Things To Do

50 Awesome Things To Do in L.A. This Weekend [8-24-18 to 8-26-18]

August 23, 2018 by We Like L.A. Staff

Los Angeles provides no limit of things to do, some awesome and some not so awesome. Since time is precious in this fast paced city we curate a list of things to do in Los Angeles for every weekend that’ll help you decide how you want to spend your limited supply of attention (not to mention dollars!).

This weekend, from Friday, August 24 to Sunday, August 26, features Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival, DTLA Proud Fest, Muse ’til Midnight at LACMA, Harry Potter Roller Skating Night, ScareLA, Matcha LA Fest, and MUCH more.

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Remember you can always go to our L.A. events calendar page to get an updated rundown of what’s happening around the city.

Hope you find the rundown useful and, as always, enjoy your week!

Urban Lights at LACMA

Urban Lights. Photo Credit: Brian Champlin / We Like L.A.


Keep in mind that while we retain complete editorial control of our content, for some of the ticketing options provided we utilize affiliate links and receive a commission if you purchase through our links.

Friday August 24th, 2018

1. The 8th annual Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival is a five-day epicurean event showcasing the finest in Los Angeles food and drink culture. Happening in Downtown L.A., Santa Monica and Beverly Hills between from August 22-26. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

2. The DTLA Proud Festival returns to Pershing Square for a weekend of community and diversity celebration starting with a free all ages celebration this Friday featuring live music, food vendors, artists and more representing the culture, history, and diversity of the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ community. Keep in mind Friday evening will be alcohol free and Saturday and Sunday event days are 21+ and will be serving alcohol. 

3. Eat|See|Hear returns for 2018 with a screening of Easy Rider on Friday and Back to the Future on Saturday at The Autry. Check for discounted tickets at select screenings. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

4. The Roadium in Torrance presents Classic Drive-in Movies every Friday night in August and the first Friday of September. Each family-friendly event features classic films projected on the screen tower. Continuing the series is a screening of Five Summer Stories.

5. Halo Top celebrates their grand opening at The Grove with free ice cream for the first 100 guests and a life-sized ice-cream wonderland with life-sized ice cream pints, themed ball pits, golden swings, and other playful installments.

6.. Back for the 15th year in a row, The Independent Shakespeare Co. presents Shakespeare in the Park at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park with free performances of A Mid Summer Nights Dream and Titus Andronicus Wednesday through Sunday. FREE

7. The Labyrinth Masquerade Ball happening August 24-25 at the Millennium Biltmore in DLTA is a unique experience featuring extravagant costumes, performances, multiple ballrooms with dancing, mythological acts, special effects and the popular Goblin Court.

8. The La Brea Tar Pits and Museum will host Late Night Fridays where guests can enjoy free general admission from 5 to 8 p.m. and gain access to special activities, 3D movies, behind-the-scenes tours, live excavations, and more. FREE

9. Barnsdall Fridays returns to Barnsdall Art Park for the tenth year in a row, with evening tastings of boutique wines and music from KCRW DJs perched atop a hill with incredible city views.

10. The Music Center’s annual Dance DTLA series is back for 2018 with a series of Friday-night events at Grand Park. This week features Dance DTLA, an evening dedicated to Bollywood. FREE

11. A Yeti Village has been constructed on Hollywood and Vine in anticipation for the movie SMALLFOOT. Designed to look like winter, visitors of all ages can dance in a blizzard, swing on a cloud, ride a 20-foot slide, play in a snowball pit, sing karaoke, do arts and crafts and more. The family-friendly experience is free to attend and runs through September 14, 2018. FREE

12. Rooftop Cinema Club returns to the rooftops of LEVEL in DTLA and NeueHouse in Hollywood with multiple screenings this week that include The Greatest Showman, Coco and more.

13. Check out Todd Schorr’s Neverlasting Miracles at KP Projects on La Brea Ave. Gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday. The exhibition runs through September 1.

14. Are you a Chase bank customer? Got a freebie you might want to know about. Coolhaus is teaming with the Forum and Chase to hand out free ice cream sandwiches to Chase customers on Fridays all summer long. Locations will change every Friday, and the offer is ice cream sandwich per cardholder. Get more info here.

15. WP24 by Wolfgang Puck’s Summer Supper + Show returns every Friday and Saturday, July through August, with a Asian-inspired dinner at WP24 by Wolfgang Puck followed by a movie screening on the private 26th floor hotel rooftop. This weekend they’ll screen Noting Hill.

16. 260LA is hosting a sample sale with Jonathan Simkhai and Charlotte Olympia August 22-25.

17. Rodeo Drive’s BOLD Summer concludes this week with a block party featuring live entertainment, special restaurant offers, and more. BOLD will happen Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. FREE

Saturday August 25th, 2018

18. Muse ’til Midnight at LACMA is the ultimate late-night party. 2018’s edition is a celebration of 3D art, inspired by LACMA’s new exhibit, 3D: Double Vision. Enjoy music curated by DUBLAB, access to five galleries and more.

19. Los Angeles’ first Matcha LA Fest celebrates all things matcha on August 25-26 with over 20 vendors, matcha in many different forms, a photo booth, giveaways, matcha merch, and more.

20. The seventh and final Harry Potter Roller Skating Night returns to Moonlight Rollerway for a truly special and enchanting evening

21. Summer Happenings at The Broad is a series of late-night events featuring music, performance and art. Now in its third year, the evening series is inspired by The Broad’s new exhibition, A Journey That Wasn’t  which explores artists’ representations of time, memory and repetition. This month the series will highlight Chinese artists with performances by post-punk band Re-TROS, Xiu Xiu, MIIA, Asian Dope Boys and more.

22. Cinespia is back for its 17th summer season, at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for screenings of films modern, cult, and classic. This Saturday they’ll screen Big and Sunday they’ll screen Barbarella as part of the Johnny Ramone tribute.

23. KCRW’s Summer Nights offers free all-ages outdoor music shows over the course of the summer throughout Los Angeles and this Saturday they’ll takes over Chinatown one last night with KCRW DJs Raul Campos and Jason Bentley. FREE

24. The Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel will perform some of Tchaikovsky’s greatest hits under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl with a spectacular fireworks show. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

25. Summer Street Market Nights, a delicous evening at The Mixing Room in DTLA is a monthly event featuring an assortment of interactive food stations offering international cuisine and themed entertainment. This months theme is One Night in Bangkok!

26. The 13th Annual Venice Beach Music & Arts Festival is a free event featuring live music and dance performances, food trucks, mural painting and more in Windward Plaza Park and along the boardwalk in Venice. FREE

27. Brick Fest Live: Lego Fan Experience in Pasadena (August 25-26) is coming to the Pasadena Convention Center for two days of insane builds, hands-on activities, and sets to buy.

28. Celebrate Latinas when LATINAFest: Mind, Body & Soul, a free festival, comes to La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Downtown Los Angeles.

29. Celebrate Halloween in the summer with ScareLA (August 25-26), the city’s only convention with interactive experiences, industry professionals, roaming monsters and more. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

30. Head to Long Beach’s Shoreline Drive for Beach Streets Twilight, an event that sees one mile of the famed road shut down to cars in favor of bikes, scooters, roller blades, pets, and your own two legs! There will be food trucks, drinks, and two music stages, so get outside and enjoy the city of Long Beach! FREE

31.. The Silverlake Flea-Night Market taking place every Saturday from 5-10 p.m. all summer long features a plethora of local, independent sellers that offer vintage clothing, art, rare vinyl, crafts, and much more.

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32. Grand Central Market’s downstairs area will transform into a magic club for one night featuring award-winning comedy magician Dana Daniels. Guests can also experience close-up magic by Kayla Drescher and Robert Ramirez as well as sleight of hand magic by Georges-Robert. Magic will also be performed throughout the historic food hall. FREE

33. Off the 405, free concerts at the Getty will host a performance by Combo Chimbita and a DJ set by Maieli in the museum courtyard. FREE

34. NFMLA’s Film Festival will show two shorts programs, along with a feature from a NFMLA award-winning alumni this Saturday. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

35. Pasadena Rooftop Cinema is back for another series of free family friendly screenings on a South Lake Avenue rooftop. This Saturday the series will screen Star WarsFREE

36. The Leimert Park Village Book Fair comes to Baldwin Hills Crenshaw for an all-day literary extravaganza with author meet-and-greets, celebrity author, literary and educational exhibitors, a Children’s Pavilion with book giveaways, panel discussions, writing workshops, musical entertainment and poetry recitals, food trucks and more. FREE

37. British artist Lucy Sparrow has transformed the second floor of the Standard in DTLA into Sparrow Mart a supermarket art wonderland fill with over 31,000 adorable felt-covered food replicas all for sale. Part art installation, store and loads of photo worthy moments, Sparrow Mart open Aug 1-31 (closed on Mondays) is free to attend on a first come first serve basis. FREE 

38. Outdoor theater Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, located in Topanga Canyon summer 2018 season begins on June 2 with a performance of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

39. The Actors’ Gang will once gain bring back Free Shakespeare in the Park for Families with a production of Much Ado About Avengers an original play inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and the characters of Marvel’s Avengers. Taking place at Media Park in Culver City, the 45 minute, all‐ages production will run every Saturday and Sunday this month through August 26. FREE

40. Street Food Cinema returns this weekend with a screening of Bridesmaids at LA Arboretum in Arcadia and Xanadu at Pan Pacific Park in Beverly Hills. Select screenings are discounted via Goldstar. DISCOUNTED

Sunday August 26th, 2018

41. There’s a free community tribute to the late Jonathan Gold on the steps of City Hall in DTLA this Sunday. The public commemoration of the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer is hosted by Carolina Miranda, Los Angeles Times arts and culture columnist and will include tributes from friends, family, and colleagues of Gold. There will also be a screenings of unseen clips from City of Gold, the 2015 documentary about Gold’s culinary adventures, along with food trucks selling food. FREE

42. Cal Jam 18 will host a pop-up at the Hollywood Palladium with free performances by Chevy Metal and The Holy Shits, plus food, merchandise and more. FREE

43. Get your stretch alongside some adorable dogs during Dog Yoga at The Dog Cafe. Yoga will be led by instructor Melissa Burton and will be followed by play time with pups and refreshments.

44. The 3rd Annual BBQ Day at Smorgasburg LA is coming this Sunday and fans of ice cream can head down to Ice Cream Alley, a special area dedicated to showcasing ice cream.

45. Los Angeles Magazine’s inaugural FIT LA is a morning wellness event featuring a Pure Barre class, healthy bites, beauty and nutrition samples, mini spa treatments and more at Calamigos Beach Club in Malibu.

46. To celebrate National Dog Day this Sunday The Citadel Outlets ll host their annual ‘Barks & Brews’ event welcoming hundreds of local pets and their owners for a day of craft beer tasting, food truck bites and live entertainment.

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47. Metro Art Presents “Changes: Works at Union Station,” an afternoon of 20 site-specific performances and interactive works in unique spaces inside the station. FREE

48. There’s a Vegan Block Party happening at Dry River Brewing this Sunday featuring vegan and cruelty free vendors like Jades Vegan Sushi, Veggie y Qué, Mini Drops Ice Cream and much more. Free to enter and food is for sale.

49. Escape the summer heat during Jazz on the Lawn, a series of free summer concerts at Santa Monica’s Gandara Park every Sunday in August. In addition to live music there will be free dance lessons, food trucks and picnic games. FREE

50. Free museum days: Museum of Latin American Art and Craft and Folk Art Museum (pay what you can)

Food Pick for the Weekend

marugame-udon

Photo Credit: Christina Champlin / We Like L.A.

This weekend’s pick by Christina Champlin, Co-Founder of We Like L.A.

A cafeteria-style udon and self-serve tempura spot just opened at the Beverly Center, bringing a unique take on a traditional Japanese staple.  Step inside the world of Marugame Udon, where workers great you in Japanese before beckoning you over to a long counter of segmented mini food stations. Immediately you”ll hear and smell the intoxicating tempura oil sizzling in the background. This is a place that engages the senses. [read full article here]


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