Best Things To Do This Weekend In Los Angeles And SoCal: March 31 - April 2

Hear from your favorite TV stars and creators at PaleyFest. Run with the corgis at the beach. Celebrate all things paranormal at a new festival. ¡Fiesta! with Bob Baker’s marionettes.

Events

Friday, March 31 - Tuesday, April 4

PaleyFest 2023
Dolby Theatre
6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood  
Attend the annual festival that celebrates buzzworthy TV shows, holds screenings of special preview and premiere content, never-before-seen TV footage, along with interactive Q&As. The opening night event features the cast and creatives from Disney Plus’ The Mandalorian and closes with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Other shows on the festival schedule are ABC’s Abbott Elementary, Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden, and Showtime’s Yellowjackets.
COST: Tickets start at $35; MORE INFO

Bubblefest returns to Discovery Cube Orange County from Friday, March 31 to Sunday, April 16.

(Courtesy of the Discovery Cube)

Friday, March 31 - Sunday, April 16

Bubblefest
Discovery Cube Orange County 
2500 N. Main St., Santa Ana
This fun festival immerses kids of all ages in science, suds and bubbles. There’s a Mega Bubblefest Laser Show with bubble artist Melody Yang, a Bubblezone that includes STEM-based exhibits like the Bubble Lab’s “Science of Bubbles,”  paddleboat rides, the Bubble Walls and the Mega Bubble Courtyard.
COST: $26.95 - $44.95 ; MORE INFO

Friday, March 31 - Saturday, April 1

Parapod Festival
Mentryville Park - 27201 Pico Canyon Road, Stevenson Ranch
Hyatt Regency Valencia - 24500 Town Center Drive, Valencia  
A new two-day festival explores all things paranormal, from UFOs and aliens to ghosts and hauntings, Bigfoot and other cryptids to spiritual studies and ancient mysteries. Friday includes film screenings and a tour of the haunted Mentryville Mansion with white witch and medium Patti Negri (Ghost Adventures) and spirit circle and star gazing led by Ben Hansen (Fact or Faked Paranormal Files). Saturday includes lectures, workshops and activities, including a Native American ceremonial dance, a seance, meditation, sound bath, breathwork and shamanism.
COST: $25 - $175; MORE INFO

Friday, March 31; 7 p.m.

Jokes for Jobs Comedy Show
Comedy Store - Original Room
8433 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood
Comics come out for the nonprofit organization Chrysalis, which provides job-readiness programs, individualized supportive services and paid transitional employment. Comedians scheduled to perform include Neal Brennan, Monique Marvez, Darren Carter, Chris Spencer, Felicia Michaels and Vargus Mason. The show is 21+ with a two-drink minimum.
COST: General admission tickets start at $25; MORE INFO

The show '¡Fiesta!' returns to the Bob Baker Marionette Theater.

(Courtesy Bob Baker Marionette Theater)

Saturday, April 1 - Sunday, June 25

¡Fiesta!
Bob Baker Marionette Theater (BBMT)
4949 York Blvd., Highland Park
Last year, BBMT reimagined the show that founder Bob Baker created more than 50 years ago as a “love letter to Los Angeles.” ¡Fiesta! returns this year to celebrate a variety of voices, cultures and traditions, and includes dancing cacti, colorful birds, a glow-in-the-dark Día de Muertos sequence, and a marionette mariachi band inspired by the groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Ángeles.
COST: $25 per ticket, free for children 2 and younger; MORE INFO

Saturday, April 1; 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Corgi Beach Day
Huntington Dog Beach
100 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach 
The spring edition of the family friendly biannual event returns this Saturday. The beach pawty features themed contests and activities, photo stations, a dog-centric vendor village, corgi kissing booth, and a food truck pavilion. All humans and well-behaved dogs (aka #honorarycorgis) are welcome.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Hot ticket: RuPaul's Drag Race Season 15 grand finale taping takes place this weekend at the Theatre at Ace Hotel.

(Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Paramount+

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Getty Images North America)

Saturday, April 1; 5:30 p.m.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Grand Finale
The Theatre at Ace Hotel
929 S. Broadway, downtown L.A.
Attend the live taping of the grand finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15. The queens reunite and RuPaul crowns America’s next drag superstar. The night features guests Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, Ts Madison, live performances and other surprises. This show is 18+.
COST: Varies; MORE INFO

The Wende Museum in Culver City opens the photo exhibition, 'David Bowie in the Soviet Union.'

(Geoff MacCormack)

Saturday, April 1 (opening)

David Bowie in the Soviet Union / Vietnam in Transition
The Wende Museum
10808 Culver Blvd., Culver City
Two exhibitions open at the Cold War art museum this weekend. Vietnam in Transition, 1976 – Present focuses on contemporary art from post-reunification Vietnam and the Vietnamese diaspora community. The West Gallery features David Bowie in the Soviet Union, a look at his 1973 trip on the Trans-Siberian Express with photographs taken by his childhood friend and band member Geoff MacCormack. On Saturday — opening day — the museum offers tours at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., introductory speeches at 2 p.m., plus complimentary wine reception and a Vietnamese food truck on site.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Other art happenings this weekend:

• Craft Contemporary holds Clay LA, a two-day open market and celebration of all things clay on April 1 and 2.
• On Saturday, April 1, Beyond the Streets opens Press Start, the L.A. solo gallery debut from street artist Priest, who explores the world of video game technology.
• Thinkspace Projects holds an opening reception on Saturday, April 1, from 6 to 10 p.m. for four new shows: Trying to Keep it Together by Ezra Brown; A Gummy Wormhole in the Sugar Dimension by Caroline Weaver; Sweet Dreams & Beautiful Nightmares by Delisha; and Similarities by Willem Hoeffnagel.
• On Saturday, April 1, at 7 p.m., Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana holds an opening reception for Adriana Martinez: Dreamer; engaged activities with Lexa Walsh’s Sisters InfoShop; and a sound performance by Kade Twist in association with the current exhibition To Keep a Fire.

Saturday, April 1; 8 p.m.

An Evening with Bill Nye, The Science Guy 
The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center
Cal State, Long Beach
6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach
Nye brings his mixture of comedy and science to the Carpenter Center. In his lecture, he explores science’s role in mitigating the effects of climate change. He will be joined by moderator and marine biology professor Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, and an advocate for shark research and protection.
COST: Tickets start at $65; MORE INFO

On Saturday, April 1, the global all-styles dance competition Red Bull Dance Your Style makes its return to L.A.

(Photo: Courtesy of Red Bull Media House Content Pool / Adam Rose)

Saturday, April 1; 3 p.m.

Red Bull Dance Your Style
930 Mateo St., downtown L.A.
The global street dance competition returns to Los Angeles with the second of eight U.S. qualifiers, showcasing the style and swagger of the region’s rising dance stars hoping to advance to the Red Bull Dance Your Style National Final. Watch the moves of Sean Lew, Lord Finesse, Flash Drive, and others as they compete in a knock-out tournament judged solely by the audience. To make the competition even tougher, there’s no planned choreography or pre-selected music for the dancers.
COST: $5; MORE INFO

Saturday, April 1; 7:45 p.m.

30th Anniversary of The Sandlot
Rooftop Cinema Club DTLA
888 South Olive St., downtown L.A.  
“You’re killing me, Smalls!” Time to get nostalgic and screen the baseball coming-of-age film outdoors on a rooftop overlooking the DTLA skyline. This show is 18+.
COST: Tickets start at $19.50; MORE INFO

Sunday, April 2; 4:30 p.m.

The Eclectic Preview Party & Creative Community Awards 2023
815 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena 
South Pasadena’s Annual Eclectic Music Festival and Arts Crawl returns on April 29, with 15 music stages, 80 artisan vendors, beer gardens, a flea market, and a children’s activity zone. This festival’s fundraiser gives attendees a sneak peek of the music lineup, festival poster, and access to live and silent auctions. Tickets include appetizers and dinner from Huntington Catering. Proceeds from the preview party will help keep the music festival free to the community.
COST: $70; MORE INFO

Sunday, April 2; 8 - 11 a.m.

Wiggle Waggle Walk & Run
Brookside Park at the Rose Bowl 
1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena
Bring your best furry friend to walk or run around the Rose Bowl in one of the biggest fundraisers for Pasadena Humane. Now in its 25th year, proceeds will help save the lives of thousands of animals with programs such as foster care, kitten nursery, animal ICU and wildlife rescue. In addition to the exercise, stroll through a vendor expo, enjoy tasty food truck treats and enter your doggo in a costume contest.
COST: Registration $35; MORE INFO

Outdoor Pick

Desert X 
Trek to the Coachella Valley to explore the 12 outdoor installations that activate the desert landscape. Presented by the nonprofit The Desert Biennial and curated by artistic director Neville Wakefield and co-curator Diana Campbell, the 2023 artists Rana Begum, Lauren Bon and Metabolic Studio, Gerald Clarke, Paloma Contreras Lomas, Torkwase Dyson, Mario García Torres, Hylozoic/Desires and Matt Johnson. On April 1-2, Desert X and the Palm Springs Art Museum hold a weekend of activities (including an art hike and car caravan) centered around architecture, design thinking and community building. Desert X projects will remain on view through May 7.

Viewing Pick

Royal Crackers
The new animated series sounds like a cross between Schitt’s Creek and Succession. The comedy follows a Bakersfield family’s once-great cracker company dynasty. When the family patriarch (tyrant) Theodore Hornsby Sr. ends up in a “super coma,” the rest of the Hornsbys vie to bring Royal Crackers to the top of the snack food chain. The half-hour Adult Swim show is created by and stars Jason Ruiz, with Andrew Santino, Jessica St. Clair and David Gborie. Royal Crackers debuts on Sunday, April 2 at 11 p.m. on Adult Swim and the next day on HBO Max. 

The food and drink festival Masters of Taste returns to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Sunday.

(Courtesy of Masters of Taste)

Dine and Drink Deals

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

• The sixth annual Masters of Taste food and beverage festival returns to the Rose Bowl field on Sunday, April 2 from 3 to 7 p.m. Participating vendors include Poppy + Rose and Poppy & Seed, Arth Bar + Kitchen, Ayara Thai, Alexander’s Steakhouse, Champions CURRY, Gus’s World-Famous Fried Chicken, Mercado, Ramen Tatsunoya, Amaro Angeleno, Beam Suntory, Tarantula Hill Brewing Co., Better Together Sweets (pictured), Porto’s Bakery & Café, plus dozens of other sweets purveyors, cocktail and coffee masters. Tickets are $155 - $225 with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the nonprofit Union Station Homeless Services.
• Hotwater Cornbread is a food and music experience that serves Southern food and plays all your favorite Southern dance tunes all night. Their next party is on April 1 at The Bourbon Room in Hollywood. Chef Rayshun Parkman is cooking up New Orleans classics including gumbo, jambalaya, BBQ shrimp pasta, vegan succotash and bread pudding with a praline pecan sauce. Doors at 10 p.m. with free entry until 10:30 p.m. ($30 at the door afterward.) 
• The 626 Night Market Mini returns to downtown Santa Monica on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, Apr. 2 from 1 to 10 p.m. The Asian fusion food fest takes place near the Third Street Promenade at Lot 27. Free entry and access to the three dozen food, drink and merchandise vendors. There’s also a full bar that serves up limited-edition cocktails.
• The Ecology Center, a nonprofit 28-acre Regenerative Organic Certified farm and education center in San Juan Capistrano, launches a Community Table dinner series on Friday from March 31 to June 16. The family-style feast is a multicourse dinner served under the stars, created by a rotating list of guest chefs. The meals feature freshly harvested, organic ingredients sourced on the farm. Tickets are $160.
• The Maybourne Beverly Hills teams with goop to welcome its London-based sister hotel Claridge’s for an afternoon tea residency. Get fancy and participate in a traditional teatime ritual with California-inspired treats and a goopy twist. The special tea, which ends with a flute of Laurent Perrier champagne, is available each day on April 1 and 2 with a 2 p.m. seating. Tickets are $150 per person, plus tax and gratuity.
• Chefs Daniel Mattern and Roxana Jullapat have opened their latest endeavor, Friends & Family Pizza Co., at The Original Hollywood Farmers’ Market. The dough is central to their pizza slices and whole pies, with a recipe crafted over a six-month period and stems from the same sourdough starter the bakers at Friends & Family use to make their rustic loaves. Salads, sandwiches and a couple of appetizers (spiced meatballs, fried calamari) are also available.