Best Things To Do This Weekend In Los Angeles And SoCal: May 13 - 15

Sashay your way down to the Convention Center as RuPaul’s DragCon returns. Bring your dog to a “wooftop” screening. Join in the Getty’s 25th anniversary celebration in Inglewood. Attend any number of music festivals around SoCal.

Friday, May 13 - Sunday, May 15

RuPaul’s DragCon
Los Angeles Convention Center 
1201 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A.
The world's largest all-ages, family-friendly celebration of drag returns. In addition to vendors and panel discussions, see your favorite stars from RuPaul's Drag Race seasons 12, 13, and All Stars 6. Also look out for a Golden Girls installation-activation with a re-creation of the girls’ kitchen — plus lots of photo opportunities. On Sunday, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., meet Pandora Boxx (RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 2, All Stars S6), Tempest DuJour (RuPaul’s Drag Race S7), Mrs. Kasha Davis (RuPaul’s Drag Race S7), and Kennedy Davenport (RuPaul’s Drag Race S7, All Stars S3).
COST: $40 - $50 for single-day adult tickets; MORE INFO 

Friday, May 13 - Sunday, May 15

BeachLife Festival
137 N. Harbor Dr., Redondo Beach 
Watch live performances by a diverse lineup of performers that span decades of classic rock, reggae, and pop. On the bill: Weezer, 311, Black Pumas, Smashing Pumpkins, Steve Miller Band, Lord Huron, Ozomatli, and dozens more artists.
COST: Single-day tickets from $159; MORE INFO

Friday, May 13 - Saturday, May 14

35th Avalon Silent Film Showcase
Catalina Museum - 217 Metropole Ave., Avalon (May 13)
Avalon Casino Theatre - 1 Casino Way, Casino Building, Avalon (May 14)
The 35th annual Avalon Silent Film Showcase begins with an evening under the stars, featuring a woodwinds presentation with Jay Mason and a talk from silent film historian and author John Bengtson. He introduces the evening’s feature comedy film: Sherlock Jr. (1924), starring Buster Keaton, with live improvised piano accompaniment by Michael Mortilla. On Saturday, watch the comedy short “The Campus Carmen” and the 100th anniversary screening of the 1922 film Blood and Sand , starring Rudolph Valentino and Lila Lee. Both films feature live musical accompaniment.
COST: $25 adult tickets; MORE INFO

Friday, May 13 - Monday, Aug. 22

Alternate Realities: Altoon, Diebenkorn, Lobdell, Woelffer
Norton Simon Museum
411 West Colorado Blvd., Pasadena
This exhibition is drawn from the museum’s collection of postwar American art and explores the ways in which artists John Altoon, Richard Diebenkorn, Frank Lobdell, and Emerson Woelffer “challenged the limitations of pure, gestural abstraction by exploiting the resonance of figural forms.” All of the artists had active art practices in L.A. or the SF Bay Area in the 1950s or 1960s.
COST: $12 - $15; MORE INFO

Rooftop Cinema Club holds a 'wooftop' screening for us and our furbabies this weekend.

(Courtesy of Rooftop Cinema Club )

Saturday, May 14: 5 p.m.

Wooftop Screening: Dog
Rooftop Cinema Club El Segundo
1310 E. Franklin Ave., El Segundo 
Attend the dog-friendly “wooftop” screening of the road trip flick, Dog, with Channing Tatum. Bring your fur baby for the open-air cinema experience. Guests are responsible for cleaning up after their dogs, and all dogs must be kept on a leash at all times. A special relief area will be provided at the venue.
COST: $19.50 - $26.50; MORE INFO

Saturday, May 14: 12 p.m.

Sunshine and Noir: 1980s L.A. Horror Marathon
Aero Theatre
1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica  
As part of its Gen X Festival, the L.A. Phil teams with the American Cinematheque and Cinematic Void for a deep dive into an L.A.-centric horror genre. The movie marathon includes panel discussions along with screenings of They Live (1988, 94 mins., director, John Carpenter); Society (1989, 99 mins., director Brian Yuzna); Slumber Party Massacre (1982, 76 mins., director Amy Holden Jones); Chopping Mall (1986, 95 mins., director Jim Wynorski); Blood Diner (1987, 88 mins., director Jackie Kong), and Angel (1984, 94 mins., director Robert Vincent O’Neil).
COST: $20 - $25; MORE INFO

Saturday, May 14 - Sunday, May 15: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Getty 25 Celebrates Inglewood 
Inglewood City Hall
1 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood 
As part of the Getty’s 25th anniversary celebration, the museum’s bringing arts into 20 communities this summer. This weekend in Inglewood, join in a festival that includes live music performances, art activations, an immersive digital experience of the Getty Museum’s collections, photo booths, prizes, and giveaways. Musical artists include Voices of Creation, We are King, Katalyst, S.H.I.N.E., DJ Battlecat, and G-Funk All Stars featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow. COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Tig Notaro performs onstage at the Los Angeles LGBT Center's 50th anniversary in 2019. 'Hearts Of Gold' concert and multimedia extravaganza took place at The Greek Theatre on Sept. 21, 2019, in Los Angeles.

(Presley Ann/Getty Images for the Los Angeles LGBT Center

/

Getty Images North America)

Saturday, May 14: 7 p.m.

Tig Notaro: Hello Again
The Theatre at Ace Hotel
929 S. Broadway, downtown L.A.
Notaro’s fully animated comedy special, Drawn, is now available on audio platforms, and her live L.A. show serves as the official album release event. The album features stories about unintentionally blowing off fellow comedian Jenny Slate, a road trip with Dolly Parton, and a hospital bed proposal.
COST: Tickets start at $39.50; MORE INFO

Saturday, May 14: 9 p.m.

Club Gold  
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
6067 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire
The museum holds its first after-hours event, transforming into Club Gold. Hosted by Lance Bass, Daniel Durant (CODA), Mason Gooding (Moonshot, Scream), and Riley Keough (Zola, Mad Max: Fury Road), the night features tunes by DJ Ryan Kenney, dancing, and signature Fanny’s cocktails and food. The cashless bar will accept all credit cards for food and drinks. This event is ages 21+
COST: $30 ($25 for museum members); MORE INFO

Saturday, May 14 - Sunday, May 15

Cruel World Festival
Brookside at the Rose Bowl
1001 Rose Bowl Dr., Pasadena
The festival features classic new wave artists including Morrissey, Bauhaus, Blondie, DEVO, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Psychedelic Furs, and Violent Femmes. The festival lineup remains the same each day.
COST: Prices start at $159; MORE INFO

Saturday, May 14: 10 p.m.

Soul Sista Comedy
The Pack Theater
6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood
One of the few all-Black comedy troupes in L.A. returns for an hour of live sketch comedy, improv, and standup.
COST: $10; MORE INFO

Marta Tiesenga presents 'Aquarius & Aquila' at Wild Up's 'Los Angeles New Music' series.

(Courtesy of Wild Up)

Sunday, May 15: 7 p.m.

Los Angeles New Music Series
2220 Arts + Archives
2220 Beverly Blvd., Historic Filipinotown 
Wild Up, L.A.'s best-known new music collective, begins a series of five adventurous programs this weekend (through July 10). The first program includes Rohan Chander (aka AIYYER): FINAL/FANTASY, a multiple-keyboard recital in chain mail, and Marta Tiesenga: Aquarius & Aquila, a set of hacked hurdy-gurdy and electronics.
COST: $15 - $20; MORE INFO

Sunday, May 15: 3 - 10 p.m.

Fair Trade Market
Kiff Kafe
12229 W. Pico Blvd., Santa Monica
In honor of World Fair Trade Day, Fair Trade L.A. celebrates with a pop-up market that includes an afternoon of music, BBQ, and shopping. Browse for clothing, art, beauty, home decor, food, and jewelry from vendors including Beautyologie, Tribu, and Aragon Wood Carvings.
COST: FREE admission ($5 donation suggested); MORE INFO

May is Bike Month and to celebrate, the LA County Bicycle Coalition and Metro Bike Share host a beginner and family-friendly ride on May 14 .

( 'Intense' by felixtsao is marked with CC BY 2.0.)

Outdoor Pick

Bike Share to the Beach
May is Bike Month and to celebrate, the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition and Metro Bike Share host a beginner and family-friendly ride on Saturday, May 14 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The ride starts at Downtown Santa Monica’s Metro Bike Share Station, then you'll ride along the bike path ending at the new bike share station at Oceanfront Walk and Navy Street. Ride back to the Metro station or stay for the festivities, including a beach cleanup with games, swag, and refreshments. This ride is limited to 50 people. A number of bikes will be provided at no cost if you don’t have your own to ride.

Viewing Pick

The Kids in the Hall 
The beloved Canadian comedy quintet returns to TV this week, with eight new episodes dropping on May 13 on Prime Video. All five original members (Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson) return with fresh sketches featuring both familiar and new characters. Guest stars include Pete Davidson, Catherine O’Hara, Kenan Thompson, Will Forte, Catherine Reitman, Samantha Bee, Fred Armisen, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Mark Hamill.

Employees Only in West Hollywood has started a nightly 'Golden Hour' with elevated food and drink options.

(Courtesy of Employees Only)

Dine and Drink Deals

Check out the 411 on restaurant, bar, and food happenings in SoCal this week:

• Employees Only in West Hollywood now offers a Golden Hour from 6-7 p.m. nightly, with chef Josh Buckwald reinventing bar snacks like potatoes & pickles, market crudo, and apértifs including Bitter Intimacy (lofi sweet vermouth, gentian amaro, islay scotch mist) and Midday Coffee (becherovka liqueur, dom benedictine, cold brew, citrus cream).
• The taro donut purveyor Holey Grail at The Platform in Culver City offers a Salted Maple Vanilla Pot de Creme Donut, created in collaboration with cookbook author Alexis DeBoschneck (To the Last Bite). The decadent donut is available through May 19.
• If you feel the need… the need for speed… and find yourself in Oceanside, the Top Gun House (where Kelly McGillis lived in the original film) is now open to the public as The Home Of The HIGH-Pie. Located on the grounds of the Mission Pacific Hotel, Palm Springs chef and restaurateur Tara Lazar offers seasonal hand pies and desserts at the location. 
• The 626 Night Market returns to Orange County this weekend, running May 13-15 at the O.C. Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Check out 200+ street food vendors, including Amami-Ya custard andTao’s Bao’s pork belly buns, merch, arts and crafts vendors, games, and live music. Admission is $5.
• Ellenos, which originated at Seattle's iconic Pike Place Market, has landed at Grand Central Market in Downtown L.A. Open Thursdays-Sundays, Ellenos is known for its made-from-scratch yogurt using traditional Greek methods for curing yogurt with fresh fruit purees. Guests who visit the booth in May and mention the Grand Opening get 30% off their order. 
• The chicken liver toast is back. After a two-year pandemic pause, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (of Jon & Vinny’s) reopened their creative meat/protein-focused restaurant Animal earlier this week. (h/t Eater LA)