Things To Do

55 Awesome Things To Do This Weekend in L.A. [10-5-2018 to 10-7-2018]

October 4, 2018 by We Like L.A. Staff

Los Angeles provides no limit of things to do, some awesome and some not so awesome. Since time is precious in this fast paced city we curate a list of things to do in Los Angeles for every weekend that’ll help you decide how you want to spend your limited supply of attention (not to mention dollars!).

This weekend, from Friday, October 5 to Sunday, October 7, features Adult Swim Festival, The Cal Jam 18 Music Festival, Olvera Street Muertos Artwalk, Culver City Art Walk and Roll Festival, L.A. Beer Fest, COAST Open Streets Festival, Twilight on the Pier and MUCH more.

Advertisements

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!


Keep in mind that while we retain complete editorial control of our content, for some of the ticketing options provided we utilize affiliate links and receive a commission if you purchase through our links.

Friday October 5th, 2018

1. WDCH Dreams covers the Walt Disney Concert Hall as part of the LA Philharmonic’s centennial kickoff celebration from now through October 6. The installation projects images from the past and possibly the future of the concert hall. Free viewing nightly starting at 7:30 p.m. FREE

2. Critically acclaimed, avant-garde haunt Creep returns with ‘Awake.’ The walkthrough thrusts participants through a 75-minute series of horrific situations in a shockingly cinematic fashion. As a result, you are placed face-to-face with your worst fears, presenting an incredibly unique and intimate horror experience. Happening at ROW DTLA Thursday through Sunday.

3. Adult Swim is bringing its own festival to Row DTLA, including a lineup of artists and activities over the course of three days. The schedule features musical acts like Thundercat, Run the Jewels, Neko Case and more, as well as comedians like Hannibal Buress and Nick Rutherford. The fest will also feature a variety of games, food, drinks, previews of upcoming shows, and more. This Friday is preview night for festival goers to experience what the fairgrounds have to offer before the weekend and live acts begin.

4. Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre in North Hollywood presents their annual Halloween iteration of Urban Death. Guests will wind through a short maze before entering a darkened theater where series of disturbing vignettes will be presented one after another. Happening Friday and Saturday.

5. L.A.’s pop-up museum catalogue is growing larger this fall with The Pizza Experience – a multi-sensory pizza themed walkthrough. Explore giant installations, an oversized cheese pool, a pizza hall of fame, pizza theme-flavored snacks throughout, actual pizza slices and more. The Pizza Experience runs through January 29. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

6. Beyond Fest, Los Angeles’ strangest, scariest, and largest genre film festival returns Sep. 26 to Oct. 9 with another year of bold programming. Sharing a newfound partnership with Hulu and Shudder, 2018’s program boasts an absolutely massive lineup – the festival’s biggest yet – of fan-favorites, nightmares, and oddities, along with bold premieres.

7. The Cal Jam 18 Music Festival comes to Glen Helen Regional Park and Festival Grounds in San Bernardino on October 5-6 for a wild weekend of rock and roll headlined by Foo Fighters with 20+ of their musician friends. Carnival rides, comedy, food vendors, alcohol vendors, and even a Foo Fighter Museum are also part the festivities.

8. The Haunted Hayride returns September 29-October 31 at The Old Zoo in Griffith Park featuring four different Scare Zones, including trick or treating in a blood-curdling neighborhood and riding on the Scary-Go-Round and taking a ride on the main attraction the Haunted Hayride. Check for discounted tickets on select days. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

9. The 32nd Annual California Avocado Festival returns to Carpinteria October 5-7. This free event features live entertainment, the world’s largest vat of guacamole, avocado dishes for sale, avocado agricultural photos, historical photos, lessons in avocado grafting, FFA restored antique tractors, and the Largest Avocado Contest. Admission is free!

10. Nat Geo Live: Social By Nature is a talk that will display how truly similar we are to animals, as well as what we can learn from them. Led by biologist-turned-photographer Ronan Donavan. Happening Oct. 4 and 5, at the Broad Stage. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

11. Unbound Productions’ site-specific Wicked Lit returns to the Mountain View Mausoleum, offering the perfect setting for all new tales of horror. This year, guests will enjoy two theatrical adaptations: Charles Dickens’ The Chimes: A Goblin Story, and Ernest Rhys’ Teig O’Kane and the Corpse. Guests will walk through the mausoleum as they follow both chilling tales. Happening Thursday through Sunday.

12. Take a break from your dietary restrictions at Cheat Day Land, Los Angeles’ newest pop-up museum celebrating the snacks and treats that we dream of during our workouts. Featured installations and experiences ranging from a donut gym with pastry dumbbells to a life-size cereal bowl, an art gallery, and much more. Cheat Day Land is here for an entire month, from October 1-31. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

14. Head to Seoul International Park from October 4-7 to experience the 45th year of the LA Korean Festival. Savor Korean street food, enjoy live performances, art exhibitions, and shop from local vendors and businesses. Acts performing this year include KSHMR and Dean. The festival is free to attend. Concerts are ticketed.

15. Get spooked during Paramount Pictures After Dark Tour: Tales From The Other Side where you’ll hear scandals of yesteryear and the lost souls who haunt the studio lot by moonlight. The tour starts at dusk with champagne as you head into the studio lot where you’ll weave in and out of sound stages and the darkest corners of the infamous backlot. You’ll end the night next door at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Happening Fridays and Saturdays. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

16. The Groundlings’ Halloween Show returns with plenty of blood, gore, creepy clowns, severed body parts and most importantly laughter. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

17. Haunted Little Tokyo is presenting a series of Japanese horror films from some of the best horror visionaries this month. Kicking off the series is a screening of John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness at Union Center for the Arts.

18. Festival M.A.R.S will highlight immersive performance making use of musical compositions, virtual reality, audio-reactive visuals that surround both performers and audience, and much more. Taking place on Oct. 5, 6, 7 and 13 the festival varying each night in artistic representations to tell a multiverse story.

19. The Fairplex transform into a German playground for Oktoberfest on October 5-6. Expect Bavarian music, chicken dancing, bratwurst and pretzels while knocking back some authentic German beers. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

20. Coco returns to the big screen at the El Capitan Theatre for a special limited screening (all week) that includes live performances by Grammy Award-winning musicians Mariachi Divas along with Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

21. Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month at Sabor De Mexico Lindo Downtown Festival (Oct 5-7). Honoring the state of Jalisco, Mexico this year, the event will feature a massive lineup of entertainment and offerings, including over 140 commercial and sponsor booths, a plethora of food around the world, a health fair, petting zoo, as well as live entertainment across three stages. FREE

22. Los Angeles County Museum of Art hosts free jazz performances on Fridays through November. Concerts take place at the main entrance. FREE

23. Alpine Village Oktoberfest celebrates 50 years! The fun kicks off this Friday with traditional Bavarian fun like Oom Pah Pah party bands, German fare, and delicious cold German beers. Oktoberfest runs Fridays and Saturdays September 7 through October 27

24. The Griffith Observatory hosts a monthly forum where some of the most amazing phenomena in the known universe are explained and discussed. It’s called All Space Considered and it takes place on the first Friday of every month. FREE

25. Rooftop Cinema Club returns to the rooftops of LEVEL in DTLA and NeueHouse in Hollywood with multiple screenings this week that include Chicago, Tommy Boy, Half Baked and more.

26. Since its the first Friday of the month check out all the cool events happening around town including block parties and art walks for First Fridays.

Saturday October 6th, 2018

27. 5th Annual Olvera Street Muertos Artwalk will host over 30 artist from across the greater Los Angeles community. Along with art shown, guests will be able to enjoy musical, theatrical and performance entertainment on a live stage. FREE

28. Enjoy a eclectic collection of artists, performances, food, drink, kids activities and more during the Culver City Art Walk and Roll Festival. FREE

29. Take part in this year’s L.A. Beer Fest, a celebration featuring over 200 beers to enjoy, live music, DJ sets, food trucks, and plenty more.

30. Enjoy great seafood, live music, an oyster shucking competition, and more on Santa Monica Pier at the 4th Annual OFF THE HOOK Seafood Festival.

31. The Los Angeles Video Project is a specially curated program by New Filmmakers L.A. taking place at the historic Sunset Las Palmas Studios, featuring 26 short films, food, an awards ceremony and more.

32. Head to the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens for Boo at the Zoo on any Saturday or Sunday during the month of October for a large assortment of seasonal activities for the whole family. Featuring live, expert pumpkin carvings, Halloween games, a mini pumpkin patch and plenty more.

33. Head to Brennan’s in Marina del Rey for a massive Oktoberfest celebration including live music, a horn blowing ceremony, hooping show, Brats from Beyond Sausages, a live show from Beer Mug of KROQ and tons of games.

34. Clean Made Pop Up takes over One Colorado in Old Pasadena with over 30 wellness, sustainable and mindful exhibitors. Free yoga, demos, workshops and plenty more will also be available on this day. Admission is free.

35. Oktoberfest returns to Santa Anita Park for two days of Bavarian beer tastings, stein drinking, live music, dancing, and all that comes with this German themed celebration.

Advertisements

36. Cartwheel art walking tour will take you underground to some of the city’s most elusive and secretive spots. From hidden watering holes to prohibition-era murders, L.A.’s underground past includes a wide range of well (and not-so-well) kept secrets, mostly unavailable for open, public access.

37. HorrorWorld is a collection of three separate haunts in one location presented by horror FX company Bone Yard Effects. Mazes include Into the Black, The Psycho Sanitarium, and The Fleshyard.

38. Street Food Cinema returns this weekend with screenings of It at Poinsettia Rec Park in West Hollywood, Hocus Pocus at La Quinta Park in La Quinta and Beetlejuice at Victory Park in Pasadena. Select screenings are discounted via Goldstar. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

39. The Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum in collaboration with Paper Moon Vintage, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles present Ticket to the Twenties (Oct 6-7) a day of vintage fashion, live music, dancing and tours of the historic house. FREE

40. Stand up against sexual violence, body shaming, gender inequality and more during Amber Rose’s Slutwalk. The event, which is seeing its biggest year yet in 2018, will see participants gathering to march the Los Angeles Streets, ending at a festival in Perishing Square with an A-list music performance lineup, key speakers, celebrity friends and much more.

41. The 19th Annual Reign of Terror is one of the largest haunted houses in Southern California, containing a total of eight unique themes spread among 105 separate rooms in over 23,000 square foot space.

42. 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. Happening Thursdays and through Sundays through Nov. 2.

43. The Valley Urban Market an open-air, family-friendly, food experience is now open at the Sportsman’s Lodge parking lot in Studio City every Saturday.

Sunday October 7th, 2018

44. Come celebrate the second annual Comfort L.A. Music Festival. This year, the event is massive with over 20 musical acts, comedians, vendors and DJ sets.

45. Grab your bicycles, boards, or even your best pair of walking shoes and head down to Santa Monica to enjoy the COAST Open Streets Festival. Road closures will allow pedestrians, entertainment, art installations, activities and more to take over the streets. FREE

46. Head over to Santa Monica for the final Twilight on the Pier of the season. This fall a wide range of musical groups and artists will performance across different stages, transforming the pier into a festival, complete with art, a beer and spirits garden, games, and interactive activations. FREE

47. Head over to the Regent in DTLA for The Rock and Roll Flea Market featuring over 50 vendors offering vintage and handmade crafts, including clothing, jewelry, memorabilia, instruments, vinyl and more. Admission is free.

48. Mount Wilson Observatory is offering classical music concerts within the dome of the 100-inch telescope above the observatory. Located in the San Gabriel Mountains above Pasadena, the shows are ear candy with a view. This will be the last show in the series.

49. El Circo Anahuac, a multi-media performance about the birth of twin volcanoes outside Mexico City, Popocaltepetl and Ixtlacihuatl using music, dance and a circus troupe will take place at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes on Oct 7,13,14.

50. Two Bit Circus a new “Micro Amusement Park,” inside a 50,000-square-foot warehouse in the Arts District hosts a wide range of gaming activities including VR experiences, classic arcade games, and Story Rooms.

51. Face your fears during Universal Studios Hollywood Horror Nights happening Thursday through Saturdays till November 3. This year, the Stranger Things maze is the main attraction. You’ll also get to experience bone chilling attractions by American Horror Story, The Shining, Halloween, KrampusAsh vs. The Evil Dead and Walking Dead. Check for discounted tickets on select days. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

Advertisements

52. E.P. & L.P. in West Hollywood continues their stylish cinema series Melrose Rooftop Theatre with a screening of Beetlejuice.

53. 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. Happening Thursdays through Sundays.

54. There’s a Great Pumpkin Hunt happening at the South Coast Botanic Garden daily featuring an imaginative scavenger hunt, light hiking, a pumpkin shop and access to the gorgeous 87-acre grounds. Great for families. Halloween costumes are welcome.

55. Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia has transformed into Fright Fest, offering six mazes, multiple scare zones, and the chance to ride some of your favorite coasters—including Twisted Colossus and Full Throttle—in the dark. Happening Friday through Sunday.

Food Pick for the Week

This week’s pick by Christina Champlin, Co-Founder of We Like L.A.

The 11th annual La Feria de los Moles comes to DTLA’s Grand Park on Sunday October 7 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Recognized as one of the largest Mexican food festivals in the country, La Feria de los Moles offers a vast variety of mole tastings from Oaxaca, Tehuacan, Puebla and beyond. Mole dishes will be prepared by a variety of specially vendors and sold for $10 a plate. Activities that day will also include mole workshops, live music, conferences and a Miss Mole competition. Admission is free, and the event is also alcohol free.


Want to get our to-do lists straight to your inbox every week? Sign up for our email program.

Have an upcoming event you’d like suggest for listing? Drop us a line at [email protected]

Advertisements