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Got plans for your post-election weekend in L.A.? You do know.
On the docket this November 6-8 in Los Angeles you’ll find First Fridays in Chinatown, Self Help Graphics Día de los Muertos, L.A. Zine Fest, the Bats, Birds & Agave, Fall Brewery Artwalk, Free Second Sunday at UPAM, It’s Alive Marketplace and more.
Things To Do This Weekend
M = Less than .5 miles from an L.A. Metro Station, FA = Free Admission, TP = Top Pick
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.
18th Street Arts Center presents Revival_ _Revival – FA > This Saturday in Santa Monica, the 18th Street Arts Center presents catch Revival_ _Revival, a processional performance presented in collaboration with the Quinn Research Center and led by queer and transgender artist Sage Ni’Ja Whitson starting from First AME Church. Supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation and Mike Kelly Foundation for the Arts, this powerful Black trans processional traverses sacred historic sites across the city’s historical Black community, featuring a live sound score blending gospel, house music, hip-hop, and vocal performance to honor erased histories and celebrate community resilience. Participants are encouraged to wear white clothing and white masks, with the journey culminating in a community fellowship meal at Ocean Bay Beach. Admission is free and open to the public. Procession begins at 2 p.m. More info here.
Wende Museum Fall Exhibition Opening – FA > This Saturday The Wende Museum hosts an opening celebration for Competing Cosmologies: Interpreting the Sky, which explores how space exploration during and after the Cold War inspired international visual artists through historical artifacts, Sputnik-1 models, and contemporary works. Admission is free. Opening event runs noon to 5 p.m. More info here.
Self Help Graphics Día de los Muertos – FA > On Saturday, Self Help Graphics & Art presents its 53rd Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration as a block party outside its Boyle Heights facility, featuring live music, community altars, hands-on workshops, a storytelling stage, and a local Muertos Market. Highlights include a 2:00 PM procession starting from Mariachi Plaza led by Grupo Chicomecoatl, along with mainstage performances by Grammy Award winners Los Lobos and La Santa Cecilia. Admission is free. Runs 3 to 10 p.m. More info here.
L.A. Zine Fest – FA TP > This Saturday the Angel City Derby Warehouse in the Fashion District hosts the Los Angeles Zine Fest, celebrating DIY publishing, self-expression, and independent media through diverse zines spanning politics, personal narratives, photography, and visual art. Attendees can connect with local creatives, explore community archives, and browse unique independent publications. Admission is free. Runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. More info here.
LA NDN Flea – FA > This Saturday and Sunday, The Broad hosts the LA NDN Flea in collaboration with The Chapter House, celebrating National Native American History Month with a vibrant Indigenous makers’ market. Visitors can shop for handcrafted goods, jewelry, apparel, and original artwork, participate in a Jeffrey Gibson–inspired Family Weekend Workshop, receive a free limited-run poster, and enjoy live DJ sets and food vendors. Admission is free. Starts at 10 a.m. both days. More info here.
Fall Brewery Artwalk -> This Saturday and Sunday, the Brewery Artwalk opens the historic Brewery Arts Complex for a rare, direct look inside the working studios of more than 100 resident artists, including Andre Miripolsky, Charles Swenson, Jane Szabo, Richard Ankrom, and Christopher Ulrich. Admission is $5 covering both days, free for ages 17 and under and local zip codes (90031, 90033, 90023) with ID, with free parking onsite. Runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.,m. both days. More info here.
Bats, Birds & Agave at Mírate -> Mírate teams up with the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County for a Sunday evening exploring the ecosystem behind agave, as part of the museum’s L.A. Culture in a Cup series. A live panel at 6 p.m. digs into the role bats and birds play as migratory pollinators and seed dispersers, followed by a Q&A. Panelists include Chef Alan Sanz and Beverage Director Max Reis of Mírate, Dr. Allison Shultz Talens and Dr. Rachel Blakey, with Miguel Ordeñana moderating. Guests can enjoy food and drink pairings themed to the discussion, including bug-forward bites, while learning how thoughtful consumption helps protect native biodiversity. Tickets are $78.
It’s Alive Marketplace at Common Space – FA > It’s Alive Marketplace, the ultimate Horror Market featuring 100% Vegan eats, pops up at Common Space Brewery this Sunday with 35+ vendors selling spooky shopping, horror collectibles, morbid art, and creepy cosmetics. Enjoy dark tunes from DJs and delicious plant-based food from vendors like The Frankenstand and Vegan Jam Taqueria. FREE entry, all ages, and dog friendly! Costumes and cosplay are strongly encouraged. Runs noon to 5 p.m. More info here.
Free Second Sunday at UPAM – M FA > The USC Pacific Asia Museum hosts Free Second Sunday: Celebrating Himalayan Art & Culture, a vibrant community event presented in conjunction with the Gateway to Himalayan Art and We Are Connected exhibitions. Visitors can experience a traditional sand mandala creation and closing ceremony led by monks from the Namgyal Monastery Dharma Center, alongside interactive butter sculpture and art-making workshops, cultural storytelling, tea tastings, and a lively afternoon dance performance. Admission is free. Programming runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More info here.
Dining & Drinking
(picks by Christina Champlin)
Sip and Savor Restaurant Week (November 2 -15) -> Five Los Angeles restaurants spend two weeks pairing premium European cured meats with wines from the Roero DOCG region of Piedmont, Italy. Participating spots include Terra Rooftop at Eataly Los Angeles, N10 Restaurant from Italian soccer legend Alessandro Del Piero, Sogno Toscano in Santa Monica, Spina in Atwater Village, and Pasta Sisters in Culver City. Each kitchen creates original dishes built around European salumi and Roero wines, available a la carte, so diners can compare how each restaurant interprets the pairing. These items are limited, and this is your best chance to savor them without traveling. We recently dined at Terra, where the Roero wines stood apart and the prosciutto came out heavenly tender alongside freshly made gnocco fritto. More info here.
BAAR BAAR Celebrates Diwali (November 8) -> Chef Sujan Sarkar’s modern Indian restaurant BAAR BAAR in Downtown LA marks Diwali with two special menus for one day only. Brunch is a $59 prix-fixe and dinner is $65, each built to showcase the diversity of Indian cooking with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Reservations can be made via Sevenrooms.
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.
Looking Ahead…
Katie Button Pop-Ups at Now Serving and chi SPACCA (November 9 & 10) -> Five-time James Beard Foundation Award nominee Katie Button, co-founder of Asheville’s Cúrate Tapas Bar, brings her cookbook tour to Los Angeles to celebrate her second book, Spanish Accent: American Home Recipes with a Spanish Touch. Known for her approachable take on Spanish cuisine, Button spends two evenings with some of the city’s most respected names. On November 9 from 7 to 8 p.m., she joins chef and Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard in conversation at Now Serving, with tickets ranging from $11.49 (GA) to $49.19 (includes book.) The next night, she teams up with Nancy Silverton for a one-night-only dinner at chi SPACCA. The $180 prix fixe includes a signed copy of the book, with reservations available from 6 to 9 p.m. via OpenTable.
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