Best Things To Do This Weekend In Los Angeles And SoCal: June 16 - 18

Events

Friday, June 16 - Sunday, June 18 

Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the Music Center
135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.
Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at The Music Center continues its 20th dance season with the return of Complexions Contemporary Ballet. The company performs pieces “Woke” and “Love Rocks,” featuring music by Kendrick Lamar, Logic, Drake, Lenny Kravitz and others.
COST: Tickets start at $34; MORE INFO

Ali Wong, seen here attending the 2023 TIME100 Gala in New York City, performs in Long Beach this weekend.

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Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for TIME

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Getty Images North America

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Friday, June 16; 10 p.m.

Ali Wong Live
Terrace Theater at the Long Beach Convention Center 
300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
A few tickets remain for Wong’s late standup show in Long Beach (the early show is already sold out). Wong, a comedian, writer, actress and director, is best known for her comedy specials Baby Cobra, Hard Knock Wife and starring in Always Be My Maybe and Beef.
COST: Tickets start at $76.75; MORE INFO

Roaring Nights summer music series returns for one night only this weekend, bringing back its most popular theme: the '80s.

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Courtesy of the L.A. Zoo

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L.A. Zoo

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Friday, June 16; 6 - 10 p.m. 

Roaring ’80s Night 
Los Angeles Zoo
5333 Zoo Drive, Griffith Park
Get ready to party like it’s 1988 at the zoo with live music from Flashback Heart Attack, a silent disco of retro dance hits, food trucks, a paint party, bars, animal presentations and lots of photo opportunities. Roaring Nights events are 21+.
COST: $25; MORE INFO

The Bloomsday celebration of James Joyce's 'Ulysses' returns to the Hammer Museum for its 14th year.

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Illustration, courtesy of the Hammer Museum

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Hammer Museum

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Friday, June 16; 7:30 p.m.

Bloomsday 
The Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood
Bloomsday is now in its 14th year at the Hammer, joining in the global celebration of one of literature’s most famous traditions. It commemorates James Joyce’s novel Ulysses, set on June 16, 1904. The day generally includes readings, drinking, music and odes to debauchery. (The novel was banned in the U.S. from 1922 to 1933.) Enjoy live Irish music by Rattle the Knee, Guinness on draft and actors delivering dramatic readings from the novel, interspersed with songs.
COST: FREE admission; MORE INFO 

• Another Bloomsday option: CIACLA (The Contemporary Irish Arts Center of L.A.) is a presenting partner for Molly Bloom: Redux, held at the Limbic Arthouse in Hollywood on select dates from June 16 to 23. Tickets for the theatrical performance of the 18th chapter of Ulysses are $15.

Saturday, June 17 - Sunday, June 18; 3:30 p.m.

Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival
Hollywood Bowl
2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood
The Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival returns this weekend with a fantastic two-day lineup, curated by Kamasi Washington (who performs Saturday) and Herbie Hancock. Saturday’s lineup also includes Bell Biv DeVoe, Pancho Sanchez, Samara Joy and St. Paul and the Broken Bones. Sunday’s performers include West Coast Get Down featuring Leon Bridges and Raphael Saadiq, and The Soul Rebels with Big Freedia.
COST: Tickets start at $57; MORE INFO

The 11th Annual Cardboard Yacht Regatta — made up of boats made up of nothing but cardboard and duct tape — race at the Annenberg Beach House this weekend.

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Courtesy of the Annenberg Community Beach House

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Courtesy of the Annenberg Community Beach House

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Saturday, June 17; 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. 

11th Annual Cardboard Yacht Regatta
Annenberg Community Beach House
415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica
Watch the battle of home-constructed yachts, built only with corrugated cardboard and duct tape, as people race them across the pool. Voting for favorite designs begins at 9 a.m., with races starting at 10:30 a.m.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 17 - Sunday, June 18 

Pasadena Chalk Festival
The Plaza at the Pasadena Convention Center
300 E. Green St., Pasadena 
Bring the family to view more than 200 chalk murals, created by more than 500 artists. Plus, view the art gallery and silent auction, listen to DJs spin tunes or hang in the beer garden (which is 21+).
COST: FREE admission; MORE INFO 

There's a dance party this weekend for Carl Craig's 'Party/After-Party' sound and light installation currently on exhibition at MOCA's Geffen Contemporary.

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Courtesy of MOCA

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Courtesy of MOCA

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Saturday, June 17; 6:30 p.m. 

Party/After-Party Sessions
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
152 N. Central Ave., downtown L.A.
Carl Craig's (DJ and producer from Detroit) Party/After-Party sound and light installation is currently on view at The Geffen Contemporary. The second in a series of three concerts/dance parties to celebrate techno — presented by Craig, MOCA and Insomniac/Secret Project — takes place this weekend with performances by Kenny Larkin, Kyle Hall and Rimarkable. The techno is going to get loud (so bring ear protection) and note that Party/After-Party features low lighting and strobe effects.
COST: $10 - $15; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 17; 1 - 7 p.m.

31st Annual Juneteenth Celebration
Virginia Avenue Park
2200 Virginia Ave., Santa Monica 
The family-friendly event includes an afternoon of music with local Blues artist Sonny Green, Victory Boyd, along with reggae group Arise Roots, all-female R&B band KLYMAXX and DJ sets by DJ Sucafree. At the Juneteenth event, guests will be able to browse and shop from food and craft vendors, take advantage of a kid-friendly activity area and learn about local resources.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 17 - Sunday, June 18 

Imagining Indigenous Cinema: New Voices, New Visions
Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood
The Indigenous film series, which has screened a survey of more than 40 short and feature-length contemporary works during its run, closes this weekend. Saturday’s program Realizing Futures features a slate of short films that reflect how Indigenous filmmakers see themselves and the past-present futures of their communities. Sunday’s event is An Evening with Sky Hopinka, featuring a series of short films from Hopinka and a discussion with the filmmaker about his work. Livestream available.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 17; 11 a.m.

Investigating Investigative Journalism through Film
Studio City Branch Library
12511 Moorpark St., Studio City 
The Library Foundation of LA’s ALOUD series presents a day-long program at the Studio City branch for film screenings on investigative journalism and a conversation on the topic with panelists Meg James of the LA Times and Elly Yu of LAist. The day begins with a screening of She Said (2022) at 11 a.m., followed by a panel discussion at 1:30 p.m., and a screening of Good Night, and Good Luck at 2:45 p.m.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Saturday, June 17; 5:30 - 10:30 p.m.

Street Food Cinema: Do the Right Thing
Grand Hope Park 
919 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.
Street Food Cinema celebrates Juneteenth with the Spike Lee classic film about racial tensions on the hottest day in Brooklyn. The night includes DJ L-double-E spinning R&B and hip-hop hits, a full bar, food trucks and a marketplace curated by Cool Ass Black Woman.
COST: $22 - $32; MORE INFO

The 28th annual Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance offers the perfect outing for Father's Day or for car enthusiasts.

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Ted Seven aka Ted7

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Courtesy of the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance

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Sunday, June 18; 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

28th Annual Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance
Rodeo Drive, between Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards
The Concours d’Elegance returns to Beverly Hills on Father’s Day, a perfect outing for dads, families and car enthusiasts of all ages. The car show features 100 rare and iconic vehicles, from supercars and race cars to classics and custom-built vehicles. In addition to the restaurants and cafes in the city, the food truck/cart lineup includes Baby’s Badass Burgers, Café Balmano, Cousins Maine Lobster, The Deli Doctor, Ginger’s Divine Ice Cream, King Kone Ice Cream and Ladurée Beverly Hills.
COST: FREE admission; MORE INFO

CicLAvia returns to South LA on Sunday, June 18.

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Courtesy of CicLAvia

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CicLAvia

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Outdoor Pick

CicLAvia: South LA / Vermont Avenue
On Sunday, June 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the open streets event CicLAvia takes over 6.2 miles in South L.A., mostly along Vermont Avenue. Ride bikes, jog, skate, walk or people-watch while exploring the neighborhood. The event also features the 3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration and Resource Fair at Century Boulevard and Western Avenue. As always, CicLAvia is free and open to all ages.

Viewing Pick

Outlander, Season 7
Starz's popular TV series Outlander returns for a split, 16-episode seventh season on Friday, June 16. The penultimate season of the historical romance focuses on the adventures of Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe). She’s a 20th-century British doctor who was transported back to 18th-century Scotland only to fall in love with the Highland warrior. This season, based on Diana Gabaldon’s book, An Echo in the Bone, finds the Frasers and their extended family in North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War — fighting fate once again.

The California Watermelon Festival returns!

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Floh Keitgen

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Unsplash

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Dine and Drink Deals

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

• Do you love watermelon? The California Watermelon Festival returns this weekend  (June 17 - 18) to Hansen Dam’s soccer fields in Lakeview Terrace. Admission includes all-you-can-eat watermelon, but if you’re still hungry, then you can get creative by purchasing dishes that include watermelon shrimp tacos, watermelon tamales, watermelon empanadas and deep-fried watermelon. General admission runs $13.50 - $18.
• Plenty of places are offering Father’s Day specials for dads and father figures in your life. One option includes Los Angeles Ale works in Hawthorne, featuring Wise Barbecue, the release of their new Leisureland Lager, kid-friendly activities, entertainment and both the Dodgers vs Giants game and the U.S. Open on the big screens. The Father’s Day party runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 
• On Saturday, June 17, from noon until sellout, Tacos 1986 pops up at Spoon & Pork Silver Lake for a collaboration with Big Noise beer. The combo deal features Tacos 1986’s El Perrón taco filled with Spoon & Pork’s sisig, marinated in soy, calamansi, chicken liver, red onions and guero chiles with a Big Noise lager for $10.
• The Market Tasting Series returns for the 2023 summer season at the Hollywood Bowl this Sunday, before the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, from 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. Participate in complimentary wine tastings in the Plaza Marketplace at the Box Office Plaza. The series continues on Wednesdays and Sundays through Sept. 24, with tastings offered three hours before performances. Wines and beers featured in the tastings are available for purchase at the Marketplace and other select locations at the Bowl.
• The Garagiste Wine Festival returns to L.A. on Saturday, June 17, with more than 40 small-production, commercial ‘garagiste’ California wineries from Malibu, L.A., Santa Barbara County, Paso Robles, Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Baja California and other locales. The festival takes place at the Glendale Civic Auditorium with VIP tastings and early access tickets available. Tickets: $65 - $135, $10 for designated driver.
• All Pride Month long, Sweet Lady Jane locations are offering Rainbow Triple Berry Cake ($72 - $102) and Cupcakes ($5.50 each), with 10% of the proceeds donated to the LA LGBT Center.
• The Taste of Japan takes place on Friday and Saturday (June 16 and 17) at STC Anaheim GardenWalk. Enjoy various Japanese foods and then take in Japanese pop culture, anime, cosplay, entertainment and merchandise. More than 50 Japanese food vendors from Southern California will offer ramen, takoyaki, yakitori and other street foods. Free admission to Taste of Japan, but admission packages to the 21+ Yokocho Fest (sake and Japanese craft beer garden) are $65 to $125.
• Saltie Girl in West Hollywood teams with Brightland to celebrate a collaboration mignonette featuring Brightland’s new red wine vinegar, TRELLIS. During lunch service on Fridays (11 a.m. - 3 p.m.) in June, guests who order a bottle of Saltie Girl Rosé will receive a complimentary half-dozen oysters served with the mignonette.