Your Weekend Planner: 13 Coachella Alternatives

Brokechella 2013 Promo from shuttereye on Vimeo.

If you have no desire to go to the desert this weekend and bake (or get baked) in the sun with thousands of other Coachella attendees, then have no fear. There is a mind-blowing array of events happening around LA this weekend. We’ve culled through hundreds of events to bring you a baker’s dozen of noteworthy happenings right here at home.Here’s our list in no particular order:

Brokechella (Saturday)
Why go all the way to the desert when there’s a festival right at home in DTLA? The Third Annual Brokechella Art & Music Festival takes over the Six01 Studios and are closing down the street to make way for three stages of music from 4 pm to 1:30 am on Sunday. The lineup includes Body Parts, TeamSupreme, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Hello Echo, Dead Ships and Mystery Skulls. There’s also exhibitors including Glad Rags, Fanboy Comics and JBSK Comics: Penguins vs Possums and tons of food vendors including Starry Kitchen, Ta Bom Truck and The Vagabond Grillyard, among others. Admission is a bargain at $10, but it’s a 21+ event.

National Record Store Day (Saturday)
How many of you remember Tower Records? Saturday’s a day to go and support your local indie, brick-and-mortar record store because there aren’t many left. Check out the Record Store Day website to see the list of stores participating, but we know that Origami Vinyl opens at 8 am with lots of specials, live music and DJ sets. Fingerprints in Long Beach hosts Best Coast and Jimmy Eat World among others.

Pasadena Earth & Arts Festival (Saturday)
The city of Pasadena and the Armory Center for the Arts present the family-friendly 11th Annual Earth and Arts Festival. There are free art workshops for the whole family in this eco-centric event. Radio personality and writer Sandra Tsing Loh emcees the day that features live music, an interactive drum circle, exhibitors and a bike tour of Pasadena’s public art. Best of all, there’s a sustainable wine and beer garden with Craftsman Brewing Company, Eagle Rock Brewery and Everson Royce. Food will be available from Pita Pita and Robin's BBQ.

LACMA (Saturday and Sunday)
Ok, we just have to include LACMA, in general, on our list because of all its great programming this weekend. The museum begins another 24-hour screening of Christian Marclay's The Clock at noon on Saturday and ending at noon on Sunday. If you hit LACMA on Sunday, there’s earth-friendly programming including a nature-inspired poetry workshop, sketching from nature, a music jam with instruments made of recycled materials and a guided walk-through of the natural art on campus. There’s also a three-course pop-up dinner series RED, served at 12:01 am on Sunday at LACMA’s Cafe. Bonus: Free admission on Sunday to those who get to LACMA sans car (bike, walk, Metro, etc.).

ForYourArt (Saturday and Sunday)
Coinciding with The Clock screening is the ForYourArt presentation of Around the Clock: DONUTS & CLOCKS with Dawn Kasper. The 24-hour installation has a number of donut- and clock-themed events “staged in a carnival-esqe environment.” Expect Bob’s Donuts and handcrafted Eden’s Herbals. There’s also late-night karaoke and an exhibition of 100 clocks customized by various artists that are available to purchase for $99 each.

Stoner Fest (Saturday)
We’d be remiss in our duties if we didn’t acknowledge the 4/20 reference somewhere. The Chinese Theaters are holding a Stoner Fest all afternoon and evening starting with Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle at 3:30 pm, followed by Half Baked, Up in Smoke and Friday. If you are up earlier, the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation presents the All About the TCL Chinese Theatre at 10 am. It’s a $15 comprehensive tour of the Chinese Theatre, from the projection booth to behind the screen and under the stage. This is the last look for a while as the theater closes on May 1 for an IMAX makeover.

Ciclavia (Sunday)
This Sunday marks the first CicLAvia of 2013: To the Sea. This time, 15 miles of roads are closed off to car traffic, making the route safe for people to walk, skate, play or ride a bike. The streets will be closed from 10 am to 3 pm, with a route that traverses Downtown to Venice. Shops are restaurants will be open along the route, including the bars Bigfoot West and Oldfields Liquor Room, which both open at noon with happy hour prices. Specials include $1 tacos, $5 Happy Hour cocktails and specialty mock cocktails.

Cowboy Fest (Saturday and Sunday)
The 20th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival takes over the Melody Ranch movie studio. The studio was recently featured in Django: Unchained and is only open to the public during the festival’s weekend, where guests can stroll through the Western streetscape. There’s live music and spoken-word events, famous Dutch oven peach cobbler, Western duds, leatherworking and panning for gold for kids. Adult all-day passes: $20; Kids 12 & under: $10.

Festival of Books (Saturday and Sunday)
Now in its 18th year, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books takes over the USC campus this weekend, with two full days of programming for readers and non-readers alike. There are tons of readings and conversations with famous authors and celebs, panel discussions, cooking demos, screenings and live music. Admission to the festival is free, but a $1 service fee applies to panels and conversations.

Grand Prix of Long Beach (Today through Sunday)
There are seven racing events throughout the weekend at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, including a 10-lap sprint on Saturday for a Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in identically prepared Scions. Another popular event is the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge. After the races on Saturday, there’s a concert headed by Bret Michaels at 6:45 pm in front of the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center. Tickets: $47-$70.

Sock Puppet Sitcom Theater recreates 'Cheers' tomorrow night. (Image: Courtesy of the Sock Puppets)
Puppets (Saturday)
There are several puppet-related events happening in LA on Saturday, including three free events associated with the LA Puppet Fest: L.A. in Focus: Images and Turnabout Puppet Theatre Lecture at the LA Central Library’s Taper Auditorium at 2 pm; Snakes R Us Art & Craft of Shadow Theater at Bali & Beyond at NoHo Senior Arts Colony at 2:30 pm; and Change the World: A Shadow Puppet Performance at Mercado La Paloma. At The Echo on Saturday night at 8 pm, the Sock Puppet Sitcom Theater recreates the 1982 pilot of Cheers. Tickets: $10.

Architecture (Saturday)
Two really cool architectural events happening this weekend: First up is the Art and Architecture Tour: Channeling Chautauqua Boulevard and the Pacific Palisades (part of the Venice Art Walk and Auctions that benefit the Venice Family Clinic, the largest free clinic in the country). Attendees get to go inside fine homes along Chautauqua Boulevard, including the Eames House, the personal residence and studio of Charles and Ray Eames. The $175 includes lunch and a docent-led bus tour. Also on the Westside, The Los Angeles Conservancy presents Venice Eclectic: Modern Architecture from the 1970s and '80s on Saturday from 10 am-4 pm. The tour and architects’ panel discussion will explore how young architects helped define a culture of creativity in Venice in the 1970s and ’80s. Tickets: $10-$35.

Grilled Cheese Invitational (Saturday)
The 11th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational happens on Saturday at the Los Angeles Center Studios in DTLA. Vendors include The Grilled Cheese Truck, Heywood Grilled Cheese, The Counter, Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese, The Oaks Gourmet, Melt It, Elbows Mac & Cheese, Cheesy Amigos, Dogtown Dogs and many others. Live music begins at 12:30 pm with the very appropriate stylings of Richard Cheese and Lounge against the Machine. The day includes cooking demos, costume contests, poetry contests, cheese calling contests and beer. Admission: $12+ service fees.