Best Things To Do This Weekend In Los Angeles And SoCal: July 14 - 16

Watch LGBTQ+ films at Outfest (in air-conditioned theaters). Explore action sports, farm exhibits and fried foods at the OC Fair. Attend the Colorado Bridge Party. Catch Sparks at their hometown show with They Might Be Giants.

Events

Friday, July 14 - Monday, Aug. 13

Orange County Fair
OC Fair & Event Center
88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa
The fair opens this week, meaning it’s time to indulge in all those deep-fried foods. Plus, there are carnival rides, a petting zoo, games, action sports (demolition derby, rodeos and Monster Trucks), concerts (including Smokey Robinson, Gerardo Ortiz, Beck/Phoenix, Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke and Mario), exhibitions and farming workshops. The OC Fair is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission tickets must be purchased in advance. Some concerts and entertainment require additional ticket purchases.
COST: $9 - $15 admission; MORE INFO 

Through Sunday, July 23

Outfest
Several Venues in Los Angeles
The Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival opens tonight (Thursday) at the Orpheum Theatre with a screening of Aitch Alberto’s much-anticipated Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, based on a YA novel by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. It closes with a gala screening of Sav Rodgers’ feature documentary Chasing Chasing Amy, which focuses on Kevin Smith’s 1997 film's impact on their life. In between the bookend films, catch films such as Perpetrator, Jennifer Reeder's “coming-of-age, feminist horror-noir,” Vera Drew’s The People’s Joker and Bottoms, starring Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby) and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) as queer high school seniors who try and lose their virginity and slough off the loser mantle.
COST: $16 - $135 for individual tickets, passes available; MORE INFO

The BrownBoyz, left, Brother Smack, right, perform at OCMA on Friday.

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Scott Lehman / Spencer Owens

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Courtesy of OCMA

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Friday, July 14; 8 - 10:30 p.m.

Big Night Out: Transcendence
Orange County Museum of Art
3333 Avenue of the Arts., Costa Mesa
Dance under the stars and see the latest exhibitions at OCMA on Friday night with live music from The Brown Boyz and Brother Smack. Sip on specialty cocktails inspired by outdoor sculpture Sanford Biggers: Of many waters…, and desserts by Scooter’s Italian Ice. The galleries are open late to view the current shows, Alice Neel: Feels Like Home, Yu Ji: A Guest, A Host, A Ghost, and Tony Lewis: Casual T.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

Friday, July 14 - Monday, Oct. 9

Benjamin Mkapa African Wildlife Photography Awards Exhibition
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM)
900 Exhibition Blvd., Exposition Park
Through the African Wildlife Foundation and Nature’s Best Photography partnership, catch the West Coast premiere of an exhibition of works from the 2022 Benjamin Mkapa African Wildlife Photography Awards. Honoring the late African leader H.E. Benjamin Mkapa, the exhibit showcases more than 40 award-winning photos and videos of African wildlife as well as the challenges many species face today.
COST: Included with museum admission, $7 - $18; MORE INFO

The Dutch National Ballet performs 'Frida,' choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochua at the Music Center.

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HANS GERRITSEN

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Courtesy of the Dutch National Ballet

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Friday, July 14 - Sunday, July 16

Dutch National Ballet's Frida
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
135 N. Grand Ave.
The Music Center presents the debut performance of the largest dance company in the Netherlands and the U.S. premiere of Frida. Choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa with composer Peter Salem brings the life story of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo to the stage.
COST: Tickets start at $34; MORE INFO

Saturday, July 15; 6 - 11:30 p.m.

2023 Colorado Street Bridge Party
Defenders Park 
Corner of Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena
Following a five-year hiatus, Pasadena Heritage’s Bridge Party returns. Celebrate the iconic Pasadena location and learn about efforts to preserve it. The night features live music from the Jimbonaires, Upstream, Mercy and the Merkettes, and Art Deco Entertainment; dancing; vintage and rare cars; kid-friendly activities; and foods, beverages and cocktails from local eateries like Mijares Mexican Restaurant, Robin’s Wood Fire BBQ, Pam’s Sweet Shack and Funnel Cakes; Craftsman Brewing and Eagle Rock Brewery.
COST: $33 - $38. Children 12 and younger get in free; MORE INFO

Saturday, July 15 - Sunday, July 16

The B-boy and B-Girl Summit: Strictly Bboy Bgirl Business
Plummer Park - Fiesta Hall (Saturday)
1166 N. Vista St., West Hollywood

Gloria Molina Grand Park (Sunday)
200 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.
The annual summit — this year named Strictly Bboy Bgirl Business — pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. The weekend begins with the launch and panel discussion of two books: The Oxford Handbook of Hip Hop Dance Studies and The Birth of Breaking: Hip Hop History From the Floor Up at Village Well Books on Friday. At Plummer Park and at Grand Park, listen to panel discussions and workshops, and watch dancers, rappers, artists and other performers battle and riff throughout the weekend. Sunday’s performers include Prince Paul and EPMD.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Setup LA presents a comedy show at The Stowaway in downtown L.A. on Saturday night.

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Courtesy Setup LA

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Saturday, July 15; 8 p.m.

The Setup at The Stowaway
The Stowaway
416 S. Spring St., downtown L.A. 
There’s a new comedy show in downtown L.A. every first and third Saturday in the basement cocktail lounge/piano bar of El Dorado Lofts. This week, watch comedians including Sarah Weinshenk, Chinedu Unaka and Andrew Lopez. The show is 21+.
COST: $20; MORE INFO

Saturday, July 15 - Saturday, Aug. 26

Hank Willis Thomas: I've Known Rivers
Pace Gallery
1201 S. LaBrea Ave., Mid-Wilshire
Attend the opening of an exhibition of new works by Hank Willis Thomas. I’ve Known Rivers marks the artist’s first with the gallery, showcasing new retroreflective artworks that unveil latent images, depending on lighting and the viewer’s perspective. The opening reception takes place on Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Saturday, July 15 - Sunday, July 16

42nd Lotus Festival
Echo Park Lake
752 Echo Park Ave., Echo Park 
Celebrate the people and culture of Asia and the Pacific Islands at the annual festival this year hosted by Indonesia. Watch cultural dances and entertainment, shop from artisans, boutiques, and community booths while you cheer on dragon boat racers and indulge in food court offerings.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Saturday, July 15; 6:30 p.m.

Yachtley Crew / Wayward Sons 
Starlight Bowl
1249 Lockheed View Drive, Burbank 
Listen to the soft rock and power ballads of the 1970s and ’80s in the able hands of these Yacht Rock purveyors. Wayward Sons, a power chord outfit that plays tunes from Journey, Queen, Bon Jovi, Styx, Def Leppard and Guns N Roses, opens the night of music under the stars — in the heart of Burbank.
COST: $12 -$100; MORE INFO

Saturday, July 15; 5 p.m.

Red Bull Batalla: Los Angeles Qualifier
Don Quixote
2811 E. Olympic Blvd., Boyle Heights
The Spanish freestyle rap battle comes to L.A. for a qualifying round in Red Bull’s global competition. Racso and Lui-gii Zomber host the battle — a 1:1 bracketed event — with Spanish-language rap lyricists vying for a chance to get to the national finals in Dallas.
COST: $10; MORE INFO

Saturday, July 15; 4 - 9 p.m.

Frida La Experiencia
Plaza La Alameda 
2140 Florence Ave., Walnut Park
Families are invited to an entertainment experience held in honor of artist Frida Kahlo. Presented by Primestor Development, the night features live music, art, cultural dances and theater performances, plus a local artisan pop-up market of 20 Frida-themed vendors and a traditional Oaxacan parade. 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Sunday, July 16; 7:30 p.m.

Sparks / They Might Be Giants 
Hollywood Bowl
2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood 
The alt-pop duo Sparks (Ron and Russell Mael) and stars of the recent documentary The Sparks Brothers play a hometown show at the Bowl. They Might Be Giants opens the Sunday Sunset Concert.
COST: Tickets start at $15; MORE INFO

Go birding this weekend in Malibu Creek State Park, where the TV show M*A*S*H was filmed in the 1970s.

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Robert Ruggiero

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Unsplash

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Outdoor Pick

San Fernando Valley Audubon Bird Walk
Go birding in Malibu Creek State Park boasts more than 8,000 acres of grass plains, woodlands and peaks. An organized bird-watching program and easy hike for beginners and seasoned birders is scheduled for Sunday, July 16 from 8 to 11 a.m. The SFV Audubon Society guides birders with finding and identifying some of the 200 bird species recorded in the park. Enter the park on the west side of Las Virgenes Road, just south of Mulholland Highway. Meet in the second (lower) day-use parking lot. Parking is $12 per car; MORE INFO

Viewing Pick

Heat Eaters with Chef Esther Choi
The online food-culture magazine and YouTube channel First We Feast has launched Heat Eaters, a spicy food adventure with host and chef Esther Choi. The series follows Choi as she searches cities high and low and eats her way through the world's spiciest cuisines. In the premiere episode, which is available online now, Choi takes her friends on a tour through L.A.’s Ktown in L.A. for stops at Hanshin Pocha for spicy-laced dakbal chicken feet; at Soban for yangnyeom-gejang fermented raw crab and tteokbokki with a spice blend at Yupdduk. New episodes of the series air Mondays at 1 p.m. on the First We Feast YouTube channel.

Arth Bar + Kitchen in Culver City presents a Bollywood Brunch on Saturday, July 15.

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Tonelson

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Courtesy of Arth Bar + Kitchen

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Dine and Drink Deals

• Eventbrite wants you to get out from July 14 to 23 for GTFO and Eat Week — their own take on Restaurant Week. Choose from Eventbrite's select culinary events and experiences around L.A., all at special discounted prices. Events include an intro sushi class in Westlake Village, a Beverly High Rye Whiskey tasting in WeHo or a handmade dumpling party in Eagle Rock. 
• Sage Plant Based Bistro has remodeled its Echo Park craft brewery, not only offering beers, seltzers and kombuchas made in-house but also artisan farm fresh cocktails. The grand opening party for Table 16 (1702 Sunset Blvd.) takes place on Saturday, July 15 at 8 p.m. after the Lotus Fest, featuring DJs and the launch of new cocktails. 
• Now in its 13th year, the Little Saigon night market at the Asian Garden Mall in Westminster has returned for the summer. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 3, the Asian Garden Night Market in front of the mall offers Vietnamese food and drinks, including grilled octopus, pho and pork skewers, clothing, and dry goods. The market is open from 7 to 11 p.m.  
• Just in time for the heatwave, Ice Cream Alley returns to Smorgasburg in downtown L.A. on Sunday, July 16, which just happens to be National Ice Cream Day. Cool off with treats from SadGirl Creamery, Creamo, Scoops on Tap, McConnell's, Happy Ice, Creamy Boys, Kinrose Creamery, 626 Hospitality Group, Moom Maam and Nobuko Shave Ice. The Alley is open through Labor Day weekend, with visitors helping decide which vendor takes over former vendor Wanderlust’s permanent spot at Smorgasburg. 
• Culver City’s Arth Bar + Kitchen holds a Bollywood Brunch on Saturday, July 15 from 11:30 am to 2:30 PM. Indulge in unlimited street food items and traditional dishes, accompanied by a music soundtrack from DJ Viren. The menu includes pad bhaji (vegetable curry served with buttered bread);  kheema pan, made with seasoned ground chicken served with buttered bread; mint chicken tikka, vegetable or chicken biryani, a masala omelet and waffles. The brunch is  a steal at $35 per person, or $55 for unlimited food and bottomless mimosas.
• Bastille Day, the national day of France, commemorates the fall of the Bastille prison in Paris during the French Revolution on July 14, 1789. Several restaurants are celebrating the holiday with special meals and dishes, so bon appétit! 
  
  • Caviar Kaspia in the Beverly Grove neighborhood offers all-day $10 French 75s, a $35 bouillabaisse and happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m.
  • Violet Bistro in Westwood has a Bastille Day menu, including bouillabaisse, plateau de fruits de mer, ratatouille and sweet mango crêpes, which will be available from Friday, July 14 through Sunday, July 16.
  • The Michelin-starred modern French bistro Camphor in downtown L.A.’s Arts District offers a one-day-only Bastille Day menu on Friday. Taste French classics including the baguette and butter, oysters and clams, steak and frites, scallops, strawberry tart, and an assortment of signature cocktails including the ki-oui slush.