Music dominates this week! From live music at festivals and jazz tributes, to performances from Broadway stars and rock en español concerts, there’s something for almost every musical taste. This week also sees the return of MONSTERPALOOZA for horror fans, and the 626 Night Market for foodies all around. There are also a few cultural festivals in the SGV, anime and stargazing in the IE, and few events for cinephiles.
Cherry Festival
Corner of Beaumont Ave. & Cougar Way, Beaumont | May 28-31 | beaumontcherryfestival.org
THe festival will be full of live music from acts like Julian Torres y Mariachi Cenzontle and La Original Banda El Limon, among others. The festival will also have carnival rides, vendors, treats and fun for the whole family. One day ticket: $15 children, $20 adults, $17 seniors.
‘Miles & Trane at 100’
The Wallis | 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills | May 28 | jazz.org
Pacific Jazz Orchestra presents “Miles & Trane at 100,” a powerful tribute to two of the most influential figures in jazz – trumpeter Miles Davis and saxophonist John Coltrane. Noted guest artists Sean Jones, trumpet, Emmet Cohen, piano, and PJO’s own Jacob Scesney, saxophone, are featured with the 40-piece LA-based hybrid big band and string orchestra. Tickets: $53.90-$108.90.
‘Grangeville’
Ruskin Group Theatre | 2800 Airport Ave., Santa Monica | May 29 | ruskingrouptheatre.com
MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Samuel D. Hunter (“The Whale”) explores the often-imperfect act of forgiveness in his multi-award nominated play “Grangeville.” Two estranged half-brothers—one living in rural Grangeville, Idaho, the other in Amsterdam—reconnect through a series of virtual conversations as they grapple with decisions about their ailing mother’s care. What begins as a practical discussion slowly unearths long-buried tensions and the kind of stories that we tell ourselves in order to survive. Tickets: $40 – $45.
Golden Hour: Music in the Garden
Norton Simon Museum | 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena | May 29 | nortonsimon.org
Purchase light bites and beverages from the Garden Café, pick up drawing supplies and find a spot to relax in the newly renovated Sculpture Garden to enjoy musical styles programmed by musician Masatoshi Sato. On May 29, enjoy a jazz quartet. The event is free with museum admission. Admission: $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (ages 62 and above), and free for children 18 and younger.
MONSTERPALOOZA
Pasadena Convention Center | 300 E. Green St., Pasadena | May 29-31 | monsterpalooza.com
Celebrate the art of monsters and movie magic with more than 400 exhibitors, the Monster Museum showcasing props and artwork, special FX and makeup demos, celebrity guests, panels, presentations and much more. Tickets start at $43.91.
626 Night Market – Costa Mesa
OC Fair & Event Center | 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa | May 29-31 | 626nightmarket.com
This Asian-inspired night market returns with street food, handcrafted merch, and live performances. Tickets: $5.90.
Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now!
La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts | 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada| May 29 | lamiradatheatre.com
Tony Nominee Kerry Butler, Tony Nominee Laura Bell Bundy, and Tony Winner Marissa Jaret Winokur celebrate 20 years of “Hairspray.” Expect to hear hits from “Hairspray,” “Legally Blonde,” “Wicked,” “Beetlejuice,” “Xanadu,” “Gypsy,” “Sound of Music,” “Grease,” “Tina Turner,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Titanique,” “Lion King,” “Little Mermaid,” “Pocahontas,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Gloria Gaynor,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “Once Upon A Mattress,” “Annie,” “Ruthless,” and “Merrily We Roll Along.” Tickets start at $27.50.
Queremos Rock
Toyota Arena | 4000 Ontario Center, Ontario | May 29 | toyota-arena.com
This night of rock will feature Miguel Mateos, Mike Skills of The Romantics, Inspector, Aterciopelados, General Public, French Police, La Union, Clive Farrington of When in Rome UK, Tijuana No!, and The English Beat. Tickets start at $68.65.
Antes que Nos Olviden
Giggles Night Club | 215 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale | May 29 | conciertoslatino.com
Enjoy a night of live alternative rock en Espanol featuring El Primer Instinto and cover bands of Café Tacvba y Zoé. Tickets start at $39.
2026 Pasadena Armenian Festival
Victory Park | 2575 Paloma St., Pasadena | May 30 | eventbrite.com
The Pasadena Armenian Festival brings authentic Armenian cuisine, cultural vendor booths, live performances and more. Admission is free.
Altadena Musicians Record Shop Open House & Community Record Drive
Altadena Music Center | 1260 Lincoln Ave. #1300, Pasadena | May 30 | altadenamusicians.org
Altadena Musicians, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring the power of music to individuals impacted by natural disasters, invites all to its Record Shop Open House & Community Record Drive. From 1 to 9 p.m., guests are invited to celebrate the shop’s launch, enjoy live music, support local vendors, and donate records to help rebuild collections for fire-affected residents. The Grand Opening Launch Party, from 6 to 9 p.m., will feature live DJs, vendors, and food. RSVP for free.
Summer Arts Festival
Downtown Burbank | 200 N. San Fernando Blvd., Burbank | May 30-31 | dtnbur.com
This free event will feature more than 170 handmade artisan booths selling visual art and photography, original fashion and jewelry, paper goods, home decor and housewares, food, and much more. There will also be live music and crafts.
‘Il maestro di cappella’
Sierra Madre Playhouse | 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre | May 30 | sierramadreplayhouse.org
The witty one-act parody of the music business, reimagined and produced by Source/Filter Music, runs one night only. In this production, baritone Caleb Yanez Glickman stars as the self-important conductor who lectures and berates his orchestra while attempting to lead it. With a new hybrid English–Italian libretto by Source/Filter Artistic Director Britta Sterling, Glickman’s character becomes hilariously tangled in language, rhythm, and pride. The role demands both vocal virtuosity and comic timing, as he sings, conducts, and unravels in real time. The performance features a 17-piece orchestra. Tickets: $12-$35
‘Robert Heide: In Search of Lost American Playwrights’
Odyssey Theatre | 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles | May 30 | odysseytheatre.com
When Robert Heide died on Dec. 17, 2025, the theater community in downtown Manhattan paid tribute by recognizing his extraordinary achievement as one of the pioneer playwrights of the Off-Off Broadway era. However, his work was never produced in Los Angeles. An afternoon of readings from some of Heide’s short plays that capture his style — poignant, sometimes brutally authentic depictions of ordinary people mired in loneliness, their dreams delayed, their stammering pronounced, suddenly bursting into a dark but oddly hopeful poetry — will right that wrong. Selections (subject to change) include “Mother Suck,” “The Bed” and “Remember” (preceded by an excerpt from “Tropical in Key West”). Tickets: $25.
Anime Riverside
Riverside Convention Art Center | 3637 5th St., Riverside | May 30-31 | animeriverside.com
Anime fans can expect vendors, celebrity cast panels, photo ops, karaoke, an arcade zone, a car show, a free concert from Alien Ant Farm, and much more. Tickets start at $41.64.
Piano Spheres & David Gordezky: The Satie Project
Boston Court Pasadena | 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena | May 30-31 | pianospheres.org
Piano Spheres and Boston Court Pasadena, in collaboration with David Gordezky, present “The Satie Project.” The program will feature the complete piano four-hand works of Erik Satie, most notably “Trois morceaux en forme de poire” (Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear), whose seven movements inspired a set of seven newly commissioned compositions. The music will be performed by Piano Spheres artists Thomas Kotcheff, Vicki Ray, Aron Kallay, and Nic Gerpe. Tickets: $44-$54.
‘Hell to Hollywood’
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts | 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills | May 30 | thewallis.org
The Scott Dunn Orchestra completes its second year at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts with “From Hell To Hollywood – Films Music’s First Golden Age and the Émigré Community.” In this concert, Dunn and his orchestra explore the music and influence on Hollywood of the European émigré composers of the 1930s, who were forced to flee from the Nazis. This concert features music by Arnold Schoenberg, Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Franz Waxman, Dimitri Tiomkin, Bronisław Kaper, Kurt Weill, Ernest Gold and Miklós Rózsa from such films as “Gone with the Wind,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “Rear Window,” “Lili,” ”Exodus,” “Casablanca,“ “The Alamo,” “Ben-Hur,” and others. Tickets: $53.90 to $97.90.
Glendora Culture Fest
150 Glendora Ave., Glendora | May 30 | cityofglendora.gov
This free festival celebrating cultures from around the world will feature live performances, food vendors, a kid’s zone, music, and more.
Astronomy Night
Whitewater Preserve | 9160 Whitewater Canyon Road, Whitewater | May 30 | tr.ee/NAUf5GfKv_
Spend an evening under the desert stars with astronomers, powerful telescopes, glowing constellations, and deep-sky wonders hidden in the darkness above the preserve. No reservations are required.
Kidspace Neighborhood Block Party
Kidspace Children’s Museum | 480 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena | May 31 | kidspacemuseum.org
Enjoy live entertainment featuring talent from Pasadena and Altadena. Make your mark on a community mural. Contribute an act of kindness to the animals at Pasadena Humane Society and explore the many flavors of this community with local food trucks. Admission: free.
The Museums of the Arroyo Day
May 31 | museumsofthearroyo.com
Five museums open their doors for a free and fun day. Participating museums include The Gamble House, Heritage Square, Los Angeles Police Museum, Lummis Home, and Pasadena Museum of History. Each museum will offer its own programming.
Japanese Car Cruise In & Motorcycle Show
Petersen Automotive Museum | 6060 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles | May 31 | petersen.org
To celebrate the upcoming Forza Horizon 6, the museum is bringing the game to life with rides straight out of the lineup, racing simulators, Xbox drops, and surprises along the way. Spectate for free. Adult museum tickets are $22.
Stand Up For KCRW
The Comedy Store | 8433 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles | May 31 | kcrw.com
To benefit KCRW, J.F. Harris hosts a night of laughs featuring comedians from Netflix’s “Funny AF with Kevin Hart,” and with Tom Papa. Tickets start at $36.05.
‘Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon’
Academy Museum | 6067 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles | May 31-Feb. 28 | academymuseum.org
“Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon” will celebrate Marilyn Monroe as a visionary actor and image-maker, examining the many facets of how she created and shaped her public image in the context of the classical Hollywood studio system. Visit on opening day for a film screening of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (1953), the musical comedy adapted from Anita Loos’s novella where showgirl Lorelei (Marilyn Monroe) is resplendent in beautiful gowns, most notably in the pink satin dress designed by Travilla during the now-classic number “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” The pink satin gown will be on view in the exhibition, located on Level 3 in the Rolex Gallery.
‘The Rocketeer’
The El Capitan Theatre | 6838 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles | June 1 | elcapitantheatre.com
“The Rocketeer” returns to celebrate the Centennial of the El Capitan Theatre. Before the movie, guests can enjoy a Q&A with Director Joe Johnston and Executive Producer Larry Franko, moderated by Leonard Maltin. Tickets: $50 and include a reserved seat, popcorn, fountain drink, event credential, and mini print.
The Sun Rises In Harlem: Black Brilliance and the Harlem Renaissance
The Huntington | 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino | June 2-3 | muse-ique.com
The music of the Harlem Renaissance encompassed everything from red-hot jazz to all-Black Broadway musicals, to the first classical music by a Black woman to be performed by a major U.S. orchestra. Timeless songs like “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Stormy Weather,” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” were carried on the searing, soulful voices of Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday, on the iconic instruments of Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong, and brought to life in legendary nightspots like the Cotton Club by bandleaders Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. They’ll be brought back to life by Broadway veteran Kecia Lewis, who won a Tony award for her performance in Alicia Keys’ “Hell’s Kitchen”; Sy Smith, a five-octave R&B belter who recently portrayed Michelle Obama in “44: The Musical”; Leo Manzari, a gifted tap dancer who’s been a featured guest on “So You Think You Can Dance”; and DC6 Singers Collective, the genre-hopping vocal group recently heard in the Oscar-winning “Sinners,” all led by MUSE/IQUE’s Artistic & Music Director Rachael Worby. Admission for non-members starts at $75 for a single admission or $100 for a trial membership with admission for two people.
ONGOING
‘Fractured Fables’
The Actors’ Gang Theater | 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City | Through May 30 | theactorsgang.com
The Actors’ Gang presents Fractured Fables – for the entire family (ages 6 & up recommended) – written and adapted from Aesop and Brothers Grimm, among others, by Rynn Vogel and directed by Adam J. Jefferis. Audiences of ages 6 & up can expect a lively and engaging theatrical experience that celebrates creativity, mentorship, and the enduring power of storytelling. Tickets: $25 Saturdays and Sundays; seniors, students, educators are $20.
LA County Fair
Fairplex | 1101 W. McKinley Ave., La Verne | Through May 31 | lacountyfair.com
The LA County Fair is back with rides, art, contests, farm animals, delicious food and drinks, live music and a skating rink! Single day tickets are $18 but there are special prices and value passes available.
‘Exit the King’
A Noise Within | 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena | Through May 31 | anoisewithin.org
It’s King Berenger’s last day on Earth, but he refuses to accept it. King Berenger has ruled with absolute power, so why should the rules of death apply to him? As the king stubbornly denies the inevitable, his crumbling kingdom is held together by an eccentric court: his formidable first wife, his devoted second wife, and a band of increasingly bewildered attendants. Absurd, witty and unexpectedly touching, this modern classic becomes a poignant and surprisingly joyful reminder that even kings must face their final curtain. Tickets start at $41.75. Student tickets start at $20.
‘Little Shop of Horrors’
Lineage Performing Arts Center | 920 E. Mountain Ave., Pasadena | Through June 7 | lineagepac.org
Lineage breathes new life into this sci-fi cult classic with dance. Tickets start at $38.62.
Photography and the Black Arts Movement
The Getty | 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 403, Los Angeles | Through June 14 | getty.edu
“Photography and the Black Arts Movement brings together works by more than one hundred photographers, painters, graphic designers, and multimedia artists who used photographic images in their struggles against inequality,” says Timothy Potts, Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Robert Tuttle Director of the J. Paul Getty. Divided into eight sections, this exhibition brings together more than 150 artworks in a range of media, including video art, paintings, collages, contact sheets, newsletters, and magazines, giving a sense of the varied ways that photographic imagery circulated at the time.Admission to the Getty Center is always free, but a reservation is required for admission.
‘Brigadoon’
Pasadena Playhouse | 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena | Through June 14 | pasadenaplayhouse.org
Two American travelers lose their way in the Scottish Highlands and stumble upon Brigadoon—a mysterious village that appears for just one day every hundred years. With its lush score, live orchestra, sweeping choreography, and a newly adapted book, this beloved classic is a heart-stirring journey into a world where time stands still, and love defies all logic. Tickets start at $58.
‘Hymn’
Odyssey Theatre | 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles | Through June 14 | odysseytheatre.com
“Hymn” is a life-affirming new play by Olivier Award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti (“Life of Pi,” “Hamnet”). Two middle-aged Black men form a deep bond against a background of R&B rhythms, boxing, and rounds of scotch in this soulful play about love, faith and male friendship. Tickets to all performances are $35. A $3 fee will be added to each ticket purchased with a credit card. Discounts are available for students and seniors.
DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion: Escape
L’ESPACE DIAVOLO | 616 Moulton Ave., Los Angeles | Through June 14 | diavolo.org/escape
Founder and Creative Director Jacques Heim, choreographer of Cirque du Soleil’s long running Las Vegas production KÀ and creative director of the 16th Asian Games Opening Ceremony, continues his mission to explore the relationship between the human body and its environment. This 70-minute piece explores the conditions of the human struggle to break free from a chaotic world — featuring a company of 22 artists testing themselves against a variety of DIAVOLO’s most famous custom-made architectural structures. Pre-show and post-show interactive opportunities give audiences the opportunity to experience movement with the architecture pieces as well. Tickets start at $39.
‘Ascent’
Skylight Theatre | 1816-1/2 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles | Through June 14 | skylighttheatre.org
Based on the true story, “Ascent” tells about the life of Qian Xuesen, the brilliant aerospace engineer who helped launch America’s space age—until Cold War paranoia forever changed the future of both his new and native homelands. In this play and its production, two fascinating American stories are told – the true story of Qian Xuesen (spelled often as Tsien Hsue-shen), a father of American rocketry and co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who became later known as the father of Chinese rocketry – giving that country nuclear capacity, and playwright Henry Ong, a beloved playwright and powerful figure in the Los Angeles theatre community for more than thirty-five years. General admission starts at $29.
‘The Physicists’
The Actors’ Gang Theater | 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City | Through June 20 | theactorsgang.com
In Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s 1961 “The Physicists,” the world’s greatest physicist, Johann Wilhelm Möbius, is in an asylum and haunted by King Solomon. His friends are two equally deluded scientists – one who believes he is Einstein and the other Newton. As the play progresses, they are not as harmless as they appear as they plot the end of the world abetted by their psychiatrist, Mathilde von Zahnd. Like Peter Weiss’ “Marat/Sade,” also originally directed by Peter Brook, “The Physicists” asks where the line is between mad and dangerously insane. Tickets: $38; seniors, students and educators are $28.
‘WASHOKU | Nature and Culture in Japanese Cuisine’
Japan House LA | 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles | Through Oct. 18 | japanhousela.com
This landmark exhibition explores the core elements, evolution, and cultural significance of washoku, a UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage.
‘Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo’
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures | 6067 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles | Through Jan. 10, 2027 | academymuseum.org
The Academy Museum presents Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo, celebrating the artistry of Studio Ghibli and the hand-drawn animation behind the 2008 film. The exhibition features over 100 original materials from Studio Ghibli, including art boards, posters, an animation desk, and hand drawings by Hayao Miyazaki, many on display in North America for the first time. Curated by Jessica Niebel with assistant curator Emily Rauber Rodriguez. The museum is open six days a week, closed on Tuesdays. Tickets $15–$25; film screenings $5–$10.