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New week. Fresh to-dos. Let’s go!
On offer this October 6-10 in Los Angeles, you’ll find Night Out at LACMA, Screamfest in Hollywood, Pitch-A-Friend in K-Town, a culinary conversation at LA Plaza, Ivy Station Night Market, Pasadena ArtNight, Night at the Cube, and more.
Things To Do This Week
M = Less than .5 miles from an L.A. Metro Station, FA = Free Admission, TP = Top Pick
Synth Club at Common Space – FA > Every first Monday of the month, the LA Synth Club hosts a monthly meet-up and jam session at Common Space Brewery in Hawthorne. Musicians are invited to bring their favorite synthesizers, drum machines, or any other electronic instruments to experiment / jam with. Runs 6 to 10 p.m. More info here.
Made in L.A. at The Hammer – FA > Made in L.A. is back at The Hammer Museum with a biennial showcase of 28 artists and collectives whose film, painting, sculpture, and choreography is profoundly “of this city and nowhere else.” The exhibition is free to visit and runs through March 1, 2026. The Hammer is open Tuesday to Sunday. More info here.
Carved at Descanso Gardens -> Descanso Gardens’ family-friendly Carved returns continues all this week with a freshly thought out pumpkin wonderland featuring a new route, hundreds of carved pumpkins, and kid-friendly activities. The experience will run nightly through October 30. Tickets run $27-$45 for non-members. Get more info here.
Night Out at LACMA – TP FA > On Tuesday, Night Out at LACMA brings exhibitions to life with an evening of after-hours explorations combined with local food trucks, cash bars, DJ sets, and shopping at the LACMA Store. Free to attend with RSVP. Starts at 7 p.m. More info here.
Screamfest -> Beginning on Tuesday, Screamfest pops up at TCL Chinese Theater for a nine-day lineup of films premiering the newest and most innovative works from American and international independent horror filmmakers. Tickets range from $16 for an individual screening to $300 for a full festival badge. More info here.
LA Culinary Heritage: Mexico and France – M FA > This Wednesday, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes dives into the rich blend of cultures in L.A. cuisine by hosting a conversation with celebrated chefs, including Gilberto Cetina (Holbox) and Fátima Juárez (Komal), to explore the history of Mexican food, Indigenous ingredients, and French culinary techniques that shaped it. Moderated by KCRW’s Evan Kleiman, this event is part of the Paris 2024 to LA 2028 Cultural Olympiad series. Light refreshments will be served. Starts at 6 p.m. RSVP required. More info here.
Pitch-A-Friend – FA > It says a lot if a friend is willing to stan you to a group of total strangers, right? That’s the premise behind Pitch-A-Friend, where presenters run through a series of 3 to 5 minute slide deck presentations (in all earnestness) followed by a singles mixer (LGBTQ+ friendly) where you can meet-and-greet with the friends who come so highly recommended. The next installment of the series pops up at Eastwood LA in Koreatown this Thursday beginning at 6:30 p.m. Free to attend, but if you’ll need to sign up in advance if you want to pitch. More info here.
OPERATOBERFEST -> Get ready for Operatoberfest, a one-night-only celebration of beer, bratwurst, and belting at Benny Boy Brewing on Thursday. This lively evening blends Oktoberfest cheer with a musical twist: think stein-holding contests, party games, and live performances of raucous drinking songs from opera and beyond! Enjoy a special lineup of Oktoberfest brews and German-inspired food from Franzl’s Franks. Tickets are $35 and include your first drink. 21+ only, and costumes are encouraged. Starts at 6:30 p.m. More info here.
Pasadena’s biannual ArtNight – M FA TP-> The fall edition of Pasadena’s biannual ArtNight pops up this Friday, featuring free activations and art on view at myriad partner locations, including the Arts Center, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena City Hall, and the USC Pacific Asia Museum. Free to attend, and there’s a free shuttle that transits visitors between locations as well. More info here.
Night Out at The Cube -> Night Out at the Cube is back at Discovery Cube Los Angeles this Friday for a spooky, 21+ edition on Friday, October 10. From 7 to 11 p.m., explore exhibits while enjoying drinks, bites, and a live DJ. Take on the corn maze, launch pumpkin catapults, enter the costume contest, and solve the clues in the challenging Mystery at the Cube adventure! GA tickets (which include two drinks) start at $36. More info here.
Ivy Station Night Market – M FA > Get in the Halloween spirit this Friday with a spooky edition of the monthly Ivy Station Night Market. Expect a wickedly good time on the Ivy Station lawn with 30+ local makers, complimentary tarot readings, mini pumpkin decorating, and a live DJ spinning spooky classics. All ages and pet friendly. Free to attend. Runs 5 to 10 p.m. More info here.
SON OF MONSTERPALOOZA -> SON OF MONSTERPALOOZA heads back to to Burbank from this Friday to Sunday. This massive event for horror, sci-fi, and fantasy fans features over 150 monstrous vendors, live makeup demos, and a huge lineup of celebrity guests from iconic film franchises like Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Plus, catch unique panels and presentations all weekend in the Monsterpalooza Theatre! Tickets range from $38.65 – $150. More info here.
Urban Death Tour of Terror at Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre -> Continuing this Friday and Saturday, Zombie Joe’s annual tradition of Urban Death is back with a brand new series of terrifying vignettes, bookended by walks through a creepy maze. The haunt will run every Friday and Saturday through November 1. Advance tickets are $24 online, or it’s $28 at door. Get more info here.
Delusion: Harrowing Of Hell – M > Thirteenth Floor’s Delusion Halloween series is back at a new location at the Variety Arts Theater in DTLA. This year’s conceptual “moving play” immerses guests in the world of Pagan’s Path, described as “a supernatural cult that has taken the metaphors of Dante’s inferno too far.” Performances run this Thursday to Sunday, then continue on select dates through November 9. GA tickets start $113 including fees. More info here.
Reign of Terror Haunted House -> The award-winning Reign of Terror Haunted House in Thousand Oaks is back now for its 25th season. This year’s haunt features 142 rooms in 11 different, inter-connected sections within 32,000 square feet of floor space. Standards tickets start at $42.99. The experience runs this Friday to Sunday, then continues select dates through November 2. More info here.
Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns -> Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns is back a new South Bay Location. This year the experience takes over South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes on select nights (including this Friday to Sunday) through November 2. Expect a wandering path featuring thousands of glowing, hand-carved jack o’lanterns, plus enchanting light displays, towering inflatables, and playful bouncy pads. Tickets start at $24.99. More info here.
Dining & Drinking
(picks by Christina Champlin)
Bistro Na’s: Where Imperial China Meets the San Gabriel Valley
If you’ve never been to Bistro Na’s in Temple City, consider this your sign. The San Gabriel Valley stunner just refreshed its seasonal menu, and it’s packed with dishes that make you feel like you’re dining inside an imperial palace — because, well, that’s kind of the point.
Longtime favorites like the Crispy Shrimp and Imperial Stewed Jujube & Kurobuta Pork Belly are still as good as ever — once you’ve had them, they’re hard to forget. But the new seasonal plates are equally compelling and worth planning a dinner around.
Kick things off with the Marinated Seafood Platter, a chilled spread of tiger prawns, abalone, and live jumbo scallops soaked in Huadiao wine and spices, then finished with a delicate vinegar jelly. The Beijing Smoked Chicken — a recipe that dates back to 1908 — gets a fry-braise-smoke treatment for tender, aromatic bites that disappear fast.
The Stir-Fried Angus Beef with Naan brings a little northwestern Chinese heat, with cumin, fried basil, and a satisfying crunch. Don’t skip the Beijing-Style Pork Jowl Wrap, served warm with fresh flatbread and greens like bitter chrysanthemum and sesame golden threads — you get to build your own wraps at the table, which is half the fun.
And to cool down? The Beijing Yanji Cold Noodles, first created in 1943, combine chewy buckwheat noodles, house-made kimchi, cubed watermelon, and chilled beef broth for that perfect mix of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy.
Every dish here comes with a story — literally. The menu reads like a mini history book, and by the time you’re done flipping through it (and finishing your last bite), you realize you’ve just eaten your way through centuries of Chinese culinary tradition — without ever leaving Temple City.
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