Things to do in L.A. this weekend: Sept 11–13

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.

When he’s not busy penning songs with Taylor Swift, playing guitar in Fun or racking up Grammys, you can catch Antonoff fronting his ’80s-inspired indie pop moniker, Bleachers. Catch them at the Troubadour for five nights of intimate shows.

Santa Monica’s Americana in the Park again sees the city teaming up with the much-loved local McCabe’s Guitar Shop and KCRW for a free concert that explores the spectrum of Americana music, from traditional roots and blues to jazz and folk. This year, local musicians including Albert Lee, Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca, Abby Posner & the Big Fall and Jason Luckett will all play the Sunday-afternoon showcase at Gandara Park (right next to Bergamot Station and the E Line). And, as with any respectable L.A. event, the Bob Baker Marionette Theater will also make an appearance. You can bring a picnic, and local food trucks will also be on hand, as well as a pop-up McCabe’s.

This women-run wine festival—which is officially of drinking age itself this year, as it turns 21—is back, moving from Long Beach to a more central location: the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. Expect hundreds of wines, brews and spirits from all over the world. Food trucks, live music, games and artisan pop-up boutiques will also be on hand on the expansive grounds. Each GA ticket includes entry to the fest, unlimited drink tastings and a souvenir wine glass. VIP ticket sales benefit the event’s nonprofit partners: the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club and AHEAD With Horses. Note: On-site parking is only available if purchased in advance. Otherwise, you’ll have to park at Providence High School (511 S Buena Vista St) and take a free shuttle over. That said, designated, ride-sharing or public transport are highly recommended.

On select Saturday afternoons in the summer, the historic Mount Wilson Observatory screens a decades-spanning lineup of sci-fi and astronomy-inspired shorts and feature-length films. Unlike the San Gabriel Mountains site’s concert series and stargazing sessions, Matinees on the Mountain doesn’t take place inside the dome of the 100-inch telescope. Instead, screenings take place inside the 256-seat auditorium inside the astronomical museum, the same venue used for the site’s Talks & Telescopes lectures.

Fresh off a wildly successful first edition of her Daisy Chain Fields music festival, Olivia Rodrigo is stepping into the spotlight at the Grammy Museum, where a new exhibition is devoted to the pop star. Running through February 22, 2027, “Olivia Rodrigo: the cure unraveled” will feature an exclusive look at the handcrafted hospital sets, costumes, props, stop-motion animatronics and original artwork from the singer’s music video for single “the cure,” off her new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. An expanded career-retrospective version will land later in this fall, so stay tuned.

Each fall for the past 20 years, the Getty Villa’s Outdoor Classical Theater series has brought a dramatic work to life—often with a unique spin—in the museum’s outdoor, ancient-Greece-style amphitheater. This time around, the Latino Theater Company takes on the tale of the heroine Antigone, setting Sophocles’s story instead in Tenochtitlan, Mexico, and incorporating Aztec mythology. Enjoy the ocean breeze while you dine on concessions like esquites, tortas, tamales and Mexican wedding cookies, then settle in for the show.

See a free salsa concert on one Friday each month during this summer series at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. This year’s lineup includes El Presidente de la Salsa, La Verdad, Rush Hour Orquesta and Conjunto Oye—all featuring Super DJ Robby. Each night kicks off with a free salsa dance class at 6pm, courtesy of Dancing 101 with Roberto. Bring chairs, blankets and your dancing shoes.

Kaskade sends his beachfront festival back to SoCal with sets from Cassian, Matroda, BUNT., D.O.D, Me N Ü, Lavern, Bobby Harvey and Esse at Huntington State Beach.

Cielo Farms is a scenic, Tuscan-style estate with a wine bar where you can sip and watch the sun set in the Santa Monica Mountains. It hosts comedy nights once in a while, and recently it’s branched out into live music with Cielo Sessions, boasting a curated lineup of local bands alongside wine, food and golden-hour vineyard views. For the next installment, expect a special performance from two Grammy-winning musicians, producer Sam Barsh and drummer Daru Jones, followed by a vinyl DJ set from Mayer Hawthorne.

Wine always tastes a little better when you don’t have to stare at a parking lot through the window. On September 12, the 24th annual Two Harbors Wine Fest returns to Catalina Island with an afternoon of pours from local and international wineries, live music, complimentary bites and a silent auction, all set right on the beach. The 21-and-over event is a solid excuse to swap city noise for ocean breezes—plus a boat ride home that will feel just a bit livelier than the trip over.

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.

See the marionette theater’s family-friendly take on Halloween during the two-month return of its Hallowe’en Spooktacular—a refurbished production of its long-running “boo-sical revue” where you can see over 100 silly and spooky puppets take the stage. A newer addition is the Día de los Muertos sequence that pays tribute to the holiday. Once October arrives, each show will include a costume parade, so dressing up is encouraged.

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.

Five photographers who pushed their medium in new directions in the second half of the 20th century present their unique takes on the city in this Getty Center show. Influenced by techniques including social documentary practices, staged scenes and fashion, the photographs of Laura Aguilar, Reynaldo Rivera, George Rodriguez, Patssi Valdez and Ricardo Valverde expanded Chicano and Chicana representation in Los Angeles.

Billing itself as “Orange County’s biggest party since 1977,” the Old World Oktoberfest promises enough beers, brats and bands to make you feel like you’re in Munich—albeit with better ocean views. Every Wednesday through Sunday between September 12 and November 8, this re-created Bavarian village will offer a sausage-filled menu, oompah and German bands, a biergarten, dancing and more. While Old World’s Oktoberfest is 21-plus with a cover charge on Friday and Saturday evenings, it’s open to families and revelers of all ages on Saturday afternoons and other nights. (Entry is free on Wednesday and Thursday nights, as well as Saturday afternoons, just book ahead online.)

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.

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.

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. 

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 walking tour series, where, instead of just your typical tourist spots, you’ll also see often-overlooked landmarks, historic homes, architectural gems and hidden pathways and learn about the city’s storied past. The ever-expanding lineup includes tours through Hancock Park, Silver Lake, Whitley Heights and Venice Beach, with new routes in West Hollywood, Pasadena, Franklin Village and Los Feliz—so no matter where you are in L.A., there’s a convenient choice. Some options even include snacks and shopping at select spots on the itinerary. Tours are typically offered Wednesdays through Sundays; check the calendar for the current offerings.

Watch a slate of classics from the past couple of decades on one of the prettiest rooftops in Hollywood at this outdoor screenings series. All movies are piped in over sets of provided wireless headphones. Before showtime, make sure to hit up the bar or the on-site kitchen, Oasis, which will be serving up wagyu burgers and classic film concessions.

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.

Wander through a 1929 Spanish-style villa at this dreamy indoor-outdoor market. The historic Toluca Lake home has been transformed into Villa Blanca Lifestyle, a venue that hosts biweekly Sunday-afternoon markets, among other events. The ground-floor rooms and courtyard are filled with local vendors selling everything from accessories to live poetry to candle flower bouquets. To eat, there’s sourdough pizza, cookies, cupcakes and coffee to enjoy as you wander.

Catch free outdoor movies at Burton Chace Park. 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.

Do you get a little thrill every time you go to the Beverly Hills Hotel? You have architect Paul R. Williams to thank, even if you might not know the name. This exhibition at the USC Fisher Museum of Art aims to fix that. “Paul R. Williams: An Architect Considered” specifically spotlights the visionary architect’s multifamily housing projects through original drawings, photographs and plans, juxtaposed with new commissions by contemporary artists and architects. The message is clear: Williams didn’t just shape Los Angeles; he imagined a more livable version of it, one gorgeous building at a time. Complementary Williams exhibitions at LACMA and the Getty Center will open later in the year.

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 $189 price tag will likely only attract avid Brady fans (though to be fair, the current price is $100 cheaper than the original ticket price of $290).

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).

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.

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.

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.