Best things to do in Los Angeles and Southern California: January 3 - 5

Take a deep dive into '90s rock history as original members of supergroup The Continental Drifters join author Sean Kelly at Book Soup for a chat about his new book, White Noise & Lightning, which follows the decade-long journey of the band from Los Angeles to New Orleans. Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), Gary Eaton (The Ringling Sisters), and Mark Walton (The Dream Syndicate) will be on hand for the discussion and signing.

Classical California (KUSC) provides the chillest Sunday ice skating soundtrack you can imagine with classical holiday favorites providing the background to your last laps at the link for the holiday season. Glide across the ice accompanied by the soothing strains of classical masterpieces.

The L.A. Oddities & Curiosities Expo is a no-judgment zone. Whether you’re into taxidermy or old jewelry, antique medical devices or just looking to outfit an escape room or old-timey horror set, this is your place to be this weekend. Take a taxidermy class (Raccoon, $325), learn to pin beetles and spiders ($150 each), or take a trip back to 7th-grade biology and dissect a fetal pig ($150).

If one of the things on your New Year’s resolution list is “try my hand at writing comedy,” join the legions that have come to L.A. in search of a coveted slot at the Laugh Factory or in a Netflix writers room and head to the WeHo library for this five-week master class on stand-up. Writer and comedian Christian Cintron leads the workshop, which focuses on using joke writing and performance to improve your self-empowerment and help tell your unique story. You must sign up for each session separately. It is currently full but there is a link to join the waitlist on the site.

Punk rockers Black Flag return to their roots with a show at the Whisky. The Hermosa band has been at the forefront of punk since they first got together in 1976. Enter the new year jamming to some loud music and shake off all of 2024. Is there a better place to see a band like that than the Whisky a Go Go? Didn’t think so.

Violinist Lisa Batiashvili revisits the Beethoven concerto that made her name in the classical community 16 years ago. London-born conductor Robin Ticciati will conduct at Disney Hall.

To be fair, a polar bear plunge in California is a bit weak compared to say these people who jumped into Lake Michigan in Chicago last week. You will not see me jumping in the freezing Pacific (last temp check: 57 degrees! brrr!), but if this is your thing, give yourself a shocking start to the new year among other cold water enthusiasts with a run to the ocean and a 300-yard buoy swim from Annenberg Beach House. Then follow it up with a dip in the (heated!) pool.

Czech director Karel Zeman’s 1962 film is the Egyptian’s adventure movie pick this weekend. A weird and wonderful 85 minutes of pure swashbuckling and escapades at sea await you. The film was recently restored and rereleased at the 2016 Telluride Film Festival.

Taste a range of elixirs from non-alcoholic makers at Burden of Proof’s Dry January tasting market. The free event features established brands like Curious Elixirs as well as small startups like Golden State Cider. Plus there will be fresh local baked goods and attendees have the chance to win a fully-stocked non-alcoholic bar cart to help get them through Dry January (and beyond).

Join the New Bar for a non-alcoholic happy hour with drinks brand Lyre’s at their Venice location. The space is hosting a number of Dry January events throughout the month at both their Venice and West Hollywood locations.

Taste some mocktails from Bar Non, enjoy bites from a variety of food vendors, and do some post-holiday shopping on the patio at De La Playa in Highland Park. There will be DJs livestreaming world music sets via Twitch throughout the event.