairs that you ask your friend to snap a photo of as you stand underneath). Well now the museum is hosting the largest-ever solo exhibition of the artist’s work, displaying more than 120 pieces, including many that have never been shown in museums before. Expect more huge housewares and striking works, plus some intimate drawings and surprises from the late L.A.-based artist. The specially ticketed show will fill the first-floor galleries through April 5, 2026.

Dealing with a difficult subject head-on, the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA’s new show, “Monuments”—co-presented by the museum and nonprofit the Brick (formerly LAXART)—juxtaposes both intact and vandalized Confederate monuments with contemporary artwork. The show looks at the recent wave of monument removals from a historic perspective and encourages discourse about challenging topics amid an ongoing national debate about the role of these statues and what they represent. Tickets for the special exhibition are $18, though if you book far enough ahead of time, you can take advantage of free admission on the first Friday of every month.

Don’t go in the water, but do go to the Academy Museum to see the largest exhibition ever dedicated to Steven Spielberg’s original summer blockbuster, Jaws—which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The museum was already home to the last surviving model shark from filming, but now you can go behind the scenes and see some 200 original objects from the film across multiple galleries. Some highlights: a re-creation of the Orca fishing boat, the dorsal fin used both in Jaws and its sequels, costumes worn by the central trio and a room full of vintage film posters and merch promoting the film. There are interactive elements, too: You can have your own Chief Brody dolly-zoom moment (and see the lens used to film the famous shot), play the iconic John Williams two-note score and control a replica of the mechanical shark.

Japan House Los Angeles is bringing an exhibition of shokuhin sampuru—hyper-realistic food replicas that have crossed over from marketing tool to art form (think Is It Cake? but cultural)—to Los Angeles for the first time. See mouthwatering faux food representing each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, from coffee house parfaits to izakaya skewers, as well as Chinese and Western cuisine, and try your own hand at food presentation by filling a bentō box yourself.

The Skirball’s latest pop culture exhibition takes a deep dive into the six-decade career of legendary comic book artist Jack Kirby. You might know him as the co-creator of Captain America, Black Panther, the Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and some of the Marvel universe’s most cosmic characters. But did you know he was also a first-generation Jewish American born to immigrant parents, World War II veteran and family man who split his time between New York and Los Angeles? Learn about his life and see Kirby’s original comic illustrations, as well as other works—many on view for the first time.

Right on the heels of the release of his new film, Mickey 17, director Bong Joon Ho steps into the spotlight at the Academy Museum’s new exhibition. The first-ever museum show dedicated to the Oscar-winning South Korean filmmaker will trace Ho’s career, creative process and cinematic influences. See over 100 storyboards, posters, concept art, creature models, props and on-set photos from the director’s archive and personal collection. On Sundays, the museum’s on-site restaurant, Fanny’s, is offering an accompanying Korean Sunday Supper series with dishes like bibimbap and galbi jjim. You can reserve a spot here.

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.

More than 50 works on display at the Autry showcase how Indigenous artists have crafted visions of alternative futures in the face of enduring colonial trauma, with surreal spacescapes from Wendy Red Star, pop culture commentaries by Andy Everson and a site-specific space odyssey created by Virgil Ortiz.