The best things to do in Los Angeles this week

In addition to its robust theater lineup, Topanga Canyon’s Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is also hosting an alfresco salon series each Thursday in October. The lineup of music and performances includes a spotlight on composers and performers who lost their homes in this year’s wildfires (Sept 11), a musical love letter to Broadway composer Kurt Weill (Sept 18) and a cabaret tribute to Joni Mitchell (Sept 25). 

It’s not quite the beachfront party of the erstwhile Twilight on the Pier, but 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 series that explores the spectrum of Americana music, from traditional roots and blues to jazz and folk. This year, instead of a weekly series, there will be one mid-month extravaganza that celebrates the city of Santa Monica’s 150th anniversary. El Rayo X, Alice Howe & Freebo, the Gumbo Brothers and Babilonia featuring Celia Chavez will play the Sunday-afternoon concert at Gandara Park (right next to Bergamot Station and the E Line). You can bring a picnic, and local food trucks will also be on hand.

Don’t go in the water, but do go to the Academy Museum to see the largest exhibition ever dedicated to Steven Spielberg’s quintessential 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 hear behind-the-scenes stories and see some 200 original objects from the film across multiple galleries. You can even have your own Martin Brody dolly-zoom moment in front of re-created beach cabanas from the film and see the lens used to film the famous shot.

Chicago, heroes of the ’70s, hits town: Expect plenty of key changes and golden oldies from its horn-heavy, soul pop-gone-soft rock back catalog, including “If You Leave Me Now” and “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.” Oh, and expect fireworks: They're headlining the Hollywood Bowl’s fireworks finale (though LA Phil–produced concerts will continue throughout the month). Five-time Grammy winner Christopher Cross will kick things off.

Even after attending a preview, 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.

Swim, bike and run for a good cause along Malibu’s iconic coastline at this spectator-friendly triathlon. If you’re not feeling quite up for a 1/2-mile swim, 18-mile bike ride and 4-mile run (or even longer distances for the Olympic race), you can always just spend a day at the beach cheering on the athletes. This year’s event will support the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu Emergency Relief Fund, helping families impacted by recent wildfires, as well as the Challenged Athletes Foundation. 

Get ready for a day of all things dinosaurs that’s been literally millions of years in the making. The Natural History Museum is throwing its 10th annual festival celebrating dinos, their prehistoric past and the science that brings their world back to life. Kids can meet world-renowned paleontologists, catch a glimpse of rare specimens from the museum’s collections, explore the museum’s famous Dinosaur Hall and take part in hands-on educational activities. 

The 17th annual Hola México Film Festival returns to L.A. with 20 films originating from our neighbors to the south, highlighting the achievements of Mexicans and Latino filmmakers. The fest kicks off with a red-carpet screening of Autos, Mota y Rocanrol at the Montalbán Theater, but you’ll find most movies screened at Regal Cinemas LA Live, as well as theaters in Pico Rivera and Norwalk. LA Plaza de Cultura Y Artes hosts the closing-night film and concert.

Drive down the newly reopened PCH to the Malibu Pier and support the city’s small businesses as they rebuild and recover in the wake of the Palisades Fire. Every second Sunday this summer, the boardwalk will be filled with free live music (courtesy of Aviator Nation Dreamland), food and drink, plus pop-ups from local vendors. A portion of every purchase will support California State Parks. What better way to spend a summer Sunday?

Ready or not, spooky season is upon us. The clearest sign? Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights fills the theme park with haunted houses starting September 4. Among the highlights: Fallout, which promises to be a blast. Wander through the post-apocalyptic Wasteland—complete with Scavengers, Raiders, the Ghoul and RAD Roaches the size of dogs—inspired by the video game franchise and Prime Video TV show. You’ll also find a maze celebrating 45 years of Friday the 13th’s iconic villain, Jason Voorhees, in “Jason Universe,” which will re-create 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 will bring the creepy animatronic characters to life. 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.) 

Treat your ears to a vibrant concert on a spring or summer night this year by attending MUSE/IQUE’s annual program. This monthly series of performances, held at cultural venues across L.A., features a mix of performances inspired by music movements and public figures, including tributes to Ray Charles, immigrant film composers, the Memphis sound, Etta James and more. The best way to attend is to become a MUSE/IQUE member; you could make a $75 donation to the performing arts nonprofit for a single event (with the exception of September’s free open house), but if you’re interested in more than just one, it’s cheaper per event to become a full-fledged member.

The reopened Getty Villa is back with a new season of its Outdoor Classical Theater series, which brings a dramatic work to life each year in the museum’s outdoor, ancient-Greece-style amphitheatre. This time around, the play is a musical mashup of Sophocles’s incestuous tragedy and the songs of Elvis Presley performed by the L.A.-based Troubadour Theater Company, known for its innovative adaptations of classics. Enjoy the ocean breeze while you dine on concessions like Memphis-style baby back ribs or an “Elvis” peanut butter, banana and Nutella sandwich before the show.

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.

Slow down and soak in the magic of the woods during these guided, moonlit forest walks at the Arboretum, inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin yoku, which is said to boost immune strength, reduce stress and improve cognitive function. Each meditative walk starts just before sunset and wraps up underneath the full moon with herbal tea.

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.

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.

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.

Hollywood hotel rooftop bar Desert 5 Spot flips into a poolside cinema on Thursday nights this summer, with cocktails, popcorn and concessions available; Santa Monica hotel the Eden hosts a similar courtyard setup on Wednesdays.

Watch a slate of classics from the past couple of decades on one of the prettiest rooftops—now called Oasis—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.

Explore the Autry into the evening at the Griffith Park museum’s Thursday-night series that spotlights the city’s emerging and established artists, musicians, poets and writers. Programming ranges from free salsa lessons to DJ sets to old-timey radio plays. The museum galleries stay open late, too, plus drinks and food trucks are also on offer.

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.

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.

Well, well, well, what have we here? The Nightmare Before Christmas’s bug-stuffed sack is once again taking over the Halloween duties at Disneyland for Oogie Boogie Bash, an after-hours, specially ticketed seasonal event at Disney California Adventure Park. This five-hour party, held on select nights from late August through October, throws in a bunch of exclusive Halloween entertainment with the promise of considerably shorter wait times for select rides. You’ll find trick-or-treating trails, kid-friendly shows, the Headless Horseman-led Frightfully Fun Parade and the maze-like Villains Grove. The perks of the after-hours event aren’t just Halloween-y: You’ll be able to venture through and hop on rides in most areas of the park, including at Avengers Campus (the Guardians of the Galaxy ride that predates the land will flip to its Monsters After Dark edition). The bad news: Tickets are sold out, but there’s still lots of other Halloween programming at the parks to enjoy.

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.

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. 

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. 

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. The special exhibition will normally cost you $15, but you can visit for free on Thursday evenings.

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.

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 flower vial filled with nectar to attract and feed the butterflies yourself. Carve out some time to explore the gardens afterward.