Fabulous Events Happening This Weekend In LA And SoCal: Aug. 6 - 8

Catch the Perseids meteor shower. Watch a tribute to J. Dilla. Road trip to an oyster farm. Sip Oaxacan coffee. Relive the Cold War flicks of the '80s. Explore art inspired by cult films. Eat and drink your way through the weekend with vegan sushi, vegan burgers, banh mi, gazpacho, Brazilian mini-sandwiches and "guavacado" beer.

Friday, Aug. 6; 12 p.m. PT

Crazy4Cult
Gallery 1988
7308 Melrose Ave., Fairfax
Gallery 1988 opens its 15th annual group show with works inspired by cult films. Check it out online or in-person. The opening reception takes place at G1988 on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. The works remain on view until Aug. 28.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

In this 30 second exposure, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.

(Bill Ingalls

/

NASA/Getty Images)

Friday, Aug. 6; 8 p.m.

The Meteors of Summer – The 2021 Perseids
Jim Mahon, senior lecturer at the John Drescher Planetarium at Santa Monica College, presents a live, virtual show about the annual Perseid meteor shower, which peaks on Aug. 12. He'll discuss the best ways to view the "falling stars" even without a telescope. The show is preceded by the Night Sky Show at 7 p.m., offering the latest news in astronomy and space exploration. Guests can chat with the lecturers and ask questions. There’s also a Sunday Afternoon Matinee abbreviated version of the lecture at 2 p.m.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Fridays, Aug. 6 - Oct. 20; 6 p.m.

Jazz at LACMA Limited Edition
LACMA’s Smidt Welcome Plaza
5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire
The museum’s popular live performances return in person this week in a limited-capacity format. Artists this season include Billy Childs (this Friday), Rumproller Organ Trio, and Phil Ranelin and Friends. Advance online tickets and health screening required for all attendees. The park areas previously used for picnicking are closed for the events, but distanced seating will be provided. Only ticketed attendees can attend. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Friday, Aug. 6; 8 p.m.

Seeing Red Film Series: Red Dawn
Wende Museum Garden
10808 Culver Blvd., Culver City
The museum begins an outdoor screening series featuring 1980s films that explore the Cold War, from nuclear apocalypse to spies and double agents. Up first this week is Red Dawn, which depicts the invasion of the U.S. by the Soviet Union, Cuba and Nicaragua. Other films include War Games (Aug. 20), The Hunt for Red October with an introduction by cinematographer Jan de Bont (Aug. 20) and Top Secret (Sep. 10). No outside food or drink permitted.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

L.A.-based chamber music ensemble Salastina performa at the Wallis Annenberg Center's outdoor stage this weekend.

(FIRM GRIP PHOTOGRAPHY LLC)

Saturday, Aug. 7; 8 p.m.

Salastina
Summer @ The Wallis
9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills
The Wallis continues its outdoor performance series with a mix of live theater, hip-hop, contemporary dance, mariachi, classical and pop music performances. This week, the Wallis welcomes L.A.-based chamber music ensemble Salastina, which will perform music from a repertoire spanning three centuries.
COST: $40; MORE INFO

The national Barbie Malibu Truck Tour begins in Santa Monica this Saturday, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Malibu Barbie.

(Courtesy of Barbie Malibu Tour)

Saturday, Aug. 7; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT

2021 Barbie Malibu Tour
Santa Monica Place
Near the intersection of 3rd and Broadway, Santa Monica
Malibu Barbie turns 50 this year. To celebrate, the Barbie Pop-Up Truck returns to L.A. with ‘70s vibes and retro-inspired merch. The Santa Monica event features giveaways and a popsicle stand.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Saturday, Aug. 7; 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Ride Around Pomona
Shaun Diamond Plaza
171 W. 2nd St., Pomona
Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition hosts the monthly, family-friendly ride. All experience levels are welcome. Helmets are required for all riders 18 and younger. Get there early and be prepared to ride at 8:30 a.m.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Saturday, Aug. 7

Flag Day (5 p.m.)
Aero Theatre
1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica

Los Feliz 3 (7 p.m.)
1822 N Vermont Ave., Los Feliz
American Cinematheque hosts sneak screenings of Sean Penn’s latest directorial effort, in which he also stars with his daughter Dylan Penn. It's based on a true story about a loving and magnanimous father, who also happened to be the most notorious counterfeiter in U.S. history. Sean Penn will be in attendance for a live Q&A in Santa Monica, and both Penns will participate in a live Q&A after the 7 p.m. show in Los Feliz. Attendees with RSVPs will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater reaches capacity. The screenings are part of a Sean Penn retrospective all weekend.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Saturday, Aug. 7 - Saturday, Sept. 4; 7 p.m.

2021 Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival: The Tempest
Top of the Old Zoo
4801 Griffith Park Dr., Griffith Park
Melissa Chalsma directs the Bard’s tale about Prospero and daughter Miranda, who’ve been trapped on an island in dangerous seas. Fate brings a long-awaited ship to their shores — with magic, treachery and a miraculous reconciliation. This year’s performances are by reservation only. Because of health and safety reasons, space is limited this year and walk-up attendees may not be accommodated. Parking lot 2 is the closest to the performance site but be prepared for a walk up a hill.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Saturday, Aug. 7; 7 p.m.

Dilla Fest featuring Talib Kweli
Grand Performances
350 South Grand Ave., downtown L.A.
Grand Performances commemorates the 15th anniversary of J. Dilla’s Donuts album, which was released just a few days before his untimely death at age 32. Watch performances by Talib Kweli with a live trio, Frank N Dank with Illa J, and DJ Rhettmatic. Grammy winner Daru Jones serves as the night’s music director and drummer. This is an outdoor event.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Sunday, Aug. 8; 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Neighborhood Survants Third Annual Back-to-School Giveaway
Robinson Park Recreation Center
1081 Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena
The nonprofit Neighborhood Survants hosts a giveaway to provide kids K-12 with backpacks (while supplies last). There will also be free haircuts and braiding, arts and crafts, COVID-19 vaccines, food and entertainment. Make sure kids have everything they need to make sure the start of the 2021 school year is an amazing one.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Sunday, Aug. 8; 7:15 p.m.

Raya and The Last Dragon
Electric Dusk Drive-In
236 N. Central Ave., Glendale
L.A.'s longest-running pop-up drive-in screens the Disney animated film and you can watch from inside or outside your car. Concession stands with snacks are available. Other films screening at the drive-in this weekend are Godzilla vs. Kong on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Black Panther on Saturday at 7 p.m.
COST: $23 per car and driver / $8 each additional passenger; MORE INFO

Sunday, Aug. 8 - Sunday, Nov. 7

Acting Out: Cabinet Cards and the Making of Modern Photography, 1870–1900
LACMA
5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire
The museum’s latest exhibition offers an in-depth examination of the cabinet card phenomenon in the United States. About the size of a modern-day smartphone screen, these cards advanced the golden age of photographic portraiture in the second half of the 19th Century. They focused on entertainment, everyday moments and props rather than the stillness that dominated early photography. Advance, time-entry tickets required.
COST: FREE - $20; MORE INFO

Tomales Bay Oyster Co. co-owner Heidi Gregory shucks a freshly harvested oysters on August 20, 2019 in Marshall, California.

(Justin Sullivan

/

Getty Images)

Outdoor Pick

Carlsbad Aquafarm
4600 Carlsbad Blvd, Carlsbad
Road trip! Southern California’s only oyster farm has opened to the public just in time for National Oyster Day (Thursday). The shellfish farm grows Pacific oysters and Mediterranean mussels. Guests can tour the area and learn about the equipment, harvesting techniques and how the farming process protects the natural ecosystem of the lagoon. The tours end with an oyster shucking class — and tastings. Tickets start at $30 for ages 13+.

Streaming Pick

Whirlybird
This distinctly L.A. story opens both in theaters (Laemmle Monica Film Center) and on digital on Friday. The documentary by Matt Yoka focuses on the pioneers of helicopter reporting, Zoey Tur and then-wife Marika Gerrard, who covered L.A.’s history from the air, including the riots in 1992 and the O.J. Simpson chase in 1994. Whirlybird includes digitized and restored footage from Zoey and Marika's extensive video tape archive, as well as candid interviews with the former couple and their kids, including daughter Katy Tur, a host at MSNBC. Related: This Couple Changed LA News Via Helicopter In The '80s & '90s As Their Relationship Disintegrated.

Sushi chef Masa Shimakawa helms the intimate, eight-seat Soko at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica.

(Courtesy of Soko)

Dine and Drink Deals

Here's the 411 on restaurant happenings in SoCal:

• The eight-seat sushi popup Soko has opened at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica. Helmed by chef Masa Shimakawa, the concept is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m. Later this summer, Soko will open sidewalk seating on Ocean Ave. and expand service to the hotel’s lounge.
• Angel City Brewery in downtown L.A. holds its Avocado Fest on Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m. to celebrate the ninth release of its kolsch-style Avocado Ale and its new GuAvacado Ale (with subtle hints of guava). Enjoy food, music, games and beer (for those 21+).
• Vegan Castle is a new vegan sushi spot that had its soft opening last month in Long Beach, serving up plant-based cut rolls, hand rolls and crispy fish(less) tacos. The eatery is open every day except Monday.
• The team behind Mar Vista’s Little Fatty + Accomplice Bar has opened Skinny Dave's sandwich shop in Westchester. Items include a turkey meatball sub, banh mi (pork or vegetarian), braised short rib and Italian sub.
• Monty’s Good Burger, the 100% vegan burger joint, enters the chicken sandwich game by creating Charlie’s Chickən Sandwich. Available on Friday, the new chicken option (a pea-protein fried chicken) is the first new menu item to be added since Monty’s 2018 launch.
• Eater LA reports that Cafe Santo, L.A.’s first modern Oaxacan coffee bar, has opened in Montebello as the first tenant in BLVD MRKT, the city’s soon-to-open outdoor food hall.
• Chef Nan Yimcharoen's bento boxes and chirashi were a takeout hit during lockdown. Now, she has opened KinKan, a brick-and-mortar spot in Virgil Village. The seafood-forward, 10-course tasting menu is accessible by invitation only during the restaurant’s soft opening. But orders for bento boxes and chirashi can be scheduled up to 28 days in advance for pick up Wednesday through Sunday.
• The Airliner in Lincoln Heights has reopened its bar and patio, Wednesdays through Sundays. Happy hour happens from 5 to 6 p.m. Because of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, the venue is now requiring proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test within the past 72 hours prior to entry.
• Southern Brazilian restaurant Nossa in Los Feliz has officially opened Nossa Bar, with a happy hour that runs 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays through Sundays. Small bites include cheese and beef empanadas and mini-sandwiches on pão de queijo served with picanha steak. All sangrias and wines by the glass are $2 off, beer is $1 off, and carafes of sangria and pitchers of beer are $3 off.
• Pitfire Pizza launched its seasonal summer menu a few weeks ago. All locations are now serving these additions including gazpacho, watermelon with Tajin and lime, and a summer squash and calabrian chile pizza.