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13 fantastic things to do this Friday the 13th weekend: April 13-15
The Seaweed Sisters perform during 2017's To the Sea: Dance Concerts on the Pier event, which is part of the Dance + Camera Festival.
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Adrian Soheili
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A young volunteer helps clean up the Tujunga Wash during the 2017 Great L.A. River Cleanup, an event founded in 1989 by Friends of the L.A. River.
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Friends of the L.A. River
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The Downtown Burbank Arts Festival.
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Downtown Burbank Partnership
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Will Power of Australia, driver of the #1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet Dallara, drives during warm-ups for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 19, 2015.
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Robert Laberge/Getty Images
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Heritage Square Museum's Vintage Fashion Show.
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Greg Meyer for Heritage Square Museum
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An afternoon tea at Morton's Club on November 9, 2016 in London, England.
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Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Damiani
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A still from the film "Kiss Me Deadly."
Enthusiasts in vintage clothing walk down the art deco staircase of The Midland Hotel the during Vintage By The Sea on September 3, 2016 in Morecambe, England.
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Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
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Noel Arthur (left) plays The Black Rat, a manifestation of Bigger Thomas’s double consciousness, and Jon Chaffin (right) plays Bigger Thomas in Antaeus Theatre Company's 2018 production of "Native Son," based on the 1940 novel by Richard Wright.
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Geoffrey Wade Photography
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A pedestrian walks past the iconic entrance to Chinatown in downtown Los Angeles.
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Mae Ryan/KPCC
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Pacific Opera Project's 2018 production of "Don Giovanni."
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Martha Benedict Photography
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Dancers from Jacob Jonas The Company perform on the Santa Monica Pier during 2017's To the Sea: Dance Concerts on the Pier event, which is part of the Dance + Camera Festival.
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Sam Morrison
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A Minecraft digital artist points at the digital version of the character Sal during a Playcraft live rehearsal at The Playhouse Theatre and Arts Centre on October 10, 2017 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
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Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
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Brandie Posey hosts the Picture This! comedy show.
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Sam Varela
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PETA supporters dressed like zombies pretend to gorge themselves on a victim during a protest against consumption of meat in Hollywood, California, on October 26, 2017.
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MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
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An elderly Iraqi man sits at a stall selling prayer beads hanging in the Souq al-Jumaa Friday market in Baghdad's Al-Rashid Street, on July 28, 2017.
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SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images
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13 fantastic things to do this Friday the 13th weekend: April 13-15
So you're not going to that little music festival in the desert known as Coachella. Cons: You'll miss Beyoncé and whatever she does with her 100 new backup dancers. Pros: You'll avoid the traffic, heat, sunburn, hangover and 90,000-person crowd. Another upside: There's tons to do this weekend in Los Angeles and the rest of Southern California.
OUTDOOR PICK
Great L.A. River Cleanup
A young volunteer helps clean up the Tujunga Wash during the 2017 Great L.A. River Cleanup, an event founded in 1989 by Friends of the L.A. River.
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Friends of the L.A. River
)
WHEN: Saturday, April 14; 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
WHERE: Balboa Sports Complex — 17015 Burbank Blvd., Encino
Glendale Narrows Riverwalk — Glendale
COST: FREE but registration required; MORE INFO
La Gran Limpieza returns! The annual cleanup spans three weekends, each targeting a different section of the waterway. This first weekend focuses on the Upper River in the San Fernando Valley. You can join in at the Sepulveda Basin or the Glendale Narrows but you should register in advance. In 2017, volunteers removed more than 100 tons of trash from the Los Angeles River. They're hoping to beat that number this year.
Sponsored message
ARTSY PICK
Downtown Burbank Arts Festival
The Downtown Burbank Arts Festival.
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Downtown Burbank Partnership
)
WHEN: Saturday, April 14 - Sunday, April 15; 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
WHERE: downtown Burbank — San Fernando Blvd. between Angeleno Ave. and Orange Grove Ave.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Peruse original works for sale from 200 artists. Traditional handmade art forms are displayed alongside work by animators, visual effects artists and video game creators for a unique experience. Participatory events include a teen art challenge, book signings by Disney animators, a Doodle Run and Sketch Fever drawing sessions.
Sponsored message
VROOM VROOM PICK
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
Will Power of Australia, driver of the #1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet Dallara, drives during warm-ups for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 19, 2015.
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Robert Laberge/Getty Images
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WHEN: Friday, April 13 - Sunday, April 15
WHERE: Long Beach Convention Center — 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
COST: $33-70, adult one-day general admission; $95, adult three-day general admission; MORE INFO
The big race, a 1.97-mile loop on the streets around the Long Beach Convention Center, happens Sunday afternoon. Other races — sports cars, muscle cars, trucks — fill out the rest of the weekend along with a drift challenge, concerts by Ozomatli and The Cult, a beauty pageant and a lifestyle expo.
CLASSY PICK
Victorian Tea and Fashion Show
Heritage Square Museum's Vintage Fashion Show.
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Greg Meyer for Heritage Square Museum
)
Sponsored message
WHEN: Saturday, April 14; 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
WHERE: Heritage Square Museum — 3800 Homer St., Highland Park
COST: $55, adults; $15 children; MORE INFO
This living history experience, comprised of eight Victorian Era mansions, serves as the backdrop for an afternoon tea. Nibble on delicate sandwiches and tarts while viewing styles worn by American First Ladies from Martha Washington to Jackie Kennedy. You'll also see designs from first ladies of fashion, stage and screen such as Coco Channel, Jeanne-Marie Lanvin, Sarah Bernhardt, Audrey Hepburn and Helen Hayes.
FLICK PICK
Film Noir Festival
WHEN: Friday, April 13 - Sunday, April 22
WHERE: Egyptian Theatre — 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
COST: $12 per screening; MORE INFO
Sponsored message
The American Cinematheque hosts it 20th annual tribute to menacing gangsters, diabolical dames, shadowy schemes and wide-eyed marks. The lineup includes mid-century classics "Kiss Me Deadly" and "Jealousy," as well as modern takes on the genre like "L.A. Confidential."
THEATER PICK
Native Son
Noel Arthur (left) plays The Black Rat, a manifestation of Bigger Thomas’s double consciousness, and Jon Chaffin (right) plays Bigger Thomas in Antaeus Theatre Company's 2018 production of "Native Son," based on the 1940 novel by Richard Wright.
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Geoffrey Wade Photography
)
WHEN: Thursday, April 12 - Sunday, June 3
WHERE: Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center — 110 E. Broadway, Glendale
COST: $15-34; MORE INFO
Antaeus Theatre Company stages an adaptation of Richard Wright's novel, which tells the story of Bigger Thomas, a desperately poor man living in South Chicago in the 1930s. Hoping for a brighter future and filled with rage at his limited opportunities, he takes a job in a white household. Things don't go well.
SPORTY PICK
Walk from Highland Park to Chinatown
A pedestrian walks past the iconic entrance to Chinatown in downtown Los Angeles.
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Mae Ryan/KPCC
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WHEN: Friday, April 13; 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
WHERE: La Monarca Bakery — 5833 N. Figueroa St., Highland Park
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Bob Inman, author of "Finding Los Angeles by Foot," will lead an 8.5-mile walk traversing some major hills, half a dozen stairways (including the famous Eldred stairs over the spine of Mt. Washington) and the Los Angeles State Historic Park. You'll stop at Antigua coffee house and the Self Realization Fellowship before your journey ends at the Chinatown Gold Line station.
DRAMATIC PICK
Don Giovanni
Pacific Opera Project's 2018 production of "Don Giovanni."
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Martha Benedict Photography
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WHEN: Friday, April 13 - Sunday, April 22
WHERE: The Vortex — 2341 E. Olympic Blvd., downtown L.A.
COST: $15-50; MORE INFO
The Pacific Opera Project aims to make opera accessible for contemporary audiences. Presented in a warehouse with seating at communal tables, this version of Mozart's opera will look more like "Dick Tracy." Don Giovanni is still a dumpster fire of a human being — a liar and pathological womanizer who treats his servants like garbage and kills the father of a woman he tried to rape. Don't worry, he gets his comeuppance... eventually. All performances feature a full orchestra, food, shared wine and English supertitles to go along with the Italian lyrics.
DANCE PICK
To the Sea: Dance Concerts on the Pier
Dancers from Jacob Jonas The Company perform on the Santa Monica Pier during 2017's To the Sea: Dance Concerts on the Pier event, which is part of the Dance + Camera Festival.
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Sam Morrison
)
WHEN: Friday, April 13 - Sunday, April 15; 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Santa Monica Pier — 200 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica
COST: FREE but RSVP required; MORE INFO
Part of the Dance + Camera Festival, this free concert series features a slew of troupes performing outdoors. They include Pilobolus, Jacob Jonas The Company, ILL-Abilities, Erica Sobol's LOBOS art collective and LA Contemporary Dance Company.
COMEDY PICK
Picture This!
Brandie Posey hosts the Picture This! comedy show.
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Sam Varela
)
WHEN: Saturday, April 14; 8 p.m.
WHERE: The Virgil — 4519 Santa Monica Blvd., Silver Lake
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Get ready for a different kind of sketch comedy as stand-ups tell jokes while animators and cartoonists draw their bits. Comedians Brooks Wheelan of "SNL" and Justine Marino of Comedy Central will grab the mic while artists Mike L. Mayfield of Big Mouth and Liz Climo of "The Simpsons" create the images. Hosted by Brandie Posey of Lady to Lady.
DRESS-UP PICK
Monsterpalooza
PETA supporters dressed like zombies pretend to gorge themselves on a victim during a protest against consumption of meat in Hollywood, California, on October 26, 2017.
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MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
)
WHEN: Friday, April 13 - Sunday, April 15
WHERE: Pasadena Convention Center — 300 E. Green St., Pasadena
COST: $30-35; MORE INFO
If you're the kind of person who wishes Halloween was 365 days per year, this might be your event. The display floor will be filled with props, costumes and art. You'll also have a chance to meet Pam Grier, Danny Trejo, Fairuza Balk, Linda Blair, Paul Sorvino and other film and TV stars.
GAMING PICK
MineFaire
A Minecraft digital artist points at the digital version of the character Sal during a Playcraft live rehearsal at The Playhouse Theatre and Arts Centre on October 10, 2017 in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
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Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
)
WHEN: Saturday, April 14 - Sunday April, 15; 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
WHERE: L.A. Convention Center — 1201 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A.
COST: $45-69; MORE INFO
Do you love using a variety of cubes to build structures in a procedurally generated 3D world? Then maybe you'll want to join other Minecraft enthusiasts for a day of discussions, showcases, build battles, lip sync contests and game hacks.
CRAFTY PICK
Costa Mesa Bead & Design Show
An elderly Iraqi man sits at a stall selling prayer beads hanging in the Souq al-Jumaa Friday market in Baghdad's Al-Rashid Street, on July 28, 2017.
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SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images
)
WHEN: Friday, April 13 - Sunday April, 15; 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
WHERE: Hilton Costa Mesa — 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa
COST: $10; MORE INFO
Cut out the middleman and buy your baubles direct from artisans and tradespeople. You'll find handcrafted jewelry, beads, gems, craft supplies, clothing and accessories from 200 vendors.
How are you spending your weekend? Let us know on Twitter @LeoHasACat.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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