Weekend Planner: 24 Of Our Favorite Events In Los Angeles

LAist gets a lot of event announcements, and we comb through them all to bring you a curated list of what’s happening in LA this weekend, including these 24 events.

MUSIC: Grand Performances brings a great weekend of music to California Plaza in DTLA beginning with an 8 pm show with the Benin-born, world music legend Angélique Kidjo. Blues, punk and folk artist Sunny War opens the evening. On Saturday (at 7:30 pm), there’s an electro-acoustic dance party by Panoptica Orchestra and the “minimalist tango with a digital edge” sounds of Federico Aubele. Both shows are free. Get their early for the best seats.

COMEDY: Veteran comedian Paul Rodriguez performs at the Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena on Friday and Saturday (June 20-21). Rodriguez has been doing stand-up for more than three decades, and his career isn’t slowing down. He’s also working on a new TV show, Three Generations, that stars himself, his son (pro-skater Paul Jr. aka P-Rod) and Edward James Olmos. Tickets: $25-$32, with a two-drink minimum at the Icehouse. Show is 18+.

HAPPY HOUR: FIGat7th holds its last Fusicology Fridays at Fig from 4 to 8 pm. Spinning tunes are DJ Rhettmatic of the Beat Junkies and DJ Monalisa and happy hour food and drink specials are available at City Tavern DTLA, Loteria Grill and The Melt. Park your car for $5 (enter after 4pm) and stay/play all night. Free and all ages.

DINNER PARTY DOWNLOAD: KPCC presents live taping of The Dinner Party Download on Friday at 8 pm at The Moss Theater at New Roads School in Santa Monica. Hosts Brendan Francis Newman and Rico Gagliano promise news and bits on food, culture and cocktails, plus stimulating conversation with Golden Globe-winning actor Elisabeth Moss and best-selling novelist Jackie Collins. Tickets: $25

THEATER : The Twylight Zone returns with new parodies of four famous Twilight Zone episodes: “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up,” “In Living Doll” and “The Four of Us are Dying.” The play begins at 8 pm on Friday and runs several more times through June 29 as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival at studio/stage. Tickets: $12-$15.

MOVIES : The Malibu Country Mart kicks off its family friendly summer movie series with free outdoor films on Friday with Finding Nemo. Bring blankets and picnic baskets or order from Mr. Chow’s (inside the Mart) special menu of Beijing items including Mr Chow Spareribs, Scallions Pancake, Five Spices Tofu, Chicken Satay, Gambei, Vegetarian Fried Rice and more from $6.50-$20. Admission to the summer flicks is free. Movies start at 8:15 pm or approximately 15 minutes after sundown.

ART+MUSIC PARTY : The USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena presents another installment of its Fusion Fridays series at 7:30 pm. The evening includes DJs spinning tunes, a cash bar featuring Angel City Brewery beers, prizes, and food trucks. There’s also a Bollywood-style performance, a chance to blend your own Indian spice mix or get decorated with mendhi designs. Cocktail or Asian attire is encouraged.

MUSIC + YOGA : The Soulshine Tour makes a stop at the Greek Theatre in LA on Friday, providing a mix of yoga, sustainable living and music by Michael Franti & Spearhead, SOJA, Brett Dennen and Trevor Hall. Yoga and acoustic jam from 3-5 pm with concert doors at 6 pm. Tickets: $41-$46 (plus those pesky fees).

CRAFTS : The Contemporary Crafts Market takes over the Pasadena Convention Center this weekend featuring an eclectic mix of artisans and their crafts. Runs Friday and Saturday from 10 am-6 pm and Sunday from10 am-5 pm. Admission: $8, children 12 and younger are free.

VARIETY: Elixir - The Show is a free variety show at The Federal Bar in North Hollywood that begins at 8:15 pm sharp. The show includes live music and burlesque, cabaret, vocalists, comedy, magic, dance troupes and audience participation games with prizes. Dress to impress. Doors at 7:30 pm. Free. 21+.

FILM: The Artist and the Computer: A Proto-CGI Festival continues on Friday at Cinefamily with the program Auteurs and Experiments at 8 pm. The evening features full-length works by major CGI pioneers John Whitney, Sr., Larry Cuba, John Stehura, Lillian Schwartz, Ed Emschwiller and Stan Vanderbeek. Tickets: $12/ $8 for Filmforum members / free for Cinefamily members.

SATURDAY, JUNE 21

BIKING: The Pedal Powered Street Theater Ride is a theatrical community bicycle event sponsored by Metro with Bike Odyssey LA. The free ride takes off at 6 pm in Van Nuys with C.I.C.L.E. and Bike Odyssey LA leading a riders along a route in which they’ll be immersed in stories from Homer’s The Odyssey, re-imagined for a modern Los Angeles. “Audiences will ride through Angeleno history transformed into Greek legends of craftiness and pride; replete with all the monsters, epic poetry, and sacrificial vegetables you could ask for. This ride will make several stops throughout the Balboa Lake area to engage with fragments of this epic tale.” Free.

SUMMER SOLSTICE: The Obscura Society LA presents Moonlight in the Mausoleum on Saturday at 7:30 pm in Altadena. The evening features Caitlin Doughty and the Order of the Good Death, LA's Judson Studios, LA filmmaker Troy Morgan's "Musical Recordings from the Realm of the Dead," the sounds of the Hot Club of LA and other surprises. The mausoleum and the grounds are open for exploring under the moonlight, too. Cocktail attire with comfortable shoes suggested. Tickets: $55. 21+.

MUSIC: Spaceland presents Saturdays Off the 405 at the Getty Center with Amsterdam-based Kuenta i Tambú. Get ready to dance to music that’s been inspired by Afro Caribbean Music from Curaçao and European Dance. Kuenta i Tambú (also known as KiT) integrates electronic sound samples, drums, singing and chanting. 6-9 pm in the museum courtyard. Free admission, no reservations required.

MUSIC: Santa Monica joins the countywide celebration that is Make Music Los Angeles in various parks throughout the city at various times on Saturday. In Tongva Park, residents and visitors are invited to make their own music between 12-4pm, beginning with The 100 Hohner Harmonica Project with Tom Nolan. Be one of the first 100 participants to get a harmonica to join in the fun.

BIKING AND FILM : Laemmle president Greg Laemmle embarks on the Tour de Laemmle on Saturday as he cycles 127 miles to all seven theater locations in L.A. County. In honor of the tour (which you can also join), the Laemmle in NoHo screens Tim Burton's comedy Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure at 11:30 am for free. Stay after the screening to celebrate the launch of the new NOHO 7 Bike Corral parking lot in front of the theater on Lankershim at 2 pm and then ride with Laemmle to the Encino theater along the Orange Line bike path.

MUSIC: Eric Benet, Day26 and Candice Glover perform at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Outdoor Promenade on Saturday beginning at 3 pm. It’s a free concert that leads up to the upcoming BET Experience at LA Live on June 27-29.

ART: Trunk Gallery on Venice Boulevard presents the solo show Steven M. Johnson: Fear Furniture and Public Therapy Buses with an opening reception on Saturday from 6-9 pm. Johnson is a self-described ‘whimsicalist’ and ‘possibilitist’ — whatever he is, his art looks like a whole lot of fun. The show remains on view through July 14.

ART: New York Magazine presents a one-day only Culver City Artist Tour on Saturday. Meet artists and participate in art-making activities at galleries including LAXART, Blum and Poe, Anat Ebgi, & Cherry and Martin. The events are free and open to the public, so bring your friends along for this cool-sounding art crawl.

MUSIC: KCRW’s Summer Nights concert series presents the orchestral pop of Kan Wakan and KCRW DJ Marion Hodges at One Colorado in Pasadena on Saturday at 7:30 pm. Free, but get there early...it's gonna get crowded. Fast.

FILM : The new film Hellion starring Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis enjoys an exclusive run this weekend at Arena Cinema in Hollywood with Q&As at many of the shows. Tickets for Q&A screenings only remain for the 9 pm screening on Saturday with director Kat Candler and producers, moderated By Todd Berger, director of It's a A Disaster, and on Sunday at 1:30 pm with Candler and moderated by director David Lowery (Ain't Them Bodies Saints). Tickets: $12.

FLEA MARKET: New York’s Artists and Fleas Market returns to the Arts District on Saturday and Sunday. The new market combines “art, design and well-curated vintage (with live DJs spinning throughout).” Expect accessories, clothing, jewelry, food, beverages and pop-up shops. 11 am to 6 pm both days at 647 Mateo Street DTLA.

SUNDAY, JUNE 22

FESTIVAL: Sunday, June 22, is the longest day of the year and Angel City Brewery celebrates with a mini-music festival and the re-launch of Loquat Wheat (known affectionately as Lo-Lo and made with fresh loquats from Malibu). The event runs from 1-8 pm and includes music from Leeann Skoda (1pm), Andy Keathley (2pm), Kat McDowell (3pm), Maybe Someday (4pm), Tomboy JaxX (6pm) and Johnny X and the Names (7pm). The Canvas truck offers locally sourced gourmet food, Si Paletas serves up their popular popsicles and The Giving Keys will be selling jewelry.
http://angelcitybrewery.com/

FILM: The American Cinematheque continues its series Youth is Brutal Coming of Age Films at the Aero Theatre with the double feature: Young Adult and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Young Adult director Jason Reitman appears in person for a discussion between films. The evening begins with an intro by Anthony Breznican, who signs his book Brutal Youth in the lobby at 6:30 pm. Tickets: $11.

Want the 411 on additional events and happenings in LA? Follow @LAist or me (@christineziemba) on Twitter.