Best Things To Do This Weekend In Los Angeles And SoCal: June 9 - 11

Celebrate L.A. Pride with a music fest and parade. Participate in a Water Lantern Festival. Shop from the American Indian Marketplace. Catch classic films at the L.A. Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats.

Events

Friday, June 9 - Sunday, June 11

Water Lantern Festival
Whittier Narrows Recreation Area
750 S. Santa Anita Ave., South El Monte
The festival brings people together for a celebration of light and community. Pack a picnic or grab a bite from a food truck while listening to music early in the evening. Then decorate lanterns before launching around sunset. Festival organizers are dedicated to environmental sustainability and will pick up trash, rice paper and wood lanterns after the event.
COST: Adult tickets start at $26.98; MORE INFO

Alonzo King Lines Ballet performs "Deep River," a collaboration among director-choreographer King, pianist-composer Jason Moran and vocalist Lisa Fischer (with additional music by Pharoah Sanders, Maurice Ravel and James Weldon Johnson).

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Friday, June 9 - Saturday, June 10

Alonzo King LINES Ballet: Deep River
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills
Created in celebration of LINES Ballet’s 40th anniversary season, Deep River features a live performance by Grammy Award-winning vocalist Lisa Fischer set to a score by jazz pianist, composer, and MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran.
COST: $39 to $125; MORE INFO

Megan Thee Stallion, seen here at the 2022 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival, headlines the L.A. Pride festival on Friday night.

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Friday, June 9 - Sunday, June 11

L.A. Pride Festival and Parade
LA State Historic Park — 1245 N. Spring St., downtown L.A. (festival)
Hollywood Boulevard (parade)
The two-day Pride music festival at the park is headlined by Megan Thee Stallion on Friday night and Mariah Carey on Saturday night. Undercard acts include Fletcher, King Princess, Symone, Gigi Goode, Dorian Electra, G Flip, The Scarlet Opera, Violet Chachki, Gottmik and Sasha Colby. The parade on Sunday starts at 11 a.m. at Sunset and Highland and heads north toward Hollywood Boulevard. The LA Pride Village — a free, community street festival — will be located adjacent to the parade route on Hollywood between Vine and Gower.
COST: Festival tickets start at $139, and the parade is free; MORE INFO

• View other Pride Month events

Friday, June 9, 8:30 p.m.

Roman Holiday
The Skirball Cultural Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Brentwood
The Skirball’s summer outdoor movie screenings kick off with the classic film Roman Holiday, directed by William Wyler and starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. The script was ghostwritten by Hollywood Ten member Dalton Trumbo. Get there early to learn more about Trumbo and other blacklisted artists in the current exhibition Blacklist: The Hollywood Red Scare. 
COST: $15 - $20 (FREE to WGA members with card and code 99954); MORE INFO

Friday, June 9; 4:30 p.m.

Cultivate: The Five Senses 
Descanso Gardens
1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge 
See what happens in the garden during summer nights and extended hours. On Friday, the Cultivate program features a flower installation by florist Whit Hazen, sound baths by Marna Currie, an herbal tea bag-making station, and Flashdance DJ in the Rose Garden. Drinks are available for purchase in the Rose Garden bar.
COST: $5 - $15; MORE INFO

Friday, June 9 - Saturday, June 10

Renée Elise Goldsberry
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
Goldsberry is the Tony- and Grammy Award-winning performer who’s best known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton on Broadway. Hear her sing and perform with the Pacific Symphony, conducted by Enrico Lopez-Yañez.
COST: Tickets start at $44; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 10; 8 p.m.

Janet Jackson: Together Again
Hollywood Bowl
2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood
Yes, these tickets are just as hard to score as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that Miss Jackson officially opens the Hollywood Bowl’s 2023 summer season. Ludacris kicks off the sold-out night.
COST: Varies - on third-party retailers; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 10; 2 - 7 p.m.

Tarfest
Pan Pacific Park
7600 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax
The all-ages art and music festival celebrates its 20th anniversary with performances by The Steens and Marinero alongside headliner NIIA. The K-pop music project Lalary will also be presented by the Korean Cultural Center. View art installations, take part in workshops and those 21+ can enjoy beverages in the CLARK Construction Biergarten & Cocktail Lounge. Overflow parking is available at The Grove.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 10; 2 and 8 p.m.

Planet of the Apes and The Philadelphia Story
Los Angeles Theatre
615 S. Broadway, downtown L.A.
The Los Angeles Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats series continues this weekend with a matinee screening of the 1968 sci-fi classic Planet of the Apes. The rom-com The Philadelphia Story with Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart and Cary Grant. Special guests introduce the films and a Q&A session about the historic theater follows the screening.
COST: $16 - $22; MORE INFO 

Saturday, June 10 - Sunday, June 11; 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

American Indian Arts Marketplace
The Autry Museum of the American West
4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park
The marketplace returns to celebrate the artistry, food and culture from dozens of nations. It's the largest Native American arts fair in Southern California, with children's activities, artist demos, a short play festival from the museum's award-winning resident theater company, Native Voices, plus an exclusive screening from the Sundance Film Festival. Museum entry is included with marketplace admission.
COST: $8 - $16; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 10; 8 - 11 p.m.

Prince Skate Night
Moonlight Rollerway, Inc. 
5110 San Fernando Road, Glendale
Time to roll bounce all night long to Prince’s music. All guests need to purchase admission to enter the rink (which doesn’t include skate rental). No spectators allowed.
COST: $20; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11

Botas vs. Sombreros Boogaloo Assassins
Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles at MacArthur Park
2230 W. 6th St., Westlake
Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles (Levitt LA) presents its 16th season of summer performances with 32 concerts crossing a variety of genres through Sept. 3. The season opens this weekend on Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. with Nortec / Ranchero tunes from Nortec Bostich + Fussible, Nunca Jamas and La Banda Elástica DJs. On Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m., listen to the salsa, funk and soul of the Boogaloo Assassins with DJ Clifton Weaver aka DJ Soft Touch. Concerts will be live-streamed and available after the season on YouTube.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 10; 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

June Jubilee: A Celebration of Black Excellence
Central Library
630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles 
This inaugural event celebrates L.A.’s Black culture with speakers and storytellers, quilting workshops, live entertainment and fun interactive activities for the family, including discussions on health and wellness, business and financial literacy, genealogy and technology.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 10; 8 p.m.

EELS
The Fonda Theatre
6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
On the heels of the limited-edition remastered vinyl reissue of their acclaimed 2005 album, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, EELS (led by principal songwriter and band leader Mark Oliver Everett) play the Fonda as part of the much-postponed and long-awaited Lockdown Hurricane tour. Get to the show early to hear tunes and rhymes from notable up-and-comer Austin Antoine.
COST: $45; MORE INFO

Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) presents a weekend of running, walking and biking in the Finish the Ride / Finish the Run events.

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Outdoor Pick

Finish the Ride & Run 
Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) was started by cyclist Damian Kevitt as a movement for safer streets after he was hit by a car and nearly killed while riding his bicycle in Griffith Park in 2013. This weekend, take part in the 10th-anniversary events of Finish the Run (Saturday) and Finish the Ride (Sunday). Choose from several distances to run, walk or bike through Griffith Park’s roads and trails, with an expo and raffles at the end of both days’ events. Registration ($10 - $100) is available online and day-of the event.

Viewing Pick

The Cartoons of Max Fleischer and Fleischer Studios
On Saturday and Sunday, June 10 and 11 at 11 a.m., The Art Theatre of Long Beach screens films that celebrate the art and inventions of pioneer animator Max Fleischer. Watch cartoons featuring Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, Popeye The Sailor Man and others in new high-definition transfers. Stay for a Q&A after the programs with Fleischer’s granddaughter Jane Fleischer Reid and Fleischer Studios historian Ray Pointer. Tickets: $12.

Maple Block Meat Co.'s Maple Block Chicken can be found at the Brentwood Farmers Market on Sundays and at the Miracle Mile Farmers Market on Wednesdays.

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Dine and Drink Deals

Here are a few dine and drink options to indulge in this week.

• The 14th Annual L.A. Beer Week runs June 10-18, and kicks off with the LA Independent Beer Fest on Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Shoreline Aquatic Park in Long Beach. Choose to sample from 75 independent craft breweries, listen to live music by Feed the Kitty (and others) and foods available for purchase. VIP tickets include early entry at 12 p.m. with access to exclusive and rare beers only available during the first hour of the fest. Tickets: $60 - $75. Designated driver: $20.
• The Commons at Calabasas kicks off its 25th-anniversary celebration with a Summerfest BBQ on Saturday, June 10 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Enjoy savory bites from Uncle Al’s and Uncle Ron’s BBQ Food Trucks and Fry Day; sweets from Jeni’s Ice Cream, Porta Via, La La Land Kind Cafe, Fresh Brothers and Toscanova. The ticketed event will include a beer and wine garden for adults and activities for kids. Admission: $10 per person.
• The "Rosé on Rose" Wine Fest is a celebration of National Rosé Day (Saturday, June 10) and Pride Month, while raising funds for the Venice Family Clinic. Restaurants and retailers on Rose Avenue will offer attendees exclusive rosé specials and tastings (rosé all day), gourmet food deals, games, art, music, and a VIP Rosé Garden experience. The advance $20 GA ticket includes a wristband that offers access to discounted food and drink specials such as $7 rosés at participating businesses, music, games, activities, vendors, art, and entrance into the official afterparty at Rose Room (5 - 7 p.m.).
• Maple Block Chicken (MBC) — the pop-up side project of Daniel Weinstock and Mike Garrett’s Maple Block Meat Company — now offers spatchcock chicken and loaded chicken fries (pictured) every Sunday at The Farmer’s Market in Brentwood and at The Miracle Mile Farmers Market on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  
• In conjunction with the release of Searchlight Pictures’ Flamin’ Hot, Benny Boy Brewing holds a Flamin’ Hot Day on Friday, June 9 from 3 to 19 p.m. along with pop-up food vendors Sad Girl Creamery, River Street BBQ and Quarantine Pizza Co. Taste the fan favorite, crunchy, cheese-flavored snack on ice cream tacos, regular tacos, pizza and micheladas.