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  • Learn L.A. history, hand-make dumplings and more
    The Santa Monica Pier at dusk, with the ferris wheel lit up against a violet, orange and blue sky. The beach is in the foreground and the sunset in the background.

    This week:

    Celebrate MLK Jr. Day by volunteering downtown, travel back in time with the Real Hollywood Tour, or learn how to sew at a workshop in Echo Park.

    Our picks:

    • L.A. Works’ MLK 2024 Volunteer Festival - Participate in activities like creating blankets, job readiness packets, food packets and more to give to local nonprofits.
    • Locals' Night on the Santa Monica Pier - Experience a night filled with live music, dancing, car shows and engaging kids activities such as musical storytime and whimsical face painting. 
    • Handmade Dumpling Party - Learn from an expert chef the art of creating visually appealing (and delicious) dumplings with different shapes and folds. 

    Welcome to the Best Things To Do, your guide to the best events and experiences in L.A. and other parts of Southern California this week.

    Celebrate MLK Jr. Day by volunteering downtown, travel back in time with the Real Hollywood Tour, or learn how to sew at a workshop in Echo Park. Dining and drinking deals include a chance to try your hand at rolling ice cream or being taught the art of handmade dumplings.

    Events

    • January 12, 2024 through February 10, 2024

      An artist’s rendition of a brown estate with green bushes and trees. The art is a poster for Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mysterious Affair At Styles’ as a play at the Long Beach Playhouse.
      (
      Courtesy of the Long Beach Playhouse
      /
      )

      The adaptation of Agatha Christie’s debut novel makes its way to the stage at the Long Beach Playhouse. The iconic detective Hercule Poirot investigates a murder at a country estate as he unravels the motives of an enigmatic husband, a cash-strapped stepson, a doctor expert in poison, and the rest of the dubious household.

    • Monday, January 15, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM

      A group of people led by Martin Luther King Jr.  at front and center, march from Selma To Montgomery in 1965
      American civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King (1929 - 1968) and his wife Coretta Scott King lead a black voting rights march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital in Montgomery.
      (
      William Lovelace/Getty Images
      /
      Hulton Archive
      )

      In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Skirball Cultural Center invites its visitors to see its This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement exhibit. The exhibit showcases photos taken by movement insiders who captured Dr. King and other civil rights activists at the time.

    • Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 3:30 PM

      The Santa Monica Pier at dusk, with the ferris wheel lit up against a violet, orange and blue sky. The beach is in the foreground and the sunset in the background.
      (
      Scott Trento on Unsplash
      /
      )

      Mark your calendars, because this event will continue every third Thursday of the month until May. Experience a night filled with live music, dancing, car shows and engaging kids activities such as musical storytime and whimsical face painting. Enjoy!

    • Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 8:00 PM

      A drawing of a man with long hair standing in front of a microphone. The background is pink and purple.
      'Ugly Baby Comedy Hour' event poster.
      (
      Courtesy Eventbrite
      /
      )

      Hang out at The North End in Hollywood for the Ugly Baby Comedy Hour to hear some of L.A.’s funniest local acts for free! After the show, you can stick around for karaoke. Come by any Tuesday! You must be 21+ to enter.

    • Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 10:00 AM

      A group of people standing around in a lobby during The Real Hollywood Tour.
      A group of people standing around in a lobby during The Real Hollywood Tour.
      (
      Courtesy Eventbrite
      /
      )

      Want to learn about L.A.’s history? On this tour, you’ll go back in time to when Hollywood appeared on maps in the 1880s, how and why the start-up movie industry first moved to this small farming town in the early twentieth century and you’ll get the chance to discover the many hidden historic sites in the area.

    • Monday, January 15, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM

      A poster for L.A. Works’ MLK Day Volunteer Festival. The poster features an artist rendition of Martin Luther King, Jr. and dates and locations for the events.
      (
      Courtesy of L.A. Works
      /
      )

      Join L.A. Works for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and help by volunteering. Participate in activities like creating blankets, job readiness packets, food packets and more to give to local nonprofits.

    • Thursday, January 18, 2024 from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM

      A poster for the “Starcrossed” event at Be Kind Video. The poster features a collage style of letters spelling the event's name, angel wings and a handset across the backdrop of a Los Angeles skyline. Palm trees run across the poster.
      (
      Be Kind Video
      /
      )

      Join retro video emporium Be Kind Video for a drawing figure event inspired by Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo + Juliet. Professional illustrator Sketkh Williams leads the class in a creative workout, with no drawing experience required.

    • Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 6:00 PM

      A close up of Pickle's hands with pink nail polish as she moves a piece of blue fabric under the needle of the sewing machine.
      Pickle says the hardest part about creating an outfit isn't the sewing — it's the designing that's a challenge.
      (
      Caitlin Hernández
      /
      LAist
      )

      Have you been wanting to learn how to sew? Now’s your chance! In this workshop, you will be learning some basics of sewing, like how to thread a sewing machine, hem a pair of pants, and make a scrunchie, even if you don't have a machine. Make a friend or bring a friend to this workshop!

    Outdoor Pick

    • Monday, January 15, 2024 at 9:30 AM

      A daytime photo of Ascot Hills Park as a small stream of water runs through white rocks. A dry grass hill is seen in the distance with some bushes and trees in the surrounding area.
      (
      Courtesy of City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks
      /
      )

      Join fellow Angelenos for an urban hike through northeast L.A. Explore the parks of Ascot Hills, Rose Hills and Radio Hill plus the neighborhoods in between. Also, be prepared for one of the steepest streets in Los Angeles.

    Viewing Pick

    • Monday, January 15, 2024 at 7:30 PM

      A photo of Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur with the words 'Poetic Justice' in the background and a blue sky, a road and hills.
      A promo photo of 'Poetic Justice' starring Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur.
      (
      Courtesy Discover LA
      /
      )

      Enjoy a Monday evening with a drink and Poetic Justice, the 1993 film starring musical icons Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur and directed by John Singleton. Grieving hairdresser Justice goes on a road trip from South Central L.A. to Oakland, where she meets Lucky, and a romance blossoms between the two. If you’ve never watched it before, now’s your chance!

    Dine & Drinks Deals

    • Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 6:30 PM

      Ravioli with some light cheese shredded over top sits in a black bowl.
      (
      Yoav Aziz/Unsplash
      /
      )

      Learn to make stuffed ravioli. Mix your own dough and hand roll thin sheets, make a fresh ricotta filling and top it with a Romesco sauce. All equipment and ingredients are provided, all of which you can find at your local grocery store.

    • Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 8:00 PM

      A person flattens some pink-colored ice cream across an ice grill to prepare to roll it.
      (
      Marco Verch/Flickr
      /
      )

      Learn to roll ice cream with Valley Swirl. The staff will lead a brief demonstration of how to make rolled ice cream by getting behind the ice grill.

    • Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 7:00 PM

      A plate of three street tacos with two lime wedges on either side, shot from above.
      Socalo is one of the participating venues in the second annual Trejo's Tacos & Downtown Santa Monica National Taco Day Crawl.
      (
      Courtesy of Downtown Santa Monica
      /
      )

      Tacos? Trivia? Tuesdays?! Yes, yes and yes! Exercise your brain and your mouth every Tuesday at Angel City Brewery for tacos and trivia. Admission is free. The price of drinks and food varies.

    • Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 6:30 PM

      A photograph of three sets of dumplings in bamboo steamer baskets, each a different color, sitting on a wooden table. The bottom group of dumplings is orange and white. The center group is white. The upper right basket contains dumplings that are green, red, grey, back, yellow, orange and white.
      Xiaolongbao from Paradise Dynasty
      (
      Gab Chabrán
      /
      LAist
      )

      Learn from an expert chef the art of creating visually appealing (and delicious) dumplings with different shapes and folds. Uncover the secrets of crafting the perfect dumpling and impress your friends and family! You must be 21+ to participate in this dumpling-making class.

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