Best things to do this weekend in Los Angeles and Southern California: May 29-31

Two of the heaviest of heavy classical music hitters — cellist Yo Yo Ma and L.A. Phil conductor Gustavo Dudamel — take the stage at Disney Hall Thursday and Saturday for a world premiere performance, but even if you can’t score a coveted seat this week, let this serve as your reminder that your days left to see Dudamel as he prepares to depart for the New York Philharmonic are closing in swiftly. But have no fear, the Venezuelan maestro will be back for several performances a year, and the L.A. Phil just made the exciting announcement that conductor Daniel Harding will be taking over as music director for the 2027-2028 season (fun fact: he’s also an Air France pilot!). Plus, there are plenty of classical summer nights at the Hollywood Bowl on the horizon.

Licorice Pizza has your rock 'n' roll picks for the weekend. Friday, Ladytron is at the Novo; the Last Dinner Party plays the Orpheum; Violet Grohl (yes, daughter of Dave) is at the Moroccan Lounge, while Spike Hellis is at Que Sera; and the big Slide Away 2026 shoegaze festival, featuring Hum, Nothing, Chapterhouse and more, takes over the Palladium Friday and Saturday.

Other Saturday shows include Pitbull and Lil Jon getting low at the Hollywood Bowl; We Are Scientists performing their classic album With Love and Squalor in full at the Troubadour. Fat, Evil Children featuring Truman Sinclair is at the Roxy, and the all-star Jesse Colin Young Tribute concert “Get Together Now!” is at the Orpheum. Plus, Lords of Acid with Mz Neon and Princess Superstar are at the Echoplex. Sunday’s rock ‘n’ roll extravaganza at the Roxy features Licorice Pizza’s Kelsy Karter & The Heroines with Frankie and the Studs.

Elsewhere on LAist, you can avoid getting scammed on a World Cup ticket and make your plan to vote in next Tuesday’s primaries.

Events

L.A. County Fair + NEXTfest

Through Sunday, May 31, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. 
1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona
COST: FROM $19.50; MORE INFO

The L.A. County Fair wraps up this weekend, as does its accompanying music fair, NEXTfest. Catch the last of the blue-ribbon-winning bakes and jams, carnival games, farm animal visiting and the new band showcase before they're gone. On Sunday, catch L.A.-based Latin pop duo MYRANDAS, KCRW DJ Raul Campos and many more.

Scuba Show

Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31
Long Beach Convention Center 
300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach 
COST: FROM $33; MORE INFO 

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Bobbi Wu

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Unsplash

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Whether you’re like me (a warm-water, vacation-only scuba diver), a technical obsessive who heads to the Catalina kelp forests, or a brand-new beginner, the Scuba Show in Long Beach will get you ready for your next underwater adventure. The weekend-long convention has a discovery pool to try scuba, all the dive gear you could want to check out and a full schedule of talks from marine biologists, explorers, photographers and enthusiasts.

Tia Chucha’s Celebrating Words Art and Literacy Festival

Saturday, May 30, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
11200 Herrick Ave., Pacoima 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore

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Venture to Pacoima for this long-running art and literacy festival featuring fun workshops like cyanotyping (sun prints), tattoo-inspired button-making, mini-zine creation and more. Plus, you'll find local food options, book giveaways and vinyl tunes from DJ Linda Nuves.

Hell’s Kitchen 

Through Sunday, June 21
Pantages 
6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
COST: FROM $49; MORE INFO

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Marc J. Franklin

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Broadway in Hollywood

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The Alicia Keys songbook gets the stage treatment in this first tour of the popular Broadway show, with music and lyrics by Keys and directed by Tony winner Michael Greif (RENT). Opening Thursday at the Pantages, the show follows a teenager named Ali finding her voice in the big city. I hear she’s … on fire.

Lucha VaVoom de La Liz

Saturday, May 30, 8 p.m.  
Fox Theater
301 S. Garey Ave., Pomona 
COST: FROM $60.95; MORE INFO

Mexican wrestling-inspired variety extravaganza Lucha VaVoom de La Liz is back at the Fox Theater in Pomona (make a day of it after the fair!). Featuring world-class lucha libre-style wrestling, award-winning burlesque, death-defying aerialists, comedy legends, live music, classic lowriders, visual art and more, the show has a "Drinko de Mayo" theme this time around.

Migration Celebration

Saturday, May 30, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Ballona Discovery Park
13110 Bluff Creek Drive, Playa Vista
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

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Friends of Ballona Wetlands

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Take a freshwater marsh tour, enjoy a performance from the Bob Baker Marionettes and see a raptor presentation at the Friends of Ballona Wetlands Migration Celebration at Ballona Discovery Park in Playa Vista. Let your inner birdwatcher roam free (no Antarctic birdwatching cruise necessary!) and get to know the beauty of the birds right here at home in the Ballona Wetlands.

Home is a Hotel screening in Costa Mesa and Burbank

Thursday, May 28, 6:30 p.m. (Costa Mesa);  Friday, May 29, 6:30 p.m. (Burbank)
PBS SoCal Studios 
3080 Bristol St., #100, Costa Mesa
2900 W. Alameda Ave., Suite 500, Burbank
COST: FREE; MORE INFO 

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Courtesy PBS SoCal

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Join PBS SoCal for two free local screenings of the new documentary, Home Is a Hotel. The film takes viewers inside single room occupancy (SRO) housing “through intimate portraits of San Francisco residents, filmed over six years, in their search for a place to call home.” Check out the trailer here.

Walking Altadena 

Saturday, May 30, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 
Bob Lucas Memorial Library 
2659 Lincoln Ave., Altadena 
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Students from UCLA’s Department of Architecture and Urban Design will take visitors through a two-hour interactive exhibition, inviting public feedback on projects and proposals that imagine a rebuilt and reinvigorated post-fire Altadena.