This week, SoCal is alight with Juneteenth celebrations, World Cup watchparties, and outdoor plays, music and block parties.
Banda Machos
Main Street between Lexington and Tyler avenues, El Monte | June 18 | instagram.com/p/DY6FpVqFs-1/
Celebrate Father’s Day at the El Monte Night Market with Banda Machos. The Night Market will feature delicious food, local vendors, and family-friendly activities. Admission: free.
Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Fan Zone at The Original Farmers Market
The Original Farmers Market | 6333 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles | June 18-21 | tickets.farmersmarketla.com
Experience the excitement of the World Cup over 4 days of live matches with beer gardens, international culinary menus from locally-owned restaurants, and soccer-themed experiences. One-day pass: $6.30.
Taste of Japan
Anaheim GardenWalk | 321 W. Katella Ave., Anaheim | June 19-21 | tasteofjpn.com
Experience Japanese culture, flavors, and traditions at this free, three-day event featuring music, activities, interactive games, photo ops and so much food.
Rialto Juneteenth Jam 2026
Alec Fergusson Park | 2395 W. Sunrise Drive, Rialto | June 19 | eventbrite.com
Commemorate Juneteenth in community with food, vendors, music, a hair show, basketball, a skate clinic and so much more. General admission: free.
Beach Movie Nights
Dockweiler Youth Center | 12505 Vista del Mar, Playa del Rey | June 19 | beaches.lacounty.gov
Enjoy a free screening of “Coco” on the sand, by the waves, and under the stars. Seating is festival-style, available on a first-come, first-served basis.
LACMA Block Party
LACMA | 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles | June 20 | lacma.org
Celebrate the opening of the David Geffen Galleries at this free, all-day block party featuring free admission to the entire museum, family-friendly art activities inspired by the museum’s collection, live music and DJ sets spanning funk and old-school house to cumbia, and a restaurant showcase spotlighting L.A.’s diverse food culture. The Block Party will coincide with the Latin Sounds concert series featuring Roosevelt El Presidente de la Salsa. The Art Parade will shut down Museum Row with mobile sculptures, costumes, banners, inflatables, music, and movement-based works.
Family Fun Day Movie Matinee: ‘The Sandlot’
The Autry Museum of the American West | 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles | June 20 | theautry.org
Take a break from exploring the museum to enjoy this ‘90s classic. Before the film, run bases, play catch, and enjoy baseball-themed crafts. Complimentary popcorn and Cracker Jacks will be provided, and a food truck will be on site for meal purchases. Tickets to the museum: $20 adult, $15 seniors, $9 children 3-12 years old.
‘Back to the Future’
The Autry Museum of the American West | 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles | June 20 | streetfoodcinema.com
Hop into the DeLorean with Marty and Doc on the ‘80s adventure that starts at 8:30 p.m. Arrive by 7 p.m. to enjoy live music from the Griffith Park Satellites and pick up food from one of the featured food trucks. There will also be photo ops and film trivia. Advance tickets: general admission $23, reserved section $29, children’s general admission $10, children’s reserved section $15.
Stars Spangled Salute to the Movies: A Tribute to John Williams
Los Angeles County Arboretum | 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia | June 20 | pasadenasymphony-pops.org
Resident Pops Conductor Larry Blank kicks off the 2026 Rusnak Summer POPS Series with scores from “Superman,” “E.T.,” “Raiders of the Lost Arc” and “Star Wars,” and a tribute to the late Marvin Hamlisch with “Nobody Does it Better,” “The Way We Were” and more Hollywood blockbusters for an evening celebrating American film music. Tickets start at $15.
2026 Cumbia Fest
The Compound by Dirt Dog | 2909 Supply Ave., Commerce | June 20-21 | eventbrite.com
Dance the night away at Cumbia Fest! The night will feature bandas, DJs, sonideros and various types of cumbia. Tickets start at $28.52.
‘Treasure Island’
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum | 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga | June 20 – Oct. 3 | theatricum.com
In this re-imagining of the novel by Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer, a young man’s romantic dream of pirates on the high seas becomes a harrowing reality. Tested at every turn, young Jim Hawkins faces each challenge with courage, trusting in a moral compass strong enough to triumph — and to discover the true treasure: a life lived with integrity and purpose. Tickets to performances range from $15 to $63. The performance on Monday, Aug. 10 is Pay-What-You-Will (available online the week of the performance or pay cash at the door) and features a 30-minute pre-show discussion, beginning one hour before curtain, at 6:30 p.m.
KCRW Summer Nights at CAAM
California African American Museum | 600 State Drive, Exposition Park | June 20 | caamuseum.org
Celebrate Juneteenth at this free, all-ages dance party featuring live sets from KCRW DJs J.Rocc and guest Monalisa. Attendees will also have access to all of CAAM’s exhibitions, and there will be food trucks and a beer garden.
Zoo After Dark
LA Zoo | 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles | June 20 | lazoo.org
When the zoo closes, the party starts! The night will feature live music, a silent disco, lawn games, food trucks, and full bars. Stop by on June 20 for a throwback-themed night with music from Larger Than Life performing boy band covers from the ‘90s and 2000s. General admission: $30.
Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Fan Zone at City of Downey
Stonewood Center | 251 Stonewood St., Downey | June 20 | downeyca.org
Soccer fans from across the Southland are expected at this free community watch party featuring entertainment, soccer clinics and exhibitions, art walk, interactive booths, food vendors and a beer garden. General admission: free.
Poet/Performer Camille Hernandez
Sierra Madre Playhouse | 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre | June 20 | sierramadreplayhouse.org
The Sierra Madre Playhouse authors series spotlights poet/performer Camille Hernandez, the Poet Laureate of Anaheim, who shares an immersive reimagining of poetry from her celebrated chapbook “Motherland.” Hernandez transforms her work into a “choreopoem,” merging movement, rhythm, and language into living performance. For the program, Hernandez is preparing a traditional Filipino Kamaya feast that blends her Black and Filipino cultures while reciting poetry and speaking. Tickets: $20.
Riverside Pride Bar Crawl
Palenque Kitchen by Mezcal | 3737 Main St. #STE 101, Riverside | June 20 | eventbrite.com
Bar hop with friends and enjoy holiday-themed drinks, food specials, live music, DJs and an all-around fun time. Early bird tickets: $18.89. Group rates available.
River Solstice Festival
Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park | 2944 Gleneden St., Los Angeles | June 21 | luma.com/p0eonjwd
Celebrate the LA River in Frogtown at an afternoon of live music, site-specific art, performance, food, and community. Registration is free.
Los Angeles Children’s Chorus Send-Off Concert
Pasadena Presbyterian Church | 585 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena | June 22 | lachildrenschorus.org
The public is invited to this free local send-off concert featuring a sampling of the repertoire each of the three choirs will be performing individually and jointly on tour. The concert will feature a selection of timeless masterworks, arrangements of traditional folk songs, and contemporary choral songs.
‘Mamma Mia!’
Ahmanson Theatre | 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles | June 23-July 19 | centertheatregroup.org
For more than 25 years, “Mamma Mia!” has brought the music of ABBA to the stage in this tale of love, friendship and the relationship between mother and daughter. Tickets: range in price.
Moonlight Movies on the Beach: ‘Jurassic Park’
Granada Beach | 5000 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach | June 23 | moonlightmoviesonthebeach.com
Pack up the car with chairs, blankets and snacks and head to the beach for a free movie at sunset. Don’t want to pack food? Local food trucks and kettle corn vendors will be on site.
‘Coriolanus’
Old Zoo in Griffith Park | June 24 – July 26 | indieshakes.org/free-shakespeare-2026
The Independent Shakespeare Co. kicks off its free Shakespeare festival with “Coriolanus,” a surprisingly comedic political tale. In a corrupt Rome where the gap between the poor and rich widens, Roman general Coriolanus is expelled from the city over his contempt for his people. Coriolanus then sets off on a path for revenge. Arrive early for pre-show events
ONGOING
‘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.
USA Soccer House
57 Windward | 57 Windward Ave., Venice | Through June 26 | ussoccer.com
Cheer on the U.S. Men’s National Team at the official USA Soccer House. Entry is free for all and you can expect watch parties, meet & greets, brand activations, concerts and more.
‘The Revolutionists’
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center | Through June 28 | ictlongbeach.org
Four women to be reckoned with lose their heads (both figuratively and literally) in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution’s La Terreur. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen and fan of ribbons Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. This grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing the world. Tickets are $56 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and $59 at Sunday matinees.
‘Romeo and Juliet’
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum | 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga | Through Sept. 26 | theatricum.com
Co-directors Ellen Geer and Willow Geer have set their “Romeo and Juliet” in New York City during the tumultuous Gilded Age, a period marked by stark social inequality and rampant industrialization. Through this lens, the famous love story becomes not just a tragedy, but a powerful warning about the costs of division, hatred and fear. Tickets to performances range from $15 to $63. Children 4 and under are free. Pay-What-You-Will at the performances on Monday, Aug. 3.
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream‘
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum | 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga | Through Oct. 10 | theatricum.com
Set against the natural backdrop of Topanga’s woods, this production requires no elaborate set design to conjure Shakespeare’s enchanted forest brimming with magic, mischief and romance. Audiences of all ages will be enchanted by the whimsical entanglements of four lovers, a troupe of bumbling actors, and the mischievous fairies who meddle with them. Tickets to performances range from $15 to $63. Children 4 and under are free. Pay-What-You-Will at the performances on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
‘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 | 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.
‘Marilyn Monroe: Hollywood Icon’
Academy Museum | 6067 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles | Through 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. The pink satin gown will be on view in the exhibition, located on Level 3 in the Rolex Gallery. General admission tickets for the museum’s exhibitions are $25 for adults, $19 for seniors (age 62+), and $15 for students.
