Best things to do this weekend in Los Angeles and Southern California: February 21 - 23

Come for the art; stay for the fashion and the celeb-spotting. The annual Frieze Art Fair gets bigger and bigger every year, taking over Santa Monica’s Barker Hanger with work from more than 65 galleries around the world, special immersive exhibitions, artist talks, champagne pours, outside installations, and more all weekend long.

The festive spirit spills over into food trucks and stalls outside the fair, incredible people watching, and an art community you thought only existed in New York and London. You were wrong. It’s here and it’s really, really fun; I have started to look forward to it to brighten the February doldrums every year.

While there, make sure to check out 2025 Impact winner Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez’s work; he’s an accomplished street artist, and his show at the fair highlights the “beauty, strength and resilience of migrant workers, street vendors and Indigenous cultures.” Many galleries around the city — mostly centered in Downtown L.A., Melrose Hill, and West Hollywood — also coordinate openings with Frieze, so check out 13ThingsLA or CurateLA and make an art walk evening of it this weekend!

Arcane Space (Feb. 14 - Mar. 2)
324 Sunset Ave., Venice

One Hundred Percent (Feb. 14 - 22)
619 Western Ave., Melrose Hill

Out of the Ashes (Feb. 19 - Mar. 1)
Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Ave., Building F2, Santa Monica

Mudroom (Feb. 20 - Mar. 22)
Foyer-LA, 970 N. Broadway St., Chinatown

Can’t afford a big ticket item at Frieze (or even a pricey ticket to Frieze)? Save your pennies for art that supports Grief x Hope, a charity that has risen up post-fires to directly support Los Angeles artists.

No matter where you are in the city, there’s an art event for you showcasing L.A. artists and giving back to the community at the same time. There’s no shortage of creativity on display, from Arcane Space’s small but wide-ranging show in Venice, featuring artists like embroidery from Domino Whisker and an iconic Ed Ruscha piece, to Foyer-LA’s exhibit that’s on for most of March, with dozens of artists who’ve participated in the galleries' shows in recent years to work One Hundred Percent in Melrose Hill and Out of the Ashes at Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station.

After a delay due to the Taper slowing down productions post-pandemic, we’re finally able to see Fake It Until You Make It, Larissa FastHorse’s much-anticipated follow-up to her acclaimed The Thanksgiving Play (2023). The new comedy takes place in the nonprofit world (ahem, we wouldn’t know anything about that around here…) and stars Julie Bowen (Modern Family) as River, a white woman who works at a Native American organization.

For Black History Month, FORT: L.A. has curated a new self-guided trail through West Adams, showcasing homes, hidden gems, and the designers who have shaped Los Angeles' built environment. This one is curated by Tequila Mockingbird and takes walkers through West Adams musicians' houses to share their rich musical and cultural legacy. It takes you past former homes of iconic Black musicians, celebrating their artistry and resilience.

Connect with fellow book lovers at this free event bringing together local authors, publishers, journals, and literary nonprofits. There will be a number of panels, including one on immigration with Jason de León, Natalia Molina and Jesse Katz, moderated by Gustavo Arellano, plus a conversation on Altadena’s history as a community for Black artists, and a table where you can make your own zine. The day is a partnership between the Culver City Arts Foundation, Village Well Books & Coffee, El Martillo Press, Beyond Baroque, the Wende Museum and the City of Culver City.

Iconic choreographer Twyla Tharp has been pushing the boundaries of dance for decades. Now, on her 60th-anniversary tour, she brings her 1998 piece set to Beethoven’s “Diabelli Variations” to the Soraya as well as new work with music from contemporary composer Philip Glass. Vladimir Rumyantsev accompanies on piano.

Celebrate Black History Month with the LGBT Center as a day of care features meditation, acupuncture, massage, food from Bridgetown Roti and much more. Designed as a day “by and for Black Queer Folx,” the gathering has taken on a special meaning after the wildfires and hopes to center “healing, restoration, and collective care.”

Walk, bike, blade, but don’t drive! CicLAvia celebrates its 58th car-free, open streets event with "West Adams meets University Park," connecting La Brea and Vermont Aves along Jefferson Blvd and on Vermont Ave between Jefferson and Exposition Boulevards on Sunday afternoon. Plenty of activities for all ages will be available at stops along the route.

In a previous life, I hosted a pirate radio show in San Francisco, so this new documentary is a particularly exciting story for me — and anyone who longs for a simpler time on the airwaves. L.A.’s pirate radio station KBLT was at its height in the late '90s and footage from that era is the subject of 40 Watts From Nowhere, showing at the 2025 Slamdance festival this Saturday and Monday. The film is the story of a young woman “who loved music but hated commercial radio” and her fledgling operation grew into a station that eventually hosted live performances by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and more. It’s a unique slice of L.A. music history captured on film.

Like an over-the-top s’more, Kith Treats has collaborated with skate shoe brand Vans for their latest ice cream treat. "The Marshmallow" features vanilla ice cream infused with Choco Pie, Golden Grahams, and Toffee Crunch, topped with toasted mini marshmallows, a caramel drizzle, and finished with Maldon salt. The Marshmallow will be available at all Kith Treats locations while supplies last.

Try your hand at an Ayurveda cooking workshop focused on immunity-building foods and the chance to meet and connect with fellow cooking enthusiasts. The menu includes whole wheat paratha with potato filling, yogurt mixed with beets, cilantro, spices and gram flour balls, cilantro mint chutney, and rice kheer.

Eat your heart out at a Soul Food Sunday Lunch with proceeds going to the Altadena community affected by the devastating wildfires. There’s a Soul Food Sunday service at 11 a.m., followed by a BBQ lunch from Chef Antonio (Tone) from Altadena. The menu will feature: BBQ pork ribs, BBQ chicken, BBQ rib tips, beef hot links, mac and cheese, BBQ baked beans, collard greens, potato salad and salad. There will be a limited vegan option as well.

Jersey City pizza master (and James Beard-nominee) Dan Richer (Razza) hosts a special pizza lunch at Mozza. Richer wrote the pizza bible The Joy of Pizza: Everything You Need to Know and was named Pizza Maker of the Year by Italy’s 50 Top Pizza. Yum.