Things to do in Los Angeles on Sunday

Each summer, Bard fanatics watch their favorite works come to life at the historic Old Zoo in Griffith Park. For 16 years running, Independent Shakespeare Co. has put on a series of lively productions each week, inviting audiences to take a seat on the grass (bring a picnic blanket) and enjoy performances like this season’s headliner, Shakespeare political thriller Coriolanus, which will be followed by the self-explanatory The Comedy of Errors. With construction of a permanent stage still in process on the main lawn, this summer’s shows will again be held in the dell at the top of the Old Zoo—meaning available space is smaller, and although performances are still free, reservations are required.

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. For each evening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, pack a picnic (yes, booze is allowed), pose in the themed 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 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 and, sometimes, inside historic theaters during the off-season).  For 2026, Cinespia’s 25th(!) season in the cemetery, September wraps up the summer season with Josie and the Pussycats (Sept 5), The Sandlot (Sept 6) and Goodfellas (Sept 12), though you can expect an October return for Halloween with Corpse Bride (Oct 3), Carrie (Oct 10), Jennifer’s Body (Oct 30) and The Thing (Oct 31). 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, 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...

Every Sunday, you can find dozens of food vendors at this market at ROW DTLA, a Brooklyn import that boasts a mix of much-loved pop-ups and future foodie stars. Thirteen new vendors are joining the lineup this year: Feast on burgers and orange chicken sandwiches from Terrible Burger, Viennese street food from Franzl’s Franks, Neapolitan-meets-Persian pies from Mamani Pizza, plant-based corn dogs from Stick Talk and more. Wash it all down at the family-friendly beer garden. You’ll also find shopping stalls selling everything from framed vintage ads to jewelry made locally with ethically sourced gemstones. Entry and the first two hours of parking are free.

You might have seen ads on Instagram over the past couple of months for Hospital of Emotions—a colorful, cartoony flyer that heralds a site-specific art pop-up located in a real hospital with the tagline “a place to heal your heART.” The conceit intrigued me off the bat: 70 artists (both local and international) given hospital rooms as a canvas to transform as they wished. Hospital of Emotions ads are also referring to it as “the experience of the year.” We’re only in May so that’s still TBD, but I do think the exhibition—which is inhabiting the former St. Vincent Medical Center in Westlake and is officially open to the public as of May 27—is well worth your time. While the entire experience is hospital-themed—you walk through a waiting room and are given an intake form and hospital wristband, employees are in doctors’ coats—it’s not the cheesy type of immersive exhibition (read: selfie factory) that you might expect. Instead you’ll find 80 rooms filled with thought-provoking, visually dazzling and, yes, eminently photogenic installations. But there’s both style and substance here. And though the tickets are definitely on the pricey side, there’s so much to see—I spent nearly two hours there during my visit—that it (almost) makes up for it. The rooms are organized by theme; you start at the top of the building in the “Resilience Department” and make your way through clusters of rooms inspired by feelings like joy, sadness, anger, grief, fear and hope. The emphasis on...

Ponyo loves Sosuke! And we love this exhibition at the Academy Museum dedicated to the wholesome Hayao Miyazaki film. Studio Ghibli donated more than 100 objects to the Academy Collection, and you’ll find everything from an animation desk to colorful art boards to dozens of frame-by-frame pencil drawings of the scene when Sosuke first finds Ponyo. Though you may recognize a couple of items from the museum’s debut Hayao Miyazaki retrospective, the vast majority of Ponyo pieces are new—and some have never been displayed in North America before. It’s also a colorful and super kid-friendly exhibition; you can watch clips of the gorgeously hand-drawn movie, recreate the wave-running scene and even make your own stop-motion animation. You’ll find it on the museum’s second floor, inside the first few galleries of the “Stories of Cinema’ space.

Nobody’s film credits can compare to John Williams: Star Wars, E.T., Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter and literally a hundred others. David Newman conducts the L.A. Phil as they tackle some of the composer’s iconic film scores set to a selection of movie clips—and against the glow of a sea of lightsabers in the crowd. Though Williams used to appear (and conduct) in person for this series each year, these shows now serve as a tribute to the nonagenarian.

Ready or not, spooky season is slowly stalking its way ever closer. The clearest sign? Universal Studios has already announced the first haunted house set to inhabit its Hollywood-adjacent theme park for Halloween Horror Nights—and it’s a big one. Sinners will get its own haunted house at Universal Studios Hollywood this year (as well as the theme park’s Orlando location). The commercial and critical favorite from 2025 is a natural fit for Horror Nights. Guests will be transported back to Club Juke in 1930s Mississippi and have to survive the night while dodging vampires Remmick, Bert and Joan—as well as the warring Smoke and Stack. The Warner Bros. film won four Oscars this year, for screenplay, best actor, cinematography and original score—so just imagine how awesome the blues soundtrack will be set to screams. Halloween Horror Nights will run on select evenings from September 3 to November 1. Tickets cost $77 to $107, depending on the night; with Express Pass add-ons, options range from $249 to $399. You can also opt for early access or the R.I.P. tour if you have the desire (and funds). See more of the best haunted houses in L.A.

The inimitable artist, musician and activist—and John Lennon’s other half—is the subject of the Broad’s new show, Ono’s first-ever solo museum exhibition in Southern California. Organized in collaboration with the Tate Modern in London, “Music of the Mind” is perhaps the Broad’s most participatory exhibition to date. Many of the works from the artist’s seven-decade long career invite audience engagement, all working toward a common goal of peace and connection. Hammer a nail into the wall (and hold your ears intermittently throughout the rest of your walk-through) in a re-creation of the piece that occasioned Ono and Lennon’s meeting; grab a blue marker and add your mark to a blank room anchored by a wooden boat; and listen to recordings of Ono’s music. You can even crawl into a black bag and strike a pose for Bag Piece (though no one took the plunge during my visit). In conjunction with the show, the museum has transformed the olive trees on the outdoor East West Bank Plaza into Wish Trees for Los Angeles, where visitors can tie their own wishes on the branches. Also on display is Acorn Event (1968) and Bed Peace (1969), anti-war works of activism Ono and Lennon worked on together, as well as additional performance art pieces captured on video. The minimalist exhibition is thought-provoking and mind-expanding—though it probably won’t change whatever opinion of Ono, whether positive or negative, you hold before the show.  Tickets for the special exhibition are $21 and...

Roam the stalls at this Labor Day weekend arts festival, sample the food and listen to the music—and then take a dip in the nearby Pacific. A few logistical changes for the past few fests have streamlined the layout: You’ll still find an on-the-street makers mercado and food fair along Hermosa and Pier Avenues, but there’s now live music at the beach, plus a mini carnival a bit inland. There’s also a beer and wine garden close to the beach with its own music lineup—though that charges a $10 cover fee and is 21-plus. When is Fiesta Hermosa? The biannual event takes place over Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend each year. The next event takes place Saturday through Monday—September 5, 6 and 7, 2026—from 11am to 7pm on the weekend and 11am to 6pm on Monday. You’ll find it along Hermosa and Pier Avenues. Is Fiesta Hermosa free? Yes, though food, drink, games and craft vendors will of course cost you. Also, the Garden, a 21+ area with drinks and music, has a $10 daily cover fee. Is the event dog-friendly? The gated Garden area of the event isn’t dog-friendly (and, as is the case in nearly all of L.A. County, neither is the beach), but you’re welcome to bring a dog with you to the rest of the Fiesta.