The Year of the Dragon starts this weekend with groaning tables of dumplings, rice cakes, whole fish, and other holiday culinary classics. We have a guide to where to go in LA.
What’s on offer?: Everything from multi-course banquets to traditional dishes ordered from small businesses via Instagram.
Any non-eating activities? We list many, including the 125th annual Golden Dragon Parade in Chinatown on Saturday, Feb. 17, one of the oldest cultural celebrations in Los Angeles, run the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Expect dance performances and marching bands.
What is Lunar New Year?
Saturday, Feb. 10, marks the Lunar New Year, welcoming the Chinese zodiac Year of the Dragon. This celebration is observed by millions worldwide, including China, Vietnam, Korea, and, of course, connected communities in Los Angeles.
Each community celebrates the festival differently, with different food traditions. We’ve pulled together some culinary offerings around L.A. this year.
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year activities typically start with some thorough house cleaning before the new year itself. Homes are decorated in red for good luck. The foods traditionally eaten for Chinese New Year are symbolic of longevity and prosperity in some way, usually because of the shape or because the names of the dishes are homophones for related words.
Here are some of the foods typically eaten on Chinese New Year:
Whole fish
The word for fish in Mandarin, yú, is a homophone for another word that means “abundance” or “surplus” — hence, eating fish on Chinese New Year is considered lucky and will bring abundance in the new year. The fish is usually served whole and reflects completion from the beginning to the end, but this is not always the case, especially for smaller households.
Bistro Na's in Temple City provides an array of dishes to help you ring in the Lunar New Year in style.
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Bistro Na's
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Some of the fish specials you can find around town this year include:
Bistro Na’s is offering different Lunar New Year sets that serve 6-10 people, and all of them include at least one fish dish.
Crustacean Beverly Hills is offering a $188 eight-course (because eight is an auspicious number) dinner extravaganza with crispy dover sole, black truffle turnip cakes, and more. The dining room will be decked out in Lunar New Year decorations and there will be live entertainers throughout the night.
Paradise Dynasty is offering some special dishes like Singapore-style black pepper lobster. There will also be a steamed Chilean sea bass and eight treasure sticky rice for dessert, another popular Lunar New Year treat. The special dishes are available now through March 31, 2024.
Steep will have a collaboration dinner with Chef Anthony Wang on Feb. 9-10. There will be an eight-course menu featuring steamed rockfish, radish cake with XO sauce, braised pork belly with abalone, and more.
Poon choi
Poon choi from Collette in Pasadena, a traditional Cantonese festival dish featuring layers of different ingredients and is consumed communally.
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This traditional Cantonese meal translates to “basin vegetables” and is served in a large basin. It’s not all vegetables, though — the Lunar New Year poon choi usually also contains several luxurious ingredients like abalone, sea cucumber, BBQ and more.
Poon choi has become a popular Lunar New Year dish in Los Angeles over the past couple of years, with many restaurants offering it at this time of year.
The tray of togetherness is a tray filled with sweets with symbolic meanings that are served to guests. The tray usually has six or eight compartments with various sweets including candied lotus roots, which symbolize abundance, candied coconut, which symbolizes togetherness, and candied lotus seeds for fertility.
Different versions of the tray can be found at Asian grocery stores such as 99 Ranch Market and 168 Market.
Nián gāo
This dense, glutinous rice cake is another traditional symbolic food. The name, nián gāo, sounds similar to words that mean “getting higher every year” and thus symbolizes growth and progress. While there is both a sweet and savory version, the sweet version is more popular, made with glutinous rice flour and sweetened with brown sugar (some versions may also use chestnuts or red beans). In L.A., you can get them at:
Kee Wah Bakery. In addition to the rice cake, the bakery also has an assortment of gift sets in Chinese New Year packaging.
Woon, which is serving Chinese New Year specials from Feb. 7-11, including savory, stir-fried nián gāo. Woon will also turn up the festivities with red envelope roulette with prizes like t-shirts and free noodles.
Jiaozi
Jiaozi is the crescent-shaped dumplings that you may know as potstickers. Although dumplings in general are commonly found at celebrations, jiaozi is typically eaten during Chinese New Year as an auspicious food, since the shape of the dumplings resemble the gold ingots or sycee used as currency in imperial China.
Dumplings galore including jiaozi, the crescent-shaped dumpling, at Din Tai Fung for Lunar New Year.
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Din Tai Fung
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You can find jiaozi or potstickers at many restaurants around L.A., including:
Din Tai Fung, which also serves crescent shaped dumplings in addition to their famous xiao long bao. From Feb. 8-12, Din Tai Fung will be giving guests a red envelope containing a certificate for a free soy noodle appetizer (to be used for a future visit). One lucky guest will get a Golden Ticket, allowing access to the restaurant’s VIP reservation service, which pretty much guarantees you can always get a reservation.
Lo hei or yusheng
Yee Sang from Sam Tan's Kitchen, a Cantonese-style raw fish salad, consisting of strips of raw fish, mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments.
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Even within Chinese New Year celebrations, there are quite a few regional variations. For example, the Cantonese lo hei — also called yusheng, or “prosperity toss” — is a raw fish salad that is “tossed” on Chinese New Year and symbolizes abundance. Yusheng is popular among the Chinese communities in Singapore and Malaysia.
Here in L.A., you can pre-order it at:
Malaysianfoodloversla, which sells them via Instagram for pickup in Arcadia. They’re offering three different seafood toppings: fried shrimp, cocktail shrimp or arctic surf clam.
Ms. Chi Cafe, in Culver City, will be offering a special six-course Lunar New Year menu that includes a yusheng salad, followed by golden chicken jiaozi symbolizing wealth, longevity noodles with spicy garlic prawns, Chilean sea bass and more. The $69 menu will be served at dinner from Feb. 9-25.
Home chef Sam Tan’s Kitchen will have lo hei available for pick up from Feb. 3-24.
Seollal
In Korean, Lunar New Year is called seollal and it’s typically celebrated over three days. Some traditions are similar to those of Chinese New Year, where people travel to their family homes, perform an ancestral ritual, and young ones bow to the elders to show respect and receive money in a red (or white) packet.
Tteokguk
The main dish eaten for seollal is tteokguk, a rice cake soup traditionally made with beef bone broth. The dish is believed to grant good luck and it’s said that people don’t gain another year of age until they’ve had their bowl of tteokguk. The white of the rice cakes also symbolize purity and a bright new beginning.
Baekjeong KBBQ and Ahgassi Gopchang will both be serving a complimentary bowl of tteokguk for all guests during lunch and dinner service on February 10.
Instead of tteokguk, Yangban Society will be gungjung tteokbokki, or “royal rice cake”. In this royal court version, the rice cakes will be served with braised oxtail, hobak squash, shiitake and preserved black truffles. The gungjung tteokbokki will be available Feb. 9-11.
Jeon
The savory pancakes, jeon, aren’t necessarily a seollal-specific dish, but they make an appearance at all celebrations in Korea, including seollal. Jeon can be made from various vegetables and sometimes also incorporate meat or seafood.
HanEuem in Koreatown serves a platter of different varieties of jeon.
Baroo is serving a special seven-course dinner on Feb. 10 which will include a seafood jeon with shrimp and sea cucumber as well as maesaengi tteokguk (rice cake soup with seaweed oyster broth). Book it here.
Tết Nguyên Đán
The Lunar New Year celebration in Vietnam is called Tết Nguyên Đán, or Tết for short, and it means “feast for the first morning” — so you know this new year celebration is all about the food.
Bánh tét or bánh chưng
A must-have for a Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration is bánh tét or bánh chưng. They are glutinous rice cakes wrapped in a banana leaf and typically filled with mung beans and marinated pork. While bánh tét is cylindrical in shape and popular in South Vietnam, bánh chưng is square in shape and eaten more in the northern parts of Vietnam.
The dish is time-consuming to make, and that’s part of its importance, as families spend time together and bond while making it. Around Lunar New Year every year, Bánh Chưng Collective holds a bánh chưng making class. This year’s class will be on Feb. 17, 2024 and attendees will get enough ingredients to make four bánh chưng and everyone will enjoy lunch together (the bánh chưng are taken home to be cooked later).
If you want to enjoy it without making it yourself, though, there are quite a few places to get them in the L.A. area, since bánh tét / bánh chưng are actually eaten year-round. You can find them at various Vietnamese bakeries and delis. Around Tết you can also get some at Sau Can Tho or order them from Kien Gang Bakery while supplies last.
Mut tet
Similar to the Chinese New Year tradition of the tray of togetherness, Vietnamese New Year also has a tray of sweets called mut tet that is used to serve guests during Lunar New Year. Some of the components are also the same, like candied coconut or lotus seeds, but you’d also typically find candied tamarind. You can buy these trays at Vietnamese grocery stores around San Gabriel Valley or Little Saigon.
Splurge-worthy meals
All the auspicious foods listed above are important traditions for many, but really, the most important thing is sharing good food with your loved ones. For many it’s also the time of year to splurge on a dinner too expensive for the day-to-day. There are a number of special dinners happening around town that aren’t about the specific food items, but that are worth looking into:
Michelin-starred Kato will have their third Lunar New Year dinner series on Feb. 7-9, serving a special menu in collaboration with chefs Daisy Ryan (Bell’s) and Matthew Lightner (okta). The menu hasn’t been finalized yet but reservations can be made here.
The high end yakiniku restaurant Niku X will offer a special Lunar New Year tasting menu from Feb. 9-11. The menu costs $250 per person and includes wagyu oxtail potstickers, dry aged sashimi, caviar, and of course, plenty of A5 wagyu for the grill.
Merois at The Pendry West Hollywood is also offering a special four-course menu on Feb. 10. The menu costs $165 per person and includes Peking duck, king crab bao and more. There will also be live entertainment throughout the night.
Celebrations in Los Angeles
Aside from the food specials we mentioned above, there are also a number of larger community celebrations of Lunar New Year around the Los Angeles area. At these celebrations you’ll find dance performances, cultural showcases, and of course — more food.
Golden Dragon Lunar New Year Parade
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles is hosting the 125th annual Golden Dragon Parade on Saturday, Feb. 17. The parade is one of the oldest cultural celebrations in Los Angeles, and certainly one of the oldest Lunar New Year celebrations in the city as well. There will be dance performances and marching bands. The parade will start at the corner of Hill and Ord streets in Chinatown.
UVSA Tết Festival
The UVSA Tết Festival is the largest Vietnamese Lunar New Year Festival in the country and this year it will be held at the OC Fair & Event Center from Feb. 9-11. It's hosted by the Southern California chapter of UVSA, or Union of Vietnamese Student Associations. During the three-day festival, there will be cultural activities, food vendors, firecracker shows and more. There will also be a replica of a traditional Vietnamese village complete with cultural exhibits and galleries for those who want to learn more about Vietnamese culture.
Lunar New Year at Pacific Asia Museum
The USC Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena will be throwing a Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday, Feb, 10. There will be a traditional Chinese lion dance performance as well as a Korean dance performance, taiko drumming, calligraphy and more. Those attending the celebration will also get free admission to the museum.
Lunar New Year at South Coast Botanic Garden
South Coast Botanic Garden will be celebrating Lunar New Year every weekend in February. On Saturdays and Sundays there will be two daily live performances of lion dancers, martial arts and more. There will also be various activity stations from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., including lantern making, calligraphy and mahjong.
Chinese New Year Festival at The Huntington
On Feb. 10-11 The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens will have a Chinese New Year Celebration. Not only will there be lion dancers and martial arts performances among other entertainment, the various dining venues here will have special menus, serving steamed buns, Chinese mushroom and tofu soup, black bean catfish, Peking duck and more. Reservations are required and can be made here.
MAUM Market
Lunar New Year seems like the perfect time to shop AAPI-owned businesses, and MAUM Market which is LA’s original Asian makers’ market will be holding a market on Saturday, Feb. 10 at ROW DTLA. There will be over 100 Asian-American makers showcasing everything from pottery to cute stationery to food. The market will be held from 12-4 p.m. and entry is free (there’s a free 2-hour parking at ROW DTLA).
Yusra Farzan
has covered the Rancho Palos Verdes landslide since 2023.
Published April 20, 2026 5:00 AM
Landslide damage resulting in uneven pavement along Palos Verdes Drive South in Rancho Palos Verdes on April 4, 2026.
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Topline:
Roughly three years after above average rainfall fueled a devastating landslide in Rancho Palos Verdes, the landscape has become almost unrecognizable. Homes, ripped apart by the land movement, have been wiped away, creating swaths of unusable open space. Trying to slow the landslide has pushed the city to the financial brink. But also caught in the landslide’s crosshairs is a beloved seaside network of trails that continues to be pulled apart and will never be the same.
How we got here: The area was once green rolling hills offering spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. Now, much of the land is riddled with 20-foot chasms, some of which span 12 feet. For decades, land movement was minimal. But with above average rainfall in 2022 and 2023 it rapidly accelerated — up to 1 foot per week in some places. Land movement has since slowed to about 1.6 inches a week, thanks in part to wells the city installed that suck water out of the ground, but damage to the around 16 miles of trails remains and will likely never be abated.
The effects on nature: The California gnatchater, a small songbird that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls “threatened” and the endangered Palos Verdes blue butterfly rely on certain host plants within the preserve. Cris Sarabia, conservation director for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, said the species can also benefit from less human activity.
Roughly three years after above-average rainfall fueled a devastating landslide in Rancho Palos Verdes, the landscape has become almost unrecognizable. Homes, ripped apart by the land movement, have been wiped away, creating swaths of unusable open space. Trying to slow the landslide has pushed the city to the financial brink.
But also caught in the landslide’s crosshairs is a beloved seaside network of trails that continues to be pulled apart and will never be the same.
The area was once green rolling hills offering spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. Now, much of the land is riddled with 20-foot chasms, some of which span 12 feet.
For decades, land movement was minimal. But above-average rainfall in 2022 and 2023 rapidly accelerated — up to 1 foot per week in some places — prompting Southern California Edison and SoCalGas to shut off utilities for hundreds of residents.
Landslide damage has closed dozens of trails in the Portuguese Bend area of Rancho Palos Verdes on April 4.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Landslide damage has closed dozens of trails in the Portuguese Bend community area of Rancho Palos Verdes on April 4.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Land movement has since slowed to about 1.6 inches a week, thanks in part to wells the city installed that suck water out of the ground, but damage to the around 16 miles of trails remains and will likely never be abated.
"We don't traverse those areas on a regular basis. We occasionally use drones to look at the damage,” said Ara Mihranian, Rancho Palos Verdes’ city manager. “You can't get across certain trails, so if we even went down into a certain area, we wouldn't be able to continue because of the open fissures in the ground.”
William Lavoie of the Palos Verdes South Bay group of the Sierra Club has hiked trails in the 1,500 acre-Palos Verdes Nature Reserve once a week for about 25 years. Before the city closed off the area, he said he saw a telephone pole “ tipping at about a 30-degree angle.”
Landslides resulted in a home being severely damaged in Rancho Palos Verdes on April 4.
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“ I understand why they closed the trails because there were some pretty good-sized fissures,” he said. “It would be very sad if somebody broke a leg or twisted an ankle or broke an ankle.”
The effects on nature
But the destruction hasn’t been a total loss.
The California gnatcatcher, a small songbird that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls “threatened” and the endangered Palos Verdes blue butterfly rely on certain host plants within the preserve.
“ The habitat that supports the wildlife has been fragmented, has been damaged with fissures opening up in the ground, splitting apart. Coastal sage scrub has actually been sucked in by the fissures,” Mihranian said. “That impacts the corridors and the wildlife patterns that you see out in the preserve.”
But Cris Sarabia, conservation director for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, said the species can also benefit from less human activity.
“ Both of those endangered species have wings so they could essentially fly,” he said. “So the fissures on the trails or the cracks in the ground don't necessarily cause big impacts to them because they're able to move around.”
Sarabia said his organization is also tracking the cactus wren bird that resides in a cactus found within the landslide area.
“ We have been working closely with the different entities doing the [mitigation] work to avoid as much habitat as possible, but unfortunately some of these areas overlap,” he said.
Meanwhile, the conservancy is trying to salvage the cactus and preparing for restoration of the sites, collecting native seeds and growing new plants.
But the true extent of the damage and the effects to wildlife are unclear, Mihranian said, because city officials haven’t been able to go in to do a full assessment — the area is too unsafe.
”It's going to be a herculean effort and a very costly one as well,” Mihranian said of repairing the damage.
A colossal financial drain
Listen
0:43
How Rancho Palos Verdes’ beloved hiking trails have been forever altered by landslide
When the current fiscal year ends in June, Rancho Palos Verdes will have spent close $65 million on efforts related to the landslide since October 2022. For context, the city’s annual operating budget is around $40 million.
“ The city has taken a huge hit on this emergency response,” Mihranian said.
Rancho Palos Verdes has appealed to state and federal officials for assistance, but with little to no success.
Adding salt to the wounds, the city has also lost out on revenue from parking fees for the preserve. Revenue generated at the Abalone Cove Park lot has dropped from $150,000 each year, to just $11,000, according to the city. Revenue from parking near Del Cerro Park also decreased from around $32,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 to just $4,000.
Not to mention all the homes that have been lost, uprooting the lives of residents who haven’t been able to resell, instead relying on a government-backed buy back program.
Alternative trail routes
Lavoie, the Sierra Club member, said despite the trail closures, the vast open space in the Palos Verdes Peninsula means there are plenty of alternatives.
Here are some of his favorites:
Lavoie affectionately calls the trail behind Highridge Park “the maze.” It’s an easy one-hour walk and you get to share the trail with horses.
Malaga Cove: Pass Neptune fountain, the library and post office to continue along a grassy hill shaded by eucalyptus trees. Use the utility pathway to reach La Venta Inn.
The Via Buena stairs in Lunada Bay.
There are lots of great trails that start at Ernie Howlett Park.
Anyone can join the Palos Verdes South Bay group of the Sierra Club on their hikes in the peninsula. Check their calendar for meeting spots and times.
Destiny Torres
is LAist's general assignment reporter and brings you the top news you need for the day.
Published April 20, 2026 5:00 AM
Tickets to the FIFA Fan Festival at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum go on sale this week.
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Topline:
Tickets to the FIFA Fan Festival will go on sale next week for eager soccer fans who want to celebrate the World Cup at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
What’s the Fan Festival? The festival is a four-day event featuring live music and other entertainment. Soccer fans will also be able to watch live matches.
Read on … for what you need to know before the sale goes live.
Soccer fans who want to celebrate the World Cup at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum will be able to purchase tickets to the FIFA Fan Festival on April 22.
The four-day celebration begins the same day as the tournament, June 11, and goes through June 14. It’ll include live music, match broadcasts and other entertainment, according to FIFA.
Los Angeles is hosting eight tournament matches at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood this summer, including the match between the U.S. and Paraguay on June 12.
What you need to know
General admission tickets are $10, and reserved club and loge seats are $30. Children younger than 12 years old are free.
If event days are not sold out, fans can also purchase tickets at the Coliseum’s box office at Gate 29.
The venue does enforce strict bag rules. Any bags must be clear, and exceptions can be made for special circumstances, like medical or infant care items.
What games will be broadcast?
Fans can catch some World Cup matches on big screens. Here’s the schedule:
June 11 Mexico vs. South Africa, noon
June 12 Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, noon U.S.A. vs Paraguay, 6 p.m.
June 13 Brazil vs Morocco, 3 p.m. Haiti vs Scotland, 6 p.m.
June 14 Germany vs Curacao, 10 a.m. Netherlands vs Japan, 1 p.m.
How do I get to the Coliseum?
There’s more than one way to get to the venue. For public transit, the Metro E Line makes two stops near the Coliseum — Expo Park/USC and Expo/Vermont.
There will also be a designated area for rideshare drop-offs and pickups at Vermont Avenue between Exposition Boulevard and Downey Way.
Additional parking will also be available just a short walk from the venue on the USC campus. You can pre-book parking spaces starting at $55, here.
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Beyonce's 'Lemonade' turns 10 this year, with a celebration happening at El Cid.
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Duane Prokop
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In this edition:
LACMA opens the David Geffen Galleries, a no-waste Earth Day with local chefs, Reefer Madness tokes up on 4/20 and more of the best things to do this week.
Highlights:
Spend Earth Day revisiting the environmentally conscious kids’ classic FernGully. Comedians like Cameron Esposito, Eric Bauza, Christa B. Allen and many more star in this live reading at Dynasty Typewriter. A donation will be made to the World Wildlife Fund.
You thought I’d forget that today is 4/20? Celebrate with a live performance of the musical Reefer Madness, based on the 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film, on through May 10 at the Wisteria Theater in North Hollywood. Those crazy kids.
Join PBS SoCal for this special Independent Lens pop-up screening of the upcoming documentary, The Librarians. The film follows a Texas battle over restrictions on race and LGBTQIA+ materials, and tells the story of the librarians on the front lines. As lawmakers around the country push boundaries of censorship, the film looks at “the broader implications on these restrictions for education and public life.”
The new David Geffen Galleries at LACMA opened to members this week, and I was thrilled to get a sneak peek at the space. The Brutalist spaceship-like arm that reaches across Wilshire Boulevard is organized loosely (even the accompanying guidebook is titled “Wander”), bringing decorative arts, design and photography onto the same plane as traditional painting and sculpture.
I particularly liked the American West rooms and the design-focused areas that somehow make even a full-sized car look small. Outside is just as impressive, with a Rodin sculpture garden and old friends like Alexander Calder’s "Three Quintains (Hello Girls)" — first commissioned for the museum in 1965 — getting a new home and water feature. There are lots of new spots to explore during the next Jazz at LACMA, for sure.
Licorice Pizza has your music picks, including Monday’s lineup of Biffy Clyro at the Belasco, Maya Hawke at Sid The Cat Auditorium, Langhorne Slim at the Troubadour, Young the Giant at the Grammy Museum and David Lee Roth runnin’ with the devil at House of Blues Anaheim. On Tuesday, Throwing Muses plays the Teragram, Failure plays Zebulon, Cheap Trick transforms Pomona College’s Bridges Auditorium into Budokan and the UK’s Flyte plays their first of two nights at the LodgeRoom.
Wednesday, Daptone Records soul trio Thee Sacred Souls is at the Greek Theatre (they’ll play there Thursday as well). Also Thursday, She Wants Revenge is at the Wiltern, Ari Lennox is at YouTube Theater, fabulous showman Bright Light Bright Light plays the Mint and Britain’s Art Brut performs their entire album Bang Bang Rock & Roll at the LodgeRoom.
Wednesday, April 22, 6:30 p.m. Emerson College Los Angeles 5960 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Join PBS SoCal for this special Indie Lens pop-up screening of the upcoming documentary, The Librarians. The film follows a Texas battle over restrictions on race and LGBTQ+ materials and tells the story of the librarians on the front lines. As lawmakers around the country push boundaries of censorship, the film looks at “the broader implications on these restrictions for education and public life.”
Mill at Little City Farm: No-waste dinners
Wednesday and Thursday, April 22 and 23 Little City Farm 1148 S. Victoria Ave., Koreatown COST: $125; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Mona Creative
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Big-name local chefs like Quarter Sheets’ Aaron Lindell and Wildair’s Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske Valtierra try their hand at no-waste cooking at Little City Farm for Earth Week in collaboration with home composting company, Mill. On Wednesday, (Earth Day): Mike Fadem of James Beard semifinalist pizza restaurant Ops will collaborate with Lindell to create no-waste pizza recipes. Then, on Thursday, Stone and Valtierra team up with 2026 James Beard Emerging Chef finalist Fátima Juárez of Komal to showcase Mexican heritage-inspired dishes. All proceeds benefit LA Compost.
OC Made
Through Saturday, August 1 Fullerton Museum Center 301. N Pomona Ave., Fullerton COST: $10; MORE INFO
Head to the Fullerton Museum Center for a new biennial juried exhibition, OC Made. It’s the first show of its kind dedicated to artists living and working in Orange County. This year’s crop features 108 artists and more than 130 pieces spanning painting, photography, sculpture and mixed media. Among the winners are Ramón Vargas for his piece "Wolf," plus curators’ choice nominees Jacquelin Nagel for "Begonia Maculata" and Brooke Hunter for "Center Stage." And keep an eye out for other events at the museum, like the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk on May 1.
Genesis Talks: Michael Govan and Peter Zumthor
Wednesday, April 22, 7 p.m. LACMA 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile COST: $10; MORE INFO
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Brigitte Lacombe
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Finn Partners
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This event is currently sold out, but keep an eye out for a last-minute chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at the design and building of LACMA’s new David Geffen Galleries with LACMA CEO Michael Govan and Swiss architect Peter Zumthor.
Reefer Madness: The Musical
Through Sunday, May 10 Wisteria Theater 7061 Vineland Ave., North Hollywood COST: FROM $58; MORE INFO
You thought I’d forget that today is 4/20? Celebrate with a viewing of the musical Reefer Madness, based on the 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film, on through May 10 at the Wisteria Theater in North Hollywood. Those crazy kids.
Lemonade 10-Year Anniversary Party
Thursday, April 23 El Cid 4212 Sunset Blvd., Silverlake COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Beyoncé's 'Lemonade' turns 10 years old.
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Frederick M. Brown
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Getty Images
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Has it really been 10 years since Beyoncé released Lemonade? El Cid says so, so it must be true. Dance off your fears about getting old at this anniversary album party.
Earth Day with FernGully
Wednesday, April 22, 7 p.m. Dynasty Typewriter 2511 Wilshire Blvd., MacArthur Park COST: $20; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Dynasty Typewriter
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Spend Earth Day revisiting the environmentally conscious 1992 kids’ classic FernGully (soon to also be a live-action film directed by Marielle Heller — the nostalgia is real). Comedians like Cameron Esposito, Eric Bauza, Christa B. Allen and many more star in this live reading at Dynasty Typewriter. A donation will be made to the World Wildlife Fund.
Living Legends of Drag
Wednesday, April 22, 7:30 p.m. Barnsdall Gallery Theatre 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Lil Miss Hot Mess
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Eventbrite
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Join drag kings and queens, including El Daña (the Guinness World Records' certified oldest performing drag king), Mo B. Dick (Drag King History), "Mother" Karina Samala (Imperial Court of Los Angeles and Hollywood), Jazzmun (Peanuts) and Manny Oakley (LA Drag Archive) for a panel — and, of course, a performance — about drag history and culture. Hosted by Lil Miss Hot Mess, the event is free and part of the National Humanities Center’s Being Human Festival, which runs through May 3.
A woman walks past a banner showing missiles being launched, in northern Tehran, Iran, on Friday.
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Vahid Salemi
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AP
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Topline:
A woman was arrested at LAX on Saturday night for allegedly trafficking arms on behalf of the Iranian government, according to authorities.
Why now: Shamim Mafi of Woodland Hills is charged with helping the regime sell drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition to Sudan.
The backstory: Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, made the arrest announcement Sunday morning on social media.
A woman was arrested for allegedly trafficking arms on behalf of the Iranian government at LAX on Saturday night, according to authorities.
Shamim Mafi of Woodland Hills is charged with helping the regime sell drones, bombs and millions of rounds of ammunition to Sudan.
Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, made the arrest announcement Sunday morning on social media.
The 44-year-old Mafi is expected to appear in court for a bond hearing Monday afternoon in downtown L.A.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the Department of Justice and obtained by LAist, Mafi allegedly brokered weapons deals on behalf of Iran through Atlas International, a business in Oman she co-owns, including facilitating a contract valued at more than €60 million (or some US $70 million) for the sale of Iranian-made armed drones to Sudan.
She is also being accused of brokering the sale of 55,000 bomb fuses, AK-47 machine guns and other weapons to the Sudanese Ministry of Defense.
Mafi faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
Essayli said Mafi is an Iranian national who became a permanent resident of the U.S. in 2016.
