Posted by 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!).
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This week weekend, from Friday, May 11 to Saturday, May 13, features ARTXFOOD, Echo Park Craft Fair, BoldPas: An Art Takeover of Old Pasadena, Smorgasburg Fried Chicken Day, Grand Central Market Cookbook Live!, Latin Dance Sunday, Mother’s Day brunch options, and MUCH more.
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 May 11th, 2018
1. LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Downtown Los Angeles will launch its 4th annual FREE Summer of Salsa concert series on Friday. Dance to the sounds of some of the city’s best salsa and Cuban bands one Friday evening each month through September. FREE
2. ARTXFOOD, a nightly series of communal meals merging the worlds of art and cuisine, will take place at Goya Studios in Hollywood every evening from May 11 through June 3. Top Chef All Stars winner Richard Blais will create the food, while L.A. artist Greg Ito creates art that will surround you during the evening.
3. The Pacific Dining Car will once again celebrate their anniversary with a juicy burger at a throwback price of just 97 cents. The price signifies how many years the 24 hour 1920’s railway train car restaurant has been in business. The burger promo is only redeemable if you sign up to reserve the burger. The promotion ends on May 12.
4. They Who Saw the Deep is a new multi-discipline immersive experience that takes place in a secret 17,000 square-foot space in Koreatown. Happening Thursday through Sundays.
5. Echo Park Craft Fair’s Spring Edition at Mack Sennett Studios (May 11-13) features over 120 artists with various ceramic, jewelry, clothing, woodworking and textile design booths.
6. Brennan’s will host a Friday PieDay Pizza Party Power Hour on the patio from 4 to 7 p.m. with free pepperoni or cheese pizza and live music.
7. RuPaul’s DragCon is three days of art, pop culture and all things drag. Hosted at the Los Angeles Convention Center, visitors can check out vendors, panel discussions, screenings, photo ops with drag stars, lip sync contests, make-up and styling workshops for both men and women.
8. Urban Death: Spring, a haunted theater attraction, is coming to Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group in North Hollywood this weekend. Terrorizing audiences in L.A. for over a decade, the spring edition is a completely new experience of inexplicable horrors and unfathomable monstrosities.
9. Rooftop Cinema Club returns to the rooftops of The Montalban in Hollywood and LEVEL in DTLA with multiple screenings this week that include Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Gone Girl, It, The Notebook and more.
10. Immerse yourself in a day (or two!) of all things Jurassic Park during Universal Studios’ 25th anniversary celebration of the dinosaur blockbuster on May 11-12. Enjoy special exhibits, interactive photo ops, a fan costume show, a screening of the film and more.
11. Beloved Sanrio character Aggretsuko a red panda who takes out her frustrations through karaoke by singing death metal has a “Den Of Rage Pop-Up Shop” in Little Tokyo. Here until Wednesday, May 16 the pop up features photo opportunities, exclusive products and more.
12. Head to Marina Del Rey to shop the James Perse sample sale. Menswear, womenswear, home, accessories and footwear will all be discounted. Happening May 11-13.
13. There’s a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window in 35mm at the Vista this Friday.
14. Greenbar Distillery hosts whisky tastings at their distillery in Downtown Los Angeles where you get to taste six kinds of whisky and learn how to identify a scotch, rye, bourbon and more.
15. It’s Pasadena Restaurant Week (May 6-11) diners can expect 40+ restaurants in participation offering special prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus.
16. Shop handbags, clothing, shoes and accessories at up to 75% off during the Rebecca Minkoff sample sale. Happening May 8-13 at 260la in Beverly Hills.
17. Visit the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, a majestic Mediterranean masterpiece built in 1915 and designed by distinguished architect Reginald Davis Johnson, from April 22-May 20. The tours have been going strong since 1948, it’s also one of the oldest, largest and most successful house and garden tours in the country.
18. Shop Lucca Couture’s influencer approved styles during their three day sample sale May 10-12. Spring/Summer pieces will be discounted.
Saturday May 12th, 2018
19. BoldPas: An Art Takeover of Old Pasadena returns on Saturday for a day of bold public art, installations, and activities. Expect 30+ Art Stops, live painters, an activity hub, and maps available for self-guided tours. FREE
20. KROQ Weenie Roast takes place at the Stubhub center in Carson this Saturday with major act like Blink-182, The War On Drugs. Mt. Joy, Coldwar Kids and more. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)
21. Smorgasburg Fried Chicken Day will take place at Santa Anita Park. Chomp on chicken from the likes of Bahn Oui (fried chicken sandwiches), Baohaus (fried chicken bao buns), Bolo (fried chicken on a pineapple bun), Hot Star (Taiwanese street food-style large fried chicken) and more.
22. Eat|See|Hear returns for 2018 with a screening of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind at LA State Historic Park. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)
23. Beyond the Streets is a fully immersive exhibition of street and graffiti art comprised of over 30 artist in a massive 40,000+ square feet exhibits. Artist are an eclectic mix of street and beyond including Retna, Shepard Fairey, Kenny Scharf, Dennis Hopper and Jenny Holzer. Open Tuesday through Sunday this week.
24. The Mid City Arts and Music Festival returns for a day of live art, food trucks, music and kid friendly fun. Warren G will perform with the G Funk All Stars and Delicious Vinyl Island Sound System will also provide tunes. FREE
25. Street Food Cinema returns this weekend with a screening of Selena at Exposition Park and Wonder Woman at Verdugo Park in Glendale. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)
26. Grand Central Market Cookbook Live! is a daylong foodie party with cooking demos, tastings and workshops inspired by the recipes from the food hall’s cookbook. Workshops are free but you have to register to reserve a spot.
27. The Unique LA Spring Market 2018 returns to the California Market Center on May 12-13 for two afternoons of shopping with over 250 independent designers, artists, and emerging brands.
28. Esotouric’s 10th anniversary edition of “Crawling Down Cahuenga: Tom Waits” is a rare annual tour where fans get to walk in Waits’ shoes. Hear stories about people he’s met, places he’s been and late night dives that helped shaped his music.
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29. There’s a Air Vase Workshop at Japan House Los Angeles this Saturday. Learn to create a self-standing structure made from a single sheet of paper after the class checkout the current Takeo Paper Show: Subtle. FREE
30. Stop by Pop-Up Magazine’s Spring Edition at The Theatre at Ace Hotel for a night of jaw-dropping, scandalous, funny and sometimes endearing stories during this unique storytelling experience.
31. For Lawry’s 80th anniversary the iconic prime rib destination will partner up with L.A. Times Food Bowl and Jonathan Gold to host an epic lunch and panel discussion with beloved L.A. chefs Nancy Silverton, Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo and Sang Yoon. Each chef will reinvent a Lawry’s signature dish from the spinning bowl salad to classic cart sides and dessert.
32. Downtown LA Beer and Music Festival comes to Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday with unlimited samples of 100+ craft beers. Guest will also be treated to live music by Alien Ant Farm, Mickey Avalon, and Dirt Nastyl as well as pop-up food vendors.
33. Female-driven wine shop Vinovore will host Wine + Wags this Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. Part dog adoption party, part wine tastings by donation, the event will help highlight female-run animal rescue organization, MaeDay Rescue.
34. East LA Comicbook, Art and Pop-Culture Expo is a free event featuring collectibles, comic creators, cosplay, and more taking place at El Gallo Plaza. FREE
35. Bird LA Day returns to Los Angeles for citywide bird-centric events including a Fern Dell Bird Walk at Griffith Park, a Parrots of Pasadena walk, talk and cocktail reception at La Pintoresca Park and lots more.
36. Take a ride and picnic with nonprofits River LA and CicLAvia along the L.A. River on the Elysian Valley bike path. The event includes a five-mile bike ride and an outdoor picnic on the river’s edge provided by local restaurants in the area. BYOB (bikes).
37. The Blending Lab will host a special Mother’s Day Wine Blending Class this Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. All attendees will get 10% off the class in celebration of Mothers Day. The Blending Lab will also extend the 10% discount to Sunday for all glasses, flights and bottle purchases.
38. JANM (Japanese American National Museum) will host a Free Family Day in celebration of Japanese American history. FREE
39. L.A.’s only live animated comedy show Picture This! is back with a free show on Saturday at The Virgil with over a dozen well known comedians and animators. FREE
40. The Museum of Failure in Hollywood and Highland includes epic failures like Juicero, Facebook Gifts, Pets.com, and Google Wave. There’s also an entire section dedicated to Hollywood with some of the industry’s biggest fails. Happening all week. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)
41. IDENTITY LA a celebration of Asian Pacific Americans will take place at City Hall and Grand Park this Saturday. This free event will feature live music by Jay Park and more as well as variety of food truck curated by Roy Choi. FREE
Sunday May 13th, 2018
42. Mother’s Day is this Sunday. Treat mom to one of the many fabulous brunches being held just for the occasion. We curated an eclectic mix of offerings you’ll want to know about. See our top picks here then make reservations fast, as the holiday is sure to make things busier than usual.
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43. The Autry will host Latin Dance Sunday with music from Cal State LA’s award-winning Afro Latin Ensemble. There will be a bar and light refreshments served, select galleries will also remain open for the event.
44. A Tutta Pizza!, a festival dedicated to pizza will feature pizza makers, workshops, cooking demos, “deep dish” conversations, and a lively panel discussion. Taking place at the Hollywood Palladium. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)
45. Take free dance lessons with Debbie Allen, the famed actress/dancer/choreographer, the second Sunday of every month at at The Wallis in Beverly Hills. FREE
46. Sunday at noon there’s a Mother’s Day Family Fest at Boomtown Brewery.
47. Speak Easy Yoga at Hotel Indigo in DTLA takes place on Sundays through the end of May where guests will flow through yoga with music from the 1920s.
48. Free admission day: Museum of Latin American Art, USC Pacific Asian Museum (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Craft and Folk Art Museum (pay what you can)
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