Best Things To Do This Weekend In Los Angeles And SoCal: Oct. 21 - 23

Catch a storied high school football rivalry. Celebrate modern and ancient cultural traditions at the OC Japan Fair. Attend the Nuart Fest. Or go vintage at a Printers’ Fair or an Archives Bazaar.

Friday, Oct. 21 - Sunday, Oct. 22

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The Wallis’ Bram Goldsmith Theater
9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills
In three performances this weekend, the contemporary dance company presents the world premiere of a new work by Micaela Taylor, the company’s first-ever artist-in-residence; the West Coast premiere of Baye & Asa’s The One to Stay With; Matthew Neenan’s joyous A Million Voices; and Alejandro Cerrudo’s PACOPEPEPLUTO.
COST: $39 - $99; MORE INFO

Friday, Oct. 21; 3:30 p.m.

The East LA Classic 2022
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
3911 S. Figueroa St., Exposition Park
The storied football rivalry between Boyle Heights’ Roosevelt High School and East L.A.’s Garfield High School gets the Friday Night Lights treatment this week, moving to the Coliseum nearly 100 years after the first game was played. Get there early to see the JV squads play at 3:30 p.m., followed by the varsity teams facing off at 7:30 p.m. The Black Eyed Peas — yes, you read that right — perform at halftime.
COST: $15; MORE INFO

Friday, Oct. 21 - Saturday, Oct. 22; 5 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Substance 2022
Los Angeles Theatre
615 S. Broadway, downtown L.A.
L.A.’s dark underground festival — a sonic and visually immersive experience — features more than 40 bands and DJs playing over two nights. The lineup includes The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Chameleons, Clock DVA, Stephen Mallinder of Cabaret Voltaire; Berlin club giants Kittin & The Hacker, Schwefelgelb and Kris Baha; Absolute Body Control, Youth Code, Sextile, Mareux, Kontravoid and Light Asylum.
COST: $120 - $350; MORE INFO

The OC Japan Fair returns to Costa Mesa this weekend with performances, cultural demonstrations, and food.

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Courtesy of the OC Japan Fair.

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Friday, Oct. 21 - Sunday, Oct. 23

OC Japan Fair 2022
OC Fair & Event Center
88 Fair Dr., Costa Mesa
One of the largest Japanese cultural festivals in Southern California, this event has demonstrations, exhibitions, performances, and games. Shop, taste, and learn about modern and ancient Japanese culture at the fair. Food vendors include Daikokuya, Hot Bamboo, Shin-Sen-Gumi, Hamada-Ya and Kanto Filipino Streetfood.
COST: $10 admission; MORE INFO

Friday, Oct. 21 - Sunday, Oct. 30

Nuart Fest
The Nuart Theatre 
11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles 
The inaugural Nuart Fest celebrates the reopening of the 1930 single-screen theater after its renovation. Over 10 days, the festival provides an eclectic mix of sneak previews and special screenings of films that made midnight movie history at the Nuart. The fest opens with Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light. Special appearances confirmed for the festival include Penelope Spheeris (The Decline Of Western Civilization Part III); director Eric Appel (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story).
COST: Tickets start at $15; MORE INFO

Friday, Oct. 21 - Sunday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 29

Animation is Film Festival 2022
TCL Chinese 6 Theatre 
6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood
Animation is a cinematic art form, and this fifth in-person edition of the festival proves the case with its solid programming. The festival opens on Friday with the U.S. premiere of the Netflix feature, Wendell & Wild, directed by Henry Selick with the voices of Jordan Peele, Angela Bassett, and Keegan-Michael Key. It closes with Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. In between the bookends are additional features, short films, works-in-progress, and filmmaker talks and Q&As.
COST: FREE - $15; MORE INFO

Friday, Oct. 21 - Saturday, Oct. 22; 6 - 11 p.m.

Industry Sheriff's Y.A.L. Terror Trail
Industry Hills Expo Center
16200 Temple Ave., City of Industry 
Attend the 2nd annual family-friendly festival that features a "terror" trail and an area for kids to go trunk-or-treating. The event expands this year with food vendors, a petting zoo, rock wall, and other surprises. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
COST: $5; MORE INFO

The Music Box Steps Day Family Festival takes place on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Silver Lake.

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Courtesy of the Silver Lake Improvement Association

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Saturday, Oct. 22; 12 - 4 p.m.

28th Annual Music Box Steps Family Festival 
Laurel & Hardy Park
925 Vendome St., Silver Lake
Organized by the Silver Lake Improvement Association, the festival takes place just across from the Music Box Steps where the comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy lugged a piano up a never-ending staircase in their 1932 short film The Music Box. The day features Laurel & Hardy look-alikes, free food, live music, a magic show, educational displays, a raffle, and screenings of The Music Box.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Saturday, Oct. 22; 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Los Angeles Archives Bazaar
Doheny Memorial Library at USC
3550 Trousdale Pkwy., University Park
L.A. institutions and archives present their collections and answer questions for SoCal's history buffs. Presented by the L.A. as Subject initiative and the USC Libraries, sessions and workshops focus on preserving fragile books, audio recordings, and home movies, as well as discussions on author Thomas Mann and the creation of “Weimar on the Pacific,” the origin of the Southern California Filipino community and the preservation of its identity through the Filipino-American Library, and the work done by the arts organization Color Compton.
COST: FREE, parking $20; MORE INFO

Saturday, Oct. 22; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Grand Ave Arts: All Access
Various locations in downtown L.A.
The family-friendly day of open houses from some of L.A.’s best-known arts organizations includes tours, kids activities, exhibitions, sidewalk sales, and pop-up performances. Walk between participating venues, including The Broad, Center Theatre Group, Colburn School, Grand Park, Halo at Wells Fargo Center, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera, Central Library, LA Phil, MOCA and REDCAT.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

A portrait of Omar Ibn Said (1770-1864), the subject of the opera 'Omar' by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels.

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Courtesy of the LA Opera

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Saturday, Oct. 22 - Sunday, Nov. 13

Omar
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.
LA Opera presents the West Coast premiere of Omar, a new opera by composers Rhiannon Giddens (who also wrote the libretto) and Michael Abels. Giddens is probably best known for her work with Carolina Chocolate Drops and New Basement Tapes. The opera follows the 1831 autobiography of scholar Omar Ibn Said, who wrote in Arabic about his American slavery journey from North Africa to the U.S.
COST: Tickets start at $15; MORE INFO

Saturday, Oct. 22 - Sunday, Oct. 23; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

The 2022 Los Angeles Printers Fair
The International Printing Museum
315 West Torrance Blvd., Carson
The annual fair brings together the art of letterpress, books and paper, with printing activities, tours of the museum, and pop-up stores and exhibits from 80 vendors.
COST: $5 - $10 admission; MORE INFO

Saturday, Oct. 22; 12 - 7 p.m.

Synth History: Issue Two Release Party
Vintage Synthesizer Museum
1200 North Ave. 54, Highland Park
Attend a garden party to celebrate the release of the second issue of the indie zine that includes exclusive interviews with Trent Reznor, John Carpenter, Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein, Weyes Blood, Ela Minus, Alan Palomo, A-trak and others. Take a museum tour to hear and see some of the coolest and rarest vintage synths, and stay and listen to Dublab DJs: Cafe Ale, Laura Shumate, Nanny Cantaloupe & Victoria O'Hanlon.
COST: FREE - $10; MORE INFO

Sunday, Oct. 23; 2 - 8 p.m.

Dia de los Muertos Festival
398 West 6th St., San Pedro
Discover San Pedro holds its 10th annual festival that celebrates Latin and Mexican heritage. The festive performance lineup includes the all-women Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea, Ellas, Neiya Arts, Julian Torres, Danza Azteca Xochipilli, and local youth dance groups: Folklorico Nadino de San Pedro, Folklorico Perlitas de Wilmington, and Dance Tech San Pedro. Kids activities, a food and beer garden and an altar contest exhibition round out the day.
COST: FREE admission; MORE INFO

Caballero Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains heads to the unpaved part of Mulholland Drive.

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AnnahojY, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

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Outdoor Pick

Caballero Canyon
This week, we travel to Tarzana in the San Fernando Valley for a short but moderate hike in the Santa Monica Mountains. Caballero Canyon Trail (1.4 miles one way) is one of several trails that link to the unpaved section of Mulholland Drive and the Mulholland Drive Trail. Extend the hike by traveling along Mulholland, Lower Bent Arrow Trail, or Farmer Ridge Road. Access the trailhead off Reseda Blvd.

Viewing Pick

Descendant
In this Netflix documentary, filmmaker Margaret Brown (The Order of Myths, The Great Invisible) returns to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to document the search for and discovery of The Clotilda, the last known ship that arrived in America carrying enslaved Africans. The 2019 discovery puts attention on the historic community of Africatown, located just outside of Mobile, formed by 32 West Africans from the ship. Brown examines a community today that tries to balance its heritage, history, and justice. The film is available on Netflix on Friday, Oct. 21 and in theaters, including the Laemmle Monica Film Center and The Bay Theatre.

Camphor in DTLA holds a decadent, pastry-forward brunch on Sunday, Oct. 23.

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Stan Lee

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Dine and Drink Deals

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

• San Pedro Fish Market Long Beach holds its second annual SHRIMPFEST22 on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 12 to 6 p.m. Experience a seafood extravaganza with food and drink specials — including $3 Modelos or Coronas, ceviche tostadas for $7.99 — in honor of National Seafood Month. Stick around for the live entertainment, prizes and a shrimp eating contest. The $5 event fee will be donated to the Surfrider Foundation.
• La Feria de Los Moles celebrates its 15th anniversary, showcasing the best varieties of mole sauces and other traditional Mexican dishes. The fest’s quinceañera takes place in Grand Park in downtown L.A. on Sunday, Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entrance is free and food is available for purchase a la carte.
• Camphor, the modern French bistro in downtown L.A., serves up a pastry-forward and decadent brunch, pictured above, that features a roving “Pastry Chariot” with a selection of house-baked goods, sweets and Tomato Water Bloody Marys. On Sunday, October 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., tickets are $65 for a three-course prix-fixe menu with cocktails á la carte. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made via Resy.
• Cookbook author Katie Parla and chef Dan Richer of Jersey City’s Razza Pizza Artigianale are on a West Coast tour that celebrates their best-selling cookbook, The Joy of Pizza. The duo holds three events in LA: at Now Serving bookstore on Oct. 23 with Brian McGinn (NETFLIX Chef’s Table: Pizza); Oct. 24 at Pizzeria Mozza and Pizzeria Bianco feat. Las Jaras wines on Oct. 25.
• Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen, the 100% Halal eatery in Fullerton, is offering three dishes from Oct. 21 to 24 in honor of Diwali: Deconstructed Samosa Chaat ($11); Hara Bara Kabob ($12) and Mushroom Korma ($17).