Best Things To Do This Weekend In Los Angeles And SoCal: March 3 - 5

Spend a First Friday exploring witches, wizards, and magical powers. Listen to the harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Roll deep at the Rolling Loud Festival. Spot the whales at an annual festival.

Events

Friday, March 3; 6:30 p.m.

Late Night! Fabric of a Nation
Skirball Cultural Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Brentwood
Head to the Skirball after work for a drink, a DJ set, live performances, and food-truck fare along with checking out the final days of Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories before it closes. Enjoy crafting opportunities, including creating your own square for the Skirball’s community quilt. Other exhibitions currently open are: Together for Good: Caron Tabb and the Quilting Corner, Visions and Values: Jewish Life from Antiquity to America and the Welcome Blanket installation.
COST: $10; MORE INFO

Friday, March 3 - Wednesday, March 8

2023 International Women's Day Dance Festival
Various locations
Watch performances or participate in classes and discussions held throughout Los Angeles and online. Organized by the MashUp Contemporary Dance Company, the festival celebrates women’s achievements in dance and helps plot forward a more equitable arts future.
COST: FREE - $80; MORE INFO

Other International Women’s Day events:

• Saturday, March 4 from 3 to 5 p.m.: Blackbird Record Label, Prickly Pear and the city of El Segundo’s recreation, parks, and library divisions present Women of the West — an Americana music concert to celebrate Women’s History Month. This will be at El Segundo Performing Arts Center. Free admission.
• Sunday, March 5 at 12 p.m.: The Helix Collective presents Celebrating Women Composers in Hollywood in Fiesta Hall, West Hollywood. Free admission. 

The Purple Xperience: A Prince Tribute stops at the Carpenter Center at CalState Long Beach this weekend.

(Courtesy of The Purple Xperience)

Friday, March 3; 8 p.m.

The Purple Xperience: A Prince Tribute
Carpenter Performing Arts Center
Cal State Long Beach
6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach 
This five-piece band from Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis was founded in 2011 by Marshall Charloff (who recorded with Prince on the album 94 East) and the Revolution’s Matt “Doctor” Fink. The Purple Xperience carries on Prince’s musical legacy and is perfect for diehards and newbies alike.
COST: $55; MORE INFO

Friday, March 3; 9 p.m.

Emo Nite 
Avalon 
1735 Vine St., Hollywood  
Bust out the glow sticks as Emo Night returns for singing and dancing to favorite emo and pop punk tunes. In Bardot, watch live sets from prentiss, Emeryld and others, while in Avalon, the big dance floor awaits with surprises and special guests. Advance tickets are sold out online, but some may be available at the door. 21+.
COST: Varies; MORE INFO

Friday, March 3; 5 p.m.

First Fridays: Witches, Wizards, and Magical Powers
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM)
900 Exhibition Blvd., Exposition Park
NHM’s Fantasy & Fandoms season continues with a discussion of how fantasy creatures resemble their natural counterparts, accompanied by a live music set by Zsela in the Nature Gardens, DJs Francesca Harding and Bianca Lexis, pop-up experiences, cosplay and cocktails.
COST: $20 for nonmembers; MORE INFO

Friday, March 3; 8 p.m.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Walt Disney Concert Hall
111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. 
Listen to the harmonies of the renowned South African ensemble who first caught American attention via their contributions to Paul Simon’s 1986 album Graceland. Singer, songwriter and producer Madison McFerrin (yes, daughter of Bobby McFerrin) opens.
COST: $45 - $116; MORE INFO

Friday, March 3 - Sunday, March 5

Rolling Loud Festival
Hollywood Park Grounds 
1001 Stadium Drive, Inglewood
Attend one of the largest hip-hop festivals in the world (with a little R&B and trap mixed in for good measure). Headliners include Playboi Carti (Friday), Travis Scott (Saturday) and Future (Sunday). Other acts include Lil Yachty, Ice Spice, City Girls, and Lil Wayne.
COST: Three-day passes start at $329; MORE INFO

Saturday, March 4; 8 p.m.

Melissa Villaseñor and Friends
Largo at the Coronet
366 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Grove
The former SNL cast member — and SoCal native — is joined by friends Fahim Anwar, Justin Martindale and Beth Stelling for a night of music and comedy.
COST: $35+ fees; MORE INFO

Opening Saturday, March 4

Shakira, Shakira: The Grammy Museum Experience
Grammy Museum
800 W. Olympic Blvd., downtown L.A.
The new exhibition focuses on Shakira’s more than three decades as a singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, visual artist and philanthropist. Shakira, Shakira follows the release of her latest release SHAKIRA || BZRP Music Sessions #53, and tracks her origins as a Latin rock singer-songwriter in Barranquilla, Colombia, to a global superstar whose music spans multiple genres, from bhangra and bachata to rock and reggaetón.
COST: $12 - $18 admission; MORE INFO

A group portrait of the Guadalupe YMBA champion baseball team taken in Tule Lake incarceration camp, 1944, which is part of JANM's new exhibition, 'Don’t Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America’s Concentration Camps.'

(Japanese American National Museum)

Saturday, March 4 - Sunday, Oct. 1

Don't Fence Me In: Coming of Age in America's Concentration Camps
Japanese American National Museum (JANM)
100 North Central Ave., downtown L.A.
JANM opens its latest exhibition that explores the experiences of Japanese American youth whose adolescences were marred by unjust incarceration during World War II. Through photographs, personal stories and artifacts, the museum illustrates the strength and ingenuity of young Americans imprisoned in the 10 War Relocation Authority camps and the Crystal City Department of Justice internment camp.
COST: $9 - $16 admission; MORE INFO

The Festival of Whales, which includes a parade, returns to Dana Point this weekend.

(Courtesy of the Festival of Whales)

Saturday, March 4 - Sunday, March 5

52nd Annual Festival of Whales
Dana Point Harbor
Golden Lantern & Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point (parking)
Celebrate the annual return of the California gray whales during their annual migration. The festivities begin at 4:45 p.m. on Friday with the Welcoming of the Whales Ceremony at the Ocean Institute, followed by free nonalcoholic beverages and food-truck fare available for purchase. The rest of the weekend includes a Magical Migration parade on Saturday at 10 a.m., a street fair, dinghy dash, treasure hunt, whale watching and a concert at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott with Sheena Easton and Taylor Dayne.
COST: FREE (Though some activities and excursions require paid tickets); MORE INFO 

The Natural History Museum's Butterfly Pavilion returns this weekend.

(Courtesy of NHMLA)

Sunday, March 5 - Sunday, Aug. 13

Butterfly Pavilion 
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM)
900 Exhibition Blvd., Exposition Park
Get up close and personal with hundreds of butterflies (and 30 different species) among native plants and natural light. Watch caterpillars munching on leaves and all the different stages of the butterfly life cycle, including eggs and chrysalises. Butterfly Pavilion add-on tickets ($8) are for a 30-minute time slot.
COST: $7 - $15 admission for nonmembers; MORE INFO

Sunday, March 5; 1 - 3 p.m.

AirTalk's FilmWeek Oscar Preview 2023
The Orpheum Theatre
842 S. Broadway, downtown L.A.
The Oscar nominations are out, and if you need a little help with your Oscar pool, then head to AirTalk’s FilmWeek Annual Oscar preview. Hear from Larry Mantle, film critics and writers on who will probably win and who should win. Plus, they’ll discuss the snubs and surprises of the season.
COST: $15 - $25; MORE INFO

The Flower Fields in Carlsbad have reopened for the season.

(Marcie Gonzalez)

Outdoor pick

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch 
Road trip time: If you’ve been feeling cooped up lately, time to head south to Carlsbad as the Flower Fields opened for the season earlier this week. With the theme “Live Colorfully,” visitors are invited to take in the natural beauty and colors daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The fields include 50 acres of Giant Tecolote Ranunculus, a flower renowned for its large, double-petaled blooms that sit atop tall, straight stems. Single ticket admission is $23 for adults, $21 for seniors 60+ and military, $12 for children 3–10, and free for children under 3. Season passes are available.

Viewing pick

Daisy Jones & The Six
The limited series is a musical drama based on the best-selling novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Set in the L.A. music scene of the 1970s, the show follows the foibles and falls of a renowned rock band (loosely based on Fleetwood Mac). Starring Sam Claflin, Camila Marrone, Suki Waterhouse and Riley Keough as the enigmatic titular character. The first three episodes, directed by James Ponsoldt, will be released on Friday, March 3 on Prime Video.

Heritage in Long Beach hosts a dinner event at its namesake urban farm on March 4.

(Stirling Reed)

Dine and drink deals

Here are a few dine and drink deals to indulge in this week.

• The national organization Regarding Her (RE:Her) celebrates Women’s History Month with its third annual RE:Her Festival beginning on Friday, March 3 through Sunday, March 12. The 10-day festival aims to build support and camaraderie among women-owned food and beverage businesses (restaurants, bars, artisan food makers and shop-owners). The festival will be celebrated throughout the LA area with events including a RE:Her Smorgasburg LA Takeover, Molly Baz at Caldo Verde, Ladies Night at Benny Boy Brewing and afternoon tea for two at Sugarbird Cafe. 
• Eataly’s signature Restaurant Fest returns March 3 to 19, with tableside experiences and live cooking demonstrations across its restaurants. Diners can enjoy two-course menus starting at $22, and wines by the glass starting at $10 at La Pizza & La Pasta and Capri. If you’re free tonight (Thursday, March 2) from 6 to 8:30 p.m., there’s a Taste of Eataly sneak preview event with food stations, small bites and wine sampling for $70 per person.
• Orange County Restaurant Week starts on Sunday, March 5 and runs through Saturday, March 11. Dozens of restaurants are participating, starting with $15 lunches through $120 “Luxe Dinner” options. Participating restaurants include Calaca Mamas Cantina in Anaheim, Izakaya Osen, and 399 Vietnamese Kitchen in Tustin. 
• Salt & Straw debuts its new March ice cream series on Friday, March 3. Named “Cereal-sly Delicious,” these new flavors will be available at all L.A. shops: Pots of Gold & Rainbows, which features Lucky Charms cereal without the marshmallows, steeped into a sweet cream ice cream base; Rum Custard with Raisin Shortbread & Bran Butter; Peanut Butter Brownie Cereal Puffs; Cornflake Cookies with Marionberry Jam and OffLimits™ Zombie w/ Coconut & Pandan (v).