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E.P. & L.P. rooftop bar
Photograph: Courtesy E.P. & L.P.

Things to do in Los Angeles on Friday

Kick back, relax and get the weekend started with the best things to do this Friday night

Michael Juliano
Edited by
Michael Juliano
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The weekend is here and, if you’re like us, you’re so happy that you could shout it from a rooftop—or into a microphone at a karaoke bar. Fridays in L.A. tend to bring high-energy happenings in the evenings, including buzzy performances and weekend-long event kickoffs. Whether you’re looking to unwind with a cocktail or to stay up all night at a midnight movie, you’ll find plenty of things to do in L.A. this Friday.

Things to do in L.A. this Friday

  • Art
  • price 0 of 4
  • Boyle Heights

Your favorite plush ’80s obsession meets the contemporary art market at this show from Corey Helford Gallery, which features pieces of Care Bears-inspired work by 75 currently working artists. Oh, and of course there’s a pop-up shop as part of the Boyle Heights-area show.

  • Movies
  • price 2 of 4
  • Downtown

The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing have returned for another season of screenings 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.

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  • Art
  • Installation
  • price 3 of 4
  • Boyle Heights

For one summer in 1987, a carnival popped up in Germany with traditional rides adorned with artwork by Salvador Dalí, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Sonia Delaunay and a couple dozen others. And then… it kind of just vanished, sent off into storage for decades. But now, thanks to a couple of art world partners and Drake, Luna Luna has been revived in L.A., restored and reassembled in a soundstage in Boyle Heights through May 2024. Though you can’t climb aboard the rides here, the atmosphere is magical and—for contemporary art fans for sure—worth the relatively steep price of admission. On the other hand, as alluring as that reflective Dalídome is though, we’d say that splurging on a VIP pass (which comes with a couple of other perks) isn’t worth it just to snap a photo inside of it. You can read more here about our experience at Luna Luna.

  • Things to do

Support women-owned restaurants and dine at some of L.A.’s best spots during the return of this annual food fest. Regarding HER's RE:Her festival will offer themed menu specials, convos and collabs from women restaurateurs all month long. Highlights from this year include a paella night featuring Casa Vega and Gasolina Cafe (March 22), a chaat party at Benny Boy Brewing (March 10) and a "chefs of the Arts District" dinner (March 20).

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  • Art
  • Painting
  • price 0 of 4
  • Beverly Hills

Did this past year’s Basquiat exhibition in DTLA leave you wanting more? Head to Beverly Hills where Gagosian will be displaying 30 rarely loaned Jean-Michel Basquiat pieces that were created in L.A. during the iconic artist’s time spent at his Venice studio between 1982 and 1984.

  • Things to do
  • price 1 of 4
  • USC/Exposition Park

Nature lovers rejoice! Spend a day at the Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Pavilion, which will open from March 17 through August 25 with up to 30 butterfly and moth species and an assortment of California plants. The seasonal outdoor exhibit allows for adults and children alike to witness nature up close—we’re talking having bufferlies take flight and land on your arms or shoulders. Prime time for these unique butterfly flight experiences are between 10 and 11am each morning.

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  • Art
  • price 0 of 4
  • Hollywood

What does living in L.A. look like? It’s a wildly different picture depending on each Angeleno’s point of view, and so to celebrate that diversity of perspectives, Hollywood gallery Jeffrey Deitch will display pieces from a dozen local artists that delve into underground economies, landscapes, surveillance, backyard hangouts and public transit, among other topics.

  • Things to do
  • price 3 of 4

Expect to hear plenty of people shouting “you can’t sit with us!” during this Mean Girls-inspired experience in Santa Monica. Each ticket comes with an entree and side (think “Stab” Ceasar salad and cheese fries) in a cafeteria-style setting, plus access to the Cool Mom Bar and plenty of photo ops (like Regina’s bedroom mirror, the Burn Book and the talent show). Find it at 2020 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica.  

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  • Art
  • Street art
  • price 0 of 4
  • La Brea

See over 200 of Gordon Matta-Clark’s photos, many of which have never been on display in public, from the earliest years of New York’s graffiti scene during this show at Beyond the Streets. The adjacent CONTROL Gallery will simultaneously present a new collection of local assembly artist Guillaume Ollivier’s works.

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