Best Things To Do This Weekend in Los Angeles and Southern California: April 26 - 28

Bookstores around the area are getting ready for Indie Bookstore Day, celebrating independent sellers around the country. For starters, Octavia’s Bookshelf in Pasadena is hosting an all-day party, and Skylight Books in Los Feliz and Vroman’s in Pasadena are both carrying exclusive releases for the event.

Renowned rock 'n' roll poster artist EMEK is the star of Gabba Gabba Gallery’s grand reopening this weekend. See 30 years of art for bands like The Grateful Dead, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, and more – including EMEK’s iconic Coachella posters. Plus, enjoy drinks by JuneShine, Easy Rider, and Liquid Death and music from DJ Jonathan Williams at the opening party. The show is on view through June 8.

Over 100 vendors will come together at the East L.A. Civic Center to highlight local entrepreneurs from Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, Monterey Park, Montebello, Lake View Terrace, San Gabriel, and Downtown L.A. It’s free, and there’s local entertainment and a place to get resources for small businesses. El Sol Transit is providing free rides to the Civic Center.

I don’t wanna wait … to see Paula Cole at the Luckman. And fortunately, we don’t have to! The songstress – who shot to fame for the Dawson’s Creek theme song in the 90s – has quietly and steadily been putting out solid albums ever since. She brings her unique indie pop to Cal State. Here’s the lyric video off her 11th album’s fun first single, "The Replacements & Dinosaur Jr."

More than 200 artisans will be showing and selling their wares – from food to pottery to fashion – at the Jackalope Craft Fair. There will also be fun-for-the-whole-family activities like make-your-own-slime, face painting, live custom poetry, and a sensory plant exploration booth.

Comedian Blaire Socci and film critic Alonso Duralde will go deep on the next Go Fact Yourself podcast – and you can listen in for free at the taping. The show, hosted by J. Keith van Straaten and Helen Hong, quizzes celebs on why they love what they love.

The goal of C’mon, Sing! is to use the power of song to bring together housed and unhoused Angelenos downtown and on Skid Row. Join the community celebration by checking out any of the five stages with live performances during the day, all culminating in a community sing-a-long at 4 p.m.

Get into cat pose with the experts (the furry kind and the human kind) during a yoga class at the Cat Cafe Lounge. You’re sure to purr-fect your practice!

Taking the work of the streets to the street, the second annual Projecting L.A. festival highlights 32 street, documentary, and news photographers by projecting their images onto a building in Chinatown. The projections will be 80 feet wide and three stories high! See stories about your city in a whole new way.

The annual grunion run is a uniquely Venice experience and it is worth the nighttime adventure. The Venice Oceanarium organizes a gathering where folks come together by the breakwater to await the arrival of the grunions – slithering fish that come ashore once a year to spawn in Southern California and Baja. You just have to be there.

Texas-meets-Passover in this brisket-centric, kosher-for-Passover two-night pop-up. Gjusta and Jon & Vinny’s chef Jenn Sills and The Dinner Party Project author Natasha Feldman are joining forces to bring you a latke sandwich with smoked brisket, chicken liver mousse, and of course, matzo crack. Available from 5:30 p.m. until they sell out!

Get unlimited beverages and pizza from the top slice joints in the city, including Prime Pizza, Hail Mary, Pizzana, and more. There are also panel discussions, special guest chef appearances, and desserts from Kinrose Creamery and Lei’d Cookies.

Hop the ferry to Catalina to eat allllll the tamales and then cast a vote for your favorite at the first-ever Tamale Festival at the Catalina Museum. There’s also a mariachi band, group dance lessons, corn desserts, margarita flights (for purchase) and more.