Things to do in Los Angeles on Saturday

The latest addition to the growing roster of free summer concert series is a heavy hitter. Twenty-seven parks will host 108 concerts all across L.A. county. The shows—held Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings throughout July and August—will reflect the culture and diversity of the communities where they’re held, from North to East to South L.A. County. You can find a full list of the parks here. As for the lineup, independent music festival NextFest L.A. is in charge of the programming, highlighting local artists from the city’s thriving music scene. You can find the schedule here—new lineups are announced at the start of each week.

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.

Everyone’s favorite NPR member station has a hand in a slew of summer concert slates at public plazas and beloved museums, and this summer’s schedule is reliably packed. Familiar KCRW DJs will be providing free, open-air tunes on select nights from June through September at Maydan Market, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, La Brea Tar Pits, CAAM, ASU FIDM Museum, the Kidspace Children’s Museum, Hauser & Wirth, MOLAA, California Plaza, LACMA, Wende Museum, Union Station, downtown Long Beach, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Bowers Museum, the Autry and the NoHo Arts District. (Missing from the lineup this year and last are the party-till-midnight bashes at Chinatown Central Plaza.) The details slightly differ at each spot, but you can typically expect a bunch of food trucks, beer gardens and after-hours museum admission. Regardless of the location, you really can’t go wrong with any evening spent at Summer Nights. (Note: The kickoff June 1 event at Maydan Market and Aug. 8’s LACMA event are only for KCRW members.)

This epic (and free) outdoor concert series—now in its 40th season—features live performances by artists from around the world at the totally overhauled California Plaza stage in DTLA, where the shallow water separating the stage from the audience has been replaced by a proper event lawn. Don’t miss a diverse and highly intriguing mix of bands, DJ sets and dance parties on Saturday nights (and a few Friday Nights) from June 6 through August 22. Highlights this year include a season kickoff with Grupo Soñador and Wachiwara, tributes to Stevie Wonder, Ritchie Valens and Roy Ayers, and an edition of KCRW Summer Nights headlined by Mariachi El Bronx and the Tijuana Panthers. Just be sure to RSVP ahead of time to reserve a spot.

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. For 2026, Cinespia’s 25th(!) season in the cemetery, July continues things with a pair of fireworks-accompanied screenings, Shrek (July 3) and Jurassic Park (July 4), followed by Pulp Fiction (July 11), Rosemary’s Baby (July 18) and Edward Scissorhands (July 25); August includes Practical Magic (Aug 1), The Mummy (Aug 8), X and Pearl during the annual slumber party (Aug 15), Coming to America (Aug 22) and Labyrinth (Aug 29); and September wraps up the summer season with Josie and the Pussycats (Sept 5), The Sandlot (Sept 6) and Goodfellas (Sept 12). In addition, Cinespia is teaming up with See’s Candies this year to sell specially branded candy boxes during screenings. The outdoor screenings are an L.A. rite of passage,...

America’s largest pro surfing competition attracts the world’s elite, who compete for big money while wowing thousands of beach boys and girls with their skill, grace and innovative board designs. Heating up the festivities are live bands, a sports expo and after-parties with the friendly locals—though the concerts are ticketed. Matt Costa, G. Love & Special Sauce kick things off on July 25, Real Estate and the Allah-Las (whose surf-rock vibes should perfectly match the setting) play on July 31, and Arcy Drive and Local Natives share the stage August 1.

For dinner and a movie, all in one, just follow the food trucks. During the spring, summer and fall, Street Food Cinema throws together a series of outdoor parties that include screenings of some of our favorite movies, paired with an assortment of gourmet food trucks and even a live music performance from a cool local band. The screenings are held in venues across L.A. into October and alternate from week to week, so make sure to check the schedule. Some of the outdoor venues are dog-friendly, allowing you to bring your four-legged cinema lover along. See more of this season’s outdoor movie screenings in L.A.

Masterpiece isn't a word to be casually tossed around, but it’s hard not to ascribe it to musician turned artist Christian Marclay’s 24-hour video, in which thousands of short film clips are strung together to form a seamless, big-screen collage charting the passage of each minute of the day in real time. After 15 years away, The Clock is going back on display on the first floor of the BCAM building, and to bookend the exhibit, the museum is hosting two specially ticketed 24-hour screenings on July 25 and August 22 starting at 7pm (welcome news for L.A. night owls). Otherwise, the work will be on display during regular museum hours and is included with admission.

Mix fried food, carnival attractions and the occasional rodeo or demolition derby, and you’ve got the OC Fair. What started as a quaint fair in 1889 has since grown into a monthlong fest in the middle of summer. It also boasts a lineup of alfresco live music that’s more impressive than most fairs’—this year you can catch Willie Nelson, Cypress Hill, Patti LaBelle, the Head and the Heart, Diana Ross, Alison Krauss, Steve Aoki, Boy George and even comedian Trevor Noah, among others. See the full lineup here. 

The La La Land concert of our dreams? A re-creation of the “Another Day of Sun” opener on the 105 and 110 connector. But we’ll take “City of Stars” just down the hill from Griffith Observatory as a close second. Composer Justin Hurwitz himself will conduct his Oscar-winning score backed by an orchestra and jazz ensemble at the Greek Theatre this August. The screening-slash-concert, which premiered at the Hollywood Bowl back in 2017, has now become a returning tradition—formerly at L.A. State Historic Park via Street Food Cinema.