KCRW Summer Nights
Photograph: Courtesy Brian Feinzimer

The best things to do in Los Angeles this week

Find concerts, screenings, performances and more of our critics’ picks with the best events and things to do in Los Angeles this week

Michael Juliano
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If we could write the rules of living in Los Angeles this would be our No. 1, always at the top of our list: When you live in this city, there’s no excuse for boredom just because it’s a weeknight. There are hundreds of things to do in Los Angeles each week, whether you hit the beach at sunset or go for a morning bike ride, or catch a concert or a comedy show—and that’s really only scratching the surface. Well, we don’t make the rules, but we will provide you with plenty of ideas for your next free weeknight right here. Now go out and tackle these things to do in L.A. this week.

The best events in L.A. this week

  • Music
  • Westside

Hilltop sunset views and rising bands combine to make this Getty tradition a worthy destination for Angelenos on both sides of the 405. This year’s lineup of free Saturday night shows continues with Slauson Malone 1. Tip: Avoid the traffic and the crowds and arrive early, preferably after 3pm when the parking price drops to $15 (though it’s $10 if you wait until the show starts). You’ll get to visit the exhibits, which stay open until 8pm on Saturdays, and beat the dinner rush.

  • Experimental
  • Little Tokyo

The latest adventurous performance from the Industry, this two-in-one show simultaneously stages a 17th-century opera and a 20th-century sci-fi story on a rotating stage. Director Yuval Sharon’s six-years-in-the-making production connects the stories of Claudio Monteverdi’s 1643 Italian opera L’incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea) with a world premiere production of W.E.B. Du Bois’s 1924 sci-fi short story The Comet; both unfold at the same time on a turntable that’s been split into two.

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  • Music
  • Classical and opera
  • Angeles National Forest

Listen to classical and jazz in a dome more than a mile above L.A. during this mountaintop concert series. The Mount Wilson Observatory is hosting monthly concerts this summer inside the dome of its 100-inch Hooker telescope, which was the largest telescope in the world for much of the first half of the 20th century.

  • Music
  • Chinatown

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 particularly packed. Familiar KCRW DJs and local buzz bands will be providing free, open-air tunes on select nights from June through September at Union StationCAAMDescanso Gardens, Bowers Museum, Century Park, the Autry, KCRW’s Santa Monica headquarters and—our favorite—the party-till-midnight bashes at Chinatown Central Plaza.

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  • Comedy
  • Santa Monica

Bergamot Station’s inclusive comedy club, the Crow, hosts this family-friendly Pride event filled with music, stand-up and storytelling. The programming on June 14 and 15 includes an evening of storytelling (Fri at 7, 9pm), stand-up (Sat at 8pm), a self-described “super silly” improv show (Sat at 2pm), a comedy show where babies are welcome (Sat at 5pm), a kids and teens stand-up showcase (Sat at 3:30pm) and live music and pours from LGBTQ+-owned breweries (Sat at 6pm). Make sure to head off-site, too, for face painting and a drag queen story hour on the Santa Monica Pier (Sat 10am–1pm).

  • Music
  • Fairfax District

Who says no to free outdoor concerts? We don’t, and neither should you. This celebration of live music and art will hit Pan Pacific Park (not the La Brea Tar Pits this time around) on June 15. Listen to live music and browse creations made by local artists. In the mood for food and something to drink? Grab a bite at one of the many gourmet food trucks and enjoy a soda or some mocktails. The annual fest also offers attractions ranging from kids activities to live painting.

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  • Things to do
  • Festivals
  • Downtown Financial District

Before the dog days of summer start to scorch the Southland, celebrate this dog day: a pup-friendly party at Pershing Square with dog-friendly vendors, treats and activities, plus free caricatures, photo ops and DJ sets. The event takes place on June 14 and 15, the latter of which also includes two community dog walk (10am, 1pm) and puppy yoga (10:30am–noon; $30).

  • Movies
  • Drama
  • Downtown Historic Core

The L.A. Conservancy offers a delightful summer time machine in the form of classic films, screened inside Downtown’s grand old movie palaces throughout the month of June.

This year’s lineup includes The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Seven Year Itch at the Orpheum on June 1, Bullitt  and Gaslight at the Los Angeles Theatre on June 8, and From Russia with Love and Mi Vida Loca at the Palace Theatre on June 15.

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  • Comedy
  • La Cienega

Kate Berlant, who grew up in Los Angeles, started doing stand-up at 17 at Archer School for Girls—or at least, she told one-liners while wearing a kimono and sitting in a wheelchair. She no longer brings props on stage, but her definition of comedy is still expansive. Berlant doesn’t tell jokes so much as she riffs on the metaphysical, turning a set into a strange stream of consciousness that leads nowhere, and is simultaneously disarming and satisfying.

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  • Downtown

Well, we just found your taco heaven. L.A. Taco’s Taco Madness is happening, and some of L.A.’s best tacos will be in attendance: Villa’s Tacos, Ditroit and Macheen, just to name a few. You definitely don’t want to miss the official crowning of L.A.’s best taco master. Get ready to indulge in live art, DJ sets, beer, micheladas and tacos galore at this annual taco extravaganza.

  • Things to do
  • Westside

Looking to spend a night at the theater? Tucked inside the hills of Coldwater Canyon Park, the rustic S. Mark Taper Foundation Amphitheatre hosts a series of diverse, open-air performances spanning music, movies and more. All under the umbrella of the “TreePeople Presents” series, the events all support TreePeople’s Coldwater Park. This summer’s slate includes alto saxophonist Nicole McCabe, singer-songwriter Pearl Charles and jazz vocalist Niia, as well as a moonlight hike and a screening series. Bonus? Packed picnics are not only welcomed, but also encouraged.

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  • Things to do
  • West Hollywood

Melrose Rooftop Theatre is taking off until the fall, but in the meantime the event deck on the E.P. & L.P. rooftop is hosting this open-air roller rink. The rooftop rink is all-ages through 2pm, after that it switches to a 21+ affair. Tickets are available in one-hour time slots and include skate rentals and a churro—though that’ll all cost you a relatively steep $30 to $35.

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  • Things to do
  • Classes and workshops
  • South Park

Home studio Two Faced Ceramics is setting up poolside at DTLA’s Hotel Figueroa for this series of classes. Each $75 class includes all of the equipment and materials you need, plus mimosas and a hotel tote bag. The made-for-beginners classes cover a different theme each time, including a beer stein, sun plate and berry bowl.

  • LGBTQ+
  • West Hollywood

No, not that Q, thankfully: This West Hollywood convention celebrates LGBTQ+ comics with a free day of creator meet-and-greets, diversity-affirming comics and graphic novels, and plenty of cosplay opportunities.

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  • Music
  • Folk, country and blues
  • La Cienega

Quiet but prolific singer-songwriter M. Ward raised his profile as part of She & Him and Monsters of Folk. But Ward’s real strength has always been his solo records, naturally timeless collections of experimental folk songs that dip a toe into rose-colored pop and quaint nostalgia. Live, Ward’s voice retains that warm, rainy day quality while his lightning-fast fingerstyle guitar playing is made to fill theaters.

  • Music
  • Classical and opera
  • Downtown

Iconic movie posters are transformed into music during this two-part concert celebrating the work of artist Bob Peak. For the first half of the performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Los Angeles Film Orchestra will perform familiar scores from films that Peak created posters for, including Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, John Williams’s Superman: The Movie, Jerry Goldsmith’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” from Apocalypse Now. For the second part, contemporary composers who worked on films like Get OutRocky and The Matrix will premiere a new piece inspired specific artwork from Peak.

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