Weekend Planner: 22 Things To Do 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 22 events.

ART + MUSIC: Friday Flights, the Getty’s music and art series in which selected musicians and artists take over the museum and curate the evening’s diverse programming, begins at 6 pm on Friday. The evening of music, videos and art is inspired by the current exhibition, The Scandalous Art of James Ensor, and is hosted by the experimental punk duo, No Age. 6-9 pm. Free. Parking: $10 after 5 pm.

ART: The Mistake Room holds an opening reception for Thai artist Korakrit Arunanondchai on Friday from 7:30-9:30 pm. Letters to Chantri #1: The lady at the door/The gift that keeps on giving is Arunanondchai’s first LA show after his solo museum presentation at MoMA PS1, NY, and will also feature performance artist Boy Child.

MUSIC: On Friday and Saturday at 8 pm, Jack Black emcees the DreamWorks Animation in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the animation company. Live music by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra is set to video scenes from Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and How To Train Your Dragon, among others, on the Bowl’s giant screens. The program includes works by composers Hans Zimmer, John Powell, Alan Silvestri, and Danny Elfman, and will also feature guest composer/conductors Harry Gregson-Williams and Alexandre Desplat. The concerts end with fireworks displays each night. Tickets start at $13.

FOOD: 626 Night Market, the “original and largest Asian themed night market in the US,” returns to Santa Anita Park on Friday and Saturday from 4 pm to 1 am. The fest features more than 200 food, merch, crafts vendors along with games, music and other entertainment. Admission is $3 and parking is free. Children 6 and under are free.

VINTAGE TOYS: Outside the Toy Box: International Toy Celebration & Sale features items from Don Adler’s folk toy collection, which he began in 1973. Proceeds from individual items to benefit the Craft and Folk Art Museum. Adler will be the guest at the opening reception on July 18 from 5-8 pm, sharing tales of the toys in the collection. Adler’s talk begins at 6:30 pm and the trunk show runs Saturday and Sunday from 12-6 pm. Free.

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, prizes more. Listen to Korean drums and gongs, then watch a samurai reenactment. Hands-on crafts, courtesy of the Korean Cultural Center, include working with traditional hanji paper and learning folk designs. Pasadena's Pie 'n Burger Truck and the India Jones Chow Truck will be on site. Free for museum members and $15 for nonmembers.

MUSIC: On Friday, Grand Performances presents a night of music by Chop and Quench—”The Fela! Band.” Members are from the cast and band of FELA! the musical and will perform Fela Kuti’s influential “69 Los Angeles Sessions” in its entirety. 8 pm.
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SATURDAY, JULY 19

BIKING: On Saturday, Metro, C.I.C.L.E. (Cyclists Inciting Change thru LIVE Exchange), and the Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles, lead the cinematic evening trek, “Action! Close Up on: Downtown LA’s Film History.” Pedal to famous DTLA film locations, including Blade Runner, Grease and more. The ride, under 7 miles, ends with a screening of American Cycle on the big screen at Angel City Brewery as part of the festival’s closing night. This is a family-friendly ride. Meet at 5:30 pm at E 1st Street and S. San Pedro St. in DTLA. The ride leaves promptly at 6 pm. Free.

MUSIC : At 8 pm, Grand Performances is presents Quetzal’s 20th Anniversary Celebration featuring guests, members of La Santa Cecilia, Maya Jupiter, and Marisa Ronstadt and the Know-It-Alls. The evening is a tribute to the Grammy-winning East L.A. Chicano rock group that blends Mexican ranchera, cumbia, salsa, rock, R&B, folk and more. Free.

FREAK SHOW + FILM: American Cinematheque presents a Freak Show Double Feature & Carnival Masquerade at the Egyptian Theatre on Saturday at 7 pm. Films screened are Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) followed by Freaks (1932) by Tod Browning. Afterwards, stay for the Carnival Masquerade in the courtyard. Performances by Cirque Berzerk and LA Tour guide legend Crimebo the Clown. Costume contest with cash prizes, an Oddities Bazaar and more. Tickets: $22.75-$45.

TURTLE ART : iam8bit opens the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-inspired art show on Saturday from 7-11 pm. Check out works portraying the crime-fighting turtles shell-acking the bad guys. The show runs through July 27. Family friendly. Free.

PEE-WEE ART : NerdMelt opens an art show Paging Mr. Herman: A Pee-Wee Herman Art Retrospective on Saturday from 7-10 pm that pays homage to the man with the bike in the iconic red bow tie. More than 50 artists, curated by Erika Paget, are participating in the show, which runs through July 25. Free beverages and a Pee-Wee’s Playhouse-inspired photo booth. Free.

ART + PERFORMANCE : On Saturday, MOCA at The Geffen Contemporary presents an art talk at 7 pm with Bennett Simpson, curator of Mike Kelley, which is in its final weeks at the museum. It’s followed at 8:30 pm with music by Extended Organ (Tom Recchion, Joe Potts, Fredrik Nilsen, Paul McCarthy and Alex Stevens) a group that Kelley was a longtime member “and continues to be a contributing member by virtue of the sound recordings he provided to the group before his death.” Free admission to the show and events from 6-10 pm, courtesy of the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts.

MUSIC : KCRW goes Country in the City on Saturday with a free concert by Sturgill Simpson and Gregg Allman at Century Park in Century City. The new music series is inspired by Country: Portraits of an American Sound at the Annenberg Space for Photography. 5 pm. RSVP needed.

PARTY: Swimming with Sharks brings live music and a pool party to The Standard, Downtown LA, from 1 pm to sundown on Saturday. Performers include: Magic Touch, Maria Minerva, Cherushii and LA Vampires. Free admission to first 100 people with RSVP. 21+.

TV SCREENINGS: The PaleyPresents Screenings series returns with free weekend screenings all summer long. Family programs kick off on Saturday at 12:10 pm with “Nicktoons Nineties” (original Nickelodeon animated programming), which includes Rugrats, The Ren and Stimpy Show, Hey Arnold!, KaBlam! and Rocko’s Modern Life. Featured program at 2 pm is “Monty Python: Say No More” — the troupe’s live London shows.

FLEA MARKET: The Artists & Fleas' LA market returns on Saturday and Sunday (and every third weekend of the month) to the Arts District. The alternative marketplace brings together art, design, fashion, vintage and food. Guest DJ sets throughout the weekend, too. Free entry and free parking. The market is located at (647 Mateo Street DTLA). Hours: 11 am to 6 pm.

MUSIC: On Saturday and Sunday, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles celebrates its 35th anniversary with two concerts. The first act of the concert is City of Angels, which focuses on L.A. and the CMCLA’s 35-year history here. The second act features the L.A. premiere of “I Am Harvey Milk” by Broadway composer Andrew Lippa, who performs as one of guest soloists. The piece also includes nearly 250 singers from other men’s choruses around the country. Concerts: 8 pm on Saturday and 3 pm on Sunday at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Tickets: $39-$88.

SUNDAY, JULY 20

BIKE ADVENTURE : The New Belgium Brewing Company, C.I.C.L.E. and historians hold the first Los Angeles Explorers Club bike ride on Sunday. Dawn of Downtown LA Ride explores DTLA’s history of trains, streetcars, speakeasies, and businesses. This is a 21+ ticketed event. Proceeds will support C.I.C.L.E.’s Learn to Ride classes. $10 registration includes the bike tour and history talks, two New Belgium Beers and “a limited edition LA Explorers Club patch and the ever-important Wes Anderson style #2 pencil.” The group meets at 3 pm in DTLA at Artisan House and ends at Villains Tavern around 6:30 pm.

FILM: Mini Cinema screens short films on the big screen several times a year, with the next screening on Sunday at 11 am at the Laemmle Royal Theater in Los Angeles. Hosted by Leo Breckenridge, the program features: “Bonnie & Clyde,” “Abe,” “SLR,” and “Today.” The screening is free, or $5 for the VIP experience (front of line and reserved seating).

SEXY STORIES : Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction is at The Virgil for a free show at 7:30 pm. This month’s lineup includes Greg Behrendt, Sean Patton, Kyle Kinane, Eliza Skinner, Jono Zalay, Tim Harmston, Chris Garcia and Erin Gibson. The comics write and perform erotic fan fiction pieces, based on their imagination or from audience suggestions. Hosted by creator Bryan Cook. Free.

FILM: Old Pasadena Outdoor Film Festival—the largest, free open-air film screening series in California—continues its month-long run of 23 free movies throughout Pasadena with the screening Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978) at Central Park with music and food at 7 pm and the screening at 8:30 pm. (The film was postponed because of electrical issues on opening night.)

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