The best things to do in Los Angeles this week

I dreamed a dream that the world’s most popular musical returned to the Pantages. You know the show, you know French history. The “reimagined” production of the bombastic Broadway spectacle Les Mis hits the road with a stop in Hollywood.

True blue Valley girls Alana, Danielle and Este Haim bring their brilliant and breezy West Coast harmonies and epic, ‘80s-influenced pop back to their home base for a night at the Forum.

The old Trois Mec space in Hollywood will finally come alive again with éphémère, a new pop-up series by Ludo Lefebvre. True to its name, each version of éphémère will be short-lived—a one-of-a-kind experience that captures a moment in time and won’t return in the same form again. For the first iteration, the French American chef will be debuting his first vegetarian tasting menu, éphémère: legume. During the five day pop-up (Oct 7–11) Lefebvre will apply classic French technique to locally sourced vegetables, fruits and herbs in unexpected ways. Reservations are $195 per person. 

The Natural History Museum is bringing back its B Movies and Bad Science film series and tying it into its “Fierce! The Story of Cats” exhibition. For three Thursdays this month, catch campy, cult-classic horror films starring cats at the museum’s new NHM Commons theater. The spooky screenings will be supplemented by pre-show activities with with local cat organizations and vendors, post-film discussions and evening access to “Fierce!” First up in the lineup is 1961’s The Shadow of the Cat (Oct 9), followed by 1959’s A Bucket of Blood (Oct 16) and 1964’s The Tomb of Ligeia (Oct 23). 

Pasadena’s underrated collection of museums and performance spaces open up their doors for free at this biannual arts and culture open house. Take advantage of the free shuttle buses to travel between local institutions such as the USC Pacific Asia Museum, ArtCenter and more, many of which will be offering special programming and performances. And, of course, no arts fest would be complete without food trucks, which often include pop-ups from local bricks-and-mortar.

Brookside at the Rose Bowl will become a pop-up Pink Pony Club for two nights in October as Best New Artist Grammy winner Chappell Roan stops by at the end of her three-city mini tour. The singer wrote on Instagram, “I love these three cities so much + wanted the chance to do something special before going away to write the next album.” Luckily Pasadena made the cut, and at the time of writing you can still snag tickets that won’t break the bank.

Oktoberfest, but make it operatic. Lincoln Heights beer and cider brewery Benny Boy already had its traditional Oktoberfest celebration in September, but this Thursday, oompah bands will be supplemented with opera for a “one-night-only celebration of beer, bratwurst, and
belting.” Expecting stein-holding contests, sausages, soft pretzels and lots of singing, aided by the Ladyhosen Band and LA Donauschwaben Dance Group. The ticket price of $35 includes your first drink—Benny Boy will be pouring a special lineup of Oktoberfest brews for the occasion.

Embark on a night of culinary adventure at this weekend-long event from the L.A. Times Food section, held at Downtown’s City Market Social House. Each $142 event ticket secures you unlimited food and drink from dozens of the city's top restaurants, wineries and distilleries. Highlights from Friday night’s lineup include Agnes Restaurant and Cheesery, AttaGirl, Dama, Ditroit, Heavy Handed, Jitlada, Ozzy’s Apizza, Park’s BBQ, Rossoblu, Villa’s Tacos and Wanderlust Creamery. On Saturday, don’t miss bites from American Beauty & the Win-Dow, Baroo, Fiorelli Pizza, Holbox (which recently made the inaugural 50 Best Restaurants list), Holy Basil, Luv2eat Thai Bistro and OyBar.

See what’s cutting-edge in the world of horror with a bloody-good selection of indie flicks invading the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres this October. The frightful film festival—hailed as one of the top five film fests in the country by the New York Times—is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a killer lineup of premieres, short films, animation and more. 

The Hammer Museum’s excellent, ongoing series of biennial exhibitions ups the ante with each edition of its spotlight on emerging and under-recognized L.A. artists. This October’s exhibition—the seventh such show—brings together works from 28 artists, spanning film, painting, theater, photography, sculpture and video, that engage with the city of Los Angeles. A 20-foot-high inflatable, Buggy Bear Crashes Made in L.A. by Alake Shilling, welcomes you to the museum on the corner of Wilshire and Glendon. 

South Coast Botanic Garden’s adorable dog walking hours jumps from a once-a-month treat to an every-weekend affair just during the month of October at Dogtoberfest. In addition to dog-friendly walking paths, the garden will hold an Oktoberfest-style pub crawl (for humans) with four stations of included beer samples (full pours are available for purchase, as are pretzels and Bratwurst). The pup-friendly offerings continue with a “dance pawty” and obstacle course.

Sure, it doesn’t look so glamorous now, but give it a few years, a billion or so dollars and some steady rain, and the L.A. River will be a point of civic pride for Angelenos. Do your part in the meantime at the Friends of the Los Angeles River’s 35th annual cleanup, which is expanding to two weekends this year. Rather than focusing on one spot, the events will tackle multiple locations on October 11 and 18: the Willow Street Bridge in Long Beach, Bond Park in Atwater Village, the Sepulveda Basin in the Valley, and Compton Creek just steps from the Metro A Line.

American Contemporary Ballet opens its 14th season with two new mysterious new ballets—the perfect way for culture vultures to get their Halloween fix. The program consists of “Death and the Maiden,” an otherworldly work set to Franz Schubert’s meditation on death that features opera singers and levitating dancers, followed by “Burlesque: Variation IX,” a follow-up to last October’s “Burlesque”—both performed to live music. You’ll find the hour-and-a-half show at the Bank of America Plaza in DTLA. Stick around afterward for a reception with the dancers and musicians.

Ahead of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the Getty will hold an afternoon of free activities and performances—including music, comedy, dance, drumming and poetry—to learn about Southern California’s Native American cultures. This year’s theme celebrates libraries and storytelling. Try your hand at collage or zine-making, or head to the garden for a drag storytime hour. 

Grab a cold one and gather ’round for a daylong celebration of America’s favorite beverage when the LA Beer Fest goes Bavarian. The popular festival at Los Angeles Center Studios is returning with an Oktoberfest edition featuring 50 local breweries and a beer village with over 30 Bavarian brews, along with a dozen food trucks and live music. Tickets include unlimited beer samplings (food is sold separately); choose from either a GA ticket or a connoisseur ticket, which will get you access to a VIP lounge and event deck, tacos, exclusive beers and commemorative steins.

Before achieving mainstream success with Fun, singer Nate Ruess fronted indie pop darling the Format. After the pandemic scrapped plans for a reunion, Ruess will finally rejoin multi-instrumentalist Sam Means for a limited tour, including this October 10 stop on the Fairbanks Lawn at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Upping the aughts nostalgia: “California” scribes Phantom Planet open the show.

In love with all things pounded, breaded and fried? Head to the third iteration of h.wood Group’s Tenderfest. During the daylong food festival in Beverly Hills, enjoy all-you-can-eat chicken tenders from Box Chicken, Chimmelier, Delilah, Happies Hand Made, LaSorted’s, Le Coupe, Pioneer Chicken and even Popeyes. Stop at the sauce station, and pair your poultry with cocktails, beers and a variety of desserts. Plus, celeb chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Tim Hollingsworth, Alex Guarnaschelli and Bun B will go head-to-head in the conTENDER Competition, to be judged by a VIP panel consisting of Diplo, Michael Symon, Alison Wonderland, Rick Lox and Jack’s Dining Room. 

Want to peer through the eyepiece of Mt. Wilson’s historic telescopes? Your best and most economical bet just might be one of the Talks & Telescopes events. These monthly Saturday-night astronomy lectures are followed up with a few hours of stargazing on portable telescopes on the grounds as well as the 60 and 100-inch telescopes for only $50 (a fraction of the price of the observatory’s late-night stargazing sessions).

Love all things Arts and Crafts? This Pasadena event celebrates the earthy architectural movement with a fair that features fare from over 200 artisans—think handcrafted jewelry, ceramics, textiles, fine art, home décor and gourmet treats. You’ll also find workshops, demos, wine tasting and live music.

Held over two weekends (Oct 11–12, 18–19), this Oktoberfest celebration combines Santa Anita’s famous horse races with the best of the Bavarian fall festival, including stein-holding and costume contests, a corn hole competition, musical chairs, keg rolling, pretzels—and beer of course. Each $38 general admission ticket includes a mini tasting stein and eight three-ounce beer tastings, as well as a $5 betting voucher, a tip sheet and access to grandstand seating at the race track. A pricier $75 VIP group ticket (with a three-person minimum) secures you picnic table seating and a $20 food voucher. 

Go pumpkin picking in the pines as this Halloween-themed month of activities hits a perennially Christmas Lake Arrowhead amusement park. On weekends from October 11 to 26, SkyPark at Santa’s Village hosts its Pumpkins in the Pines activities, which—you guessed it—sees pumpkins and hay bales covering the grounds of the park.

Though the park is open select days during the week, the Hallowen activities are limited to Saturdays and Sundays. That’s when you’ll find pumpkin picking and painting, photo ops, a Sleepy Hollow puppet show, costume contests and trick-or-treating.

Reservations aren’t required, but you can secure a better rate by buying tickets in advance. Also, just a heads-up that some activities—like cookie decorating and face painting—cost a few bucks extra.

Stroll through a mile-long trail filled with all things Halloween, including an illuminated forest of jack-o’-lanterns, during Descanso Gardens’ annual Carved. For four weeks this fall, the event will line a loop of the botanical garden with thousands of professionally carved pumpkins. For the 2025 edition, Carved is introducing a new route, as well as new vignettes on the Pumpkin Trail, treats at Harvest Acres (order the churro) and new characters carved from logs by chainsaw—plus ghostly wire sculptures haunting a garden filled with twinkling lights. The gardens’ model trains are also illuminated for the event, and the popular neon-hued Rhizome light sculpture is back.

The only thing better than a haunted attraction is a haunted attraction on a giant boat—which has its own haunted history. You’ll find all the usual horrors here—think fog, mazes and countless monsters. What sets Dark Harbor apart is its use of its surroundings; the dark, cramped confines of the Queen Mary are already pretty spooky even without monsters—just be prepared to climb a lot of skinny staircases. The event’s 2025 “Summoned by the Seas” iteration dives further into the ocean liner’s lore with new and reimagined mazes set in the ship’s swimming pool, kitchen and staterooms. When you tire of the terror, take a spin on the carnival rides, sip spirits at secret speakeasies or catch spooky live entertainment.

Even after attending a performance, I’m not quite sure how to describe The Cortège, a new experimental theater production from outside-the-box Oakland creative Jeff Hull. (Hull’s 2008 immersive alternate-reality game the Jejune Institute served as the inspiration for the Jason Segel–created TV show Dispatches From Elsewhere.) This latest outing, held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, is a mix of live music, choreography, larger-than-life costumes, large-scale puppetry, a silent disco, a score by artists including TOKiMONSTA, robot dogs and a simultaneous drone show. The abstract, 99% wordless experience is billed as “a festive funeral for our times,” and a nearly two-hour performance filled with striking visuals culminates in a wake of sorts with cups of tea inside an ambient tent. Before the show, food—veggie bowls, gyros, hummus, pita chips and baklava—and drinks are available for purchase. The Cortège was originally scheduled to run through September 28, but the buzzed-about production has been extended through October 19.

Home of the Los Angeles County Fair, the Fairplex turns into a German wonderland for Oktoberfest every Friday and Saturday from October 3 to 18, complete with Bavarian music, beer, games and plenty of chicken dancing. Sink your teeth into bratwurst, knockwurst, pretzels and potato pancakes while knocking back authentic German suds at this 21-plus event with DJs, oompah bands and the Das Kär Show, which will bring over 40 Volkswagen Beetles and other German-made autos to the Fairplex grounds. For those planning to attend the Fairplex’s other October event, the fright-filled Lights Out, revelers can also buy a two-for-one “Boos & Brews” combo ticket for $30.

What could be a better fit for Halloween than spooky films screened in a cemetery? This October, Cinespia will be showing a 50th-anniversary screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Craft, Paranorman and A Nightmare on Elm Street at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Plus, for the first time in a decade, the series is hosting a Halloween-night party in the cemetery itself (it usually hosts a soiree inside a Downtown theater) Catch a screening of Scream on October 31—costumes are mandatory.

West Hollywood’s chic restaurant and rooftop bar, E.P. & L.P., is serving much more than handcrafted cocktails and modern American bites. The spot also hosts Melrose Rooftop Theatre, an outdoor screening series that runs much of the year on the rooftop space attached to its open-air bar, L.P. After a summer hiatus when it hosted a roller rink instead, it’s back again with screenings in time for spooky season. Its all-VIP seating setup means everyone gets their own bean bag to watch a mix of cult classics and newly released films, with the audio piped in to provided sets of wireless headphones. Opt for the dinner-and-a-movie package and you’ll get a pre-show starter, main and dessert—or you can skip it and just opt for a cocktail during the movie.

This traveling horror-themed Halloween cocktail pop-up will have three locations in L.A. this year: Melrose Umbrella Club in Beverly Grove, the Corner Door in Culver City and the Ordinarie in Long Beach. Halloween lovers can sip expertly mixed cocktails amid metal music and goth decor, including the famous 12-foot-tall skeleton from Home Depot. Drink highlights include the Corpse Flower (tequila blanco, ube syrup, Giffard Banane, lime juice, sherry) and the Creature’s Curse (rice-washed rye and rum, sherry, sweet potato or pumpkin syrup, bitters). Non-alcoholic options will also be available.

Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group hosts a chilling series of vignettes that’s been named one of Yelp’s top 10 scariest haunts in the country. Armed with a shoddy flashlight to illuminate their path, guests navigate a labyrinth of terror both before and after watching a series of shocking scenes (over the course of roughly 40 minutes) that will unsettle even the most stoic of horror fans. The haunted house-slash-theater experience is celebrating 20 years of scaring audiences.

Scope out B-movie classics and under-the-radar premieres at Beyond Fest. Held in partnership with American Cinematheque (for which the fest will raise funds), it includes two weeks of screenings and Q&As with actors and filmmakers. You’ll find the films spread across town at the Cinematheque’s three venues: the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Los Feliz 3 and Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

Every Saturday (and select Fridays) through October 25, this Venice gastropub is throwing a Bavarian celebration with lederhosen and finger-licking fare. Dive into a savory rattlesnake and rabbit hot link topped with onions and peppers, choose from a selection of German and Belgian beers on draft, and enjoy yodeling and live German music. The best part? Each ticket (with noon or 5pm start times on Saturdays and 7pm start times on Fridays) includes a Wurstküche beer stein, with the first fill-up included. Entry isn’t cheap ($72 and up), but the 12 seatings regularly sell out.

Everyone’s familiar with Leonard Bernstein’s star-crossed lovers musical, but did you know that the composer originally imagined it as an opera? LA Opera has taken his suggestion and ran with it with an elevated, maximalist and operatic take premiering at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion that incorporates the iconic original choreography and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics. 

One of L.A.’s best free live-music offerings, Jazz at LACMA has featured legit legends over its three-decade 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.

Walk across the grounds of the scenic King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas as the Santa Monica Mountains hideaway is illuminated with thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns. Night of the Jack returns with an on-foot, mile-long trail this year, plus live pumpkin-carving, food trucks and a “Spookeasy,” too. This year, you’ll find new themed environments and multisensory experiences that make use of projection mapping.

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.

The iconic Hollywood Roosevelt hotel is hosting some poolside screenings this sumer. Tickets are super reasonable ($12). And don’t worry if it’s a chilly night: Towels, blankets and heaters are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Find the series running every Thursday night.

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.

This Denver-originated Halloween attraction returns to L.A. with thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns lining a pathway at a new location this year: the beautiful South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes. Pumpkin light shows, bounce pads, inflatables and festive food complete the family-friendly experience.

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 recent hits (Sinners, Wicked) modern classics (The Dark Knight, Pride & Prejudice) and local favorites (La La Land, Friday), as well as the occasional TV marathon—this month, it’s fall favorite Gilmore Girls. You’ll also find a handful of September “Singles Night” screenings.

It feels like Oktoberfest all year round at Silver Lake’s long-running Red Lion Tavern, but it’s especially festive in the fall, when it celebrates the Bavarian tradition on weekends through mid-November. Order the Oktoberfest platter—an epic array of pretzels, brats, schnitzel and sides—alongside a four-liter boot of beer, or a collector’s stein designed by the local Bad Bean Studio. Check the bar’s Instagram for programming updates.

Encounter free-roaming monsters and 10 terrifying mazes—think: a zoo with animal-human hybrids, a convalescent home with “spider-possessed residents” and a greatest-hits parade of past Knotts monsters—as well as a “boo-fet” dinner and all sorts of other haunted houses and attractions at the OC theme park for 26 nights during Halloween season.

Ready or not, spooky season is upon us. The clearest sign? Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights has filled the theme park with haunted houses. Among the highlights: Fallout, inspired by the video game franchise and Prime Video TV show, which takes you through the post-apocalyptic Wasteland. You’ll also find a truly freaky maze celebrating 45 years of Friday the 13th’s iconic villain, Jason Voorhees, which re-creates the summer camp, cabin and forest as the hockey-mask-wearing killer goes on a vengeance tour. And a Five Nights at Freddy’s maze brings the creepy animatronic characters to life at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Over on the studio tour—ahem, Terror Tram—you can expect to encounter a host of Blumhouse villains, including M3GAN. 

Face your fears and head to the Natural History Museum’s Spider Pavilion, where you can observe several hundred orbweaver spiders in a living exhibit just outside of the museum. Scared the spiders might be hard to spot in the wild? Fret not. In previous iterations, we’ve spotted ones about the size of an adult’s palm. Gulp. (But don’t worry: The scariest ones are in enclosed habitats.) 

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 7 and November 9, 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, Thursday and Sunday nights, as well as Saturday afternoons, just book ahead online.)

L.A.’s star-studded lecture series returns—both virtually and in person—with a lineup of writers, artists, performers, scientists and business leaders who will graciously blow your mind. For both online and IRL events, you’ll often have the option of purchasing a signed copy of the speaker’s book, as well. October highlights include talks with Werner Herzog, Tim Curry, Judd Apatow and Marc Maron.

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. New this year is a Día de los Muertos sequence that pays tribute to the holiday, as well as a sneak peek of BBMT’s upcoming Choo Choo Revue—its first new show in 40 years. Once October arrives, each show will include a costume parade, so dressing up is encouraged.

Not over last weekend’s Oasis shows at the Rose Bowl yet? Revisit the Gallagher brothers’ early days of fame, captured through the lens of music photographer Kevin Cummins, at Musichead Gallery on Sunset, which is displaying an exhibition of band portraits through October 28.

Head to the mountains for the annual Oktoberfest at Big Bear Lake, where you’ll be able to clink steins every weekend from September to early November. Beer will be flowing, knockwursts will be cooked up, and dirndls will be worn. The entertainment lineup includes numerous bands—many straight from Germany—and other performances, and one lucky damsel will be named the Oktoberfest Queen when she wins the stein-carrying contest. Others can test their skills with free log-sawing, stein-holding and chugging competitions.

Held in the so-called Alps of Southern California, Lake Arrowhead’s all-ages Oktoberfest runs every weekend from September 20 to October 26 this year, hosting live German American oompah bands, stein-holding and dance contests, children’s games and a daily sausage toss. Although there’s no entry fee, attendees are advised to book picnic (for up to eight people, $100–$150 on Saturdays, $50–$100 on Sundays) or pub tables (for up to four, $50–$100 on Saturdays, $25–$50 on Sundays) to secure seats closer to the stage. This year, the event is being held in a new venue, the picturesque Waterfront Park.

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.

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. 

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.

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.