Things to do in Los Angeles on Friday

There’s something about watching fireworks over the ocean. Every year in Marina del Rey, fireworks explode over the marina channel and spectators gather all over to watch on the 4th of July: at Burton Chace Park or Fisherman’s Village, as well as from Marina “Mother’s” Beach, waterfront hotels and restaurants, and on boats. Fireworks start at 9pm and usually last for about 20 minutes. Arrive early to the area’s county parking lots.

The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing have returned for another season of screenings to LEVEL in Downtown L.A. 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 (with optional blankets for purchase to up the coziness). 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. Find the full schedule on their site, or in our outdoor movie calendar.

It isn’t summer in L.A. until the first cemetery screening brings hoards of movie-lovers to Hollywood Forever Cemetery, toting folding chairs, picnic blankets, snack spreads and lots of booze. Each year, Cinespia brings classic cult favorites to the hallowed resting place of such Hollywood greats as Rudolph Valentino and Bugsy Siegel. The series typically releases its slate one month at a time, with summertime screenings at the cemetery and a few off-site ones on either end (usually at L.A. State Historic Park). For each evening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, pack a picnic (yes, booze is allowed), pose in the photo booth and enjoy DJ sets, dance parties and all sorts of other magical mischief that’d otherwise be strictly forbidden behind the cemetery gates. The outdoor screenings are an L.A. rite of passage, a quintessential summer experience and one of the best film venues in the city. Just be sure to get your ticket early, arrive early, pee early… it’s a popular affair, to say the least.

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.

Burbank’s hillside amphitheatre the Starlight Bowl is closed this season after sustaining wind damage in January, so instead of its annual concert and fireworks show, the city is switching things up. Down the hill, McCambridge Park will host Starlight on Tour, featuring a performance by Bruno & the Hooligans—yes, that’s a Bruno Mars cover band—and a drone light show at 9pm.

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” exhibit: Olafur Eliasson’s works invite you to admire the everyday miracles of physics that shape how we see the world. The towering, mirror-lined stacks that fill the entrance of “OPEN” bring the outside in, as the warehouse-style Geffen Contemporary’s skylights create infinite spaces and mini worlds out of the sun and sky. The surprisingly analog optics behind them can be truly sublime: Gently moving water has a pair of pieces appear as shimmery landscapes, mirrors turn tubing into floating rings that trail into a black void and a simple array of pendants produce colorful flares against a screen. These aren’t pieces you’re meant to disappear into; instead, they provide a lens for the enviornment around us. You’ll need a timed ticket ($18) to see “Olafur Eliasson: OPEN.” Look for reservations on the first Friday of the month, from 5 to 8pm, for free admission.

Dodger Stadium hosts fireworks (or drones) on Friday nights throughout the season, but they do it up extra on the Fourth of July. Buy tickets to see the team take on the Houston Astros on the Fourth and then stick around for a fireworks show you can see from your seat; line up on the field level near the end of the game and you can even watch from the outfield grass. The game starts at 6:10pm, so expect the fireworks show to start around 9pm, depending on how long the game goes.

Even if you don’t buy a ticket to board the Queen Mary, there are other options for viewing Long Beach’s Fourth of July fireworks display. The pyrotechnics show over Queensway Bay around 9pm is easily viewable from most of the Long Beach waterfront’s attractions, including Lions Lighthouse in Shoreline Aquatic Park, Shoreline Village, Rainbow Harbor and Marina Green. If you’d rather watch from the water, you can also set sail with City Cruises or Harbor Breeze Cruises, which depart from Rainbow Harbor on the Fourth. Earlier on Friday, the Aquarium of the Pacific hosts a 4th of July BBQ at noon ($70). And for some early fireworks action, there’s also “Big Bang on the Bay,” a block party and fireworks show on the eastern edge of the city over Alamitos Bay on July 3 (5pm, fireworks 8:30pm, tickets $85).

Ring in another year of independence in the grand ol’ USA with Earth, Wind & Fire, backed by the LA Phil. The Bowl proudly hosts its annual Fourth of July party, complete with a dazzling fireworks finale. Grab your tickets early; seats in the nosebleed section go for less than the price of parking. Or consider springing for front section tickets—it is America’s birthday, after all.

Make your Fourth of July an all-day blowout by heading down to this legendary, long-running (121 years!) fest at the Huntington Beach Pier, which is billed as “the largest Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi.” The festivities kick off with the 5K Surf City Run at 8am. Follow the 2.5-mile parade route to the beach, then put on your Uncle Sam hat for the Pier Plaza Festival, where you’ll find live entertainment, family activities and all-American eats all weekend. Scope out a spot or grab a VIP seat for the fireworks display at 9pm, which ends in an epic finale. What time is the Huntington Beach 4th July parade? The parade is on July 4 at 10am. The parade’s 2.5-mile route starts on Pacific Coast Highway and makes its way past the Huntington Beach Pier onto Main Street. Reserved viewing can be purchased for $27. What time do the fireworks start at Huntington Beach on the 4th of July? The fireworks start at 9pm. Beach viewing is open to the public, while reserved seating on the pier will cost you $32 to $42.