Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
Amoeba Records returns. Magic Mountain reopens. A bunch of museums welcome visitors. The casts and creatives of Lovecraft Country, The Queen's Gambit and Ted Lasso lead PaleyFest LA. Trans and nonbinary authors discuss Shakespeare. The Easter Bunny brings pastel donuts.
Films.Dance: Sit Still
Since we still can't yet attend dance performances in person, the global film series continues screening international dance films. Check out a short film directed by Vincent René-Lortie featuring a 7-year-old krumper Adeline Kerry Cruz with choreography by Russell "Gutta" Ferguson. Watch on Films.Dance, Instagram and Facebook.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Elana Mann: Year of Wonders, redux
18th Street Arts Center
Airport Campus
3026 Airport Ave., Santa Monica
The Arts Center presents a solo exhibition at its Airport Gallery. Mann's exhibition features sculptural folk instruments, video and works on paper. The instruments reflect the time in which they were built, influenced by political changes, social movements and the global coronavirus pandemic. Open by appointment only, with COVID-19 protocols in place.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Happy Days: A Virtual Table Read
SAG-AFTRA teams up with People magazine for an online table read of a Happy Days episode. Henry Winkler leads a cast that features Glenn Close, Aldis Hodge, Eli Goree, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie Chung, John Carroll Lynch and Luke Newton. The event benefits the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and community. Watch on People.com, the PeopleTV app and People's social platforms.
COST: FREE, but donations encouraged; MORE INFO
The Story Pirates' Sleep Squad
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts offers a family-friendly, interactive virtual theater experience for kids ages 4-12. This is a new bedtime/naptime experience to send young "astronauts" on a dreamy adventure. The story can be enjoyed in one sitting or in three 15-minute segments. An add-on Dreamtime Travel Kit is also available for purchase.
COST: $19 - $34; MORE INFO
99 Seats Later
The Groundlings hosts a Zoom panel discussion featuring some of the women who helped launch the theater. Hear from Terry Bolo (Pee-wee's Big Adventure), Victoria Carroll Bell (The Incredible Hulk), Donna Dubain (7 Year Zig Zag), Phyllis Katz (Sherman Oaks), Suzanne Kent (Pee-wee's Playhouse), Laraine Newman (Coneheads), Tracy Newman (According to Jim), Lynne Marie Stewart (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Gloria Vassy (Pee-wee's Big Holiday). Moderated by current Main Company members Allison Dunbar (Dave) and Annie Sertich (Superstore).
COST: $10; MORE INFO
The Other Art Fair x Marquee TV Virtual Editions
A fair for emerging artists presents a virtual L.A. edition with more than 100 artists from around the world in a 3D environment (no headset required). In addition to interactive art and workshops, you can book 10-minute appointments with the artists themselves. Marquee TV, a performing arts streaming service, presents a selection of short films focused on dance and music.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
PaleyFest LA
PaleyFest LA is being held virtually this year with the casts and creatives of several shows including Lovecraft Country, The Queen's Gambit, Evil, Ted Lasso, What We Do in the Shadows and a 20th anniversary conversation on Six Feet Under. The programs will debut this week on the Paley Center's Yahoo Entertainment channel.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Godzilla vs. Kong
Adam Wingard's sci-fi action pic stars Alexander Skarsgard, Millie Bobby Brown and Rebecca Hall, who witness these mythic adversaries face off in a battle for the fate of the world. The film opens in theaters across Southern California, with both indoor and drive-in options available. For people who want to watch at home, the movie is also available to stream via HBO Max.
COST: Varies; MORE INFO
Trans & Non-Binary Shakespeare Panel
In honor of International Transgender Visibility Day, Book Soup presents an online discussion with contributors from That Way Madness Lies: 15 of Shakespeare's Most Notable Works Reimagined, in which 15 YA writers put a modern, reimagined spin on Shakespeare's classics. Look for Mark O'Shiro, Anne-Marie McLemore, AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
The 36th edition of the festival -- which boasts 47 world premieres and 37 U.S. premieres -- offers hybrid viewing from beachfront drive-ins to at-home streaming. The opening night film is Aaron Maurer's documentary Invisible Valley, which weaves together stories of undocumented farmworkers, wealthy snowbirds and music festival-goers in the Coachella Valley. This year's honorees and panelists include: Bill Murray, Sacha Baron Cohen, Amanda Seyfried, Riz Ahmed, Maria Bakalova, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Andra Day, Sidney Flanigan, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, Zendaya, Carey Mulligan and Delroy Lindo.
COST: Tickets $10 per streaming film, passes available; MORE INFO
My Octopus Teacher Q&A
The Oscar-nominated Netflix documentary, filmed over eight years, explores the bond between a man and an octopus living in a kelp forest off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. Listen to a Q&A with filmmakers James Reed and Pippa Ehrlich, moderated by fellow documentary filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
Big Balls Are Back
The Santa Monica Pier
380 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica
TBS celebrates the return of the TV show Wipeout on April 1 with a cheekily titled obstacle course starring the show's iconic big balls, which stand at 25 feet tall and 70 feet long. The touch-free, interactive installation will appear in the middle of the pier, allowing for photo ops and mock contestant-style interviews. Fans at the pier can also scan a QR code and enter the Wipeout Bracket Battle for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card and Wipeout swag.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
A Focus on Farm Workers: Cesar Chavez Day of Service
L.A. Works hosts a virtual advocacy workshop and supply drive in honor of Cesar Chavez Day. Learn about the policies impacting farmworkers, both before and during the pandemic. Hear from speakers including California State Senator María Elena Durazo, Alexis Guild of Farmworker Justice and Ricardo Castorena of Binational of Central California.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO
Natural History Museum Reopening
900 Exposition Blvd., Exposition Park
Wander the halls of the museum once again to get a closer look at dinosaurs, nature and L.A. history. The temporary exhibitions Rise Up L.A. and Insects of L.A. are now on view, and the Butterfly Pavilion is also open. Timed-entry tickets are required as is mask use.
COST: $7 - $15; MORE INFO
LACMA Reopens
5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art reopens to the public with new ticketing processes and enhanced health and safety protocols. On view are six new exhibitions and extended presentations of exhibitions that were temporarily closed last year including Cauleen Smith: Give It Or Leave It, Bill Viola: Slowly Turning Narrative and Yoshitomo Nara. The museum will also continue to provide online programs to enjoy at home.
COST: FREE - $25; MORE INFO
Amoeba Music Reopens
6200 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
If you've missed flipping through record and CD bins, Amoeba returns in a new location, as part of the Hollywood & Argyle "El Centro" complex. The store is giving opening-day visitors posters and commemorative silk-screened shirts. You must follow public health and safety guidelines, including social distancing and mandatory face coverings.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Six Flags Magic Mountain
26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy, Valencia
The Santa Clarita theme park reopens with rides on April 1 and 2 for members and passholders and on Saturday, April 3 to the general public. Tickets and reservations are available online to California Residents only. Safety protocols will be in place and guests and team members are required to wear masks.
COST: Single day tickets start at $45, passes start at $60; MORE INFO
The California African American Museum (CAAM) Exhibitions
600 State Dr., Exposition Park
CAAM reopened to the public this past weekend. Guests can visit the galleries Tuesdays through Sundays. Currently on view are the exhibitions Sula Bermúdez-Silverman: Neither Fish, Flesh, nor Fowl; Nikita Gale: PRIVATE DANCER; Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth.; Sanctuary: Recent Acquisitions to the Permanent Collection; and Enunciated Life. New protocols are in place including required reservations, 25% capacity, mandatory face masks, social distancing and temperature checks.
COST: FREE with advanced reservations; MORE INFO
Law & Order: Organized Crime
Ok, hear us out. While we normally don't care for spin-offs of procedurals, this Dick Wolf show brings back the popular detective Elliot Stabler (Chris Meloni), who ditched Special Victims Unit and partner Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) years ago. Find out what he's been up to and why he had returned to head up a new NYPD task force charged with taking down the city's crime syndicates. Tamara Taylor (Bones) and Dylan McDermott join him. Debuts Thursday, April 1 at 10 p.m. on NBC.
Here are a few options from restaurants and bars as we work our way back toward normal.
WE LOVE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS
