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Lola Bouteés’ TRIPtease dancer. | Photo by Jason Miller / Hey SoCal
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Memorial Day Weekend is finally here and with it so are many events to honor those who have died while serving in the military and to enjoy quality time with friends and family.
LA Fleet Week Expo And Ship Tours
Battleship IOWA | 250 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro, CA 95236 | May 27-30 | lafleetweek.com
Head over to the Port of Los Angeles this Memorial Day Weekend for LA Fleet week to take a tour of active duty ships, see military display, equipment demos, aircraft fly-overs, live entertainment and a cook-off between the Navy, Marine Corp, Army, and Coast Guard.
Star Wars Celebration
Anaheim Convention Center | 800 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim, CA 92802 | May 27-29 | starwarscelebration.com
There’s still time for jedis and padawans to get tickets for this fan celebration just as “Obi-Wan Kenobi” is set to premiere on Disney+ on May 27. Event organizers promise major announcements, exhibits, screenings, exclusive merchandise to add to your collections, panels,and celebrity guests like Temuera Morrison, aka Boba Fett; Ewan McGregor, that’s right Obi-Wan Kenobi himself; Giancarlo Esposito, who played Moff Gideon in “The Mandalorian”; Anthony Daniels, the man behind C-3PO; Kelly Marie Tran, aka Rose Tico; and many other stars from both the live-action movies and show and the animated series.
Dudamel Conducts Beethoven’s 9th
Disney Concert Hall | 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | May 27-29 | laphil.com
In addition to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Dudamel will premiere “La Serpiente de Colores” by Mexican composer Francisco Cortés-Álvarez and “Esperanza” by Peruvian composer Gonzalo Garrido-Lecca, both works are LA Phil commissions.
New Babies Exhibit Opening
Aquarium of the Pacific | 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802 | May 27 | aquariumofpacific.org
Who doesn’t like baby animals? Meet baby sea otter pups, miniature sea jellies, baby cuttlefish and more baby animals to make you awww. You’ll also learn how they are cared for and about their ocean habitats.
Family Fun Day
La Pintoresca Park | 45 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91103 | May 28 | cityofpasadena.net
La Pintoresca Park is reopening just in time for summer. Frolic in the new splash pad, enjoy some arts and crafts or the video game bus, challenge friends in laser tag, munch on free food, dance to the ‘90s sounds of Monday Night Live Band and check out all the new facilities at the park.
Gold Rush Sour & Beer Festival
Santa Anita Park | 285 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007 | May 28 | santaanita.com
Sample various craft beers and sours while watching live horse racing. Discounted tickets can be found at bucketlisters.com.
“Giustino”
Museum of Latin American Art | 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach, CA 90802 | May 28 | longbeachopera.org
In this new production of George Frideric Handel’s rarely-performed opera “Giustino,” his glorious music and relevant drama reemerges as a site specific, cinematically driven, wild contemporary production with expanded orchestrations, sound design and installation art. The opera will be presented within the sculpture garden and galleries at the Museum of Latin American Art. A story of fate, destiny, long lost familial relationships and a probing exploration of “conquerors” and their captors, LBO’s “Giustino” will elevate the ambiguities of gender and sexuality already present in baroque opera and examine how stereotypes can be shattered even in the most traditional stories.
Cinespia: “Mean Girls”
Hollywood Forever Cemetery | 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038 | May 28 | cinespia.org
Get in, loser! We’re going to the movies. Pack a picnic, dress in your best pink Y2K outfit, and enjoy this teen comedy under the stars and Cinespia’s DJs provide more entertainment than the winter talent show.
Selah Gospel Choir Presents: We Outside!
Memorial Park Band Shell | 85 E. Holly St., Pasadena, CA 91103 | May 28 | selahgospelchoir.com
Selah Gospel Choir is a Black, women-led, non-denominational diverse group of gospel singers with a focus on love, intersectionality and community.
Black On The Block May Festival
Wisdome.LA | 1147 Palmetto St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 | May 29 | vipsocio.com
Support over 100 Black-owned businesses at this pop-up market featuring food, drinks, live DJs, art, photobooths, projections and you can even bring your favorite four-legged friend along.
The Boyz World Tour: The B-Zone In USA
Pasadena Civic Auditorium | 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, CA 91101 | May 29 | visitpasadena.com
This is the first live U.S. tour for the 11-member South Korean Pop group behind the hit “Thrill Ride.”
Comedy On The Beach
Will Rogers Beach Lifeguard Stand #6 | 15800 Pacific Coast Highway, Los Angeles, CA 90272 | May 29 | eventbrite.com
After an exciting day of swimming and enjoying the California sun, wind down with some laughs courtesy of Amy Silverberg, Andrew Orolfo, Keith Johnson and other comedians seen on NBC, Hulu, SNL, Comedy Central and Netflix.
Cinespia: “Back To The Future”
Hollywood Forever Cemetery | 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038 | May 29 | cinespia.org
Hop into your DeLorean and travel back to the ‘80s for a night of movie magic under the stars. Cinespia DJs will get the party started before the show and will keep the party going after.
Rose Hills 100th Memorial Day Observance & Celebration
SkyRose Chapel & Mausoleum | 3888 Workman Mill Road, Whittier, CA 90601 | May 30 | eventbrite.com
Rose Hills is observing Memorial Day with family activities, military displays, remembrance trees, a flyover, performances and a keynote address by Andre N. Coulombe, Brigadier General (CA),
Beach House Pool Party
W Hollywood | 6250 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028 | May 30 | eventbrite.com
Cool down at this rooftop pool party with DJ Kenway and friends.
“Come From Away”
The Ahmanson Theatre | 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | May 31-June 12 | centertheatregroup.org
A tale of culture clash and distrust turning into friendship, this new musical chronicles the true story of 7,000 stranded passengers in a small Newfoundland town.
An Evening Of Wine And Balance For Women
The Saltner Wine & Cicchetti | 108 E. Colorado Blvd., Monrovia, CA 91016 | May 31 | eventbrite.com
This is an evening designed to relax you. Tough Love Fitness will guide attendees through one hour of mindful movement and stretching to get rid of those pesky aches and pains. After the class, taste some wines from around the world.
Jazz Eclectic LA
BarLis at the Thompson Hotel Hollywood | 1541 Wilcox Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90028 | May 31 | eventbrite.com
Dress sharp and head up to the rooftop at Thompson Hotel Hollywood for a night of improvised jazz funk.
Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
TCL Chinese Theatre | 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028 | June 1-5 | laliff.org
With an opening night gala featuring “Mija,” a tale of two US-born daughters of undocumented parents navigating the music industry while shouldering the pressure of their family’s hopes for green cards and financial security, and a closing nigh screening and reception of “Father of the Bride,” starring Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan in this remake told through the prism of a Cuban-American family, the LA International Film Festival will be packed with feature films, shorts, episodics, animation, music and industry from studios like Disney, Netflix and Warner Brothers.
“King James”
Mark Taper Forum | 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | June 1-July 3 | centertheatregroup.org
Written by Rajiv Joseph (“Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo”) and directed by Tony Award-winner Kenny Leon (“A Raisin in the Sun”), “King James” chronicles the story of two LeBron James fans from Cleveland build a bond over 12 years.
Lola Boutée Presents TRIPtease Burlesque
TRIP Santa Monica | 2101 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405 l June 1 l eventbrite.com
Lower your inhibitions and see what’s hot at LA’s longest running weekly burlesque and variety show. Every Wednesday features a fresh new lineup of talent hosted by the original dame herself, Lola Boutée.
“Uncle Vanya”
Pasadena Playhouse | 39 S. El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101 | June 1-26 | pasadenaplayhouse.org
After years of caring for their family’s crumbling estate, Vanya and his niece receive an unexpected visit from his brother-in-law and his alluring wife. When hidden passions and tumultuous frustrations come to a boil in the heat of the summer, their lives threaten to come undone. Comic, cutting, and true to life, this translation of “Uncle Vanya” provides an up-close, conversational-style encounter with a classic drama that every theater-lover must see.
Reel To Reel: “White Jesus Black Problems”
The Grammy Museum | 800 W. Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015 | June 2 | universe.com
Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and musician Fantastic Negrito premieres his new film “White Jesus Black Problems” followed by a post-screening interview and acoustic performance. According to The Grammy Museum, “The multi-media project is based on the true story of Negrito’s seventh generation white Scottish grandmother (Grandma Gallimore), an indentured servant, living in a common law marriage with his seventh generation African American enslaved grandfather (Grandfather Courage); in open defiance of the racist, separatist, laws of 1750s colonial Virginia.”
The Return Of LA LAW: Pride Birthday
Oracle Tavern | 1640 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | June 2 | eventbrite.com
LA LAW is celebrating its 10th birthday and raising funds for The Sidewalk Project—an organization providing houseless communities with arts programs, harm reduction and mental health support—with your favorite lady wrestlers and some new faces in the ring at this outdoor event.
“Archival Intimacies: Queering South/East Asian Diasporas”
ONE Archives at the USC Libraries | 909 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007
| Through May 29 | one.usc.edu
Three artists-in-residence at ONE Archives at USC Libraries, Prima Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai, Vinhay Keo, and Pamila Matharu were invited to develop new works in response to the archive. Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai and Keo’s work investigates the remnants of embodied history, migration, exile, and queerness. Accompanying these works is “Satrang at 25: Queer South Asian Diaspora(s) in Context,” on view at ONE, examining the history of Satrang, an organization supporting queer South Asian communities in Southern California and placing its evolution in the context of broader queer diasporic histories.
LA County Fair
Fairplex | 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, CA 91768 | Through May 30 | lacountyfair.com
The LA County Fair is back! Fill up on all the fried food you can think of, enjoy some pig racing, scream your lungs out on carnival rides, catch a concert or catch any number of expositions and shows. Personally, I’m looking forward to a Dole whip float and some grilled corn.
“Metamorphoses”
A Noise Within | 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107 | Through June 5 | anoisewithin.org
Primal storytelling and modern sensibility collide in a sensual re-envisioning of Greek myths, as gods and mortals alike endure love, loss, and transformation—all while immersed in a pool of water on stage— in “Metamorphoses.” Swirling with passion, this multiple award-winning masterpiece mesmerizes with tales of Midas, Orpheus, Aphrodite and more in a funny, whimsical and heartbreaking meditation on the joys and perils of being human.
Street Art Live
Magic Box LA | 1933 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90007 | Through July 3 | thelume.com
Embark on a multi-sensory trip through the world of street. With 360-degree moving visuals and a curated musical score, you will be immersed in the era and location in which the piece was created like New York, London, São Paulo, Melbourne and Berlin.
Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse
LACMA | 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 | Through Oct. 9 | lacma.org
Highlighting fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen’s tailoring and dressmaking skills, the exhibition examines the different disciplines, imagination, innovation and artistic process that defined McQueen’s career. The exhibition will display McQueen garments from the Collection of Regina J. Drucker alongside artworks from LACMA’s permanent collection.
“Aida”
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion | 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Through June 12 | laopera.org
Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida” epic love story recounts the tale of two secret lovers from warring kingdoms. “Aida has long been one of the most popular of all operas because it combines sheer theatrical splendor with an enormously touching human drama,” said Christopher Koelsch, LA Opera’s president and CEO. “The visual world that [stage director] Francesca Zambello and [LA-based artist] RETNA have created for this production is completely spectacular, and the incredible cast, under the baton of Verdi master James Conlon, will bring this masterpiece to vivid life.”
Y Para Siempre…Marco Antonio Solís
Grammy Museum | Through Aug. 14 | grammymuseum.org
The Grammy Museum is honoring the multi-Latin Grammy-winning Mexican singer Marco Antonio Solís, who is currently touring with Los Bukis, with an exhibit exploring five major chapters of the artist’s career and life, including his childhood in Michoacán, the evolution of Los Bukis and his solo career.
This Is Not America’s Flag
The Broad | 221 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 | Through Sept. 25 | thebroad.org
Over 20 artists explore the complex, and often contradictory, meanings engendered by the flag of the United States of America. Conceptualized in 2020 during Black Lives Matter protests nationwide, the exhibit conceptualizes both the nation’s ideals and shortcomings.
