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Brace for impact. World Cup fever is coming to Los Angeles.
As the beautiful game’s biggest tournament enters the frame, we’ve got tons of activations and watch parties hitting the city, but other offerings this week include the Silent Book Club at Common Space, Alt:adena at Good Neighbor Bar, Pitch-A-Friend at Saba Coffee Shop, the official start to the Hollywood Fringe Festival, an Outdoor Movie at the Skirball, Pride Night at The Aquarium of the Pacific, and more.
Things To Do This Week
M = Less than .5 miles from an L.A. Metro Station, FA = Free Admission, TP = Top Pick
Silent Book Club at Common Space – FA > Common Space Brewery hosts the Inglewood chapter of the Silent Book Club every second Monday of the month, offering a relaxed alternative to traditional reading groups. The monthly meetup eliminates assigned texts and forced discussions, inviting participants to simply bring their current book, grab a craft beer, and enjoy a quiet evening of reading alongside fellow book lovers. Free to attend. Runs 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Alt:adena at Good Neighbor Bar – FA > On select Tuesdays in June, the Good Neighbor Bar is hosting Alt:adena, a three-part public conversation series focusing on resilient wildfire recovery following the Eaton Fire. The second installment (taking place this Tuesday) brings together fire survivors, builders, and technical experts to discuss alternative approaches to land stewardship and property value. Attendees can share personal strategies, learn about community-led land management, and discuss creative recovery solutions. Admission is free, though organizers request an advanced online RSVP. Runs 7 to 9 p.m. More info here.
Lectures on Tap at Benny Boy -> Lectures on Tap brings intellectual debate to a neighborhood bar setting with a talk by Dr. Timothy Malone titled “The Carceral Crisis & the Question of Abolition,” taking place at Benny Boy Brewing this Wednesday. Drawing on his experience as a formerly incarcerated scholar, Dr. Malone traces the social, political, and economic forces behind the American carceral system, introduces key abolitionist thinkers, and explores possibilities for systemic transformation. Attendees can buy drinks, listen to the presentation, and participate in an audience Q&A and a one-on-one mixer with the speaker. Tickets are $15. Runs 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. More info here.
Pitch-A-Friend at Saba Coffee Shop -> Pitch-A-Friend pops up at Saba Coffee Shop this Thursdaay for another edition of their live matchmaking event. Friends pitch their single besties to the crowd using PowerPoint presentations, aiming to build offline community connections and get people off dating apps. And this particular iteration will also feature live music, post presentations. Tickets cost $10 to attend, and prospective presenters can sign up for a pitch slot online. Runs 7 to 10 p.m. More info here.
Hollywood Fringe Festival -> The Hollywood Fringe Festival returns this summer bigger than ever, with over 2,000+ performances on the schedule, including comedy shows, ensemble plays, dance performances, and immersive experiences taking over venues like Zephyr Theatre, The Broadwater, and Three Clubs. After previews end tomorrow main run of shows kicks off this Thursday and will run through June 28. See the compelte schedule of performances, grab tickets, and get more info here.
Poolside Movie Nights at Desert 5 Spot -> Every Thursday in June, Hollywood honky-tonk Desert 5 Spot teams up with CINEHAUS for a summer series of cult classic films screened poolside. This week, catch a screening of Hell or High Water. Sip cocktails and snack on tacos, popcorn, and candy from the bar, then stick around for live music in the lounge after the credits roll. Tickets are $20.75. Event kicks off at 7 p.m. More info here.
World Cup Viewing Parties at The Getty – FA > Beginning this Thursday, the Getty Center hosts World Cup soccer watch parties with matches streamed on big screens at the Trellis Bar & Lounge and the Garden Terrace Café. Soccer fans can support their teams while enjoying special themed food and drink menu items alongside panoramic city views. The viewings cover select group stage and knockout matches from June 11 through July 19, including the USA’s first game vs. Paraguay this Friday at 6 p.m. Remember that admission is free with a reservation, but parking is paid. More info here.
USA vs. Paraguay Watch Party at The Autry – FA TP > On Friday, the Autry Museum is hosting a free outdoor World Cup watch party on its Griffith Park lawn for the highly anticipated USA vs. Paraguay match. Presented by Councilmember Nithya Raman, the Consulate General of Paraguay, the LA Parks Foundation, and Street Food Cinema, the family-friendly and dog-friendly event features the game broadcast on a massive screen alongside soccer-inspired lawn games, audience trivia, and a curated local marketplace. Attendees can buy themed cocktails from an on-site bar and grab dinner from a lineup of food trucks serving American and Paraguayan classics like Angeleno’s Wood Fired Pizza and Sus Arepas. Admission and general parking are free, though guests must reserve a ticket online, and premium reserved seating or front-lot parking passes are available for purchase. Doors open at 4 p.m. Games starts at 6 p.m. More info here.
World Cup Kickoff Events in Santa Monica – FA > The City of Santa Monica gets into the full swing of World Cup spirit with a trio activations on popping up this Friday. First, there’s the World Cup USA Kickoff Celebration at Santa Monica Place featuring multiple large LED screens, DJs, food and drink, beer gardens, and giveaways before the USA vs. Paraguay match begins at 6 p.m. Plus, the same day the Santa Monica Pier is opening the Michelob Ultra Pitchside Club Fan Experience, a large-scale soccer-themed environment for fans 21+ featuring live match viewing, interactive games, and more. Or you could catch Golden Hour on the 3rd Street Promenade, which features more activations, live music, and spots to watch the game. More info on all three here.
Outdoor Movies at the Skirball -> Explore the legacy of a feminist punk icon as the Skirball Cultural Center hosts an outdoor screening of the documentary The Punk Singer (2013) this Friday. The film chronicles the life of musician and activist Kathleen Hanna, frontwoman of Bikini Kill and a pioneer of the 1990s “riot grrrl” movement. Ahead of the screening, singer Allison Wolfe will spin an opening DJ set while the museum doors remain open for evening exhibition viewing. The program concludes with an on-stage conversation featuring Hanna and Ms. magazine Executive Editor Katherine Spillar, moderated by Skirball Chief Curator Cate Thurston. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 for general admission. More info here.
Ivy Station Night Market: Boots & Brews – M FA > The Ivy Station Night Market returns this Friday with a June theme of Boots & Brews. Attendees can shop handmade goods from over 30 artisan vendors, ride a mechanical bull, play lawn games, and line dance to country hits and throwbacks from DJ Carl. Los Angeles Ale Works serves craft beer and wine directly on the plaza alongside a lineup of local food trucks and on-site neighborhood restaurants like Zaytinya and Sweetfin. The market runs 5 to 10 p.m. Free to attend. More info here.
Pride Night at The Aquarium of the Pacific – M > This Friday, in partnership with The LGBTQ Center Long Beach, the Aquarium of the Pacific is celebrating the LGBTQ+ community with an all ages event featuring drag queen storytelling, rainbow themed activities and much more. Tickets cost $24.95. More info here.
Dining & Drinking
(picks by Christina Champlin)
Vignette | Studio City
There’s a classic story behind every great neighborhood restaurant: friends who love food, wine, and hospitality bet on each other. Vignette, on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, is that story. Bistro tables, photos on the wall, empty wine bottles as decor. The place opened in April and by the end of my weekday visit, every seat from bar to patio was gone. Word travels fast.
Chef and Owner Hunter Thompson runs a tight, well-edited menu: Starts, Raw Bar, Farmer Market, Skewers, Big Plates. The range is impressive without feeling scattered. The chicken liver pâté was rich and creamy, made better by a wine list built around honest prices and smart pours. The Nerello Mascalese from Mt. Etna was the highlight of the night.
The market salad of butter lettuce, radicchio, candied pistachios, persimmon, and a snow fall of grated toma cheese is the kind of dish you can order again and again. The dry-aged grilled branzino in citrus butter was gorgeous and at $46 may be the best fish deal on the boulevard. The hanger steak with burnt shallot butter was the quieter hero. Tender meat, lightly charred, and very satisfying.
I finished with the chocolate orange tart as the room buzzed around me, loud and full, nobody in a hurry to leave.
On the way out I found a restroom wall covered in scribbles from chefs, customers, and friends of the team. Notes of encouragement for something that already feels like it’s been here for years.
I didn’t have a Sharpie. Consider this my note on the wall.
Vignette is located at 12023 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604.
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