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New week. New month. New… elected officials? Well, let’s see how Tuesday’s results play out.
On tap this November 2-6 in Los Angeles, you’ll find Blue Mondays’ Sad Song Karaoke, 24th Street Theatre Día de los Muerto, Free Metro Rides on Election Day, First Wednesdays at the Aquarium of the Pacific, Re-Enacting The Lie at the MAK Center, First Fridays in Chinatown, Bernstein & Brahms at the LA Phil, and more.
Things To Do This Week
M = Less than .5 miles from an L.A. Metro Station, FA = Free Admission, TP = Top Pick
Blue Mondays’ Sad Song Karaoke -> Every first Monday, The Fable in Eagle Rock hosts Blue Mondays’ Sad Song Karaoke, a recurring monthly sad-song karaoke night where performers dabble in emotional ballads and subversive heartbreakers to compete for a coveted Garfield “I Hate Mondays” t-shirt and complimentary thematic shots. Great write-up in the L.A. Times about the event last week from friend of the site (and former We Like L.A. editor) Juliet Bennett Rylah. No cover to attend. Runs 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Come ready to bare your emotions! More info here.
24th Street Theatre Día de los Muertos – FA > On Monday, 24th Street Theatre’s Día de los Muertos Festival is baa the annual event draws thousands of guests, offering an evening of live performances, food vendors, artisan booths, altars, art installations, and a cemetery of remembrance. Runs 6 to 10 p.m., and free to attend. More info here.
The BINGE Fringe Festival of Free Theatre – FA > The 11th annual Binge Fringe Festival of Free Theatre (The BFF) continues all this week in Santa Monica. The festival features a wide range of free performances—from comedy and Shakespeare to slam poetry and improv—all by local L.A. artists. Best part? All tickets are FREE, but be sure to make reservations for in-person events. Shows continue through November 20. More info here.
Free Metro Rides on Election Day – FA > Need a lift to go cast your ballot this Tuesday? Metro is offering free rides on buses, trains, Metro Bike Share and Metro Micro for Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Metro fare gates will be open and you can get a free 30-minute Bike Share ride by selecting “1-Ride” in the app, online or at a kiosk and entering 110326 at checkout. All the details here.
First Wednesdays at AoP -> The Aquarium of the Pacific’s First Wednesdays series returns for November with environmental journalist Sharon Udasin, who will discuss her book Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America and explore the widespread impact of PFAS contamination. Following the presentation and audience Q&A, guests are invited to stick around for live music, interactive crafts, book giveaways, and cocktails in the art gallery. Tickets are $8 for advance online reservations. Runs 7 to 9 p.m. More info here.
Re-Enacting The Lie -> This Thursday, the MAK Center for Art and Architecture at the Schindler House partners with the Los Angeles Poverty Department to present Re-Enacting the Lie, a performance tackling the reality of substandard conditions within Skid Row permanent supportive housing. Performed by Skid Row resident writers and artists in connection with the Social Housing: Vienna—Los Angeles exhibition, the piece examines housing policy, tenant insecurity, and systemic injustice while exploring pathways toward compassionate social change. Performance entry is included with standard museum admission ($10), though advance RSVP is required due to limited seating. The performance runs 6 to 8 p.m. More info here.
NatGeo Live at BroadStage -> This Thursday, National Geographic Explorer and disease ecologist Sarah Knutie comes to BroadStage Santa Monica to share groundbreaking field science and close encounters with giant tortoises, hammerhead sharks, and Darwin’s finches during National Geographic Live: Discovering the Galápagos. Program begins at 7:30 PM. Tickets start at $60. More info here.
MoMA Contenders 2026 -> Continuing this Thursday and Friday, the Hammer Museum hosts MoMA Contenders 2026 at the Billy Wilder Theater, showcasing notable and influential films from the past year. Screening highlights include Coyote vs. Acme, I Want Your Sex, Obsession, Project Hail Mary, and All of a Sudden, with select dates featuring Q&A discussions alongside filmmakers and directors. General admission tickets are $20, with $10 tickets available for Hammer members. More info here.
First Fridays in Chinatown – M FA > First Fridays return to Chinatown this week, as West Plaza and Chungking Road activate with 25+ local pop-up vendors, DJ-spun music, and extended hours at neighborhood art galleries. The event runs from 6 to 10 p.m., and is free to attend as always. More info here.
First Fridays in Bixby Knolls – FA > The November edition of the Bixby Knolls First Fridays art walk celebrates Día de los Muertos along Atlantic Avenue with open business hours, local art pop-ups, a community ofrenda, and lowrider displays. Festivities include the “After Life” exhibition, a zoot suit fashion show, and live music at neighborhood spots including Lola’s Mexican Cuisine, Rasselbock, and Thunderbolt Pizza, with free electric shuttles available for attendees. Admission is free. Event runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. More info here.
Daniel Harding Leads Bernstein & Brahms – M > This Friday to Sunday, incoming Music Director Daniel Harding leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a trio of programs at Walt Disney Concert Hall for his inaugural program of the season, teaming up with acclaimed Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes for Brahms’ sublime Piano Concerto No. 2. The evening also features the raw emotional power of Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1, “Jeremiah,” exploring deep themes of faith and humanity through a brilliant symphonic lens. Tickets from $20. More info here.
Dining & Drinking
(picks by Christina Champlin)
Diwali Celebrations at Brick Lane (November 6 & 7) -> Brick Lane is lighting up the Arts District this week with a two-night Diwali Gala led by Chef Sanjay Rawat, the chef who made his name throwing lavish Diwali parties at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. Downtown’s festival of lights gets the full treatment here: a big feast, mehndi, and dancing that rolls straight into an afterparty. On the menu, look for Sanjay’s Pani Puri shots, a live chaat station, and carving stations, alongside Brick Lane favorites like the Applewood Smoked Butter Chicken, Mushroom Biryani, and Paneer Saag. The bar keeps things flowing all night with sommelier-picked wines, craft cocktails with a Desi twist, and mocktails. Doors open at 5:30pm and dinner begins at 7:30pm. Tickets are $95 per person on Resy.
Sip and Savor Restaurant Week (November 2 -15) -> Sip and Savor Restaurant Week is a two-week celebration of premium European cured meats and wines from the Roero DOCG region of Piedmont, Italy. Five Los Angeles restaurants are taking part: Terra Rooftop at Eataly Los Angeles, N10 Restaurant from Italian soccer legend Alessandro Del Piero, Sogno Toscano wine bar in Santa Monica, Spina in Atwater Village, and Pasta Sisters, the fresh pasta specialists in Culver City. Each kitchen is creating original dishes built around European salumi and paired with Roero DOCG wines, and every restaurant puts its own spin on the pairing. Diners can order the dishes a la carte and compare how each spot interprets the combination. The week is part of the “Sip and Savor: Pairing European Wines and Deli Meats” campaign, which spotlights European salumi and Roero wines.
Tiki Kai Luau (November 5) -> Hermosa Beach’s tiki restaurant and bar, Tiki Kai, is celebrating its first anniversary with a luau on Thursday. The night kicks off with welcome cocktails and a pork belly special, followed by live entertainment from Polynesian performers and a fire knife show. The evening’s highlight is a whole pig carving at 7:30pm. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Seatings are at 6:30pm and 8:30pm, and reservations are required.
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