Plan out your month with the city’s best concerts, culture, cuisine and more.
THINGS TO DO
Through Jan 6
King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh; California Science Center
Celebrate 100 years since the discovery of the New Kingdom ruler’s tomb with more than 150 sculptures, pieces of jewelry and artifacts, many on display outside of Egypt for the first time.
Apr 1–May 31
The Museum of Selfies; 211 N Brand Blvd
Brush up on 40,000 years of self-representation, narcissism and, more recently, bathroom selfies.
Apr 6, 7
Sleepless: The Music Center After Hours; Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Spend a late night at the Music Center and watch as the Downtown cultural space transforms into an interactive, disco-themed performance space.
Apr 7-May 20
Renaissance Pleasure Faire; Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area
Prepareth thy schedules and costumes for the return of the oldest Ren Faire in the country.
Apr 7
So Cal Corgi Beach Day; Huntington Beach
Hit the beach with fellow devoted dog owners at this adorable corgi meetup.
Apr 13–15
Long Beach Grand Prix; Downtown Long Beach
Watch high-powered cars tear up the streets of Long Beach alongside live music and booze.
Apr 14, 21, 28
The Great Los Angeles River CleanUp; Various locations
Do your part in restoring the river with this coordinated cleanup effort across 15 different spots.
Apr 19
Earth Day L.A.; Grand Park
Celebrate Earth Day at Grand Park, the Music Center and DWP with green living demos and activities.
Apr 21, 22
California Poppy Festival; Sgt. Steve Owen Memorial Park
Mark the annual poppy bloom after a wet winter as Lancaster hosts a two-day street fair inspired by the bright-orange state flower.
Apr 21, 22
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books; USC
Feed your bookworm tendencies with two days of lectures, signings and performances from the likes of Dave Eggers, Diana Gabaldon, Patton Oswalt, Vivica A. Fox and Reza Aslan.
Apr 22
CicLAvia: Heart of the Foothills; Various locations
Celebrate Earth Day with a San Gabriel Valley bike ride, pedaling through San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona and Claremont.
Apr 22
Nike Go LA 10K; Culver City
Jog on the 90 (yes, the freeway) as this traffic-free dash directs runners from Culver City to Marina Del Rey and back again.
Find more things to do in our April 2018 events calendar.
FOOD & DRINK
Apr 6, 7
Autry Flavors Dinner Series: From Trail to Table; The Autry Museum in Griffith Park
Git along, li’l doggie, with more than a century’s worth of food and cattle history at the Autry Museum’s Flavors series
Apr 7
L.A. Beer Fest; Los Angeles Center Studios
Scope out over 200 beers, food trucks, live music and more during this afternoon of sudsy revelry
Apr 8
Same Same’s Two-Year Anniversary Party; Same Same
Help ring in Same Same’s two-year birthday and the start of Songkran, the Thai New Year’s festival, with dancing and complimentary snacks.
Apr 29
Taste of the Eastside; Los Angeles River Center and Gardens
Sample food and drink from more than two dozen restaurants and bars operating in Silver Lake, Atwater Village, Echo Park and other Eastside ’hoods.
ARTS & CULTURE
Through May 13
“Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’”; The Broad
Discover Jasper Johns’s beewax and found-object collages with over 100 of the artist’s most iconic and significant paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings, many of which are on display for the first time in Los Angeles.
Through Aug 31
Museum of Failure; Hollywood & Highland
Explore a hall of fame of the world’s worst inventions and now-defunct technology.
Through Sept 3
“Real Worlds: Brassaï, Arbus, Goldin”; MOCA Grand Avenue
MOCA presents more than 100 images from three influential photographers, all known for unforgettable and unsettling portraits of modern life.
Apr 1
Young Literati’s Annual Toast; Hudson Loft
Explore the city’s literary roots at this L.A. Public Library fundraiser, with readings and performances from Katie Aselton and Mark Duplass, Baron Davis, Radnor and Lee and more.
Apr 7–Oct 28
“hapa.me—15 years of the hapa project”; Japanese American National Museum
Artist Kip Fulbeck pairs previous photographs of hapa people (those of mixed white and Asian or Pacific Islander descent) and their identity statements with recent portraits of the same subjects.
Apr 15–July 29
“David Hockney 82 Portraits and 1 Still-life”; LACMA
The British-born, Los Angeles–embracing painter created portraits of Frank Gehry, John Baldessari, LACMA curator Stephanie Barron and others in his Hollywood Hills studio.
Apr 21–Sept 9
“Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library”; Annenberg Space for Photography
Curator Anne Wilkes Tucker has pulled 500 of the most striking portraits and obscure curiosities from the Library of Congress’ staggering collection of 14 million images.
Apr 26–Sept 2
“Leonard Bernstein at 100”; Skirball Cultural Center
Mark the composer’s centennial with listening stations, a sing-along booth and handwritten score sheets from West Side Story.
Apr 26
LeVar Burton Reads Live!; The Theatre at Ace Hotel
The Reading Rainbow hosts adopts his podcast for a live audience and reads a short story aloud on stage.
Apr 28–July 30
“Radiant Beauty”; Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
Artist and astronomer Étienne Léopold Trouvelot produced thousands of exquisite pastel drawings of planets, comets, eclipses and other celestial wonders in the 19th century. The Huntington displays 15 such lithographs.
FILM
Starting Apr 4
Rooftop Cinema Club; Ricardo Montalbán Theatre + LEVEL
Get an early start to the outdoor movie season at the return of the Hollywood and Downtown rooftop series.
Apr 12–15
Dance Camera West; Various locations
Celebrate the expressive art form at this showcase of dance-centric films.
Apr 26–29
TCM Classic Film Festival; Various Hollywood theaters
See time-honored favorites on the big screen, the way they were meant to be seen, during this year’s festival, themed “Powerful Words: The Page Onscreen.”
Apr 28
Street Food Cinema; Los Angeles State Historic Park
Catch a 25th anniversary screening of Dazed and Confused at the outdoor screening series’ kickoff.
Apr 23–30
COLCOA French Film Festival; Directors Guild of America
Catch both vintage and modern French films alongside TV premieres at this annual screening series for Francophiles.
MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE
Apr 9
Trailer Park Boys; Orpheum Theatre
Ricky, Julian and Bubbles—of the Canadian mockumentary series Trailer Park Boys—leave behind their Nova Scotia trailer park for a bit of live so-stupid-it’s-brilliant humor.
Apr 10
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Live; Wilshire Ebell Theatre
The staggeringly talented Rachel Bloom stages a live version of her sitcom Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which follows the musical misadventures of a woman who drops everything in her life to stalk an ex.
Apr 11
St. Vincent; Orpheum Theatre
Annie Clark Clark shifts from electro-pop anthems to noisy rockers with Bowie-like precision on the compelling Masseduction.
Apr 12
Fleet Foxes; Warner Grand Theatre
Listen to the band’s beautiful folk harmonies during this pre-Coachella show.
Apr 13–15, 20–22
Coachella; Empire Polo Club
Make a pilgrimage out to Indio to see the likes of the Weeknd, Beyoncé and Eminem.
Apr 13–15, 20–22
Day Club Palm Springs; Hilton Palm Springs
ODESZA, Illenium, AC Slater and Deorro headline this Coachella-weekend pool party.
Apr 21, 22
Broke LA Music & Arts Festival; 4560 Worth St
Check out more than 50 emerging local acts at this annual budget-friendly fest, formerly Brokechella.
Apr 21
Eighth Blackbird + Will Oldham; The Theatre at Ace Hotel
The cutting-edge chamber sextet and eccentric singer-songwriter team up for a mix of orchestral compositions and Bonnie “Prince” Billy songs.
Apr 21
Light Up the Blues; Dolby Theatre
Neil Young, Sheryl Crow and Jack Black play Stephen Stills’s annual autism-awareness benefit, which includes the Heartbreakers’ first show since Tom Petty’s death.
Apr 21
Record Store Day; Various locations
Catch pop-up concerts around the city at this annual celebration of independent brick-and-mortar music shops.
Apr 22
Krush Groove; The Forum
Ice Cube, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Method Man & Redman and Warren G headline 93.5 KDAY’s annual hip-hop concert.
Apr 27–29
Stagecoach Festival; Empire Polo Club
Strap on your cowboy hat and make the pilgrimage to country music’s biggest jamboree, with Garth Brooks, Keith Urban and Florida Georgia Line.
Apr 28, 29
Back to the Beach Festival; Huntington Beach
311, Sublime, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Goldfinger top this inaugural ska-heavy ’90s throwback.
Apr 28, 29
Justin Timberlake; The Forum
J.T. mixes a young Sinatra’s swagger with the airtight funk of Michael Jackson at his peak.
Find more shows in our April 2018 concert calendar.
THEATER
Apr 3–22
Love Never Dies; Pantages Theatre
Because you couldn’t get enough of The Phantom of the Opera, we get to see Christine, Raoul and the Phantom as they meet again—or do they?
Apr 5–7
L.A. Dance Project; Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
The Benjamin Millepied–led, ballet-inspired collective continues its residency at the Wallis.
Apr 13–May 20
A Man for All Seasons; Actors Co-op
Surrounded by corruption, Chancellor Thomas More faces persecution when he stands up to Henry VIII.
Apr 19–June 3
Native Son; Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center
Antaeus Theatre Company stages Nambi E. Kelley’s adaptation of Richard Wright’s complex and weighty novel, set in 1930s Chicago, that centers on an impoverished young man.
Apr 20–22
Complexions Contemporary Ballet; Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
The New York dance company celebrates the inventiveness of David Bowie, with choreography and costumes inspired by his music and glam-rock looks.
Apr 24–29
STOMP; Pantages Theatre
Dancer-musicians use their body and common objects to pound out rhythms in this megahit.
SHOPPING & STYLE
Apr 7, 8
A Current Affair; Cooper Design Space
Shop for vintage threads, couture gowns, designer shoes and retro jewels while sipping on cocktails at this pop-up marketplace.
Apr 7, 8
NERO48 Pop-Up; Vinz on Fairfax
Peruse contemporary design from Mexico and California at this two-day pop-up.
Apr 20
Odd Nights at the Autry; The Autry Museum in Griffith Park
Head to the return of this monthly market, a nighttime dance party, happy hour and shopping extravaganza.
Apr 29
Downtown Modernism; Modernica Factory
Take a Sunday-morning stroll through five acres of 20th-century furniture and housewares at this biannual marketplace.