Things to do in Los Angeles on Saturday

Netflix’s stand-up specials keep us cackling at home, but the streaming service’s ambitious comedy festival is nothing to laugh at. For its second iteration, Netflix is a Joke Fest is headed back here May 1 to 12, 2024 and upping the ante: We’ve counted over 500 shows slated for three dozen venues with sets from Ali Wong, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Chris Rock, Taylor Tomlinson and literally hundreds of others (we’ve highlighted 10 of the most unique offerings to help narrow things down). The event is a bit more of a marathon than a traditional festival: There’s not an all-encompassing festival pass, but you can buy individual tickets to shows throughout its run. The exception is Outside Joke, an outdoor event set up in a parking lot behind the Palladium. You’ll find a mix of music, drag and stand-up—hosted by the likes of Atsuko Okatsuka, Leslie Jones and Reggie Watts, among others—alongside a couple of carnival games plus food, drinks and merch. Unlike the 2022 version, which was free, you can access the area on a first-come, first-served basis if you have a ticket to any other Netflix is a Joke Fest show, or you can guarantee entry with a $25 day pass. Just a heads up that if you enter Outside Joke at the same time as doors open for a show at the Palladium, you may find yourself stuck in a security line that wraps around the block; otherwise the two venues have separate lines. Elsewhere, you’ll find shows staged at venues as big as the Hollywood Bowl and Greek Theatre (a

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. This spring and summer, look out for a slate of wedding season picks and AAPI Heritage Month selections in May, as well as Pride and Black Music Month screenings in June. Also, select “wooftop” screenings will be dog-friendly starting in May. Find the full schedule on their site, or in our outdoor movie calendar.

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 12. 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.

The hour stands before another springtime, and the Renaissance Pleasure Faire is nigh. Good mistresses and masters, prepareth thy schedules and costumes for the return of the oldest Ren Faire in the country, a spectacle that cov’reth 20 Irwindale acres with Elizabethan libations and amusement: fully armored joust tournaments and tea parties with the Queen along with beguiling stage acts, rides, games, delicious edibles and ales abound. The fesitivies will transpire each weekend at the Santa Fe Dam Recreational Area; procureth day or season passes in advance by visiting ye olde online box office. And no, we can’t stop talking like this. When is the Renaissance Pleasure Faire near Los Angeles? The event takes place Saturdays and Sundays (10am–7pm) from April 6 to May 19, 2024 at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area in Irwindale. How much are tickets? Tickets cost $42 for adults, $37 for seniors (62+) and those with military IDs, $21 for kids ages 5 to 15 and free for kids 4 and under. A season pass costs $225. Parking is $12, with a VIP option available for $25.

L.A. has changed immeasurably since 1921, when this event was first staged as an agricultural fair. However, the perennially popular event still has farm-friendly appeal (livestock beauty contests, local produce) alongside the more modern acrobats, wine tastings, exhibitions and concerts. RECOMMENDED: A guide to the L.A. County Fair

Let the wild rumpus start at this celebration of beloved children’s author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. The Skirball Cultural Center is displaying more than 150 sketches, storyboards and paintings from the Where the Wild Things Are creator. “Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak” debuted at the Columbus Museum of Art in 2022 and has since sailed off (metaphorically speaking) to visit L.A. from April 18 through September 1. As you might expect, Where the Wild Things Are receives the biggest spotlight in the exhibition, with beautiful crosshatched artwork, translations of books, monster-themed merch and even costumes from the Spike Jonze film. In addition to his own books, In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There among them, the exhibition also features art that Sendak created for a handful of other authors, most notably Else Holmelund Minarik’s Little Bear, as well designs for Mozart operas. The show also focuses on his personal and family life, with insight on his Jewish upbringing, some very early drawings (including one of Mickey Mouse he created when he was just six years old) and lots about how his beloved dogs inspired and integrated into his books. Admission costs $18 for adults, with discounts for students, seniors and children; it’s completely free to visit on Thursdays. Look out for the adorable living room setup near the entrance, too—it hosts story time Thursday through Sunday at 3pm.

Former HiFi space Gabba Gallery ushers in its new DTLA home with this retrospective of counterculture illustrator EMEK, famous for his posters for the likes of Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Nine Inch Nails and Neil Young, as well as the annual Coachella poster.

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—usually alfresco, sometimes in a drive-in format—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. 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.

Form a gallery in the sky made entirely of kites during this community festival from Clockshop and California State Parks. Held in honor of the communities surrounding L.A. State Historic Park, the free fest features flying demonstrations, art workshops and musical performances.

Cake on the eyeliner, cry it off and then dance away the tears at the return of this 1980s-to-aughts goth, new wave and punk fest with Duran Duran, Interpol, Blondie, Simple Minds, Placebo, Soft Cell, Adam Ant, Gary Numan and more. The one-day-only event features dozens of alt obsessions on the golf course next to the Rose Bowl, where it once again returns.