Best Things To Do This Labor Day Weekend in Los Angeles And SoCal: Sept. 2 - 5

Most of us have a long weekend ahead, and there’s plenty to do in SoCal if you’re staycation-ing. Celebrate Halloween movies early with outdoor screenings. Learn to dance the samba. Stay cool at pool parties. Join in the fun at the latest Lucha Movie Club screening.

Friday, Sept. 2 - Monday, Sept. 5

Summerween
ROW DTLA
5th floor rooftop of Building 1   
777 S Alameda St., downtown L.A.
The Rooftop Cinema Club celebrates Halloween all Labor Day weekend, beginning with The Addams Family (1991), Psycho (1960) and Scream (1996) on Friday night. The full Summerween Lineup is listed online.
COST: $19.75 - $26.75; MORE INFO

Friday, Sept. 2; 8 p.m.

Flagship 
The Glendale Room
127 N. Artsakh Ave., Glendale
The new weekly standup night features sets from Kimberly Clarke, Nate Craig, James Fritz, The Puterbaugh Sisters, JoAnn Schinderle and Alice Hamilton. Mike Bridenstine hosts.
COST: $10; MORE INFO

Dance DTLA returns to the Music Center Plaza this weekend.

(Will Tee Yang)

Friday, Sept. 2; 7 p.m.

Dance DTLA: Samba
Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center 
135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.
The Music Center’s popular all-ages dance series concludes its 2022 summer season with a night of samba. Bring your friends and your moves, but don't worry if you have two left feet as the night includes free lessons from Fransini Giraldo and music from DJ Yukicito.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Friday, Sept. 2 - Sunday, Sept. 4

Maestro of the Movies: Celebrating John Williams at 90
Hollywood Bowl
2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood
The annual celebration of the popular composer-conductor returns for three nights at the Bowl. You know Williams’ music through his movie scores including Jaws, Star Wars, Harry Potter and Indiana Jones. The LA Phil will perform some of his biggest movie hits and select film clips.
COST: Tickets start at $35; MORE INFO

The Skybar at the Mondrian in WeHo holds pool parties all weekend long.

( Mondrian Los Angeles)

Friday, Sept. 1 - Monday, Sept. 4

Pool Parties
Skybar at Mondrian Los Angeles 
8440 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood 
There are pool parties at the Skybar all Labor Day Weekend long, beginning with Future Fridays Night Swim with DJ Ari from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. The parties are ticketed for 21+ events.
COST: Varies; MORE INFO

Friday, Sept. 2; 8 p.m.

Hanson
The Theatre at Ace Hotel
929 S. Broadway, downtown L.A.
The brothers have MMMBop’d together for more than 30 years. For their latest album (and tour), RED GREEN BLUE, they’re doing something they’ve not done before: Creating an amalgamation of solo projects from each brother: RED for Taylor, GREEN for Isaac and BLUE for Zac.
COST: Tickets start at $34; MORE INFO

Friday, Sept. 2; 8 p.m.

Ramy Youssef
Largo at the Coronet
366 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Grove
The comedian wraps a few solo nights on the Largo stage on Friday.
COST: $38+ fees; MORE INFO

Grand Central Art Center opens several art exhibitions this weekend, including works by Larissa Rogers, above.

(Courtesy of Larissa Rogers and GCAC)

Saturday, Sept. 3; 7 - 10 p.m.

Opening Receptions / First Saturday Art Walk
CSUF Grand Central Art Center 
125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana
During the monthly Downtown Santa Ana Art Walk, Cal State Fullerton’s art center holds opening receptions for Larissa Rogers: We've Always Been Here, Like Hydrogen, Like Oxygen; Mariangeles Soto-Diaz: Gentle Prowess Deliberations; and Fox Maxy: Maat.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Saturday, Sept. 3; 8 p.m.

Live At The Music Center: Ozomatli
Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center
135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.
The Music Center closes its summer season with a concert from hometown heroes Ozomatli with support from DJ extraordinaire Peanut Butter Wolf. The concert currently has a waitlist.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Saturday, Sept. 3 - Sunday, Sept. 4

Brick Fest Live
Hilton Anaheim California Ballroom
777 W. Convention Way, Anaheim
The Lego fan experience returns to SoCal with interactive stage shows, life-sized models, games, limited-edition merchandise and tons of photo opportunities. If you can’t make it to Anaheim this weekend, the show moves to the Pasadena Convention Center next weekend (Sept. 10 and 11).
COST: Tickets start at $24.99; MORE INFO

Saturday, Sept. 3; 8:15 p.m.

Lucha Movie Club: The Champions of Justice 
Republic of Lucha
1020 Mission St., Suite H, South Pasadena 
Attend an in-store/gallery movie screening of a classic Lucha film with pizza, popcorn and treats. Every movie will have a video intro (prerecorded or via Zoom) by professional wrestlers Penta and Fenix. The Champions of Justice is an action classic in which the 1971 Miss Mexico beauty pageant contestants are kidnapped by an army of genetically enhanced little people.
COST: $15; MORE INFO

Saturday, Sept. 3

$3 Movie Tickets
National Cinema Day
Various locations
With theater attendance down, The Cinema Foundation hopes to entice people back by sponsoring a $3 movie ticket day on Saturday at participating theaters.
COST: $3; MORE INFO

Saturday, Sept. 3 - Sunday, Sept. 4; 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

2022 Asian American Expo (Moon Festival)
OC Fair & Events Center
88 Fair Dr., Costa Mesa
The Expo celebrates the cultures of the Asian diaspora and upcoming Moon Festival traditions in five exhibition halls. Varied food vendors, music and entertainment take place throughout the weekend. Other attractions include the Sneaker Expo, the K-Play Fest and the Anime Impulse hall.
COST: $15 - $30; MORE INFO

Saturday, Sept. 3; 6 - 10 p.m.

Art Openings and Reception
Thinkspace Projects
4207 W. Jefferson Blvd. & 4217 W. Jefferson Blvd., West Adams
The gallery opens its September lineup of new contemporary art shows, including the group show Habitat featuring the surreal naturalist paintings of Kevin Peterson, Kisung Koh, Jacub Gagnon, and Anthony Solano. Other openings include Erik Mark Sandberg's Golden Pacific and 34 artists in the group show, Amplify. The works will be on view through Sept. 24.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Sunday, Sept. 4; 4 p.m.

Americana in the Park
Gandara Park 
1819 Stewart St., Santa Monica 
McCabe’s Guitar Shop, in partnership with the city of Santa Monica, presents an Americana music series Sundays in September. This week, singer-songwriter, poet and author Tina Orduno Calderon opens the series with a Tongva land acknowledgment and blessing, followed by performances by nine-time world champion Native hoop dancer Eric Hernandez and Prince Diabaté and Friends. Each concert features rotating food trucks and a McCabe’s Guitar pop-up shop. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Sunday, Sept. 4; 10:30 a.m.

Bob Baker Marionette Theater: Hooray LA!  
The Ford
2580 Cahuenga Blvd. E,
The Los Angeles institution tells the story of L.A. through marionettes. The show was first performed in 1981 for the Los Angeles Bicentennial and features the 1933 earthquake, the development of the freeways and other city milestones. Get up to two free kids tickets with every full-priced ticket purchased (must be ordered at the same time).
COST: $10; MORE INFO

Listen to music at a concert inside the Mt. Wilson Observatory.

(Irina Logra)

Sunday, Sept. 4; 3 and 5 p.m.

Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome
Mt. Wilson Observatory (MWO)
RedBox-Mount Wilson Rd., Mount Wilson
The observatory's concert series presents an afternoon of jazz enhanced by the great acoustics of the 100-inch telescope's dome. Listen to a performance by jazz trio Michael Valerio, bass and vocals; Mona Takavoli, percussion and vocals and Errol Cooney, guitar. The program includes selections by Paul Simon, Lennon and McCartney, Lieber, Stoller and King, Valerio and more.
COST: $50; MORE INFO

Kayak the LA river this weekend.

(Ian Shive/USFWS Pacific Southwest Region is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

/

Urban Refuge Initiative US Fish )

Outdoor Pick

LA River Kayaking
The season for kayaking the LA River traditionally ends in September, so if you want to ride down the river, book your trip soon. The LA River Kayak Safari explores the Elysian Valley stretch of the river, led by Frogtown locals. The 2.5-hour adventure includes a short bike ride, kayak instruction, and LA River history storytelling. This weekend, the Safari runs Friday through Sunday. Tickets are $85 per person.

Viewing Pick

Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Foo Fighters and the Hawkins family have teamed up with Paramount to bring the all-star celebration of Hawkins’ life and music to a worldwide audience. The Foo Fighters’ drummer died in Columbia in March while on tour with the band. On Sept. 3, the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert will air live (and on-demand) from London’s Wembley Stadium in its entirety across Paramount’s streaming and digital platforms, including Paramount+, Pluto TV and MTV Brand YouTube Channels (globally) beginning at 8:30 a.m. PT.

Cafe Gratitude on Larchmont holds a vegan ice cream showdown on Labor Day.

(Courtesy of Cafe Gratitude)

Dine and Drink Deals

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

• Café Gratitude Larchmont holds a Vegan Ice Cream Showdown on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 5 from 2 to 4 p.m.). The $20 ticketed event features an afternoon of live music, Oliopop root beer floats, raffle prizes, vegan bites, and samples from local vegan ice cream vendors including Yoga-urt, Sunscoop, Dream Pops and JD’sVegan Ice Cream. Cafe Gratitude is also creating a boozy ice cream spritzes for the showdown. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste and judge the contestants and crown the winner.
• The Tam O’Shanter in Atwater Village hosts a lobster boil for Labor Day, (Monday, Sept. 5 with seatings at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on the patio.) For $100 per person, the boil includes a mixed green salad featuring summer tomatoes, kettle chips, two hard-shell boiled Maine lobsters served with drawn butter and lemons; family-style sides including corn on the cob, potato salad, New England coleslaw; and chocolate and blueberry whoopie pies for dessert. Reservations recommended. 
• All day on Labor Day (Sept. 5), Velverie Café and Teahouse in Beverly Hills offers a discount of $3 off all beer and wine by the glass and a special Labor Day Cocktail “The Last Hurrah,” made with Cocchi Americano, sparkling wine, club soda and lemon. Food specials include a Velverie slider, a mini bowl of Salt Spring Mussels with crostini and a Merguez pistolet. Pair any of the specials with “The Last Hurrah” for $25.  
• To celebrate its third anniversary, Fia in Santa Monica features a four-course classics menu ($95) that continues until Sept. 5. The courses include arancini or Yellowtail, cavatelli or lobster capellini, Beef Wellington or chicken parmesan and tiramisu or Amalfi lemon mousse for dessert.
• Massis Kabob hosts a block party to celebrate the grand opening of their first standalone restaurant in Glendale. Starting at noon on Saturday, Sept. 3, check out live music performances, a mariachi band, live DJ, giveaways, treats such as churro sundaes, an ice cream truck and traditional Armenian coffee made using hot sand. The full Massis Kabob food menu will be available for guests to purchase and enjoy.