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Best things to do this week in Los Angeles and Southern California: April 13-16
Maydan Market hosts a food panel Monday, followed by a Tawle meal.
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Sierra Prescott
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Maydan Market
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Two big cultural spots in L.A. are going to be closed for a while — the La Brea Tar Pits and the Getty Center are both about to undergo extensive renovations ahead of the 2028 Olympics. So it’s a good thing we have all these new spaces opening, like LACMA’s David Geffen Galleries, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, and Dataland, to keep us occupied. Kudos on the smart timing, arts administration friends!
Whether you’re recovering from Coachella or heading out for weekend two or neither, there’s plenty of music in town this week. Licorice Pizza recommends outlaw country legend Dale Watson at Zebulon on Monday, while on Tuesday, Lykke Li is at the Fonda and Herbie Hancock plays Disney Hall. On Wednesday, local heroes Redd Kross bring their "peach kelli pop" to the Lodge Room, Swae Lee plays the Novo, Wet Leg catches these fists at the Fox Theater Pomona, coldwave duo Lebanon Hanover plays their first of two nights at the Vermont Hollywood and Grammy-winning jazz diva Samara Joy plays the first of two nights at Blue Note.
Elsewhere on LAist, you can get the latest on Olympics ticket drops, find out how you can help the Aquarium of the Pacific save a beloved sea turtle and check out the best empanadas across L.A.
Events
English
Through Sunday, April 26
The Wallis
9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills
COST: FROM $53; MORE INFO
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KEVIN PARRY
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Sponsored message
The Pulitzer Prize-winning play English, by Orange County’s own Sanaz Toossi, is clever, poignant and utterly original. The play is set in a TOEFL class in Tehran in 2008, where a sparse classroom serves as the setting for an intergenerational, cross-cultural conversation that explores the feelings of being an outsider while considering and reconsidering what is home. The show is almost entirely in English; in a genius move, the actors seamlessly use their fluent, comfortable American accents when “speaking” Farsi and more stilted English when in the classroom. Knud Adams directs the production, which comes to the Wallis straight from Broadway and stars most of the original cast.
Punk for the People, Vol. 2: Punk Movements
Tuesday, April 14, 7 p.m.
Bovard Auditorium
3551 Trousdale Parkway, University Park
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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USC Visions and Voices
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Eventbrite
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NYC sometimes gets all the credit for being the home of punk rock, but L.A.’s punk history is loud and clear. Fans won’t want to miss this free panel with USC’s Visions and Voices, featuring punk legend Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, queercore icon Bruce LaBruce, filmmaker and AfroPunk Festival founder James Spooner and Limp Wrist singer Martin Sorrondeguy.
Sponsored message
Kenny Harris
Through Saturday, May 2
Billis/Williams Gallery
2716 S. La Cienega Blvd., Culver City
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Kenny Harris
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Billis/Williams Gallery
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I know I’m a little biased, having lived in Venice all these years, but Kenny Harris’ paintings make my little neighborhood feel dreamy, historic and real all at once. This solo show at Billis/Williams Gallery in Culver City is just a stone's throw from the real-life beach and canal scenes that Harris so lovingly depicts.
Going to Extremes: A John Waters 80th Birthday Celebration
Tuesday, April 14, 8 p.m.
The Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State LA
5151 State University Drive, Monterey Park
COST: FROM $50; MORE INFO
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John Waters brings his show “Going to Extremes” to The Luckman on April 14, 2026.
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Greg Gorman
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Weird and wonderful John Waters turns 80 this year, and if you caught the Academy Museum exhibit on his work, you won’t want to miss this live birthday extravaganzalive birthday extravaganza honoring Baltimore’s most out-there filmmaker. Waters himself will be there to reflect on eight decades of “gleeful provocation” and share the stories and inspirations that shaped his career.
Fowler Talks: Decolonizing Philippine History, Rethinking Ifugao and Indigeneity
Wednesday, April 15, 6 p.m.
Fowler Museum UCLA
308 Charles E. Young Dr. N., Westwood
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Paul Connor
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The Fowler Museum at UCLA
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The newest exhibit at the Fowler, Mountain Spirits, looks at the world of the Ifugao people in northern Luzon. It just opened this past weekend, and along with it comes a series of talks delving into Filipino culture and history. This one features archaeologist Stephen Acabado and community leader Marlon Martin exploring how rice terraces flourished as acts of resistance to colonial intrusion, highlighting agriculture, ritual exchange and environmental design as adaptive systems that continue to shape contemporary climate discourse.
Sponsored message
Lunchtime Concerts at Colburn
Tuesdays through May 4, 12 p.m.
Colburn Plaza
200 S. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Colburn School
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Your most chill lunch hour is back. Grab your sandwich and head to Colburn Plaza for free weekly classical concerts with the musicians of the Colburn School, supported by the Downtown L.A. Alliance.
American Food (R)evolution panel
Monday, April 13, 4:30 p.m.
Maydan Market
4301 W. Jefferson Blvd., West Adams
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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Ashley Randall Photography
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Maydan Market
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Chef Sean Sherman was a pioneer in bringing indigenous cooking into mainstream fine dining with his groundbreaking Minneapolis restaurant Owamni. Lucky for us, he’s in town for a conversation moderated by L.A. Taco’s Javier Cabral, alongside Maydan founder and chef Rose Previte, chef Alfonso “Poncho” Martinez and activist Odilia Romero of Lugya’h. They’ll discuss Sherman’s new book, Turtle Island, and the “intersection of culture, identity, and politics through the lens of food.” A dinner at Maydan (separate reservation and payment required) will follow, where Previte, Martinez and Sherman will host a one-night-only communal “Tawle” feast, featuring Maydan’s signature Middle Eastern dishes alongside special, fire-based creations from Sherman and Martinez, celebrating Indigenous American and Zapotec cuisines.
Reservations for the dinner are available here.
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Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
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