Plan out your month with the city's best concerts, culture and cuisine.
THINGS TO DO
Sept 2-25
LA County Fair; Fairplex
Bring your appetite for all things deep fried at the perennially popular event.
Sept 8-13
PaleyFest Fall TV Previews; Paley Center for Media
Geek out with fellow TV nerds during premieres of panels for shows like Pitch, Lethal Weapon, American Housewife, Notorious and more.
Sept 16-November 5
Halloween Horror Nights; Universal Studios
Get an early start to Halloween with this big-budget terrifying tradition.
Sept 17
Glendale Open Arts & Music Festival; Glendale Central Park
Get to know Downtown Glendale at this inaugural free community festival with music performances, arts and craft markets, beer and wine gardens, access to the Museum of Neon Art and a public art installation.
Sept 23-25
LA Podcast Festival; Sofitel Los Angeles
Listen to live podcast recordings from Welcome to Night Vale, Girl on Guy, Sklarbro Country and more.
Sept 24
Tarfest; La Brea Tar Pits
Pay tribute to LA's bubbly asphalt pools with this annual afternoon of live music, DJs, dance and live artwork.
Sept 24
Block Party of the Century; Downtown Culver City
Toast to Culver City's centennial with a free downtown block party as well as the ticketed "Taste of Culver City."
Sept 25
Surf City Surf Dog; Huntington Dog Beach
Start teaching your pooch how to carve waves for this annual surf competition.
Sept 25
Abbot Kinney Festival; Abbot Kinney
Take every artsy street fair you’ve ever attended and add in innumerable food trucks plus all the stereotypes about Venice.
Find more things to do in our September 2016 events calendar.
FOOD & DRINK
Sept 1
Sunset & Dine; Various locations
Sample bites from some of the best restaurants in Hollywood, including Beso, Paley, Wood & Vine and more.
Sept 2-4
The Taste; Paramount Studios
Indulge at the annual LA Times’ two-day food festival featuring the most exciting restaurants in the city along with demos and panel discussions. Yes, there will be a J-Gold sighting.
Sept 9-11
Long Beach Original Lobster Fest; Rainbow Lagoon Park
Crack open claws at this 20th annual lobster festival, where thousands of fresh Maine lobster are shipped in for your dining pleasure.
Sept 10
LA Loves Alex’s Lemonade; Royce Quad, UCLA
Join top chefs from across the country at the annual charity food festival, where food and drink superstars craft outstanding bites and drinks to help raise money and awareness for children’s cancer.
September 23-25
Feast of San Gennaro; Various locations in Hollywood
Slather your weekend in marinara sauce at the 15th annual event celebrating Italian culture, with an opening night gala featuring live music and entertainment.
ARTS & CULTURE
Sept 3-Nov 27
Gaetano Pesce: Molds (Gelati Misti); MOCA Pacific Design Center
Scope out the colorful, pliable, body-like forms of the lauded Italian artist's cast-resin vases, chairs and lamps.
Sept 7
The Archive of Ice; Machine Project
Drill into the details of ice core science and encounter a piece of ancient ice during this presentation.
Sept 10
Los Angeles International Neon Jubilee; Velaslavasay Panorama
Celebrate the relighting of the 1939 neon Union Theatre marquee as the Velaslavasay Panorama hosts a daytime street fest and evening reception in its honor.
Sept 10-Jan 15
Doug Aitken: Electric Earth; MOCA Geffen
Survey a selection of the LA artist's moving-image installations that explore the urban life and the natural world.
Sept 11-Jan 2
The Serial Impulse at Gemini G.E.L.; LACMA
Peer into the first edition of prints from the 50-year-old, LA-based print workshop with series of seminal works by Josef Albers, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella and more.
Sept 17
Big Terrific; Largo
See Jenny Slate, Max Silvestri and Gabe Liedman in this giddy reunion of their NY comedy show.
Sept 23
Sleepless: The Music Center After Hours; The Music Center
Spend a late night at the Music Center and watch as the beloved Downtown cultural space transforms into an interactive performance space.
Sept 24, 25
Watts Towers Day of the Drum and Simon Rodia Jazz Festival; Watts Towers
Get your feet stomping at this annual duo of pan-African and jazz festivals.
Sept 29
Tracy Morgan; The Novo
Catch the former SNL and 30 Rock star on a very vulgar comeback tour.
FILM
Sept 1-5
Cinecon Classic Film Festival; Egyptian Theatre
Film buffs, unite for this cinephile festival of rare and unusual old-school films.
Sept 4-Oct 2
Barnsdall Outdoor Movie Nights; Barnsdall Art Park
Roll out a blanket atop Olive Hill at this screenings and sips series, starting with a Bowie tribute night.
Sept 10
For the Love of Spock screening; Egyptian Theatre
Live long and prosper at this affectionate documentary about Leonard Nimoy, helmed by the Spock actor's son Leonard—who'll be on hand for a post-film discussion.
Ongoing
Rooftop Film Club; Ricardo Montalbán Theatre
Make the most of the outdoor movie season at this top-notch Hollywood rooftop series.
MUSIC
Sept 2-4
Nocturnal Wonderland; San Manuel Amphitheater
Escape to this whimsical, carnival-like atmosphere drenched in Day-Glo and pulsating lasers with the likes of DJ Snake, Bassnectar, Chromeo, Knife Party and more.
Sept 3
Wet Carnival; Queen Mary
Party up with waterslides and a foam dance floor as B.o.B, Lil Jon, Tyga, Kent Jones, DJ Mauricio and more take over the oceanliner.
Sept 7, 9
Drake + Future; Staples Center
Find out what makes that hotline bling as hip-hop charmer Drake shares the bill with Auto-Tune-happy MC Future.
Sept 9-11
Jeff Lyne's ELO; Hollywood Bowl
Send off the Bowl's summer season with a firework-filled finale from the bombastic, string-laden '70s outfit.
Sept 10
MainFest; Downtown Alhambra
Spend all day in Downtown Alhambra for this surprisingly with-it neighborhood festival featuring Capital Cities, Miami Horror, Nite-Funk and !!!.
Sept 14
Beyoncé; Dodger Stadium
Bow down to Queen Bey as the "Formation" tour makes a curtain call at Chavez Ravine.
Sept 13-15
Wilco; The Theatre at Ace Hotel
See the venerable Chicago rockers bring their unparalleled live show to town for three nights in support of their latest, Schmilco.
Sept 17
Brainfeeder at the Hollywood Bowl; Hollywood Bowl
Watch LA's most unique, experimental beat scene take to the big stage as Flying Lotus, the Gaslamp Killer, Shabazz Places and George Clinton perform.
Sept 17
Chance the Rapper; Greek Theatre
Catch the prodigiously talented Chicago rapper spit gospel-like verses from his latest mixtape, Coloring Book.
Sept 16-18
Kaaboo; Del Mar Racetrack
Venture down to San Diego for this grown-up music fest featuring Jack Johnson, the Avett Brothers and a surprisingly fantastic comedy lineup.
Sept 23, 24
Desert Stars Festival; Pappy and Harriet's
Pack your camping gear and cruise out to the desert for two days of alternative rock throwbacks with Dinosaur Jr, And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Sebadoh, Sloan and more.
Sept 23-25
Music Tastes Good; Downtown Long Beach
Eat, drink and jam your way through Long Beach at this inaugural fest featuring the Specials, Iron and Wine, Sylvan Esso and more.
Sept 24
Sigur Rós; Hollywood Bowl
Let the post-rock band's blissful sounds fill the most perfect venue imaginable—outside of a field in Iceland.
Sept 25
Bloc Party + Bob Mould + Ezra Furman; Hollywood Bowl
Catch the reconvened English indie rockers alongside Hüsker Dü frontman Bob Mould and the youthful, verbose lyricist Ezra Furman.
Find more shows in our September 2016 concert calendar.
THEATER
Sept 17-Oct 16
Macbeth; Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Watch Plácido Domingo take on the starring role in one of Shakespeare’s most popular tragedies during this LA Opera performance of Macbeth.
Sept 10-Oct 16
A View from the Bridge; The Ahmanson Theatre
Celebrate the Ahmanson’s 50th anniversary season with this dramatic and emotional opening production.
Sept 11-Oct 17
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Mark Taper Forum
Travel back to the 1920s in this August Wilson play about African-Americans' experiences during the decade.
Sept 4-Nov 20
Arcadia; A Noise Within
Fall in love with Tom Stoppard’s 1993 romantic look at our never-ending curiosity and quest for knowledge.
Through Sept 4
Free Shakespeare in Griffith Park; Old Zoo
Close out summer with the free series' last performances of The Tempest.
SHOPPING & STYLE
Sept 10
Get Organized with BNeato; The Line
Declutter your email inbox, junk drawer and life at this intensive workshop hosted by Poketo and professional organizer Elizabeth Penn.
Sept 10, 11
Unique LA Fall Market; California Market Center
Check out locally-crafted products at the largest made-in-America shopping event in the country, complete with tasty food and drink options and photo booth portraits.
Sept 12
Herbal Allies Workshop for Stress and Anxiety; Otherwild
Learn how to use plants to relieve your stress—and leave with a homemade tincture blend—at this class taught by Homestead Apothecary owner Nicholas Weinstein.
Sept 25-27
LA Mart Fall 2016 Market; LA Mart
Head to Downtown's massive wholesale market to shop more than 10,000 art and design lines in over 150 showrooms (wear comfy shoes).
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