The Weeknd at United Center
Photograph: Max Herman
Photograph: Max Herman

Things to do in L.A. this weekend

We pick out the best things to do in L.A. this weekend, including our favorite concerts, culture and cuisine

Gillian Glover
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We don’t know about you, but our mind is always focused on the weekend. It can never come soon enough—which is why we’re already thinking about what new restaurants we want to try or where we can drive for the day. Whether you’re looking to scope out the latest museum exhibitions or watch a movie outdoors, you’ll find plenty of things to do in L.A. this weekend.

We curate an L.A. weekend itinerary of the city’s best concerts, culture and cuisine, every week, just for you. This weekend belongs to the Weeknd, who’s wrapping up a run of four shows at SoFi Stadium. Meanwhile, at Dodger Stadium, you can watch The Sandlot on the outfield on Friday and Saturday. In the museum world, Kamasi Washington plays a special preview of LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries, and the Getty Villa reopens Friday after shuttering for 5 1/2 months due to the Palisades Fire.

The best things to do in L.A. this weekend

  • Things to do
  • San Marino
  • Recommended

As sunset continues to stick toward the later end of the evening, the Huntington is taking advantage of the extra daylight with 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 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. Just a heads-up that you’ll need a timed ticket that’s separate from regular morning or afternoon admission.

  • Shakespeare
  • Griffith Park
  • Recommended

Each summer, Bard fanatics watch their favorite works come to life at the historic Old Zoo in Griffith Park. For 15 years running, Independent Shakespeare Co. has put on a series of lively productions each week, inviting audiences to take a seat on the grass (read: bring a picnic blanket) and enjoy performances like this season’s headliner, early Shakespeare comedy Love’s Labour’s Lost, which will be followed by Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. With construction of a permanent stage currently in process on the main lawn, this summer’s shows will again be held in the dell at the top of the Old Zoo—meaning available space is smaller, and although performances are still free, reservations are required.

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  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • Pacific Palisades

The Getty Villa reopens to the public five and a half months after its Palisades Fire closure with this international loan exhibition dedicated to the Greek Mycenaean civilization and the kingdom of Pylos, which Homer immortalized in the Iliad and Odyssey. It’s the first major museum show in North America devoted to the Late Bronze Age Mycenaeans. See treasures excavators unearthed from Messenia, the Palace of Nestor and burial sites including the tomb of the Griffin Warrior (1450 BCE)—think clay tablets, gold cups, ornate weapons and tiny signets and sealstones adorned with awe-inspiring amounts of detail. 

  • Attractions
  • Theme parks
  • Los Angeles

Theater meets thrills as Six Flags Magic Mountain welcomes the heroes (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman) and villains (the Joker, Harley Quinn and Catwoman) of DC Comics during this theme park festival. Billed as a “fully immersive, theatrical takeover of the park,” in reality the action is limited to the center of Six Flags’ DC Universe area and consists mostly of stage shows where the characters sing, dance and duke it out for control of Gotham City—with an emphasis on the dancing. The highlight is the stunt-driven “Superhero Smackdown” at the end of the night—it’s a bit like a live-action episode of Adam West’s Batman. In the meantime, make sure you ride all the roller coasters on your list, as the event runs right up until closing time. The fest takes place Fridays and Saturdays, starting at 5pm, through July 26.

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  • Music
  • Classical and opera
  • Angeles National Forest
  • Recommended

Listen to classical and jazz in a dome more than a mile above L.A. during this mountaintop concert series. The Mount Wilson Observatory is 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 $60 (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. You’ll need to be able to climb 53 steps to reach the dome, and children under 12 aren’t permitted. 

  • Things to do
  • Classes and workshops
  • Downtown

The Music Center offers a free, joyous mash-up of music and dancing all summer long, 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.

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  • Music
  • Downtown
  • Recommended

This epic (and free) outdoor concert series features live performances by artists from around the world at the totally overhauled California Plaza stage in DTLA. Don’t miss a diverse and highly intriguing mix of bands, DJ sets and dance parties. Saturday nights from June 14 through August 23 you’ll find free concerts (though you should RSVP ahead of time to reserve a spot)—this weekend is a celebration of Dr. Dre. And on Friday nights, you’ll find a mix of poetry, film and classical music during Fridays in the Amphitheater. 

  • Music
  • Westlake

You know it’s summer in L.A. when the live outdoor music starts swelling all over the city, including at MacArthur Park’s Levitt Pavilion. The Westlake concert series returns this summer with free shows almost every Saturday. Expect a genre-spanning mix of local acts that range from cumbia to ska to EDM. This week, the series continues with Dengue Fever, Spaghetti Cumbia, Hollywood Highsteppers and Al Lover’s World Party.

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  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • Westside

The Getty Center’s new featured exhibition explores the transformative role photography has played in the history of the LGBTQ+ community as a tool for exploring gender, sexuality and self-expression since the mid-1800s. See examples of the homosocial, homoerotic and homosexual imagery that helped shape the world’s awareness of queer life. During your visit, be sure to check out the accompanying exhibition “$3 Bill: Evidence of Queer Lives,” a look at the contributions of LGBTQ+ artists in the last century, in the museum’s Research Institute Galleries. 

  • Movies
  • Family and kids
  • Hollywood

Take a seat under the arch at the former Hollywood & Highland for this free series of movie screenings, typically held on the last Friday of the month. Stop by the Ovation Hollywood booth for free popcorn and discounted treats from the TCL Chinese Theatre concessions stand.

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  • Movies
  • Culver City

Culver City’s E Line–adjacent mixed-use development presents this free series of screenings, held on the lawn right next to the Metro stop. This summer’s slate revisits classic high school movies, including Ferris Bueller’s Day OffClueless10 Things I Hate About You and Mean Girls. Tickets are free and include complimentary popcorn and two hours of parking validation.

  • Shakespeare
  • South LA

Expand your mind on breezy summer nights by listening to the words of the Bard for free. The program, founded in 1998, will put on two plays—As You Like It and Julius Caesarwith the help of talented local actors. “By the Sea” is a bit misleading; though some of the locations are ocean-adjacent, and largely in the South Bay and Long Beach, the troupe takes the plays on tour all across Los Angeles, performing for audiences from Downtown to Beverly Hills to Altadena’s Loma Alta Park, which was recently restored post–Eaton Fire.

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  • Los Feliz
  • Recommended

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 $36), the Barnsdall Friday fund raisers include fine selections of boutique wines provided by Silverlake Wine with a spectacular sunset and 360-degree views of the city. Bring along a blanket and a picnic basket, or just nosh on the variety of food 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.

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  • Music
  • Chinatown
  • Recommended

Everyone’s favorite NPR member station has a hand in a slew of summer concert slates at public plazas and beloved museums, and this year’s schedule is reliably packed. Familiar KCRW DJs and local buzz bands will be providing free, open-air tunes on select nights from June through September at cultural institutions across the city, where you’ll also find food trucks and beer gardens. This weekend, you’ll find a party at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Regardless of the location, you really can’t go wrong with any evening spent at Summer Nights. 

  • Things to do
  • Performances
  • Topanga
  • Recommended

For more than 50 years, this venue has drawn theatre 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, whose theme is “A Season of Resilience,” catch highlights such as William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as a Malibu-themed retelling of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull and Strife by Nobel Prize-winning writer and activist John Galsworthy.

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  • Things to do
  • Markets and fairs
  • Downtown Arts District
  • Recommended

Every Sunday, you can find dozens of food vendors at this market at ROW DTLA, a Brooklyn import that boasts a mix of much-loved pop-ups and future foodie stars. Over a dozen new vendors joined the lineup this year: Feast on Afro-Caribbean cuisine from withBee, Lebanese street food from Teta, ice cream tacos from Sad Girl Creamery and more. And every Sunday through August 24, Summer of Smorgasburg is in session, with special programming and live DJ sets.

  • Things to do
  • Play spaces
  • Anaheim

After popping up at D23 and Long Beach shopping center 2nd & PCH, themed mini-golf experience Pixar Putt has landed at its most logical home: the Pixar Place Hotel, close to California Adventure and its Pixar Pier. Putt your way through 18 themed holes and step into the stories of Pixar favorites including Toy Story, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Coco, A Bug’s Life, Wall-E and Inside Out.

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  • Movies
  • Downtown
  • Recommended

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. You don’t even need to bring your own camping chair—Rooftop Cinema Club provides you with your very own comfy lawn chair. 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. Enjoy a steady stream of modern classics (The Dark KnightPride & Prejudice) and local favorites (La La LandFriday), as well as the occasional TV marathon. This May the 4th weekend, you’ll also find two screenings of Star Wars: A New Hope.

  • Art
  • Contemporary art
  • Downtown

The Broad’s upcoming special exhibition makes its way to Downtown L.A. from the 2024 Venice Biennale, where Jeffrey Gibson became the first Indigenous artist to represent the United States with a solo exhibition. Known for his signature use of geometric patterns, patterned text, vibrant color, glass beads and found objects, the Colorado-born artist explores his Indigenous identity and pays tribute to histories of resistance in thought-provoking and optimistic ways. The first-floor galleries will be transformed into a kaleidoscopic environment with 10 paintings, seven sculptures, eight flags, three murals and one video installation by Gibson. Expect an accompanying slate of performances, talks and workshops.

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  • Art
  • Pop art
  • Westside
  • Recommended

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.

  • Museums
  • Science and technology
  • USC/Exposition Park

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’ Freddie Freeman, Olympic medalist softball player Rachel Garcia and more. 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 kicks off May 15 and will remain at the Science Center at least through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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  • Museums
  • Movies and TV
  • Miracle Mile

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.

  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • USC/Exposition Park
  • Recommended

Nature lovers, rejoice! Spend a day at the Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Pavilion, which will be open through August 24 and be home to 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. Tip: The prime time for these unique butterfly flight experiences is typically between 10am and 11am each morning.

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  • Art
  • Photography
  • Los Feliz
  • Recommended

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House—centerpiece of Barnsdall Art Park and Los Angeles’ only UNESCO World Heritage Site—just might be the most stunning backdrop for an art exhibition. And, in this case, the home is the subject itself, too. L.A.-based photographer Ireland captured the intricate details of the Hollyhock House in 21 photographs on display throughout the onetime residence.

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  • Art
  • Pasadena

On the 50th anniversary of the Norton Simon Museum, look back to when Simon took over management of the Pasadena Art Museum in 1975, then ahead to the museum’s exciting future at this retrospective exhibition. See rare photos from the museum’s archives, and learn about the history of its major acquisitions, exhibitions, building and gardens—which are currently undergoing a transformation.

  • Things to do
  • Exhibitions
  • Miracle Mile

“Color in Motion” features close to 150 objects—pieces of technology, costumes, props and film posters—from the 1890s to today. Broken up into six themes, the exhibition looks at the connection between color, music and movement, like in early dance and animated shorts; decades of color technologies, from Technicolor processes and Disney’s women-led Ink & Paint Department to contemporary digital tools; monochrome silent films; the narrative role of color; and experimental works. The final gallery in the show is dubbed the Color Arcade, an interactive, neon-hued space that includes a corridor inspired by the trippy stargate from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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  • Art
  • Installation
  • Little Tokyo
  • Recommended

This spectacular exhibition from the Icelandic-Danish artist brings a new series of optical installations to MOCA’s Little Tokyo location. Don’t let the reflective, colorful pieces fool you into thinking this is some run-of-the-mill “immersive” exhibition: Olafur Eliasson’s works invite you to admire the everyday miracles of physics that shape how we see the world. 

  • Art
  • Installation
  • USC/Exposition Park

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.

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