Best Things To Do This Week In Los Angeles And Southern California: June 17 - 20

A collaboration between nonprofit arts group Black in Mayberry and the Experimentally Structured Museum of Art (ESMoA) in Lawndale, the Freedom exhibit brings together a group of 12 Black artists reflecting on the African American journey, exploring the questions “What is freedom?” and “Are we truly free?”

Enjoy a night curated by T-Pain with special guests and even an orchestra under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl. Additional artists include Ledisi, D Smoke, the D6 Singers Collective, and more. Pack a picnic and head for the Hills!

The annual Parks After Dark program is back in full swing from now through the end of August with evening events across L.A. There are special evening events for everyone – from teen pool parties to senior dances at many of the public parks throughout the city.

Even the least sporty among us developed a new love for soccer — excuse us, football — from watching Ted Lasso, and with the U.S. hosting the World Cup in 2026, it’s high time to get your soccer knowledge up to speed. The Men in Blazers tour may be just the ticket. Sports broadcaster Roger Bennett is joined by guest host and Ted Lasso star Brendan Hunt and former USMNT player Herc Gomez at the El Rey for a night of soccer stories.

The Hollywood Fringe Festival continues, and one of the highlights is sure to be this improvised live show. It's taking on the often cringe-worthy world of influencer wellness podcasts. (Catch up on your billionaire biohacking lingo ahead of time!) It’s also being performed on Saturday, June 29 at 3 p.m. and Sunday, June 30 at 7 p.m.

This is one of those "Aren’t we so lucky to be in L.A.?" kind of things. Local YA author Francesca Lia Block (Weetzie Bat, House of Hearts) is curating an ongoing series of workshops at the Village Well bookstore in Culver City, led by some of her favorite local writers. Coming up this month: On Tuesday, June 18, Tracey Simmons hosts a creative writing hour in the morning. Later in the month, there’s one on writing YA fiction with Alice the Cat author Tim Cummings.

Test your Juneteenth knowledge, plus meet like-minded new friends at this trivia night hosted at Highly Likely in West Adams. There will not only be trivia but also art and other games throughout the evening.

Start your Juneteenth holiday off right with a hike in Eaton Canyon Falls with the Black Living Single Group. The nature hike will be followed by a hearty breakfast!

Now the longtime curator of the New Frontiers category at the Sundance Film Festival, Shari Frilot’s 1995 documentary Black Nations/Queer Nations? chronicles a conference on lesbian and gay sexualities in the African diaspora. It’s a rare chance to check out this groundbreaking film with a talk featuring Frilot and Columbia University’s Dr. Jafari Sinclaire Allen.

Bakeries across L.A. are supporting the Queer Food Foundation to the tune of $50,000 via The Infatuation’s June Pride Bake Sale. Grab treats like a $6 cupcake from Just What I Kneaded in Frogtown or the $6.50 Whoopie Pride Cookie from The Very Best Cookie in the Whole Wide World in Beverly Hills and don’t count the calories, since it’s all for a good cause!

Can’t beat 50% off all wine bottles at dinner! Head over to Hollywood for a meal at Shirley Brasserie and enjoy discounts all month long.