Best Things To Do This Weekend In Los Angeles And SoCal: Nov. 18 - 20

Check out the latest in toys and collectibles at DesignerCon. View the future of the auto industry at the L.A. Auto Show. Visit the Enchanted Forest of Light. Attend Bob Baker Marionette Theater's telethon.

Friday, Nov. 18 - Sunday, Nov. 20

DesignerCon
Anaheim Convention Center
800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim
Add to your collectible collections or get your holiday shopping done at a convention that showcases toys, designer apparel and pop art. Highlights include Japanese-based Medicom Toy pieces from Doktor A, The OBANOTH (Hannah Webb), SHAG and Nina Palomba, plus Greg Mike’s 1000% and icon Shepard Fairey’s FIRST 400% and 100% BE@RBRICK Set, complete with signing. Sony Pictures Animation also celebrates 20 years with special programming throughout the weekend. Friday entry is for VIP passholders only.
COST: $25 - $90; MORE INFO

Friday, Nov. 18 - Sunday, Nov. 27

Los Angeles Auto Show
L.A. Convention Center
1201 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A.
Check out vehicles from both startups and established carmakers at the 115th anniversary of the show, which includes displays from Alfa Romeo, Charge Cars, ElectraMeccanica, Fiat, INDI EV, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Toyota, VinFast, Volkswagen and Volvo, among others. Take test drives or check out interactive activations. Stop by Kentia Hall to visit The Garage, with its focus on California car culture: customs, lowriders and aftermarket accessories.
COST: $6 - $100; MORE INFO

Los Angeles Zoo Lights returns for the holiday season.

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Jamie Pham/GLAZA

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Friday, Nov. 18 - Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023

L.A. Zoo Lights: Animals Aglow 
LA Zoo
5333 Zoo Dr., Griffith Park
Take a 90-minute stroll through the Zoo’s new nighttime winter attraction that transforms its grounds into an immersive landscape. View lantern sculptures of animals among the gardens. The wildlife-centric LED-lights display features more than 30 animals including giraffes, elephants, orangutans, lemurs, koalas and condors. Throughout the run there are VIP experiences including themed happy hours and family New Year’s Eve.
COST: Tickets start at $27 for children, $34 for adults; MORE INFO

Saturday, Nov. 19; 8 p.m.

YACHT: The Computer Accent Live, Film + Concert
2220 Arts + Archives
2220 Beverly Blvd., Westlake  
Attend the L.A. premiere celebration of The Computer Accent, a documentary that tracks the band’s multiyear experimentation with AI. The band meets with research scientists, hackers, computer music experts and critics, then faces human limitations in the studio. There’s a post-screening conversation and Q&A with directors Sebastian Pardo, Riel Roch-Decter and the band, followed by a performance of Chain Tripping by YACHT.
COST: $21.99; MORE INFO

Saturday, Nov. 19; 3 p.m.

Don't Tell My Mother!
Dynasty Typewriter
2511 Wilshire Blvd., Westlake
Nikki Levy hosts an afternoon of storytelling featuring true tales that moms should never know. Storytellers are Matt Marr (Reality Gays), Ashley Ray (TV, I Say), Aiko Tanaka (America's Got Talent) with music by Abby Posner.
COST: $20 - $35; MORE INFO

Saturday, Nov. 19 - Sunday, Nov. 20; 12 - 12 p.m.

Bob Baker Marionette Theater's 24-Hour Telethon
Bob Baker Marionette Theater
4949 York Blvd., Highland Park
Join in a 24-hour “telethon” extravaganza that kicks off the theater’s fundraising season. Watch artists and performers, both puppets and humans, take part in the fun. The show is available to watch in-person or online. Surprise guests drop in to perform every other hour throughout the telethon.
COST: FREE - $20;  MORE INFO

Saturday, Nov. 19 - Sunday, Nov. 20

ComplexCon / Eat Your Feed Festival
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center
300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
The festival and expo returns for its seventh year, bringing together pop culture, music, art, food, sneakers and design inspo. Japanese graphic artist Verdy serves as this year’s artistic director. The Eat Your Feed Festival is the first collaboration between the internet’s culinary brands First We Feast and Tasty, where food fans can meet their favorite creators and then discover and taste the future of food.
COST: $117.76 - $600; MORE INFO

Saturday, Nov. 19 - Sunday, Nov. 20

Dance Destination: Temecula!
Old Town Temecula Community Theater
42051 Main St., Temecula 
Backhaus Dance celebrates its 20th anniversary season with a weekend residency in Temecula. The dance performance takes place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, and a free, 90-minute master class follows on Sunday at 11 a.m.
COST: $15 - $25; MORE INFO

Saturday, Nov. 19 - Sunday, Jan. 1

The Science of Gingerbread
Discovery Cube
11800 Foothill Blvd., Sylmar 
2500 N. Main St., Santa Ana 
Both the L.A. and Orange County locations of the Discovery Cube, SoCal’s largest children's science museum, are asking for makers and bakers to participate in its annual holiday competition and celebration of gingerbread. Watch the spirit of the season come alive as builders of all ages submit creative displays. Additional onsite activities include cookie decorating, storytime, Lego Engineering Tables and visits with Santa.
COST: $13.95 - $16.95; MORE INFO

Saturday, Nov. 19; 9 p.m.

The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers
The Hotel Café
1623 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood
The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers, bring their blend of gospel, blues and Americana to the intimate venue. RJ Bloke opens the night at 9 p.m., and Francis Blume Closes at 11 p.m. This is a 21+ venue.
COST: $18; MORE INFO

Through Sunday, Dec. 18

Clyde’s 
Center Theatre Group / Mark Taper Forum
601 W. Temple St., downtown L.A.
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage and director Kate Whoriskey bring Clyde’s, a co-production with Goodman Theatre in Chicago, to L.A. for a limited time. Tamberla Perry plays the hot-tempered Clyde, whose truck stop café’s kitchen staff of formerly incarcerated people all dream of creating the perfect sandwich. Friday, Nov. 18, is Black-Owned Business Night ($50 entry) with a preshow event starting at 6 p.m.
COST: Tickets start at $35; MORE INFO 

Saturday, Nov. 19 - Sunday, Nov. 20; 11 a.m.

22nd Annual Animation Show of Shows
Art Theatre of Long Beach
2025 E. 4th St., Long Beach
After a two-year hiatus, the touring animation show returns with 10 films (nine recent, along with one restored classic). The films focus on the anxieties and hopes of a world in crisis, featuring a number of animation techniques, from stop-motion to hand-drawn to computer-aided design.
COST: $9 - $12; MORE INFO

The Queen's Cartoonists perform at the Carpenter Center at Cal State Long Beach.

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Lindsey Thoeng

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Sunday, Nov. 20; 2 p.m.

The Queen’s Cartoonists 
Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center
California State University Long Beach
6200 E Atherton St., Long Beach 
The multimedia comedy troupe brings its holiday show to the stage, combining jazz with traditional holiday cartoons. The night features the music of Danny Elfman, John Williams, Alf Clausen and surprises.
COST: $40; MORE INFO

Sunday, Nov. 20 - Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023

Enchanted Forest of Light
Descanso Gardens
1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge
Take a one-mile nighttime stroll through the garden's foliage, which will be illuminated with interactive installations. Popular returning favorites include an entire town of “stained glass” creations from contemporary sculptor Tom Fruin; sparkling geometric installations from HYBYCOZO; Flower Power on the Promenade; and lighting effects in the Ancient Forest. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are rain-or-shine.
COST: $22 - $40; MORE INFO

The Great Los Angeles Walk returns on Saturday for a walk across the city to the Pacific Ocean.

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Courtesy of Michael Schneider

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Outdoor Pick

17th Annual Great Los Angeles Walk
The annual event — held the Saturday before Thanksgiving — brings hundreds of Angelenos together to hit the sidewalks on a trek across Los Angeles. For the first time since 2009, the Great Los Angeles Walk leads from Historic West Adams to the ocean. Meet at the Exposition Park rose garden at 9 a.m. on Nov. 19, and head to Adams and Figueroa (home to both the historic St. Vincent de Paul church and SoCal AAA headquarters), and continue down Adams Blvd. to Culver City, Washington Blvd., and then to Venice Beach. The walk is completely free, and it’s up to participants to decide how much of the route they want to take.

Viewing Pick

Bad Axe
David Siev’s personal documentary Bad Axe opens both theatrically and on demand on Friday, Nov. 18. The critically lauded film follows a close Asian American family in rural Michigan who struggle to keep their restaurant open as they face the start of a global pandemic, racial tensions and the past trauma of Cambodia’s “killing fields.” The film also doubles as a portrait of life in rural America in 2020.

Bari's new head chef Robert Jones offers dishes such as Fiori di Zucca: squash blossoms with ricotta and hazelnuts.

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Courtesy of Bari

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Dine and Drink Deals

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

• Bari on Third St. in the Beverly Grove neighborhood has a new chef, Robert Jones, most recently of République. The refreshed dinner menu includes traditional Pugliese antipasti, sharable wood-fired grilled fish and meats, and handmade pastas that complement the curated natural wine list and seasonal craft cocktail program. Menu items include lamb sausage; caciocavallo, coppa and pork shoulder skewers; and squash blossoms with ricotta and hazelnuts.
• Los Angeles Magazine's Whiskey Festival series continues with a stop in the San Gabriel Valley. The Pasadena Whiskey Fest happens on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at The Chandelier Room at Santa Anita Park. Tickets: $95 (all-inclusive).
• Michael Mina’s Mother Tongue restaurant opened for Saturday and Sunday brunch (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) earlier this month. Located on the fourth floor of the HEIMAT fitness club, the restaurant offers dishes including a tofu scramble, whole grain griddle cakes, Pacifico striped bass crudo and a breakfast burger.
• Guerrilla Tacos once again offers their build-your-own tamale kits (masa, husks and fillings) for $85. Make up to 30 tamales with your choice of chicken, beef, and/or rajas con crema. Order 48 hours before pick up until Dec. 20.
• On Sunday, Nov. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ghia, the L.A.-based non-alcoholic aperitif brand holds a bake sale in Beachwood Canyon (5921 Canyon Cove) with all profits benefitting the Los Angeles Food Bank. Tickets are $30 and come with a Ghia branded tin and five baked goods (additional baked goods can be purchased at the event, including whole cakes and pies). Participants include Canyon Coffee, Clark Street Bread, Konbi, ChallahDad, Kismet, Gjusta and many others.
• If you like the idea of afternoon tea, but can do without all the stuffiness, Cat & Fiddle in Hollywood has a great, casual option. Served up 12 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, the tea is $38 per person and comes with teas and sweet and savory treats. The puff pastry sausage roll and the warm orange glazed scones with clotted cream and housemade marmalade are favs.
• Chef Stephanie Izard’s Cabra holds a Goatsgiving Brunch on Sunday, Nov. 20 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Enjoy a family-style feast with a welcome cocktail, Goatsgiving dishes and surprises. A portion of the proceeds of Goatsgiving will benefit No Us Without You, the nonprofit organization that provides food security to undocumented immigrants.