Best things to do in Los Angeles and Southern California: January 20 - 23

MLK Day is always a day of service across many communities in L.A. and this year that service will benefit fire relief. Join thousands of other volunteers at the L.A. Coliseum to support impacted Angelenos with events like blanket making, assembling meal kits, and making hygiene kits.

They say laughter is the best medicine, right? So head to The Comedy Store’s monthly event – Keida Mascaro’s showcase, "Save the Robots" – to laugh a little with comedians Dean Delray, Katherine Blanford, Billie Lee, Kaela Crawford, and many more. 100% of ticket sales will be donated to three different charities supporting the fire relief effort and donations to fire and emergency response teams continuing to fight the fires will also be accepted on site.

Colombian-American pianist Andrés Jaramillo plays a selection of solo pieces by contemporary Latinx composers — Paola Márquez, Jorge Salazar and Josh Rodriguez — all of whom are or were immigrants. Due to the fires, this concert is now free for all to attend. There’s also a discussion beforehand focused on the emotional experiences of immigrants as represented in Márquez’s piece, Five Etudes on the Immigrant’s Season.

Readers of a certain age will identify deeply with singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, whose late '90s and early 2000s anthems like 1995’s “I Kissed A Girl” (long before Katy Perry) and “Underdog Victorious” spoke to a very specific group of young Angelenos. I, as you’ve probably guessed by now, was one of them. Her most recent venture is the autobiographical musical F#ck 7th Grade, which debuted off-Broadway in 2022 and will return this fall at the Wild Project in New York’s East Village.

We all need a moment of zen this week. Get yours at a guided meditation in the Himalayan Salt Room at Fred Parker Wellness in Studio City. The relaxing evening is open to all levels of meditators and is followed by tea. I feel calmer just writing that.

Comedy is on tap at the Phones Down benefit show, hosted by Reductress writer Sterling Mulbry and comedian Kelsey Harbor. This show takes the shame out of your internet faux pas, sharing the most humiliating DMs, late-night notes app paragraphs, and awkward reply-all emails.

Local Natives, Phantom Planet, Cannons, and many more head to the legendary Troubadour stage to support those impacted by the fires. The event is currently sold out but check back; there’s also a sister show happening at the Lodge Room on Jan. 28.

Get a little further south for some better air and join Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy for a day of volunteering to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. at White Point Nature Reserve. You will plant native shrubs, remove invasive weeds, water native plants, groom trails and more.

Black Lantern Books in Inglewood hosts an MLK Day cookout celebrating the more radical side of the late leader’s legacy.

Resy has put together the best map I’ve seen of restaurants all over the area where you can enjoy a meal out and feel good about supporting the relief efforts of first responders across the city. The restaurants are mapped directly here, so get out and enjoy dinner. I can’t help you with the calorie count, though.

Celebrate a wide range of cuisine including African, Black American and Caribbean food from some of Long Beach’s most lauded chefs. Check out Axiom Kitchen, Water’s Edge Winery, Devi’s Donuts and more.

La Morra, Cafe Telegrama, and Etra host a dinner benefitting fire relief and a chance to gather at a neighborhood spot.