Los Angeles

Weekend roundup

LA Weekend Events Roundup May 18-21

Find the best Los Angeles things to do this weekend

Edited by Christina Xenos


Björk DigitalEVENTS
Björk Digital
May 19-June 4. Dive into the world of Björk during the West Coast premiere of this groundbreaking exhibition. Expect six virtual reality works displayed in a succession of rooms, which feature music from her latest album, Vulnicura. In conjunction with the showcase, Björk will also make her Walt Disney Concert Hall debut, performing with orchestra in a concert conducted by Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason on May 30. (Photo by Andrew Thomas Huang.) Magic Box at The Reef, 1933 S. Broadway, downtown. laphil.com

 

 

EEEEEATSCONEEEEEATSCON
May 20. The new “food festival for the next generation” from the Infatuation plays off the company’s popular “#EEEEEATS“ hashtag. Expect a lineup of the city’s hottest restaurants—Chi Spacca, Shake Shack, Jon & Vinny’s, Badmaash, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse and Salazar, plus the first-ever appearance of Mario Batali’s Eataly in LA before it opens in Westfield Century City—as well as live music and panels with food-industry pioneers. Noon-9 p.m. $40-$100. Food not included in price. Barker Hangar, 3021 Airport Ave., Suite 203, Santa Monica. theinfatuation.com

 

 

Beverly Hills ArtshowBeverly Hills Artshow
May 20-21. This long-running outdoor art showcase displays works from some 240 exhibitors twice a year. A wine and beer garden and food trucks are also on-site. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Beverly Gardens Park, along Santa Monica Boulevard from Rodeo to Rexford drives, Beverly Hills, 310.285.6830. beverlyhills.org

 

 

Venice Art Walk & AuctionsVenice Art Walk & Auctions
May 21. Google’s LA headquarters hosts the Venice Family Clinic’s annual fundraiser, where a silent art auction and street festival help raise funds to provide primary health care to people in need (ticketed artist-studio tours also are available for $50). This free community celebration includes gourmet food, live music and family-friendly activities. See website for details. Noon-6 p.m. 340 Main St., Venice, 310.664.7916. theveniceartwalk.org

 

 

Flavor of LAFlavor of LA
May 21. Sip your way through the CBS Studio Center back lot while enjoying an afternoon of gourmet bites from top LA restaurants—The Bellwether, Frankland’s Crab & Co, Salt & Straw—along with craft beer, wine and cocktails. The all-inclusive event benefits Food Forward, and will also feature film and TV car favorites from the Television Motion Picture Car Club. 1-5 p.m. 4024 Radford Ave., Studio City, 818.655.5916. flavorofla.com

 

 

CinespiaCinespia
Continuing. Watch cult films projected on a mausoleum wall during this popular Amazon Studios-sponsored film series at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Also on hand are pre-movie DJs and themed photo booths. May highlights include Boogie Nights and Clueless. See website for full schedule. Gates open 6:45 p.m.; movie 8:30 pm. $16. Parking $12-$15. (Photo Kelly Lee Barrett © Cinespia.org.) 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., 877.435.9849. cinespia.org

 

 

Street Food CinemaStreet Food Cinema
Continuing. Outdoor summer film series hosts screenings every Saturday night at various locations across L.A. Features live music and food from the city’s top trucks. Highlights this month include Singin’ in the Rain and Back to the Future. See website for a full schedule and door times. Band 6:30 p.m.; movie 8:30 p.m. $6-$21, under 6 free. 323.254.5068. streetfoodcinema.com

 

 

la times food bowlFood Bowl
Through May 31. The Los Angeles Times’ new, citywide food festival celebrates LA’s dynamic and influential food scene throughout the month of May while promoting social awareness about food waste and hunger. lafoodbowl.com

 

 

 

U2MUSIC
U2
May 20-21. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Joshua Tree album, U2 performs it in its entirety at Rose Bowl Stadium. 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena, 626.577.3100. rosebowlstadium.com

 

 

 

Karma MasqueradeNIGHTLIFE
Karma Masquerade
May 20. The exclusive event transforms Hollywood’s Liaison Lounge into an avant-garde escape complete with strolling performers, living art vignettes, music, dancing and special DJ performances. Use code KK1234 to book. 1638 N Las Palmas Ave., L.A. karmainternational.com

 

 

 

Skyspace LASPONSORED
Family Sunday Funday at OUE Skyspace LA
Change the scenery for your family’s next adventure by visiting OUE Skyspace LA. Located in the iconic US Bank Tower, Skyspace LA is California’s must see attraction. This stunning observation deck features entertainment and excitement for audiences of any age. Upgrade your visit by purchasing a Family Sunday Funday package to enjoy admission for four to Skyspace LA and ride the exhilarating Skyslide! Family Sunday Funday packages are available for use any Sunday from 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. for adults and youth. Purchase your family four pack at any time for $20 each. 633 W 5th St., Downtown LA, 213.894.9000. oue-skyspace.com

 

 

RososbluFOOD + DRINK
Rossoblu
Chef/owner Steve Samson channels Emilia Romagna’s “cucina della nonna,” the cooking of his mother and grandmother at his second LA restaurant. Rossoblu is the follow up to perennial favorite Sotto, boasting dishes that will transport you to the region like tortellini in brodo, tagliatelle al ragu and milk-braised pork. Samson spent summers during his childhood in Bologna and channels his family’s heritage through the dishes and other details like a large wood-burning hearth powered by oak coals and outfitted with a spit for roasting, paying homage to his grandfather. Expect all pastas to be made by hand in the restaurant’s underground pasta room, in addition to fresh sausages and aged salumi that will also be produced in-house. The restaurant also features an open patio, wine list focused on Italian and Californian varietals and seasonal Italian cocktails from Brynn Smith (Sotto). Dinner Sun.-Sat. 1124 San Julian St., downtown, 213.749.1099. rossoblula.com

 

 

Ocean PrimeHappy Hour at Ocean Prime
Fridays just got a lot happier with Ocean Prime Beverly Hills’ new Shake, Shuck & Pop happy hour. Start your weekend on their patio with free truffle popcorn, $1 oysters, $10 sushi rolls, $10 glasses of Veuve Rosé and featured cocktails. Fridays throughout summer, 3-11 p.m. 9595 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.859.4818. ocean-prime.com

 

 

Frankland's Crab & CoFrankland’s Crab & Co
Opens May 19. Chef Phillip Frankland Lee brings dockside eats to his hometown of Encino at the elevated fast seafood concept. Dine in or carry out menu signatures like fish and chips with wild-caught branzino; Chowda made from a variety of shellfish, teeming with jewels like house-cured bacon, crab, lobster and prawns; and shrimp, crap or Maine lobster rolls. Linger over your fish dishes with craft beer and wine along with homemade root beer. (Photo by Jakob Layman.) 16101 Ventura Blvd., 818.906.9609. franklandscrabandcompany.com

 

 

Hot Hot FoodHot Hot Food
Opens May 20. If you’ve been craving Coly Den Haan’s signature fried rice made famous at former downtown wine bar The Must, you’re in luck because you can get it at Hot Hot Food. Silver Lake’s newest destination for comfort food features Haan’s LA Fried Rice along with other staples like Hot Hot Bunz, steamed bao carnitas pork bun; Tortillas & Cowboy Butter, housemade blue corn tortillas with spiced butter; and her sought-after Fluffernutter dessert. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. 654 N. Hoover St., L.A. hot-hot-food.com

 

 

Steak 101Steak 101
May 20. Barbecue season is just around the corner and the team at the Arthur J wants to make sure you’re prepared. At their Steak 101 class, chef de cuisine Daniel Waked walks you through everything you need to know about steak cuts, grades and all of the juicy details that go into selecting the very best beef. The reward for all your learning is a detailed tasting of many of the restaurant’s top cuts. $125/pp. 11 a.m. The Arthur J, 903 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach, 310.878.9620. thearthurj.com

 

 

extreme mammalsMUSEUMS
Extreme Mammals
Through Sept. 10. The new exhibit at the Natural History Museum explores evolutionary standouts and oddities in the 200-million-year history of mammals, the exhibition includes some memorable fossils and content from NHMLA’s own collection—specimens from the La Brea Tar Pits, a rare dwarf mammoth fossil from the Channel Islands, and footage of L.A.’s own P-22, the Griffith Park mountain lion. 900 Exposition Blvd., L.A., 213.763.DINO. nhm.org

 

 

Jersey BoysTHEATER
Jersey Boys
Through June 24. The award-winning musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons makes a stop in LA, bringing hit songs “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and more. Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772. centertheatregroup.org

 

 

 

plasticityPlasticity
Through May 22. The multilayered, multimedia theatrical event aims to take audiences on an often comedic tour of the collective unconscious. Ovation Award-winning co-writers Alex Lyras and Robert McCaskill (The Common Air) team with Grammy Award-nominated composer Ken Rich, visual artist Corwin Evans and two-time Emmy Award-winning editor/producer Peter Chakos (The Big Bang Theory) to examine how the brain is able to rewire and heal itself. In it, a comatose man recreates his identity by delving deeply into his memories, while hovering family members and loved ones (all played by Lyras) divide into scheming camps over grave neurological decisions. Monday nights. Hudson Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A., 323.960.7787. plasticitytheplay.com

 

 

ArchdukeArchduke
Through June 4. The Mark Taper Forum hosts the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist and Obie Award winner Rajiv Joseph’s new play about a group of young men and their unlikely path to terrorism at the onset of World War I. Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.628.2772. centertheatregroup.org

 

 

Block PartyBlock Party
Through May 21. This celebration of the Los Angeles theater scene spotlights three recent productions from local theater companies, each of which plays for two weeks. Failure: A Love Story runs from April 14-23; Citizen: An American Lyric opens April 28; Dry Land runs from May 12-21. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 213.628.2772. centertheatregroup.org

 

 

Fefu and Her FriendsFefu and Her Friends
Through May 28. The pioneering play marks the first time a production has ever taken place at the UNESCO-nominated Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Art Park. Set in 1935—a little over a decade after Hollyhock House was built for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall—the play provides a unique reference point to the period and will take place inside the Hollyhock House, transitioning throughout the historic quarters and ending in the central courtyard. The play touches on culturally relevant topics to the period and today like gender wage gaps, sexist political rhetoric and women in leadership roles. $60. (May 6-8, 13-15, 20-22, 26-28.) Hollyhock House, Barnsdall Art Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. circlextheatre.org/fefu/

 

 

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