With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Join us today for the LAist Tournament of Cheeseburger live event at Smorgasburg LA!

It’s all going down this Sunday, July 7, at Smorgasburg LA at The Row DTLA.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the cheeseburger in Pasadena — and crown the winner of our months-long search for SoCal’s favorite burger spot — we’ve put together a fun-packed day of kid-friendly activities, music and, yes, lots of cheeseburgers!
If you haven’t been, Smorgasburg LA is a lively outdoor food fair with a great selection of vendors.
Cheeseburger-themed specials
This Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can sample cheeseburgers galore, as well as cheeseburger-themed specials, including:
- Evil Cooks: Bacon Cheeseburger Trompo. Yep, a burger trompo! (They also make a burger taco)
- The Dumpling Dream: Cheeseburger Dumplings.
- Champignon Eats: Cheesy Fun Guy Burger (Vegan)
- Be Bright Coffee: Kaleidoscope Espresso Milkshake (not a burger, but definitely on brand!)
- Dog R: Venezuelan Burger
LAistland
We’ve also created a special section, LAistland, where there will be activities for the whole family, including:
-
- Price: It’s free to enter, but vendors will be selling their wares
- Hours: 10 am - 4 pm, with the crowning of the winner at 2pm.
- Who can come: everyone of all ages. But leave pets at home, unfortunately, they’re not allowed.
- Parking: available on-site with a 4,000-car garage. The first two hours are free.
- Amenities: shaded areas include various picnic tables with umbrellas and an enclosed beer garden.
- Stay cool: it’s going to be hot, bring a hat, sunglasses, water and sunscreen
- Price: It’s free to enter, but vendors will be selling their wares
- The Discovery Cube with gooey slime-making activities
- Palomita, a mom-owned toy store with a potion-making station
- Sunbeams LA with an activity focused on improving kids' mental health
- The LA Surf Bus teaching the basics of surfing on dry land.
- The LAist Engagement and Education teams with a music-making station for little ones to come and jam.
Music will be provided by Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles, the world's first LGBTQ+ mariachi, who will play at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., along with our friends at Dublab, who will be spinning tunes throughout the day.
And at 2 p.m., celebrate as we crown the ultimate winner of the LAist Tournament of Cheeseburgers.
For those who can't join us, listen to LAist 89.3 as we'll be broadcasting from there at different times throughout the day, with hosts Austin Cross and Larry Mantle, among others.
We can’t wait to see you on Sunday.
Peace, love, and cheeseburgers!
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember.
-
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain.
-
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care.
-
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings.
-
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past.
-
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.