Celebrate the first full month of summer with oceanfront fireworks, a margarita showdown and an escape into the world of VR. There’s plenty to do in L.A. this July, so read up and mark your calendars.
Edited by Alicia Luchak.
Miss America’s Ugly Daughter
All month. Barra Grant’s darkly comic autobiographical one-woman show recounts her experience living in the shadow of her mother, Bess Myerson, the first and only Jewish Miss America. See website for showtimes. $40 GA, $20 students and seniors. Edgemar Center for the Arts, 2437 Main St., Santa Monica. edgemarcenter.org
July 4th Fireworks Spectacular With Nile Rodgers & CHIC
July 2-4. Get down with legendary funk hitmakers Nile Rodgers and CHIC as they perform some of their greatest hits. The concert begins with star-spangled American favorites by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Arrive early for disco dance lessons in the Bowl courtyard. 7:30 p.m. See website for ticket prices. 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, 323.850.2000. hollywoodbowl.com
Family Barn Dance and Barbecue
July 4. Celebrate America with live folk and country music, a pie-eating contest, watermelon-seed-spitting contest, cake walk, relay races, a dunk bucket, family games, a silent auction, dancing and more. Feast on country-style barbecue and brews. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. See website for ticket prices. Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, 310.455.2322. theatricum.com
Red, White & BBQ Celebration
July 4. Enjoy an all-day Independence Day party with live music, games and beer tasting at the Marina del Rey Hotel’s waterfront lawn and pool. Stay after dark for an epic view of the marina fireworks show. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. $20. 13534 Bali Way, Marina del Rey. marinadelreyhotel.com
Dance DTLA
July 5, 12, 19, 26. Dance the night away in iconic DTLA spaces during Grand Park’s free Friday-night summer series’ 15th season. This July, learn line-dance, two-step, hip-hop, Argentine tango and disco moves. More info
Apollo 11
July 5-29. Relive the lunar landing on the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon with this immersive 360-degree experience at Rose Bowl Stadium. The groundbreaking new show boasts a full cast and 40,000 square feet of video projections. $25+. Rose Bowl Stadium, 1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena, 626.577.3100. Tickets
Audacity of Sound
July 6. This seven-hour concert and street festival features a diverse lineup of musical performances and food trucks, plus kids’ crafts, activities and more. See website for the performance schedule. 3-10 p.m. Free. Grand Park, 300 S. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.687.2190. grandperformances.org
Robot Remix VR
Opens July 6. Sp[a]ce Gallery at Ayzenberg’s second virtual-reality exhibition will premiere some of the medium’s most advanced and cutting-edge experiences. See website for dates and entry times. $25. 39 E. Walnut St., Pasadena. space.ayzenberg.com
DreamWorks Trolls Afternoon Tea
July 7, 14, 21, 28. Treat the kids to tea, sweets, colorful snacks and fun costume-play inspired by the DreamWorks animated film Trolls. 10 a.m. and 1 p.m seatings; July 14 at 10 a.m. only. $75 GA, $59 children under 12. Reservations required. langhamhotels.com
Golden Road Brewing Beer Can Pinewood Derby
July 7. Golden Road’s second annual miniature car race features beer cans incorporated into the cars’ designs. The first-place winner receives free beer for a year. See website for entry requirements. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. $10-$30. 5410 W. San Fernando Road, Atwater Village. Tickets
Subaru Summer Jazz Nights
July 9, 16, 23, 30. Hollywood & Highland’s weekly jazz concert series returns to the mall’s central courtyard. See website for list of performers. Wine, beer and cheese are available for purchase, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefitting Project Angel Food. 7 p.m. Free to attend. 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. hollywoodandhighland.com
Tarantina
July 11. In a performance that adds an extra dose of girl power to classic Quentin Tarantino films, this all-female cabaret showcases all of the director’s most popular heroines, femmes fatales and reimaginings of classic male characters. 8:15 p.m. doors; 9:15 p.m. show. See website for ticket prices. Club Bahia, 1130 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park. Tickets
Summer DineL.A. Restaurant Week
July 12-26. This biannual dining event returns with specially priced menus at over 400 of the city’s top dining destinations. Our picks: newcomers Atrium and Tartine Bianco, as well as Providence—recent recipient of two Michelin stars. More info
Meshell Ndegeocello
July 13. The Grammy-nominated vocalist and bassist will perform selections from her new album, Ventriloquism, plus some of her popular favorites and cover songs. 8 p.m. $30-$55. John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. E., Hollywood, 323.461.3673. fordtheatres.org
Paul McCartney
July 13. The legendary Beatles and Wings frontman takes the stage at Dodger Stadium for an epic, career-spanning show. Expect to hear everything from early Beatles hits to songs from his latest solo album, Egypt Station. Dodger Stadium, 1000 Vin Scully Ave., Elysian Park. 323.222.1507. losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com
Rock the Queen
July 13. Jam out to live sets from some of the best rock-tribute bands in L.A. aboard the Queen Mary. With popular cover bands like the Who Generation and the Cured, the night will embrace classic hits from the ’60s to ’80s on three separate stages. See website for the complete lineup. 7 p.m. $35. 1126 Queens Hwy., Long Beach, 877.342.0738. queenmary.com
Mysterious Circumstances
Through July 14. Having its world premiere here, this play tells the stranger-than-fiction true story of the life and sudden death of Richard Lancelyn Green, the world’s foremost scholar on Sherlock Holmes. Gil Cates Theater, Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. 310.208.5454. Tickets
Friends! The Musical Parody
Opens July 16. The North American tour of this comedic salute to the classic ’90s sitcom arrives for a three-week run at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. See website for show times and ticket prices. 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 213.628.2772. Tickets
Delicious Little Tokyo
July 19-20. Take part in 20 culinary events including a sake and food-pairing lesson, doughnut decorating, a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, miso-ball making and a historical food walking tour during this foodie-friendly weekend. See website for list of events and locations. golittletokyo.com
Queen + Adam Lambert: The Rhapsody Tour
July 19-20. Fresh off of Bohemian Rhapsody‘s Oscar-season love, Queen’s original bandmembers Brian May and Roger Taylor, along with American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert, promise a “brand new visual spectacle” to accompany the arena-rock band’s iconic songs. 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood. 310.330.7300. Tickets
Roaring Nights
July 19. The Los Angeles Zoo gets a little wilder during this adults-only summer series. Groove to live bands, DJs and a silent disco; get close to nature with pop-up zoo talks and animal feedings; and pig out at gourmet food trucks. 5333 Zoo Drive, Griffith Park, L.A. 323.644.4200. lazoo.org
Little Literary Fair
July 20-21. Independent booksellers, publishers and cultural creators gather to share work and ideas with attendees through interviews and panel discussions with authors, artists and community organizers at this hip new L.A. book fair. See website for schedule. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Hauser & Wirth, 901 E. 3rd St., downtown. litlitfair.com
Margarita Showdown
July 20. Tex-Mex eatery HomeState and Eastside Food Festival organizers are teaming up for this competitive tequila festival to determine the best margarita in L.A. There will be food from Nancy Silverton, Moo’s Craft BBQ and, of course, HomeState, along with music from Peanut Butter Wolf and Fred Armisen. Proceeds benefit PATH Organization, which helps L.A.’s homeless population find permanent housing. 5-8 p.m. $20+. 5609 N. Figueroa St., Highland Park. Tickets
White Light White Night
July 20. This annual food festival features over 25 L.A. restaurants, craft cocktails from Tito’s Vodka, an auction and a special musical guest. Proceeds benefit Walk With Sally, which helps children experiencing trauma through a parent, guardian or sibling’s cancer journey. 5-11 p.m. $250+. 870 S. Nash St., El Segundo, 310.322.3900. Tickets
Good Boys
Through July 21. Award-winning writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Riverdale) delivers a gripping narrative set in 1988 involving prep-school boys, unrealistic parental pressure and secrets surrounding a disturbing videotape. Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad, Life in Pieces) stars as the family matriarch. See website for showtimes and ticket prices. Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, 626.356.7529. pasadenaplayhouse.org
Taste of Farmers Market
July 23. Head to the Original Farmers Market—adjacent to the Grove—for this 11th annual tasting event, and enjoy delicious bites from over 50 of the historic marketplace’s top-rated restaurants, grocers and eateries. See website for ticket prices. 6333 W. 3rd St., West Hollywood. 323.933.9211, farmersmarketla.com
Into the Woods
July 26-28. For its 20th annual fully staged Broadway musical at the Hollywood Bowl, the L.A. Phil tackles the Stephen Sondheim classic this year. Gaten Matarazzo, Skylar Astin and Sutton Foster star in the fairy-tale-inspired production
Sunrise Yoga
July 27. Kick-start your day with an hourlong yoga class, live music and Reiki healing at this ongoing series, held the last Saturday of each month. Bonus: Enjoy unlimited thrilling rides on the Skyslide afterward. See website for ticket prices. OUE Skyspace LA, 633 W. 5th St., downtown. oue-skyspace.com
Photos: Marina del Rey Hotel Block Party courtesy Marina del Rey Hotel. Barn Dance by Ian Flanders. White Light White Night courtesy Walk With Sally.
