The Best Things To Do In Los Angeles And Southern California This Weekend: July 23 - 25

Attend a Nina Simone tribute. Spend Friday night at the museum. Watch cat videos on the big screen. Bring the kiddos (and some earplugs) to a monster truck rally. Check out a live set by the first entirely LGBTQ mariachi band.

Friday, July 23 - Sunday, Aug. 1

Jurassic Quest Dino Drive Thru
Rose Bowl Stadium
1001 Rose Bowl Dr., Pasadena
The touring dinosaur exhibition returns with 70 photorealistic baby dino replicas, which you can see while listening to an audio tour from the comfort of your vehicle. Choose your audio adventure and travel back in time to hear dino facts, stories and trivia.
COST: Tickets start $49 per vehicle; MORE INFO

Marc McDonald drives Big Bash League at Monster Jam at AAMI Park on October 4, 2014 in Melbourne, Australia.

(Quinn Rooney

/

Getty Images)

Friday, July 23 - Sunday, July 25

Monster Jam
Staples Center
1111 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A.
Monster trucks — including Grave Digger, Max-D and El Toro Loco — compete in events including races, skill challenges, donut contests and freestyling. Guests ages 2 and older need a ticket.
COST: Tickets start at $28; MORE INFO

Friday, July 23; 8 p.m.

Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
The Summer Sounds outdoor series presents an evening of mariachi music on the plaza. Led by director Carlos Samaniego, Mariachi Arcoiris is believed to be the first mariachi band comprised entirely of LGBTQ musicians, including Natalia Melendez, the first transgender woman in the history of mariachi, and Ayan Vasquez Lopez aka the Makeup Mariachi.
COST: Tickets start at $10; MORE INFO

Friday, July 23 - Thursday, July 29

Cat Video Fest 2021
Cinelounge Sunset
6464 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood
The annual compilation of the latest and best cat videos from submissions, sourced animations, music videos and the internet, returns with live screenings. Curated by Alex P. Kitten, the fest raises money for felines in need through partnerships with local charities and shelters.
COST: $20; MORE INFO

The Broad, a contemporary art museum, is illuminated in the colors of Los Angeles sunsets and the LA2024 logo.

(Kevork Djansezian

/

Getty Images)

Friday, July 23; 5 - 8 p.m.

Fourth Fridays at The Broad
The Broad
221 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.
The contemporary museum extends its hours on the fourth Friday of every month, through September. This week, DJs Andrew Ableson and Javi En Rose spin tunes in the East West Bank Plaza, and Joel Mejia Smith performs intermittently throughout the evening in various galleries.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Friday, July 23

Groundlings Light Up
The Groundlings Theatre
7307 Melrose Ave., Fairfax
In-person, live shows return to the theater with the fan-favorite Groundlings Bar Fight: Round 2 and new programming including Groundlings Lights Up, The Gale, and Sundays Drive-Ins & Drives. Tickets to the lineup of improv and sketch shows are selling quickly.
COST: Varies; MORE INFO

Friday, July 23 - Sunday, July 25

Midnight Memories: One Direction Dance Party
The Belasco
1050 S. Hill St., downtown L.A.
Club ’90s LA presents a 1D dance party each night this weekend. Ages 18+.
COST: $20; MORE INFO

Friday, July 23 - Sunday, July 25; 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Pasadena Bead & Design Show
Hilton Pasadena
168 South Los Robles Ave., Pasadena
The halls of the Hilton will once again be filled with bead artists and makers. Peruse their goods and attend mini-workshops and comprehensive sessions. You can also try crafting and creating mixed media, jewelry-making techniques, collage, art clay fusion and chainmaille.
COST: $8 - $10; MORE INFO

Saturday, July 24; 11 a.m.

Black Identity Through Television Panel
The second edition of the Black Identity Through Media virtual panel series includes a discussion among creatives Stephanie Allain, Steven Canals, Cierra Glaude, Little Marvin and Patrik-Ian Polk. The event is moderated by Gil Robertson, president of the African American Film Critics Association.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Ledisi, who starred in 'The Legend of Little Girl Blue' at the Wallis, channels Nina Simone at the Hollywood Bowl.

(Kevin Parry)

Saturday, July 24; 8 p.m. PT

Ledisi Sings Nina Simone
Hollywood Bowl
2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood
R&B and jazz artist Ledisi joins the L.A. Phil, conducted by Thomas Wilkins, to pay tribute to one of the all-time great musicians and vocalists, Nina Simone.
COST: $14 - $138; MORE INFO

The Fleetwood Mac tribute band Landslide joins The Pasadena Pops this weekend.

(Courtesy of The Pasadena Pops)

Saturday, July 24; 7:30 p.m.

Landslide: A Symphonic Tribute to the Music of Fleetwood Mac
The L.A. County Arboretum
301 N Baldwin Ave., Arcadia
Larry Blank conducts the Pasadena POPS through Fleetwood Mac’s catalogue with help from tribute band Landslide. Guest performers include Walter Ino (guitar, vocals), Jen Oberle (vocals), Ali Handal (vocals, guitar), Ben White (bass), Sven Martin (keyboards) and James Keegan (drums). Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking. Guests are welcome to bring their own food and beverages or pre-order from onsite food vendors.
COST: Tickets start at $25; MORE INFO

Saturday, July 24; 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Cooling Down Sunset
Remedy Place
8305 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood
The social wellness club invites guests for a hot-and-cold self-care session. Start with a 15-minute warmup, then run a mile and plunge into a tub of ice for six minutes while a live DJ sets the tone. Vendor pop-ups and a wellness market will be on site. The event takes place outdoors, so bring your own towel and bathing suit.
COST: $35; MORE INFO

Sunday Sessions returns to Grand Park this weekend with DJs spinning the best in house music.

( Javier Guillen)

Sunday, July 25; 3 - 7 p.m.

Grand Park’s Sunday Sessions
Grand Park Performance Lawn (near Hill St.)
200 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.
After a two-year hiatus, the outdoor house music and dance series returns to Sunday afternoons in the park. Astronomar and Bot perform back-to-back sets with additional performances by local DJs Ocean Roulette, Etari and Chloé Soleta. Guests can picnic or buy from food trucks. No outside alcohol is permitted in the park.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Sunday, July 25; 5 p.m.

Artist Talk with Leticia Maldonado
Bermudez Projects
1225 Cypress Ave., No. 1, Cypress Park
The gallery presents an intimate conversation with Maldonado as she discusses her neon and neon-based works on view in the current exhibition, Autonoetic. While the dictionary defines the show’s title as the ability to place ourselves and our thoughts in the past or the future, the artist elaborates, “I think a better description would be sentimental objects that represent ways to track and keep time.”
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Sunday, July 25; 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

SoCal Etsy Guild Market Torrance
Del Amo Fashion Center
3525 Carson St., Torrance
Shop from local designers, artists and artisans while watching live art or noshing on food. Vendors include Sol De Cobre, La Meno, South Bay Steampunk, London Manori, Stephanie Payan Designs, Lolas Hobbies and Melior Botanicals. The market takes place near Forever 21.
COST: FREE entry; MORE INFO

The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition has a number of self-guided summer family friendly rides available, covering many neighborhoods in the county.

(ubrayj02 - licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Outdoor Pick

LACBC’s Self-Guided Rides
The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition has developed a series of family-friendly bicycle rides (12 miles or less) and Intersections Rides (12 to 30 miles). The family-friendly routes feature plenty of bike paths and lanes as well as kid-friendly points of interest. Routes include the Tujunga Wash (Valley Glen), Black History (South L.A.), Lunar New Year Chinatown Tour (Chinatown) and East L.A. to Monterey Park (the parks of the Monterey Hills). LACBC’s Self-Guided Rides are free to download.

TV/Streaming Pick

Ted Lasso, Season 2
Jason Sudeikis returns as an American college football coach who takes the reins of an English Premier League team, despite having no experience in soccer. The second season of the Apple TV+ series brings more heartwarming speeches, more challenges for Ted and more struggles for the team — plus more biscuits. Season 2 of Ted Lasso streams on Apple TV+ on Friday, July 23 with episodes released weekly.

Blitzen's returns to downtown L.A. with Christmas cocktails and holiday treats like Santa's Ice Cream Sandwich.

(Courtesy of Blitzen's)

Dine and Drink Deals

Here's the 411 on restaurant happenings in SoCal:

• Speaking of Ted Lasso, Go Get Em Tiger partners with Apple TV+ this week to give away biscuits with coffee and tea orders. Through Friday, customers at the coffee retailer’s Larchmont, Los Feliz, Santa Monica and Culver City locations will get a pink box of three free biscuits with their order (while supplies last). All Apple Pay customer can also get coffee and tea drinks for $1 through Friday.
• Lasita in Chinatown has reopened with remodeled spaces for both indoor and outdoor dining. Chicken inasal and pork belly lechon remain the focal point of the Filipino eatery. You'll also find bar snacks like sinigang shrimp chips and adobo marinated Castelvetrano olives. Wanderlust ice cream is on the dessert menu, too.
• Celebrate Christmas in July when Here and Now revives Blitzen's, its holiday pop-up. Dream of a white Christmas while indulging in holiday foods and cocktails such as the Snow Miser, a boozy, frozen hot chocolate. There will also be Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve celebrations, held on July 24 and 31, respectively. Blitzen’s runs through Aug. 1.
• Holy Smokes, a backyard BBQ in Pacoima, reopens on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. All their meats are 100% wood-smoked and cooked low and slow for more than 14 hours. Sides are made to order. Holy Smokes is only open on Saturdays but they also do catering.
• The Inland Empire-based Triple-Deuce BBQ & Soul Food, known for slow wood-smoked BBQ and ribs — comes to South L.A. at Slauson and Rimpau on Saturday from noon until it sells out.
• Daedo Sikdang, one of Seoul’s major steakhouse restaurants, has opened in Koreatown. Its limited menu focuses on Angus ribeye cuts and the meat is complemented by marinades and sides that include kkakdooki fried rice, cold noodles, consomme and yukaejang, a beef soup. (h/t Eater LA)
• Ike’s Love & Sandwiches celebrates the opening of its 77th location, in Carson. On Friday, July 23 starting at 10 a.m., the first 50 guests get a free sandwich, a T-shirt and entry into a raffle to win free sandwiches for a year. Sandwiches are priced at $6 all day.
• National Tequila Day is Saturday. Here are a few places to celebrate:
  • Santa Monica Mezcal bar Lanea holds a Tequila Day Cocktail Crawl & Block Party on Saturday from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. in downtown Santa Monica. Joining Lanea are venues Cult and The Craftsman, celebrating with tequila, DJs and live music. Tickets are $25 and include two cocktails with $8 featured cocktails, a tequila tasting ticket and food and drink specials all night.
  • Brooklyn Avenue Pizza Company in Boyle Heights offers $35 pitchers of Palomas and Margaritas.
  • Riviera 31 in the Sofitel in Beverly Hills has a Don Julio tequila and cocktail menu.

• Chamberlain Coffee (from Internet influencer Emma Chamberlain) presents a modern day ice cream truck, serving vegan ice cream, affogatos and merchandise in front of Craig’s in West Hollywood on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Attend a Rosé on the Beach Pop-up from DAOU Family Estates at Montage Laguna Beach on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. Enjoy DAOU’s Discovery Rosé poured by-the-glass, a sand sculpture tournament, live music and beach-themed merch. The event is 21+. (If you’re in San Diego County on Saturday, the pop-up takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. at Hotel Del Coronado).