Events
Taste the South Bay at Manhattan Beach Food & Wine
Starts Sept. 25-26. The two-night culinary festival brings together 23-plus chefs and restaurants each evening for unlimited tastings at westdrift Manhattan Beach. Guests can sample dishes from leading Southern California kitchens alongside wine, spirits and beer from over 50 beverage partners. DJs and live entertainment turn the hotel grounds into an open-air night out, with different culinary lineups for the weekend. Friday–Saturday, 7–10 p.m. 1400 Parkview Ave., Manhattan Beach. manhattanbeachfoodandwine.com
Raise a Stein at Wurstküche’s Oktoberfest
Starts Sept. 26-Oct. 24. Lederhosen and dirndls take over the Venice sausage house for five weekends of live German music, yodeling and flowing taps. Guests can dig into Wurstküche’s grilled sausages—including its rattlesnake-and-rabbit link topped with caramelized onions and peppers—and choose from German and Belgian beers. Each ticket includes a one-liter Wurstküche stein with its first fill of Oktoberfest beer, and advance booking is recommended because seatings regularly sell out. Saturdays, at noon and 5 p.m.; Sundays, at 2 p.m. 625 Lincoln Blvd., Venice. Get Tickets Now
Celebrate Los Angeles at the Autry’s Annual Block Party
Sept. 26. The Autry fills its Griffith Park grounds with live music, cultural performances, food trucks, carnival rides and activities for the entire family. The schedule includes Native dance, country music, jazz, square dancing, cowboy poetry and screenings of L.A. Story and Maara’yam: The Yuhaaviatam Story. Visitors can also explore a classic-car show, DINO LAND, bounce houses, a mechanical bull, horse-grooming workshops and the museum’s current exhibitions. Saturday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles. Get Tickets Now
Step Inside 80 Years of Cathay Pacific
Sept. 25-26. Cathay Pacific marks its 80th anniversary with a free, two-day aviation experience at The Grove. Visitors can explore vintage uniforms and milestones from the airline’s history before sitting inside its newest Aria Suite Business Class and Premium Economy seats. An interactive prize wall tests guests’ travel knowledge, with select prizes available throughout the day. Attendees can also enter for a chance to win two round-trip Business Class tickets to Hong Kong. Friday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles. cathaypacific.com
Food + Drinks
Visit the New Rumi’s Kitchen in Century City
Now Open. Chef Ali Mesghali brings his modern Persian cooking to Los Angeles with the first West Coast location of Rumi’s Kitchen. The menu moves from warm bread, dips and fragrant rice to charcoal-grilled meats, seafood and slow-cooked stews. Highlights include lamb ribs with grape molasses, ghormeh sabzi with crispy potato tahdig, whole red snapper and pomegranate-glazed short rib. The dining room opens onto a rooftop Persian garden planted with citrus and pomegranate trees. Open throughout the weekend; Friday, 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m.
Rumi’s Kitchen, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 2010, Los Angeles. rumiskitchen.com
Try Firstborn’s New Sunday Fried Chicken Menu
Sept. 27. Firstborn gives Sunday dinner a more casual rhythm with a patio-only menu built around fried chicken and shareable sides. The weekly service begins this weekend and pairs the food with approachable drink specials, including $10 martinis, $13 sparkling wine, $11 red and white wine and $6 beer. Guests can settle into the Chinatown patio for an early dinner or stay through closing. Reservations are available through the restaurant’s OpenTable Experiences page. Sunday, 5 p.m.–close. Firstborn, 978 N. Broadway, Los Angeles. firstborn.la
Support Stop the Void at Citrin and Mélisse
Sept. 27. Chef Josiah Citrin hosts a five-course charity dinner with John Shields of Chicago’s Smyth and The Loyalist, E.J. Lagasse of Emeril’s and Michael Cimarusti of Providence. The evening begins with canapés before the collaborative tasting menu, bringing together chefs representing 11 Michelin stars. Proceeds support Stop the Void, an organization focused on fentanyl-poisoning education, awareness and advocacy—a mission Citrin embraced after losing his son Augie. Sunday at 6:30 p.m. 1104 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. citrinandmelisse.com
Gather Around the Fire for Asado Argentino Night
Sept. 25. Fuegos brings back its popular Asado Argentino Night, inviting guests to gather around the open fire for a traditional South American barbecue feast. Expect flame-grilled meats accompanied by chilled Fernet and wine in the restaurant’s lively, communal setting. Reservations are recommended. Friday at 7 p.m. 3957 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles. Reserve Now
Arts + Culture
Sing Along to The Sound of Music at the Hollywood Bowl
Sept. 26. Julie Andrews returns to the Bowl’s big screen as thousands of moviegoers sing their way through “Do-Re-Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” “Edelweiss” and the rest of the Rodgers and Hammerstein score. Lyrics appear onscreen during the restored Oscar-winning film, while a pre-show led by host Melissa Peterman warms up the crowd. Guests are encouraged to arrive dressed as their favorite character—or in an imaginative film-inspired costume—for the contest before the screening. Saturday, gates open at 5 p.m., pre-show and costume contest at 6 p.m., film at 7:30 p.m. Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. hollywoodbowl.com
See Los Angeles Ballet’s American Icons
Sept. 24-27. Los Angeles Ballet opens its season with a three-work program celebrating American choreographers and composers. Melissa Barak’s Wavelength returns with music by David Lawrence and costumes created in collaboration with ETRO. Jerome Robbins’ The Cage follows a predatory community of female insects set to Stravinsky, while Paul Taylor’s playful Dilly Dilly places 11 dancers inside a colorful medley of folk songs by Burl Ives. Thursday–Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica. losangelesballet.org
Hear Daymé Arocena’s Alkemi
Sept. 26. Cuban singer and composer Daymé Arocena brings together Afro-Cuban rhythms, jazz, neo-soul and contemporary Latin pop during her Beverly Hills performance. Backed by a full band, the Grammy-nominated and Juno Award-winning artist moves between intimate vocal passages and percussion-driven arrangements drawn from albums including Nueva Era and Alkemi. The concert highlights a sound shaped by Cuban musical traditions and the modern influences she developed after relocating to Puerto Rico. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org
Watch Brookside Park Become a Canvas
Sept. 26-27. More than 500 artists turn the pathways of Brookside Park into an open-air gallery, creating approximately 200 large-scale chalk murals as visitors watch each work develop. The free festival also features a children’s chalk area, live music, a DJ, food vendors and an art gallery with a silent auction benefiting youth arts education. Public voting and an awards ceremony take place Sunday, giving guests one last chance to see the temporary works before they disappear. Saturday, 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.–6:30 p.m.
Brookside Park, 480 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena. pasadenachalkfestival.org
Photo Credit: All images are courtesy of the venues and businesses featured.
