48 Totally Fun Things To Do in L.A. This Week You Need to Know About [10-16-17 to 10-20-17]

Every week in Los Angeles there are tons of great things to do (even before the weekend gets started) that we think you ought to have on your radar. With that in mind, we put together a list every Monday morning to keep you in the know about what’s happening in the city you love (or maybe just like).

This week, from Monday, October 16 to Friday, October 20, features free botanical garden admissions, a ‘Vampire Walk’ to honor Tom Petty, the WestEdge Design Fair, a Halloween Dog Walk, and MUCH more.

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Remember you can always go to our L.A. events calendar page to get an updated rundown of what’s happening around the city.

Hope you find the rundown useful and, as always, enjoy your week!

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1st Street Bridge Los Angeles
Exploring the 1st Street Bridge. Credit: Brian Champlin / We Like L.A.

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Monday October 16th, 2017

1. Head to Alcove in Los Feliz for a free movie screening of 90’s supernatural horror flick, The Craft. Order themed out cocktails from Big Bar and bites from Alcove as you watch a movie on their 17ft screen.

2. Enjoy a free evening of interactive group drumming at Jam Session: Drum Circle at the Ford Theatres. FREE

3. Depeche Mode plays at the Hollywood Bowl tonight for the third of four L.A. performances as part of their Global Spirit Tour. The final performance at the Bowl will be this Wednesday.

4. Boo at the L.A. Zoo returns for a spooktacular season. Highlights include a “Nocturnal Adventure” maze,  “Animals and Boo” creepy crawler encounters, pumpkin-carving demos and other family-oriented fun.

5. There’s a Great Pumpkin Hunt happening at the South Coast Botanic Garden from October 1 through November 30 everyday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Highlights include an imaginative scavenger hunt, light hiking, a pumpkin shop and access to the gorgeous 87-acre grounds. Great for families. Halloween costumes are welcome.

Tuesday October 17th, 2017

6. The iconic Hollywood Roosevelt is hosting an “Endless Summer” ​Movie + Swim ​series every Tuesday night in October. Catch throwback films as you lounge by the David Hockney painted Tropicana Pool and enjoy a curated menu of food and drink offerings unique to each movie, this week it’s Labyrinth. All you need to do is rsvp to get in.

7. There’s a Spy-Fi night happening at the Hollywood Heritage Museum. Co presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press, the evening will feature a discussion and spy artifacts from Danny Biederman’s collection of original props from spy movies and TV shows like Get Smart and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

8. Classic Horror Tuesday Matinees at LACMA will screen 1032 Mummy this Tuesday.

9. The folks at Rooftop Cinema Club are back with two screenings at their rooftop locations. The Notebook at LEVEL in Downtown Los Angeles and The Shining at Montalban in Hollywood.

10. Mr. C Beverly Hills extends their popular Poolside Cinema series into fall every Tuesday evening, from October 10 through November 21. Visit the gorgeous yacht-inspired pool deck where you’ll ensconce yourself in a lounge chair for a film and elevated bites under the stars. The series continues with a screening of The Princess Bride.

11. Free museum days:  Los Angeles County Arboretum (note: the tram doesn’t run on this day), South Coast Botanic Garden and Descanso Gardens

Wednesday October 18th, 2017

12. FLIX at FIG screens Beetlejuice at FIGat7th in DTLA. The free movie screenings happen every third Wednesday of the month. A live DJ and happy hour kicks off the night at 6 p.m. and the film begins at 7 p.m. FREE

13. Every first and third Wednesday of the month, BEAR CITY brings free comedy and free pizza to Que Sera in Long Beach. FREE

14. The Super Serious Show is a comedy event produced by CleftClips featuring both established and up-and-coming talent performing an array of stand-up, sketch and musical comedy. Happening at The Virgil.

15. Head to Highland Park for Italo Horror Disco at The Offbeat for live performances, Italian horror films and DJ’s spinning Italo Disco and 80’s tunes.

16. 260 Sample Sale LA returns with a 3.1 Philip Lim sample sale at their Beverly Hills store October 18-22. Offering what they call “far below retail prices” the sale will have women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, accessories and the brands shoe collection.

17. Taste of Grand Central Market is a 1.5 hour guided food tour of the historic open air food hall. Your guide will help you navigate the dozens of stalls while sampling from vendors both old and new. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

18. The folks at Rooftop Cinema Club are back with two screenings at their rooftop locations. Close Encounters of the Third Kind at LEVEL in Downtown Los Angeles and The Exorcist at Montalban in Hollywood.

19. Horse Thief BBQ, located at Grand Central Market, will screen Hocus Pocus on their patio this Wednesday. FREE

Thursday October 19th, 2017

20. There’s going to be a ‘Vampire Walk’ to honor Tom Petty this Wednesday in Sherman Oaks.

21. The WestEdge Design Fair comes to the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica from October 19-22 for a premier contemporary design fair experience.

22. Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch at Platform LA happening October 6-30 in DTLA features a fun spooky space for families to celebrate Halloween. Highlights include; an interactive pumpkin village; straw maze; a giant rocking horse ride; Mr. Bones’ Super Slide; a Jumpin’ Pumpkin and more. Happening Thursday and through the weekend.

23. Multi-sensory, walk-through experience Creep LA returns to the Music Box in DTLA October 5 through November 12. Inspired by the Amazon Prime Exclusive Series Lore the experience is fully engaging, multi-sensory and super-scary, featuring some of pop culture’s most legendary horror myths. Happening Thursdays through Sundays.

24. Wicked Lit  is a spooky immersive theatre experience taking horror literature and turning them into plays at the Mountain View Mausoleum & Cemetery. It happens every Thursday through Sunday from September 28 through November 9. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

25. The folks at Rooftop Cinema Club are back with two screenings at their rooftop locations. Who Framed Rodger Rabbit at LEVEL in Downtown Los Angeles and Clue at Montalban in Hollywood.

26. The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor will transform into a seaport of the damned for the Halloween season with terrifying mazes and monsters at every turn like the Iron Master and Graceful Gale. This year they’ll reveal their newest member of the crew, his name is Chef and he’s got a carnivorous kitchen staff with a big appetite. Happening Thursday and through the weekend. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

27. The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride returns to The Old Zoo in Griffith Park from September 29 to October 31. This years theme is “Clown” and features four different freaky zones, a slew of demonic clowns, a corn maze and more. Check for discount tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

28. Halloween Horror Nights taking place at Universal Studios Hollywood will immerse guests in a three-dimensional world of terror featuring a new slate of mazes, scare zones and a newly designed “Terror Tram” experience. Themes include American Horror Story, The Shining, SAW, Insidious and more.

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29. Free museum days: Japanese American National Museum (from 5 to 8 p.m.),  MOCA Grand & MOCA Geffen (from 5 to 8 p.m.), Skirball, Long Beach Museum of Art (3 to 8 p.m.) and Pasadena Museum of California Art (from 5 to 8 p.m.)

Friday October 20th, 2017

30. The Pancakes & Booze Art Show returns to Lot 613 in DTLA for an underground art show served up with a stack of pancakes! Highlights include local artisans, live music, DJs, live art, body painting, and more.

31. The Second City’s Diversity in Comedy Festival returns October 20-22 offering a platform for diverse, funny talent inside and outside of L.A. Some issues explored will be race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity through performances, panels, and workshops.

32. It’s Oktoberfest at the Pomona Fairplex! Oom-pah music, the Chicken Dance, authentic German brats and brews flown directly from Germany will be on hand to help you party in true Bavarian style. Happening Friday and Saturday. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

33. The 5th annual G2 Green Earth Film Festival heads to Loyola Marymount University for three days of eco-conscious films. FREE

34. Eat|See|Hear returns with Front Porch Cinema, a free movie night below the stars every Friday on Santa Monica Pier from September 29 through October 27. The fall film series will also feature music, drinks, and bites before each screening. This week they’ll screen Beauty & the Beast. FREE

35. BlueCollar Working Dog will host a HELLHOUNDS PACK WALK around the Echo Park Lake this Friday. The evening walk will inlcude goodie bags, a piñata filled with dog treats, human snacks, contests and prizes.

36. Checkout The Nightmare Before Christmas with 4-D Effects at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood October 20-31. Check for discount tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

37. Odd Nights At The Autry feature a collection of over 200 vendors, 20 gourmet food trucks, a beer garden, custom handmade treasures and live local bands.

38. Starlight Bowl in Burbank will host NIGHT TERRORS a haunted maze. In addition to the maze there will be face painting, games, food trucks, spooky campfire stories and much more.

39. Knott’s Scary Farm is back with their signature haunted attractions, mazes and thousands of monsters ready to scare the living day light out of you and your crew. Be sure to check for discount tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

40. The Long Beach Zombie Fest returns with Zombie Walk on October 20-22 at the Rainbow Lagoon. Event highlights include a scavenger hunt, haunted maze, free make-up services, horror films and the infamous zombie walk. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

41. Climb aboard the 17th Annual Ghost Train in Griffith Park on October 13-31 and ride on their iconic train into a spooky setting of animatronics, projections and pyrotechnic. The ride is family friendly with no blood, gore or actors jumping out to scare you like most Halloween experiences.

42. Head over to Torrance for one of the most well-known Oktoberfest celebrations in the L.A. area! Alpine Village Oktoberfest runs September 8 through October 28 every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy traditional Bavarian food, beer, dancing, and more.

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43. The Sivley family is back for their 46th year of hosting the award winning, Beware the Dark Realm a haunted house experience in the city of Santa Clarita. Haunt kicks off this Satruday and will run every Friday and Saturday thorough the month. FREE

44. After multiple sold-out performances in New York, Boston and Los Angeles, Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic will make its debut at The Wallis in Beverly Hills. Feathers of Fire is a dazzling show of shadow puppetry “live animation” of a 10th-century book of Persian poetry played out on a cinema-size screen. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

45. The Queen Mary Ghost presents Ghost & Legends a new year-round experience perfect for thrill seekers and scare enthusiasts. Climb aboard the haunted RMS Queen Mary and test your fears inside the massive interactive and immersive haunted attraction.

46. Get ready to shriek, because Urban Death: Tour of Terror is back at Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group in North Hollywood. This haunted theater attraction features a terrifying performance and a maze of inexplicable horrors, unfathomable monstrosities, and the disturbing spirits that walk among us. Happening every Friday and Saturday this month. Check for discount tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

47. Silent Classic Horror Festival will host a month long fright fest. This week the 1923 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligri will be screened at Old Town Music Hall located in El Segundo. The festival takes place every Friday through Sunday.

48. The folks at Rooftop Cinema Club are back with two screenings at their rooftop locations. War For The Planet Of The Ape at LEVEL in Downtown Los Angeles and The Babadook at Montalban in Hollywood.


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