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Arts and Entertainment

Best things to do this weekend in Los Angeles and Southern California: August 23 - 25

Two girls standing on a cornhole board holding up seltzers.
(
Courtesy Throw Down Cornhole Festival
)

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Depending on how you look at it, either things are winding down — summer events are wrapping up, we’re in the actual dog days of the seasonal heat — or things are getting busy again as schools start back up and fall openings are filling the calendar. Whatever your glass-half-full or glass-half-empty take, boredom is not an option.

Check out the Hungry Ghost Festival in Chinatown this weekend or relive the Beatles in their 1960s glory with historian Martin Lewis. You can also indulge in three Miyazaki films outside at the Ford or grab a burger at Barney’s Beanery for half-price on Friday.

For more to explore, visit LAist.com, where you can learn to keep monarch butterflies, plan to catch the supermoons happening all fall long, or try one of the cold drinks unique to L.A. to cool off.

Events

  • Saturday, August 24, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

    Chinatown building with neon roof that has the words Los Angeles Hungry Ghost Festival over it.
    (
    Courtesy L.A. Hungary Ghost Festival
    )

    Dragon and lion dances, martial arts demonstrations, shadow puppet shows, delicious food options, and much more are happening at the annual L.A. Chinatown Hungry Ghost Festival. Get to know the neighborhood through the eyes of artist and musician Micah Huang. There are also tons of kids' activities like face painting and a scavenger hunt.

  • Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 7:30 PM

    Picture of a blonde woman in a pink dress, her name is Betsy Wolfe.
    Hear everything from “California Dreamin’” and “Good Vibrations” to “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Desperado” and even John Williams!
    (
    Courtesy Pasadena Symphony
    )

    Broadway superstar conductor Michael Feinstein is also the Principal Pops Conductor at the Pasadena POPS. I can’t think of a more delightful way to close out summer than hearing California-inspired favorites under the stars at the L.A. County Arboretum. Betsy Wolfe and Hugh Panaro are the soloists for the show, which features songs by favorites like the Mamas and the Papas, the Beach Boys, and the Eagles. Bring your favorite picnic dinner; gates open at 5:30 p.m.

  • Sunday, August 25, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM

    Jazz festival poster with information on artist that will be playing at Rowley Park.
    (
    Courtesy City of Gardena
    /
    )

    If you’re like me, you just can’t get enough outdoor summer concerts. Make your way to Gardena for the annual Gardena Jazz Festival, where Mindi Abair and other jazz greats will perform at Rowley Memorial Park.

  • Friday, August 23, 2024 from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM

    A tile floor with magazines and flowers placed around a round sign that says "The Beatles."
    Flowers and candles are left by The Beatles drumhead on the "Imagine" memorial in honor of John Lennon on the 40th anniversary of his death at Strawberry Fields in Central Park.
    (
    Noam Galai
    /
    Getty Images
    )

    Sixty years ago, The Beatles took the stage at the iconic Hollywood Bowl. I saw Paul McCartney play there about a decade ago and that incredible show gave me a tiny peek into what seeing the band in their heyday must have been like. For a more in-depth look at this legendary evening, join Beatles historian (fun job, or most fun job?!) Martin Lewis for a TED-style talk at the Philosophical Research Society.

  • Friday, August 23, 2024 at 9:00 AM

    Crowd watches as a team throws beanbags at to the opposite cornhole board.
    (
    Courtesy The Throw Down Cornhole Festival
    )

    There’s a tournament for cornhole – and it’s right here in Southern California. The Throw Down Festival features the world’s largest cornhole tournament, happening in Ventura over the weekend. Join cornhole players and enthusiasts for tournament play and the chance to win over $350,000 in prizes. If cornhole isn’t your thing, there’s also an ax throwing contest, a classic car display, and live music at the beachfront.

  • Saturday, August 24, 2024 from 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM

    Books open into a tent stacked together to look like mountains.
    (
    Courtesy Ontario City Library
    )

    Attention, book lovers! Stock your home library by filling up a bag with as many books, CDs, and DVDs as you can fit for just $5 at the Ovitt Family Community Library in Ontario. Friends of the Library get early access to the sale starting at 10 a.m. Memberships will be sold at the door.

  • August 21, 2024 through September 8, 2024

    Men on stage in bowler hats performing in a slapstick comedy act.
    (
    Courtesy Mister and Mischief
    )

    Mister & Mischief consistently prove that immersive theater is more than just a buzzword with their shows. In the vein of their previous zany and fun efforts like Answering Service and The Apple Avenue Detective Agency, Escape from Godot is no exception. Based on Samuel Beckett’s classic play Waiting for Godot, the experience is “a game and a show, the show is the game and the game is the show.” Confused? I guess you’ll have to see it.

    While the event is sold out for this week, you can still join the waiting list, which will run throughout the month.

  • Sunday, August 25, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

    Flyer promoting an art exhibit about water, the flyer features pipes and motifs juxtaposed together along with artist information and sponsors.
    (
    Courtesy UCLA Sustainability
    )

    The Los Angeles basin has always maintained a complex relationship with its water supply. A new art exhibit, “What’s On Tap: L.A.’s Water Story…Source to Spigot,” looks to showcase these issues and more. The exhibit opens this Sunday with a special screening of the L.A. film noir classic “Chinatown” at 5 pm.

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Outdoor Pick

  • Saturday, August 24, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM

    More than a dozen kites fly up against a blue sky; the photograph is taken from directly below the kites in a row.
    (
    Photo by Agnieszka Ziomek on Unsplash
    /
    )

    Head to Santa Monica’s Tongva Park (across from Santa Monica City Hall, of Barbie movie fame) for the last installment of Endless Summer C.A.M.P. (Community, Art, Music, Picnic). Join neighbors and friends with a picnic, blankets, and beach chairs for a performance from KID ROW and a kite-making workshop with Dajin Yoon.

Viewing Pick

  • August 23, 2024 through August 25, 2024

    movie still from Princess Mononoke
    (
    Crunchyroll Store Australia
    /
    )

    Studio Ghibli fans are in for a treat at the Ford! Explore how animation genius Hayao Miyazaki brings the natural world to life in this celebration of Japanese art and cinema. Make it a triple header with Princess Mononoke on Friday, Spirited Away on Saturday, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind on Sunday.

Dine & Drink Deals

  • Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 5:00 PM

    red flyer with a picture of a red and green wagon cart with a person leaning on it.
    (
    Courtesy of Zizou
    /
    )

    New French-Moroccan hotspot Zizou is as much fun to eat at as it is to say. They are hosting a new evening market party with the chance to eat, drink, dance, and shop from local artisans, like LGBTQ+-owned clothing brand For Your Viewing Pleasure.

  • Friday, August 23, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

    Picture of hands holding a cut in half burger.
    (
    Courtesy of Barney's Beanery
    /
    )

    Cookies, ice cream, AND burgers? Sign me up. Lei’d Cookies, Sad Girl Creamery, and Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood are creating a cheat day dinner of your dreams, complete with custom ice cream sandwiches and Juicy Lucy burgers. Burgers will be half-off, and ice cream sandwich flavors will include guava jam ice cream, with cookie options like chocolate chip, ube matcha, and guava goat cheese. One night only!

  • Friday, August 23, 2024 from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM

    digital flyer with green and white letter for Nice Coffee
    (
    Courtesy of Nice Coffee Roasters
    /
    )

    I tried and failed all of quarantine to perfect a tulip on my morning coffee, so I’m back to leaving that to the barista experts. To see those who had a more successful lock down than me in the coffee department, check out the Nice Coffee Roasters amateur latte art competition going down Friday night. Last sign up is at 7 p.m.

  • Sunday, August 25, 2024 at 10:00 AM

    Smorgasburg.jpg
    Smorgasburg in DTLA.
    (
    Courtesy of Smorgasburg
    /
    )

    It’s a BBQ throwdown at Smorgasburg featuring all your favorite vendors, past and present. Smoked delights from  @hornbarbecue, @welocol, @smokequeenbbq,  @blacksugarribco, and more will be served.

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