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Best things to do this weekend in LA and Southern California: April 18 - 20
Sunday is Easter!
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Our Picks
Last weekend, I celebrated Passover in the backyard of friends in Venice with more than 70 people from a wide range of backgrounds, Jewish and not. It was filled with songs and poems, a reminder of all the community we build across neighborhoods, traditions and families. We might not have real seasons in L.A., but it felt like spring and like some hope was finally here.
Continuing on that theme as we head into Easter weekend, there are dozens of events around the area for holiday fun with kids (and without!), plus joyful music and indulgent brunches. I can’t help you if you’re hunting for a VIP pass at the Polo Field, but if it’s Easter eggs you’re after, we’ve got you.
For more to explore, visit LAist.com, where you can grab tickets to Saturday’s Go Fact Yourself Live, read about how movie theaters are adapting in the streaming age and uncover the mystery of the 40-mile gap in my personal favorite freeway-that-is-barely-a-freeway, the 90.
Events
April 19-20
Easter egg hunts
Multiple locations
COST: VARIES
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From the Mar Vista Easter Egg Hunt to the Rustic Canyon Spring Festival, from the Love Animal Sanctuary in Sun Valley to Cheviot Hills, Main St. Santa Monica, Rancho Palos Verdes, and pretty much every other neighborhood in the city and beyond, you can find a fun outdoor spot to meet the Easter Bunny, hunt for eggs, eat all the chocolate and celebrate spring Saturday and Sunday. Check exact times for each, and happy hunting!
April 18-20
Wild for the Planet
L.A. Zoo
5333 Zoo Drive, Griffith Park
COST: MOST EVENTS FREE WITH PAID ADMISSION; MORE INFO
Move over, Bad Bunny; make way for Big Bunny as the L.A. Zoo celebrates Earth Day and Easter with special events all weekend. Photo ops with Big Bunny, performances from 3rd Rock Hip Hop, story time with the “Grumpy Monkey” creators, an Earth Expo with community and conservation groups, and of course special animal events with zoo staff are all on tap.
Saturday, April 19, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
DragonMarsh Peep Show
Riverside Main Library
3900 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
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As someone who has been obsessed with the Washington Post’s annual Peep diorama contest for years, this event in Riverside sounds like the ideal in-person West Coast version. In its 16th year, the DragonMarsh Peep Show showcases handmade scenes with the lovable marshmallows, as well as a Peep Museum (featuring a — yikes — petrified Peep), plus games, tastings and more. There’s even a best-dressed contest and you must be wearing a Peep in some, erm, fashion.
Friday, April 18, 7 p.m.
AC/DC
Rose Bowl
1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena
FROM $129; MORE INFO
Brian Johnson during AC/DC Pwr Up World Tour at Johan Cruyff Arena on June 5, 2024.
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BSR Agency
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Get ready to be shook all night long as AC/DC brings their Power Up tour to the Rose Bowl. The Australian '80s hard rockers are still at it, touring behind their latest album and keeping themselves and the rest of us young.
Sunday, April 20, 7 p.m.
Baths
The Echo
1822 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park
COST: $27.50; MORE INFO
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Perhaps at the complete opposite end of the music spectrum of AC/DC — but we aim to please here at Best Things to Do — electronic musician (and Tarzana native) Baths performs his unique brand of experimental sounds at the Echo. The show closes out the headlining tour for his new album Gut, which was on Pitchfork’s most anticipated albums of the year list.
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Saturday, April 19, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
BlissIn Out: Bloom into Spring
Electric Lodge
1416 Electric Ave., Venice
COST: FROM $29.34; MORE INFO
Soundbath, music, mindfulness and CBD-infused granola (and sober options too) — what better way to ease into a new season? Musician Jeremy Cone provides the tunes for this soulful evening at Venice’s Electric Lodge.
Sunday, April 20, 7:30 p.m.
Cory Henry presents: Church
The Miracle Theatre
226 S. Market St., Inglewood
COST: FROM $29; MORE INFO
Spend Easter Sunday in Inglewood with Grammy-winning gospel artist Cory Henry. The Miracle Theater (apropos name!) hosts Henry for a one-night-only, all-ages show highlighting his latest album Church (like I said, on theme for Easter!). Plus, Henry is offering free tickets to families affected by the Eaton Fire.
Weekends through May 5
Aristotle/Alexander
Company of Angels
1350 San Pablo St., Lincoln Park
COST: $40; MORE INFO
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Alexander the Great and Aristotle go head to head in this play by Ovation Award winner Alex Lyras at Company of Angels. Hitting on themes relevant to today (ahem, democracy), the show uses original texts brought to life with music and innovative immersive video elements on stage.
Outdoor Pick
Saturday, April 19, 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Earth Day 2025 celebration + Griffith Park Explorer kickoff
4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Griffith Park
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Hikers utilize the trails at Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
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Andrew Cullen
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LAist
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Fifteen new trails are opening at Griffith Park, and this Earth Day event with local officials is their big debut. Join volunteers in planting native flora at the Griffith Park Visitor Center, and learn more about environmental programming and stewardship opportunities.
Viewing Pick
Friday, April 18, 8 p.m.
Los Feliz Social Club: The Lost Boys
LOOK Dine-In Cinemas
128 Artsakh Ave., Glendale
COST: $23.18; MORE INFO
The Coreys (Haim and Feldman), Alex Winter, Jason Patric, and of course, Kiefer Sutherland are forever teenagers in Joel Schumacher’s 1987 vampire cult classic, The Lost Boys. The movie made a character out of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and inspired a string of sequels. Tickets benefit Neighborhood Housing Services of L.A., and even if you can’t make this one, Los Feliz Social Club is consistently programming fun events in the neighborhood, so give them a follow.
Dine & Drink Deals
April 18-19, 7 p.m. & 10 p.m.
Zimbabwe Dinner Series
Flavors from Afar
5652 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
COST: $81.88; MORE INFO
Chef Kuda Grace honors the land, traditions and stories of Zimbabwe with a meal that is accompanied by music played on traditional Zimbabwean instruments. The unique night includes dishes like Kiwano horned hale salad, sadza (sorghum) with bean stew, goat stew and masawu pie with housemade vegan vanilla ice cream.
Sunday, April 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Put an Egg on Everything Day: Caviar Edition
Smorgasburg
777 S. Alameda St., Downtown L.A.
COST: VARIES; MORE INFO
Leave it to Smorgasburg to take Easter eggs up a notch. Enjoy caviar on almost everything at the weekly food fair at downtown’s the Row for their annual Put an Egg on Everything Day: Caviar Edition. Eggs are pricey; eat caviar instead!
Through April 20
Greek Easter at Zaytinya
8801 Washington Blvd., Culver City
COST: $55; MORE INFO
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Katrina Frederick
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Celebrating the intersecting cultures and cuisines of Greece, Lebanon and Turkey, José Andrés’ Zaytinya is featuring a special four-course brunch this Easter, with options including spring pea tzatziki, dilly seared salmon, roasted asparagus with preserved lemon, and smoked lamb shoulder with lemon potatoes. There are also signature cocktails like the Medi, made with mastiha liqueur, yuzu, lavender-infused honey and cava bubbles.
Sunday, April 20
Easter Brunch at Habana
Costa Mesa and Irvine locations
COST: $65; MORE INFO
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Courtesy Habana
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Habana is hosting two Easter brunch experiences at its Orange County locations. In Costa Mesa, they will serve a three-course prix-fixe menu, and at the Irvine location, the buffet brunch includes a BBQ station, honey mustard ham, café con leche French toast and a selection of desserts. Plus, bottomless mimosas ($18), bellinis ($19) or sangria ($20).
Sunday, April 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Easter brunch & bubbles
Pasea Hotel and Spa
21080 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach
COST: $140.56, AGES 5-12 $71.21, KIDS 4 AND UNDER FREE; MORE INFO
Pasea is hosting brunch in the ballroom with seafood, breakfast favorites and more — plus an outdoor egg hunt on the Ocean Lawn, playful Easter-themed activities for kids, live entertainment, pictures with the Easter bunny and bottomless mimosas.
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