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Looking for something to do? Look no further than these 22 events happening this weekend. And don't forget to check out our July Guide, Outdoor Film Screenings and Summer Concert lists for more suggestions.
FRIDAY, JULY 24
ART + PERFORMANCE: Friday Flights at the Getty brings together L.A.-based musicians, visual artists and creative thinkers for an evening of sounds and sights. Each session is hosted by an artist(s) who brings collaborators for a night that blurs the lines between music and modern art. Friday’s session from 6-9 pm is hosted by Ducktails, the solo music project by Matt Mondanile, guitarist for Real Estate. Ducktails will perform with special guests. Additional performances by ITASCA, sound installation by Madalyn Merkey, videos by Lizzie Harper and a DJ set by FUXUS. Free. Parking at the Getty is $10 after 5 pm.
ZOO PARTY: Roaring Nights is the L.A. Zoo’s annual summer music series and the festivities continues on Friday night from 7-11 pm with live music from Springtime Carnivore starring Greta Morgan and DJ Johnny Hawkes spinning tunes. The night also food trucks, full bars, a game zone with tabletop games and jumbo versions of Jenga and Kerplunk, zookeeper talks, animal encounters and more. If you can’t make it on Friday, the last event is on Aug. 21. Roaring Nights tickets are $20 and $17 for GLAZA members. The event is 18+.
GRAPHIC NOVEL: Illustrator Leah Hayes signs her new graphic novel, Not Funny Ha-Ha, on Friday at 7 pm. The book deals with a heavy subject—abortion—and how two women from different backgrounds go through the procedure for personal reasons. The book keeps things real, but light, without casting judgement. STORYTELLING: Hosts Caitlin Bergh and Ever Mainard present a free storytelling night at The Last Bookstore in DTLA on Friday at 8 pm. The Last Book Reviewfeatures storytellers, comics and writers sharing humorous tales, personal essays and one witty book review. The featured lineup on Friday includes: Liana Maeby, Rachel Mac, Dibs Baer, Kristen Studdard, Karen Kilgariff with music by The Diana DeMuth Band.
MUSIC: On Friday night, the Stooges Brass Band—one of New Orleans’ elite brass bands—plays the Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park. Since 1996, the band’s been mixing Crescent City brass sounds with hip-hop beats. The community festival begins at 6:30 pm and the live music begins at 8 pm.
FILM Q&A: There’s a screening of Samba starring Omar Sy and Charlotte Gainsbourg on Friday at 7:15 pm at the Landmark Theater in West L.A. that’s followed by a Q&A with Sy, moderated by Pete Hammond. Directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano—the directing duo behind the 2012 hit The Intouchables—Samba is a comedy that follows an undocumented kitchen worker battling deportation from his adopted home in Paris and the building of bond with his emotionally vulnerable immigration advocate. Tickets: $10.50-$13.50.
ART PANEL: On Friday from 5:30-7:30 pm, cityLAB-UCLA and Gensler LA present the opening reception for the pop-up exhibition Work on Work: Projective Histories of Los Angeles as Workplace at the new A+D Museum in DTLA . The exhibition combines historical research and speculative design to put the L.A. office space in the spotlight. The event includes a conversation moderated by Madeleine Brand of KCRW's Press Play that features Dana Cuff, Ava Bromberg, Jim Jacobsen and Li Wen. The exhibition will be on view through Aug. 2.
SATURDAY, JULY 25
KITTENPALOOZA: Kittenpalooza is spcaLA’s annual cats and kittens adoption event (at the South Bay Pet Adoption Center in Hawthorne). On Saturday, July 25 from 10 am to 4 pm, all cats and kittens are available for adoption for $18.77. The adoption fee includes the spay/neuter surgery, certificate for free health examination by participating VCA Animal Hospital, current vaccines and microchip, and a temporary carrier. Adopters receive a goodie bag, too.
CLOCK ART: Christian Marclay’s The Clock returns to LACMA this weekend. The video installation is a montage of movie scenes of clocks that are synched to real time—all 24 hours in a day. The Clock screening begins at 10 am on Saturday through 10 am on Sunday General admission tickets ($15) are required during regular museum hours. First-come, first-served seating with waiting times expected. Enter the museum at Wilshire and Spaulding if coming between 7 pm on Saturday and 10 am on Sunday. Coffee + Milk will be open until 2 am and reopen at 7 am on Sunday.
GAMES: The Special Olympics World Games are in L.A. from July 25-Aug. 2 with the opening ceremony on Saturday at 5 pm at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. More than 7,000 athletes representing 165 countries are participating in the largest sports and humanitarian event anywhere in the world in 2015. The games are the single largest L.A. event since the '84 Olympics. Opening ceremony tickets: $30-$120.
FILM: Johnny Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil sponsors a screening of Kimberly Levin’s narrative feature debut Runoff on Saturday at 1:20 pm at the Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino. The film follows the story of a woman who goes to great lengths to save her family when they're threatened from their land. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director/writer. To request tickets, please emailrunoffmovie@gmail.com with “RSVP IN-RUNOFF” in the subject line. There's a two-ticket maximum per request. Runoff runs exclusively at Laemmle's Town Center 5 and the Claremont 5, for week-long runs.
ART: On Saturday night from 7-10 pm, Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra hosts a reception for the book releases and art shows for Scott C.’s Zombie In Love 2 +1 and Sam Bosmas’ Fantasy Sports. Scott C’s book continues the adventures of the lovable zombie, Mortimer and “the love of his afterlife as they embark on their latest adventure, a baby!” Bosmas will also be exhibiting a collection of original ink and marker drawings “illustrating a diverse cast of fantasy themed characters!”
FILM: The 8th Annual Druid Underground Film Festival (DUFF) is at HM157 on Saturday at 9 pm. The touring festival presents subversive cinema and a Found Footage Assault, “dynamically mixing the trashiest cuts from amateur monster movies, insane Christian scare films and shocking instruction videos lovingly sourced from the decrepit VHS vaults of DUFF curator Billy Burgess.” HM157 will be serving hot dogs, popcorn and candy at the concession stand. Tickets: $7-10.
BOOKS: Farley Elliott, a longtime L.A. food writer (and former LAist contributor), reads from his debut book Los Angeles Street Food: A History from Tamaleros to Taco Trucks on Saturday at 5 pm at Skylight Books. Elliott’s book looks at the history of original street food vendors to the gourmet food trucks and the billion-dollar industry in L.A. SUMMER NIGHTS: KCRW’s Summer Nights continues at Chinatown’s Central & West plazas on Saturday. Part food event and part summer party, Chinatown Summer Nights includes live cooking demonstrations, Chinese cultural activities, the Downtown Flea Craft and Vintage market, live music, food trucks, Chinese restaurants and music. Live performances this week by The Bad Years, Street Joy, Isaac Rother & the Phantoms, Corsica Arts Club, Alex Lilly, SWIMM and Andy Clockwise. The night runs from 5 pm to midnight.
ART: Andrew Weiss Gallery in Bergamot Station in Santa Monica holds the opening reception for the second installment of Tyler Shields’ Historical Fiction: The Death of Marilyn Monroe on Saturday from 6-9 pm. This exhibition features new works created by Shields specifically for the gallery to commemorate Monroe’s death in August 1962. The exhibition runs concurrently with Marilyn Monroe: The Making of a Legend with images of the actress taken by George Barris, Milton H. Greene, William Carroll and Bert Stern. The exhibition includes the first and last photographs of Monroe.
FOOD: Dinner Lab is a members-only supper club that features chefs in pop-up dining experiences. On Saturday at 7:30 pm at a secret location, Chef Wes Whitehead (WEST Kitchen & Catering in Malibu) creates a dinner with the theme Tea Time: A Global Celebration of Tea and Cuisine. Since Dinner Lab has partnered with Bombay Sapphire, the chef has created two specialty cocktails to whet the appetite before dinner. Membership is $175 and dinner event prices vary.
SUMMER PARTY: Inner City Arts presents its fundraising party Summer on Seventh on Saturday from 7 pm to midnight. The night is a benefit for the organization’s support of arts education for L.A.’s youth. Music by Cut Chemist and Shura. DJ sets by dublab and art Installations by Tanya Aguiniga, Animal Charm and SBTRKTOSCOPE. Food and beverages by Bon Puf, Clover Juice, Guerilla Tacos, Free Range, Jogasaki Sushi Burrito, Madcapra, Salt & Straw, Stumptown Coffee and The Urban Oven. Drinks by Silver Lake Wine. 21+. Tickets start at $45.
COMEDY: In The Black Version, the show begins when the director asks the audience to suggest a film, and then the cast improvises the “black version” of the film, including soundtrack, dance numbers, DVD extras, audition reels and more. The show takes place once a month at Largo, including Saturday at 8:30 pm. Tickets: $30.
TIKI NIGHT: Saturday marks the American Cinematheque’s Annual Tiki Night at the Egyptian Theatre with live music, hula dancers, tiki cocktails, vendors and more. The day begins at noon with a marketplace then the performances begin at 5 pm with King Kukulele & The Friki Tikis and the Polynesian Paradise Dancers, a fashion show and book signing. The screenings begin at 7:30 pm, showing rarities and surprises, followed by the feature film: South Seas Adventure. Tickets for movie and performances: $13 general, $11 student/senior, $9 member. Food and drink sold separately, except for Primo Beer which is included in the ticket price for those 21 and older.
SUNDAY, JULY 26
ART: The Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery is the last municipal art gallery in the country, and through its partnership with L.A.’s Department of Cultural Affairs, it’s able to present the biennial art show, the 2015 Los Angeles Juried Exhibition at Barnsdall Art Park. Works by emerging SoCal artists will be on view from Sunday through Sept. 20. The opening reception/awards ceremony is from 2-5 pm on Sunday.
VINTAGE MARKET: The Topanga Vintage Market at Pierce College in Woodland Hills takes place on Sunday from 8 am to 3 pm (and every fourth Sunday of the month). The market includes 180 vintage vendors, local artisans, food trucks and live music. Park for free in Lot 7 at Victory Boulevard and Mason Avenue. Admission for adults is $3 and kids under 12 are free.
FILM:: Sunday marks the final installment of the Art Director's Guild 2015 Film Series screening and panel with a focus on the George Clooney’-directed film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. The screening event honors the film’s legendary production designer James D. Bissell, who is a 2015 ADG Lifetime Achievement Honoree and production designer for the upcoming Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation as well as E.T, Jumanji and other film. Bissell does a Q&A following the screening led by moderator and production designer John Muto. Event begins at 5:30 pm. Tickets: $11.
RAVE: On Sunday, Trance Hack x Heaven Party present an after-hours “proper rave,” with an eclectic mix of past and present rave pioneers and club kids. X-ing features EDM musicians of the early 90’s club scene - DJ Scotto (Nasa), DJ Onionz and DJ Odi; as well as current DJs Nightcore Girl, Zakmatic and wifislilangel + a special secret guest DJ from Fade to Mind.The party runs from 10 pm to 5 am at a secret warehouse location to those that RSVP at raveslave777@gmail.com. Tickets: $15.
Related: LAist’s July Guide
Want the 411 on additional events and happenings in LA? Follow @LAist or me (@christineziemba) on Twitter.
