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Best things to do this weekend in Los Angeles and Southern California: May 30 - June 1
Dancers participate in a salsa class.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Our Picks
Happy Pride! WeHo Pride festivities kick off this weekend and will be coloring the city rainbow all month long. There are, of course, a wide variety of events all over the region celebrating the LGBTQ+ community throughout June, and we’ll be featuring as many as we can here. Watch this space.
Beyond Pride, there’s also the Dodgers-Yankees series, Netflix hosting Tudum at Kia Forum to showcase all of your favorite TV shows, and the Head in the Clouds festival at the Rose Bowl, which is the place to experience music from across the Asian diaspora.
Plus, McCabe’s is honoring late L.A. music legend Jill Sobule with Jillith Fair. I remember seeing her at the Largo years ago, and “Underdog Victorious” is still my personal theme song some days.
Browse LAist.com for more to explore. See where you can listen to art and nature recordings from the 1960s, sure to ease a busy brain; read senior editor Suzanne Levy’s personal account of getting her American citizenship; and don’t forget to nominate your favorite cheeseburger for the annual Tournament of Cheeseburgers! Nominations close Friday, May 30.
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Events
Through Monday, June 30
WeHo Pride
647 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood
COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
An attendee is seen at the 2023 WeHo Pride Parade.
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Chelsea Guglielmino
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Getty Images
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WeHo Pride kicks off this weekend. Need I say more? The year’s biggest party in West Hollywood starts Friday with the OUTLOUD music event, featuring performances from Maren Morris and Qveen Herby. Then Lizzo, Paris Hilton, Remi Wolf and more play during the weekend, plus there’s the big parade and street festival on Sunday. Celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with art, music, performances, and the best street fashion and people-watching anywhere this weekend and all month long. The music events do require advance tickets — free on Friday, paid over the weekend.
Events this weekend:
May 30: Outloud Music Festival
May 31: Women’s Freedom Festival, OUTLOUD, and Dyke Parade
June 1: Weho Pride Street Festival and Parade
Friday, May 30, 5 to 9 p.m.
Comedy on the Beach: Iliza Shlesinger
Sealegs on the Beach
17851 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Show up early to snag a seat for the first free Comedy on the Beach show of the summer with Iliza Shlesinger. (Her Netflix special is hilarious; check it out if you haven’t!) Dress warm, and while you’re waiting for the comedy, there is a live musical performance by Michael SG from 5 to 7 p.m., too. The event is hosted and produced by John Johnson of The John Johnson Show and features sets from Hunter Hill and Mel Garcia.
Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Stories on Tap
Common Space Brewery
3411 W. El Segundo Blvd., Hawthorne
COST: FROM $5, MORE INFO
A day of stories, songs, movement, and creativity is on tap at Common Space Brewery for kids eight and under and their families. Authors, musicians, and educators will be on hand supporting Ready, Set, Read’s literacy programing, plus there will be great eats from local food trucks and craft brews (for the grown ups!) from Common Space.
Through Monday, October 25, 2026
'Barbie to Anna Karenina: The Cinematic Worlds of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer'
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
6067 Wilshire Blvd., Miracle Mile
COST: INCLUDED IN MUSEUM ADMISSION; MORE INFO
Vistors learn about the production design of 2023's "Barbie" at "Barbie to Anna Karenina: The Cinematic Worlds of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer" at the The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
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Fredrik Nilsen / ©Academy Museum
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Academy Museum Foundation
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The work of production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer is featured in "Barbie to Anna Karenina,” the Academy Museum’s first exhibition on production design. Throughout the exhibition, there are also nods to the other collaborators on their teams — painters, model makers, prop masters, and many more — who’ve helped them create worlds for film. The idea, the duo says, was to help people realize how many different jobs are involved in filmmaking.
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“Kind of to demystify it,” Greenwood says. “It is a great mystery what we do, but then when you see behind the scenes, and it's all nuts and bolts, and a bit of this and a bit of that, and then cutting edge technology, of course, it's all things. And it's there for the taking.”
Read more about the exhibit here and get a video tour of the show on our Instagram. – LAist's Monica Bushman
Saturday, May 31, 2 to 7 p.m.
Celebrating Words 2025: Tia Chucha's Art and Literacy Festival
Vaughn G3 Academy
11200 Herrick St., Pacoima
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Phil Hearing
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Unsplash
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Free books? Jackpot! With more than 1,000 books to give away, Celebrating Words is celebrating 20 years as the biggest book fest in the Valley.
Designed to promote literacy and help community members become active readers and build their personal libraries, brand new books for all ages are given away in English, Spanish, and bilingual formats. Each person can receive one book, and they will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Check out this year’s books for all ages, ranging from the Octavia Butler classic Kindred to Kaveh Akbar’s recent bestseller, Martyr, and everything in between. It’s like the biggest Little Free Library. The day also includes workshops, a resource fair, and more.
Saturday, May 31, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Glendale Open Streets
S. Glendale Ave. between Lexington Dr. & Chevy Chase Dr., Glendale
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Only people-powered modes of transport are allowed at the new Glendale Open Streets event, featuring food, shopping and socializing along Glendale Avenue all day. Plus, there’s music from the Hoover Tornadoes Marching Band, Herbert Hoover High Jazz Band, the Lernazang Ensemble, and strolling Mariachi.
Friday, May 30, 8 p.m.
Goldpine
The Harmony Room at St. Barnabas
2109 Chicasaw Ave., Eagle Rock
COST: $15; MORE INFO
Americana roots band Goldpine — husband and wife duo Benjamin and Kassie Wilson — are bringing their soulful jams to The Harmony Room in Eagle Rock, an apt venue for a group that thrives on harmony! The pair won the 2022 Rocky Mountain Songwriter Contest; check out the music video for "Do You Have Me?" to get a taste of Kassie’s powerful vocals.
Friday, May 30, 7 p.m.
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Troubadour
9081 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood
COST: SOLD OUT; MORE INFO
I first saw Hurray for the Riff Raff play a church in New Orleans back in the mid-2010s and was blown away. The musical project of Bronx native Alynda Segarra, Hurray for the Riff Raff takes folk to another level. Their Troubadour show is sold out, but it’s worth checking out third-party resellers, or head out to the desert to catch them at Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown on Saturday.
Outdoor Pick
Sunday, June 1, 6 to 10 p.m.
Salsa on Sunset
1523 Griffith Park Blvd., Silver Lake
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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@salsaonsunset
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Instagram
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Heat up your summer nights with this monthly outdoor dance party in Silver Lake. The little triangle outside Pine & Crane transforms into a dance party with Salsa in the Streets, where you can take a free dance lesson and meet your neighbors. No partner necessary!
Viewing Pick
Saturday, May 31, 8:30 p.m.
Street Food Cinema: To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
LA State Historic Park
1245 N Spring St., Chinatown
COST: $28.88; MORE INFO
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Universal Pictures
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An iconic film for Pride Month — or any month! — the oddly named, quirky cult classic To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar is celebrating 30 years since its debut in cinemas. The comedy about three drag queens roadtripping to L.A. for a competition stars Patrick Swayze (R.I.P.), Wesley Snipes and Jon Leguizamo. It's being shown by Street Food Cinema outside at L.A. State Historic Park.
Dine & Drink Deals
Friday, May 30, 6 to 10 p.m.
Loveramics Latte Art Competition
910 South Los Angeles St., #904, Downtown L.A.
COST: $25 TO PARTICIPATE, FREE TO WATCH; MORE INFO
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Sutthiwat Srikhrueadam / EyeEm
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Getty Images
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If you envy the control your local barista has over that foamy latte art, check out the masters of the craft, or try your steady hand, at Loveramics’ latte art competition. They are hosting baristas at all levels at their downtown showroom. There’s a $1,700 prize pot, Loveramics swag giveaways, and a judging panel of coffee industry heavyweights, including USLAC’s Piyapat (Flook) Lapteerawut, 2024 US Barista Champion Frank La of Be Bright Coffee, and Celo Kim of Wynd Coffee.
Weekends starting Saturday, May 31, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Belvedere Tea Party
Peninsula Beverly Hills
9882 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills
COST: $125, MORE INFO
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Vanessa Tierney
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Put on your best spring flower dress for a tea party at the Belvedere, starting on weekends this summer. The outdoor event features a delicate menu and afternoon DJ set on the terrace at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Enjoy iced teas, summer-inspired cocktails, sandwiches, scones, dessert and more.
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