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Here are 20 awesome events happening in L.A. this weekend:
FRIDAY, MAY 19
GUY DELISLE: HOSTAGE (Book talk)
Internationally renowned cartoonist and graphic novelist Guy Delisle (Pyongyang, Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City and Burma Chronicles) is at Skylight Books on Friday night in support of his latest book Hostage (Drawn + Quarterly). The book focuses on the true story of a kidnapped NGO administrator Christophe Andre, an employee of Doctors Without Borders, who was held for more than 100 days in Chechnya before escaping through a countryside where he couldn't speak the language. Delisle’s graphic nonfiction novel is based on interviews with Andre himself. Delisle’s in conversation with David Ulin at 7:30 pm on Friday.
ECHO PARK DODGER NIGHT (Baseball + more)
The Dodgers honor the neighborhood on Friday night and ask local businesses, neighbors, friends and family to come out to the game to celebrate the Echo Park Community. The special event ticket package includes a ticket to the game and an exclusive Dodgers’ Echo Park t-shirt designed by Studio Number One (founded by Shepard Fairey). First pitch is at 7:10 pm with the Dodgers going up against the Marlins. Tickets: $27-$44.
DON’T TELL MY MOTHER (Storytelling)
The storytelling show Don't Tell My Motherreturns to Busby’s East on Friday night at 7:30 pm for The Mama's Day Show + Party. The night features naughty true stories that mom should never hear from Lyric Lewis (MADtv), Jen Kober (Snap Judgement), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Love), Beth Grant (The Mindy Project) and DTMM creator Nikki Levy (Creator, DTMM!) ). Music by No Small Children. Bar, food menu and party (complete with class photos) begins at 7 pm and the storytelling begins at 8 pm. Tickets: $16.
WHEDONCON (Comic + pop culture)
Fandom Charities Inc. presents the second annual WhedonCon this weekend (May 19-21) at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills. The three-day con run by fans for fans celebrating the works of Joss Whedon and those in his Whedonverse (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Marvel's Avengers and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and more). Attendees can take part in cosplay contests, panel discussions, meet & greets, workshops, games and more. The only way to attend is to purchase membership through WhedonCon.com. Single-day admissions: $10-$25; adult three-day passes: $45-$50.
SATURDAY, MAY 20
PASADENA (Music + more)
Pasadena is gonna be hopping on Saturday. U2 brings the Joshua Tree Tour 2017 to the Rose Bowl (on Sunday, too). The Amgen Tour—California’s version of the Tour de France—rides into Pasadena, ending at the Convention Center; and lastly, JPL’s annual Open House is this weekend, too, but all of those tickets have been snapped up.
NITE JEWEL (Music + museum)
The Getty Center’s Off the 405 music series kicks off on Saturday at 6 pm with a performance by Nite Jewel. She’s bringing her shoe-gazey hits to the outdoor stage to celebrate the release her new album Real High. Cash bar, snacks and agua fresca drinks available. Admission is free; no reservation required.
MALIBU GUITAR FESTIVAL (Music)
The Malibu Guitar Festival runs Thursday through Sunday in Malibu but the headlining performances are on Saturday from 11:30 am to 10 pm by Mick Fleetwood Blues Band; Jamtown featuring Donavon Frankenreiter, G. Love and Cisco Adler; Tommy Emmanuel and Hunter Hayes. There’s a Rolling Stones-themed brunch on Sunday, too. Ticket prices vary, but general tickets on Saturday start at $60.
MIRO RESTAURANT (World whisky day)
The Whiskey Lounge at miro Restaurant holds a curated event on Saturday from 5-8 pm for World Whisky Day. Participating purveyors include Alexander Murray & Co. LLC, Benromach Whisky, WhistlePig Rye Whiskey, Teeling Whiskey Co., Glen Grant, Wild Turkey and Russell's Reserve. Tickets are $40 and include tax and gratuity, and include entry, passed appetizers and whisky tasting stations. Ages 21+.
SACRA/PROFANA (Indie pop/choral music)
SACRA/PROFANA is a 20-person vocal ensemble that ends its 8th season with an a cappella concert at Gallery 1988 (West) on Saturday at 8 pm. SACRA/PROFANA performs the works of Stephen Feigenbaum along with works by American composers inspired by pop music. “Doctrine, a project conceived by SACRA/PROFANA and Stephen Feigenbaum, explores the possibility of creating a true hybrid of electro indie pop and choral music.” Conceived as sacred choral music from an imagined future in which there's no longer any concept of what facts are, all the works deal lyrically with mundane experiences and emotions in this post-reality reality.” Tickets: $20-$30.
ULAM: Main Dish - Preview Screening May 20 - Official Trailer #1 (HD) from Alexandra Cuerdo on Vimeo.
ULAM (Film)
ULAM (Main Course), directed by Alexandra Cuerdo, documents the rise of the Filipino food trend through conversations with chefs at the center of the movement. ULAM (Main Course) screens at the Million Dollar Theatre on Saturday at 5 pm. In conjunction with the screening and the LA Times Food Bowl, Grand Central Market hosts Filipino Food Night from 4-9 pm. After the screening, food critic Jonathan Gold leads a panel discussion with chefs featured in the movie including Eggslut's Alvin Cailan, Unit 120's Isa Fabro, LASA's Chase Valencia and director Alexandra Cuerdo. Tickets to the film are $10.
THE VISION OF MOHOLY-NAGY AND NEW MUSIC (Music + art)
The Balassi Institute-Hungarian Cultural Center in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) present a double bill featuring experimental composers with Hungarian roots on Saturday at 7:30 pm at LACMA’s Bing Theater. The music is inspired by Hungarian-born avant-garde painter and photographer, László Moholy-Nagy. The concert is offered in conjunction with LACMA’s exhibition, Moholy-Nagy: Future Present, the largest U.S. retrospective since the 1960s on the art and legacy of Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946). The first part of the concert features “an opto-acoustic experimental music performance” with László Gőz, György Kurtág Jr., and Miklós Lukács. The second part of the concert, “The World of Composer Lukas Ligeti,” features performances by Ariadne Greif (soprano), Ji Hye Jung (marimba), members of Wild Up and Ligeti’s ensemble Notebook. Tickets: $25 members & seniors (65+); $30 general admission; $10 students with ID.
BACKYARD ROSÉ BBQ (Food + drinks)
Rose Cafe in Venice holds its second annual Backyard Rosé BBQ on Saturday from 2-5 pm. Listen to live music, sip rosé wines from six Santa Barbara winemakers and taste barbecue (chicken, brisket + more) straight from Chef Jason Neroni's grill. Tickets: $75 (+ tax/gratuity).
SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS - AMERICA (Animation Breakdown)
Animation Breakdown’s Saturday Morning Cartoons series focuses on “America” on Saturday morning at 11 am at Cinefamily. They’ll screen a “patriotic plethora of animated Americana” featuring Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Schoolhouse Rock and more. Enjoy cartoons and all-you-can-eat cereal. Pajamas encouraged. Tickets: $10/free for members and kids under 14.
EEEEEATSCON (Food + music)
The first-ever EEEEEATSCON—being billed as a food festival for a new generation—is happening on Saturday from 12-9 pm at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Participating restaurants include: Chi Spacca, Jon & Vinny’s, Salazar, Shake Shack, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, The Nomad Truck, Nighthawk Breakfast Bar and Tinfoil, Badmaash, Afters Ice Cream, Sweetfin Poke, Yeasty Boys, Ramen Hood, Dream Pops, Matcha Bar, Maple Block Meat Co., and Eataly’s first-ever L.A. event. Music by The Knocks and Lizzo. Talks with Shep Gordon and Nancy Silverton are scheduled for the festival, too. This is not a one-price tasting festival. The food and drinks will be sold a la carte. Tickets: $40-$100 (includes admission, access to two musical performances, keynotes and panel discussions).
BUG FAIR (Science)
The Natural History Museum celebrates its 31st anniversary of its popular Bug Fairthis weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, the museum hosts the biggest bug festival in North America (sponsored by Western Exterminator, interestingly enough). The fair features more than 50 exhibitors, exotic insect collections and a bug chef cook-off hosted by entomophagists David George Gordon and Aly Moore. Admission: $12 for adults, $9 for seniors and students with valid I.D., $5 for children (3-12). Museum Members and children under 2 are free.
DISCO DINING CLUB: SURREALIST EDITION (Party + music)
Disco Dining Club is a bi-monthly dining party “steeped in all the excess, debauchery & hedonism of disco.” The next dinner installment—a surrealist edition—takes place on Saturday night at 7:30 pm in DTLA. The Tier One ticket includes a sit down, 45-person dinner, 4-course meal featuring Dali-inspired dishes by Leslie Pollock of Sublime Cuisine. There's an open bar provided by: FAIR Spirits, El Silencio Mezcal, Pernod Ricard, Gentlemen Jack, Rex Hill Wine, Mixwell and unlimited oysters provided by Shucks Oysters. The Tier Two ticket price of $100 includes drinks and oysters; entry at 10 pm. All attendees are requested to wear their best pastels.
GEORGE BILLIS GALLERY (Art exhibitions)
George Billis Gallery on La Cienega holds opening receptions for three art shows on Saturday night from 5-8 pm: Bryan Ida (Echo & Line), Gina Minichino (paintings), Taylor Montague (Oblique Views of Suburbia). The works will be on view through June 24.
SAVE OUR SOULS (Pop-up Art Gallery)
Save Our Souls is a nonprofit that focuses on homelessness in L.A. This weekend in Malibu, and it’s holding a pop-up art show to support Community Assistance Resource Team (CART) this weekend. The gallery at Sorenity Rocks Malibu features surprise DJs throughout the weekend and guests can view works from artists such as RETNA, Aaron Axelrod, Alden Marin, Alec Monopoly, Alison Van Pelt, Andy Moses, Blakhat, Cisco Adler, Cory Osborne, Deanne Else, Dietmar Kohl, James Haunt, Katherine Kousi, Keegan Gibbs, Linda Margaret Kilgore, Lindsey Nobel, Love Crew, Mr. Brainwash, Nicholas Bernard, Norton Wisdom, Patrick Hoelck, RETNA, RISK, Robert Standish, Ryan Campbell, Sage Vaugn, Sheku Kowai, Shepard Fairey, Sonni Pacheco, Steve Olson, Jim Evans aka T.A.Z and This Means Mar. The show is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday from 12-6 pm on each day.
SKYLINE: ART, MUSIC, FOOD (Festival)
Radio Hill—a new collective of L.A.-based concert producers, festival planners and talent creators—teams up with KCRW, The Well, Space Yacht and DoLA—for Skyline: Art, Music, Food on Saturday. The event is the first major gathering in the recently re-opened Los Angeles State Historic Park since 2014. Acts scheduled to perform include Miike Snow, Duke Dumont, Lido, Eden, Michl, Elohim and Jason Bentley. 2 pm start. Tickets from $50. Ages 21+.
SUNDAY, MAY 14
FLAVOR OF LA (Food fest)
The Studio City Chamber of Commerce presentsFlavor of L.A., a food fest that takes place at the CBS Studio Center back lot on Sunday from 1-5. Guests can enjoy bites from LA restaurants, along with craft beer, wines and cocktails. Eats/drinks from The Bellwether, Barrel & Ashes, The Local Peasant, Frankland's Crab & Co, Firefly, Salt & Straw, Boneyard Bistro, SOCA, The District by Hannah An, Laurel Point, The Six, Franco on Melrose, Cocina Condesa, The Front Yard, Tiki No, Cream, Fish Trap, Sushi Sazanami, Canelé Gourmet Pantry, Blvd Kitchen, The Woodman, Artisan Cheese Gallery and many more. The afternoon also features film and TV car favorites from the Television Motion Picture Car Club. The all-inclusive event benefits Food Forward. Tickets: $75+ fees.
Want the 411 on additional events and happenings in LA? Follow @LAist or me (@christineziemba) on Twitter.
