Dance under the stars as Levitt Pavilion concerts finally return. Celebrate the 15th anniversary of Dave Chappelle's Block Party. Listen to classical music inside the dome of the 100” telescope. Immerse yourself in the art and mind of Van Gogh. Experience the art and culture of AfroLatinxFuturism. (Advice: with the delta variant spreading, it's best to check beforehand that events are happening as planned.)
Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles
MacArthur Park
2230 W. 6th St., Westlake
Mexican singer-songwriter Flor Amargo — a strong advocate of feminism, inclusion and LGBTQ+ rights — kicks off the summer concert series in the park with a DJ set by La Banda Elastica. Saturday’s concert features Selenamos, the L.A.-based Selena Quintanilla tribute band.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
Non-fungible Jokin
Dynasty Typewriter
2511 Wilshire Blvd., Westlake
Billed as the world’s first NFT (non-fungible token) comedy show, each night of Non-fungible Jokin — including the production, rights and royalties — will be auctioned off to fans and collectors. Night 1 features a conversation between Maria Bamford and Beth Stelling, followed by standup from Adam Ray, Ian Edwards and Brooks Wheelan. Saturday’s show is hosted by Moses Storm and features Stelling, Chauntè Wayans, Pete Holmes and Zainab Johnson. The shows will be filmed to be minted into an NFT.
COST: $30; MORE INFO
Dave Chappelle's Block Party 15th Anniversary
Exposition Park — South Lawn
500 Exposition Park Dr., Exposition Park
The Sounds of Summer film series returns with a screening of the 2005 documentary featuring and written by Chappelle and directed by Michel Gondry. The event includes a virtual introduction from Gondry, DJ sets and a live marching band procession from the Compton Centennial High School. Fifteen percent of the proceeds will Benefit My Friend's Place, a nonprofit that combats homelessness. (Note: onsite parking is $18.)
COST: $25 - $45; MORE INFO
Cabaret Macabre
ZJU Theatre Group
4850 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood
Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group presents Brittany DeWeese's dark and seductive dance production. Watch dancers in a show that mixes the macabre with sex and thrills from a typical Zombie Joe’s stage show. For ages 17 and older. All cast members and ZJU staff are vaccinated. Face masks required.
COST: $17.50; MORE INFO
Cynthia Erivo with the LA Phil
Hollywood Bowl
2301 N. Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
The multi-hyphenate artist shows off her vocal prowess and makes her Hollywood Bowl debut with a program titled Legendary Voices. Accompanied by the LA Phil, Erivo takes on legendary tunes by Aretha Franklin (who Erivo played in a TV bio series), Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, as well as cuts from her forthcoming debut album.
COST: $16 - $166; MORE INFO
Parks After Dark
Various Locations
L.A. County Parks continues its nighttime programming series at 33 parks, offering concerts and movie nights for families throughout the county. Friday movies include The Croods: A New Age (2020), Coco (2017) and The Lion King (2019), while the Saturday concerts cover the spectrum of music genres.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Red Bull BC One
Avalon Hollywood
1735 Vine St., Hollywood
The 18th iteration of the largest global break dancing competition celebrates the history, legends and newcomers of the scene. Watch b-boys and b-girls compete for a chance to qualify for the Red Bull BC One National Final. The bracket-style tournament features breakers performing in front of judges. Creative Director Squid hosts the event, and LA’s own DJ Lean Rock provides the soundtrack. The battle will be available to stream via VOD across the Red Bull BC One YouTube, Facebook and Red Bull TV channels 24-hours after the event.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Immersive Van Gogh Los Angeles
(Former Amoeba Records building)
6400 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood
The highly hyped experience invites audiences to step inside the works of post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. The use of 64 projectors, 119,000 frames of video and more than 500,000 cubic feet of projections intends to evoke the artist’s emotional and chaotic inner consciousness through art, light, music and movement.
COST: Tickets start at $39.99; MORE INFO
Buck and the Preacher (1972)
Autry Museum of the American West
4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park
The What Is a Western? film series screens Sidney Poitier's directorial debut on 35mm in the museum’s theater. The film follows a wagon master (Poitier) and a conman preacher (Harry Belafonte) as they help recently emancipated Black settlers out West after the Civil War. The screening will be introduced by Tyree Boyd-Pates, the Autry's associate curator of Western History. The screening is included in admission.
COST: $6 - $14, FREE for members; MORE INFO
Roots & Yam Jerk Fest
Exposition Park
700 Exposition Park Dr., Exposition Park
The celebration of Caribbean food and music returns with an all-ages food festival from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. (free admission), followed by a dancehall reggae music fest that starts at 6 p.m. (paid admission) with performances by Shenseea, Mr Killa, Lil June, Ricky Platinum (DC) and Firgo Digital. Tickets must be reserved in advance. (Note: onsite parking is $18.)
COST: Varies; MORE INFO
South Central InnerVisions: An AfroLatinxFuturism
Mercado La Paloma
3655 S. Grand Ave., South Central
The day-long, immersive arts festival in the market’s parking lot interprets and reflects upon “the future and fluid relational nature of Black and Brown power while exploring the Black/Latinx imagination.” Featuring dialogues and discussions, dance, theater, visual art, and food and music, performers/participants include CONTRA-TIEMPO, Culture Clash’s Richard Montoya, community gardener Zoe Blaq, musician Jesús Candela, Jessa Calderon, along with many other artists and organizers. Of course, don’t forget the food at the Mercado including, Oaxacalifornia, Holbox, Taqueria Vista Hermosa, Thai Corner, plus pop-ups of Belizean and Garifuna cuisine.
COST: FREE, RSVPs recommended; MORE INFO
Waiting
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave., Atwater Village
Daniel Olivas’ first fully staged play is inspired by Samuel Beckett’s classic Waiting for Godot, with humor that’s deeply infused with Latinx culture. Touching upon anti-immigrant policies, the Playwrights’ Arena production explores the absurdity and meaning of identity and belonging. Waiting is a shorter, pandemic version of Olivas’ full-length play, Waiting for Godínez.
COST: $20 - $30; MORE INFO
1930s Fly-in Drive-in Movie Experience
Messhall Market Rooftop
1705 Flight Way, Tustin
The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles heads to Orange County for a vintage, double-feature experience that pays homage to the aviation history of the Naval Air Station Santa Ana, which can be seen from the market’s rooftop/theater. Watch the musical Flying Down to Rio with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, followed by the romantic comedy Love on the Run with Joan Crawford and Clark Gable. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early for dinner at one of Messhall Market’s options. Plus, there’s complimentary old-fashioned candy and a paid snack bar for popcorn and other movie staples.
COST: $20 - $100; MORE INFO
Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome
Mt. Wilson Observatory
100 Mt. Wilson, Mount Wilson
The observatory holds its first in-person concert of 2021 with a program of classical music performed inside the dome of the 100” telescope. The concert opens with Franz Schubert’s Salve Regina in A major, D. 676, for soprano and string quartet, followed by the world premiere of "Le Lys et la Lyre" ("The Lily and the Lyre") for soprano and cello by French composer Éric Tanguy, and Schubert’s String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, D. 804, Rosamunde. Concert attendees must be fully vaccinated. Children under age 12 are not permitted.
COST: $50; MORE INFO
Film Screening: Ailey
Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center
135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.
Watch a free screening of Jamila Wignot’s documentary of Alvin Ailey, the pioneering dancer whose choreography focused on Black American history and experience. The film includes Ailey’s own words, archival footage and interviews with those who knew him well. The evening also includes a pre-screening talk with Wignot and Makeda Easter, arts writer from the Los Angeles Times. Tickets must be reserved in advance.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
Icehouse Canyon
This higher-elevation hike through the canyon to the Icehouse Saddle is a good way to get in some exercise while escaping the heat. A little more than seven miles roundtrip, the trail reaches an elevation of 7,632 feet so it’ll be a little cooler because of the shade and elevation. Walk by long-abandoned recreation cabins at the start of the trail; more experienced hikers can trek beyond the saddle to one of the nearby peaks or further into the Cucamonga Wilderness (a free permit is required for this). As always, bring plenty of water when hiking.
The Wine Show, Season 3
The show for "wine lovers, by wine lovers," drops its third season on Friday. Mixing vino education with a travelogue, the show’s charm lies in the fact that we get to watch real experts plus actor-oenophiles — Matthew Goode, Matthew Rhys, James Purefoy and Dominic West — learn about wine while having too much fun. Season 3 travels to Portugal, Thailand and the U.S. The show streams its seven episodes on SundanceNow/AcornTV/Amazon Prime.
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