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No fanfare. No fancy intro. No fuss.
Just a bunch of free things to do over your next 40 days in Los Angeles. Let’s get into it.
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Free Things To Do
May 11 – The Hammer Forum welcomes KCRW housing reporter Anna Scott to lead an evening discussion dissecting the root causes of SoCal’s current housing crisis.
May 12 – Downtown Santa Monica hosts a free Silent Disco on Third Street Promenade on the second Friday of the month, from March to May.
May 12 – Catch a live jazz performance at LACMA’s Smidt Welcome Plaza by by saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Daniel Rotem.
May 12 – The Music Center’s Digital Innovation Initiative presents Cosmogony, a mind-altering digital dance performance broadcasted from Geneva, straight to the screens of Jerry Moss Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles.
May 13 – Head to Los Angeles State Historic Park for the 3rd Annual Community & Unity People’s Kite Festival.
May 13 – Catch a free operatic performance of Othello under the stars as the L.A. Opera simulcasts a show at two outdoor locations: on the beach at the Santa Monica Pier and on the lawn at Cal State University, Dominguez Hills.
May 13 – Art At the Airport Spring Open House brings over 20 artists to display works at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica.
May 13 – Forest Lawn Museum hosts an opening reception for their newest exhibit, Grand Views: The Immersive World of Panoramas.
May 13 – On The Record: Vinyl Fair brings a one-day celebration of all things vinyl to The Music Center’s Jerry Moss Plaza, including DJs, workshops, and performances along with a marketplace of vinyl vendors curated by Beat Swap Meet and In Sheep’s Clothing Records.
May 13 – Frogtown Flea Crawl brings over 50 vendors spread out over 4 stops at various spots in Frogtown, adjacent to the L.A. River.
May 13 – PetMarket brings over a dozen pet-friendly vendors to Annenberg PetSpace, along with food trucks with bites for purchase.
May 13 – The Redondo Beach Pier Association hosts a free outdoor yoga session every second Saturday of the month on the west end of the pier.
May 13 – Puppets and puppeteers from the Bob Baker Marionette Theater stop by the El Segundo Museum of Art for a special live performance inside the gallery space.
May 14 – The May Sunday Funday at The Wallis features a kid-friendly performance by Mostly Kosher followed by a Vogue dance lesson from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy.
May 14 – The Hammer’s Family Flicks series hosts a Mother’s Day screening of Babies.
May 15 – Astronomy on Tap returns with a free pair of scientific talks (helped along by trivia, live music, and beer) to Dog Haus Biergarten in Pasadena.
May 18 – In honor of Bike Month, Metro is offering free rides on May 18 for commuters on all Metro buses and trains.
May 19 – Ivy Station hosts a free evening of salsa dancing/instruction with music by Fermín Sifontes Fusion Salsa Band.
May 19 – The City of Gardena hosts a Self-Care & Mental Health Fair at Nakaoka Community Center.
May 19 – Jazz at LACMA hosts a free concert a Scmidt Welcome Plaza featuring Oscar Hernández & Alma Libre.
May 20 – Off the 405 at The Getty presents a performance by SPELLLING, along with DJ Zuri Adia.
May 20 – The Playa Vista Fit Expo at Concert Park features group exercise classes, demos, games, contests, giveaways, and more.
May 20 – Beach Streets brings a one-day, open-streets (and car-free) festival to Downtown Long Beach.
May 20-21 – Over 300 artists are expected to participate in the Beverly Hills Art Show taking place over two days at Beverly Gardens Park.
May 21 – CicLAmini is a mini version of CicLAvia (a 1-2 mile course designed more for pedestrians) coming to Watts, with hubs on Central Ave and 103rd St.
May 21 – Museums of the Arroyo Day bands together a collection of museums and and historic homes along the Arroyo Seco for an annual day of free admission and family-friendly cultural activities
May 23 – What Does Boxing Owe Its Champions? is the latest Zócalo Public Square discussion event, taking place at the ASU California Center in DTLA.
May 24 – LeVar Burton (Reading Rainbow, Star Trek: The Next Generation) comes to the L.A. Times Book Club to discuss the state of banned books with Times editor Steve Padilla.
May 26 – Ivy Station hosts a free screening of Crazy Rich Asians.
May 26 – Jazz at LACMA hosts a free concert a Scmidt Welcome Plaza featuring Dwight Trible.
May 27 – Enjoy an evening of jazz and swing dancing on the lawn at Ivy Station, accompanied by a performance from the New Orleans-style jazz courtesy of the Big Butter Jazz Band.
May 27 – One Saturday per month the Santa Monica Mountains Fund hosts Yoga on the Mountain at King Gillette Ranch.
May 27 – Every month, Griffith Observatory hosts a free public star party with the help of volunteers from the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers, and The Planetary Society.
May 27 – Torrance Museum of Art hosts an opening reception for its two early summer exhibitions.
May 27-29 – Fiesta Hermosa is three-day festival featuring a marketplace with over 250 vendors, live music and a carnival.
June 2 – Chinatown First Fridays offers food specials, DJ-spun tunes, and extended hours at galleries adjacent to Chung King Plaza.
June 2 – 2nd & PCH hosts a sunset screening of Disney’s Dumbo (2019)
June 2 – Jazz at LACMA hosts a free concert a Scmidt Welcome Plaza featuring Keschia Potter Quartet.
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June 3 – Grand Performances kicks off their 2023 concert schedule with Son Rompe Pera, La Verdad and La Papaya Club.
June 3 – Alan Palomo performs a DJ set at One Colorado in Old Pasadena as part of the Summer Sounds series.
June 3 – The Music Center’s Digital Innovation Initiative presents Cosmogony, a mind-altering digital dance performance broadcasted from Geneva, straight to the screens of Jerry Moss Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles.
June 3 – Studio City Recreation Center hosts a free outdoor screening of Moana.
June 3 – The 27th Annual Gilmore Heritage Auto Show comes to the Original Farmers Market.
June 8 – Art & Beer Night Market LA brings 25+ vendors/artists/businesses to Boomtown Brewery.
June 9 – Summer of Salsa kicks off at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes with a performance by Conjunto Oye!
June 9 – Jazz at LACMA hosts a free concert a Scmidt Welcome Plaza featuring Theo Saunders Quartet.
June 10 – Levitt Pavilion Concerts with Nortec Bostich + Fussible, Nunca Jamas, La Banda Elástica DJ’s.
June 10 – Grand Performances presents live showcases by 2023 COLA Artist Fellows Daniel Corral, David Ulin, and Jasmine Orpilla.
June 10 – The Brevet performs at One Colorado in Old Pasadena as part of the Summer Sounds series.
June 10 – The Music Center’s Digital Innovation Initiative presents Cosmogony, a mind-altering digital dance performance broadcasted from Geneva, straight to the screens of Jerry Moss Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles.
June 11 – Levitt Pavilion Concerts with Boogaloo Assassins, DJ Clifton Weaver aka DJ Soft Touch.
June 11 – The Hammer’s Family Flicks series screens A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
June 16 – Bloomsday at The Hammer celebrates author James Joyce with an evening of stage readings, plus live traditional Irish music by Rattle the Knee and plenty of Guinness on tap.
June 16 – Jazz at LACMA hosts a free concert a Scmidt Welcome Plaza featuring Katalyst.
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June 17 – Grand Performances presents a performance by Iranian musician, poet, singer, and social activist Shahin Najafi.
June 17 – Levitt Pavilion Concerts features Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra, presented by dublab.
June 17 – Arcy Drive performs at One Colorado in Old Pasadena as part of the Summer Sounds series.
June 17 – The Music Center’s Digital Innovation Initiative presents Cosmogony, a mind-altering digital dance performance broadcasted from Geneva, straight to the screens of Jerry Moss Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles.
June 17-18 – 30th annual Pasadena Chalk Festival pops up at the Plaza of the Pasadena Convention Center.
June 18 – Levitt Pavilion Concerts hosts a Father’s Day celebration with Utopia DJ’s KG Superstar + DJ Adé, Katalyst Collective
June 18 – CicLAvia South L.A. returns with a car-free course along Vermont Avenue.
Don’t Forget The Cheatsheet
Do you read our monthly free museum day cheatsheets? If not, this is another great avenue to discover some free ideas to check out in and around Los Angeles. I especially recommend it for folks that are new to the city and just need to get a handle on how much culture there is to experience (it will surprise you).
And of course, if you need more ideas flooded to you inbox, make sure you sign up for our twice-weekly email newsletter (see form below). I promise you won’t regret it!
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