April 2025 events calendar for Los Angeles

The term CicLAvia stems from a similar Spanish word for “bike way,” and in L.A. it’s become a shorthand for the temporary, festival-like closing of L.A.’s streets. The event welcomes bikes, tricycles, skateboards, strollers and basically anything else without an engine to ride a rotating cast of car-free routes—this month’s Koreatown meets Hollywood edition features a 4.75-mile route that connects Hollywood, East Hollywood, Melrose Hill and Koreatown (see the map here). Shop owners and restaurants along the CicLAvia route tend to host specials. And it goes without saying that you should bike or take the Metro to your desired spot along the route.

In celebration of the late Bob Baker’s legacy, his namesake puppet theater hosts this annual celebration at Los Angeles State Historic Park. The free fest and outdoor carnival, which runs from 10am to 5pm, features puppet performances throughout the day, plus an assortment of crafts and activities that typically includes everything from bubbles to balloons to music. In the wake of the fires, this year’s theme is “Recovery Through the Arts,” so expect an uplifting and community-building event. Stay tuned for the lineup of special guests.

Grab a cold one and gather ’round for a daylong celebration of America’s favorite beverage. The LA Beer Fest is returning with 200 pours from over 80 breweries, along with food trucks and live music. Tickets include unlimited beer samplings (food is sold separately); choose from either a GA ticket or a connoisseur ticket, which will get you access to a VIP lounge and event deck, tacos, exclusive beers and more.

The iconic Hollywood Roosevelt hotel is honoring the spirit of L.A. with poolside screenings of some favorite films featuring the city. Tickets are super reasonable ($12), and all proceeds from sales will go toward wildfire relief efforts, specifically Baby2Baby, which provides essential resources to families in need. And don’t worry if it’s a chilly night: Towels, blankets and heaters are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Find the series running every Thursday night through the end of June.

The Culver Hotel is embracing Culver City’s cinematic history with a new series of screenings celebrating the golden age of cinema. To mark the centennial of both MGM and the hotel, you can catch a classic MGM film at the Culver Theater, then head across the street for a themed gathering at the hotel’s Velvet Lounge, complete with cocktails and bites inspired by the evening’s featured presentation.

Can’t get enough of his yearly appearance at the Bowl? The LA Phil wraps up its two-year John Williams at Disney Hall with a second season of live scores and concerts in his honor. This month, you can witness a Williams-conducted evening with Yo-Yo Ma (April 3, 4, 2025) and a Gustavo Dudamel-conducted spotlight on Williams (April 5, 6, 2025).

Nearly 125,000 music lovers make a pilgrimage to the Empire Polo Club during each identical weekend of Coachella, whether bound for campgrounds or shuttling over from golf resorts and midcentury modern homes. Though its bespoke dining experiences and hotel party scene may try to steal headlines, Coachella remains about the relaxed desert air euphoria of a well-curated music festival. Coachella’s all-embracing three-day lineup consistently crafts the pool of performers from which all other summer music festivals borrow. This year’s headliners lead a stacked lineup: Lady Gaga, Missy Elliott, Green Day, Charli XCX, Post Malone and Megan Thee Stallion—plus Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil will even take the stage Saturday.

RECOMMENDED: See our complete Coachella coverage

The desert-spanning biennial is back, with premieres of site-specific works from about a dozen artists. For its fifth iteration, Desert X will once again stage outdoor installations across about 40 miles of the Coachella Valley from March 8 to May 11, 2025.

Bibliophiles flock to the USC campus each spring for this annual two-day event. The outdoor book fair of sorts features stalls from a variety of booksellers, as well as author readings, signings and culinary demos. The sheer variety and quality of talent the festival attracts is impressive and legendary, with past appearances by anyone from Dave Eggers and Batman comic book writers to Margaret Atwood and the late Ray Bradbury. Bring the kids and spend the weekend discovering new titles, watching screenings and enjoying live music and cultural entertainment. Entry and tickets to conversations are free, while a limited number of speaker-series events are ticketed, ranging in price but often starting as low as $10. Before the weekend kicks off, the 45th annual Los Angeles Times Book Prizes awards the year’s best in literature on Friday (tickets are $22–$83).

If you’ve ever adopted a feline or canine friend, you know how important animal shelters are—and in particular, the Pasadena Humane Society’s importance to Los Angeles after it stepped up to take care of displaced pets during the Eaton Fire. So here’s your opportunity to help them out, at Pasadena Humane’s annual walk, which helps cover the costs of its inhabitants. All you need are your walking shoes—dogs optional—and maybe some friends or family, and you’re ready to embark on a route around the Rose Bowl. The event is technically free to attend/watch, but the PHS encourages you to start a team (registration starts at $50) or find sponsors to help raise funds. Afterward, you can look forward to photo ops, pet-friendly vendor booths, food trucks, a training park and a doggy costume contest. If you can’t make it, you can still donate here.

This can’t-miss festival for classic-film buffs showcases four days’ worth of beloved movies—from the iconic to forgotten gems—courtesy of Turner Classic Movies. This year’s “Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film”-themed lineup includes 2001: A Space Odyssey, Bringing Up Baby, Jaws, Superman, Suspicion, The Wiz and more. See these time-honored favorites on the big screen at a handful of Hollywood theaters—the TCL Chinese Theatre, Chinese 6 Theatres and Egyptian Theatre—the way they were meant to be seen. Check the fest’s website for a full lineup of screenings and special guest announcements.

Celebrating “50 years at full speed,” this high-octane extravaganza takes place over a two-mile street circuit that includes plenty of straights and curves. Spectators should expect to spend the afternoon biting their nails. Concerts, a lifestyle expo, food trucks and a family fun zone where kids 3 to 6 years old can race their own cars round the weekend out nicely. 

The hour stands before another springtime, and the Renaissance Pleasure Faire is nigh. Good mistresses and masters, prepareth thy schedules and costumes for the return of the oldest Ren Faire in the country, a spectacle that cov’reth 20 Irwindale acres with Elizabethan libations and amusement: fully armored joust tournaments and tea parties with the queen along with beguiling stage acts, rides, games, delicious edibles and ales abound. The festivities will transpire each weekend at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area; procureth day or season passes in advance by visiting ye olde online box office. And no, we can’t stop talking like this.

The first time you listened to “Ya Ya,” you just knew that Cowboy Carter was made for the stage, right? Well, Beyoncé will finally tour behind her country-influenced album, and the limited run of dates includes a record-breaking five nights in L.A. at SoFi Stadium.

Is it the stumpy legs? The size-too-big ears? The woolly rump? Whatever the cause, we love corgis, and so do the devoted dog owners at So Cal Corgi Nation. This free, semiannual meetup invades the Huntington Dog Beach, just north of the southern entrance by Tower 22, welcoming all dogs and their humans for a day of corgi contests, shopping at a pet-centric marketplace, food trucks, photo ops, goodie bags and even a corgi kissing booth.

RECOMMENDED: The cutest corgis at Corg-A-Palooza

The Game, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Method Man and Redman, Baby Bash, Paul Wall, MC Magic, Lil’ Rob and Cali Swag headline 93.5 KDAY’s annual hip-hop concert.

Ansari shot quickly through the stand-up ranks following his start on MTV’s Human Giant and career-making turns in Judd Apatow’s Funny People and NBC’s Parks and Recreation; the stand-up soon found himself headling arenas with tales about 50 Cent and his cousin Harris and starring in his own lauded Netflix show, Master of None. After retreating from the spotlight and staging a thoughtful comeback, the comic is stopping at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach as part of his Hypothetical Tour.

Expect to see stiff blues riffs, pyrotechnics and the shortest shorts that longtime guitarist Angus Young can squeeze into during this show at the Rose Bowl.

Disneyland’s already the happiest place on earth, but throw in a massive parkwide food festival—and now it’s somehow even happier. Running nearly two full months, the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival takes over the state-themed park with about a dozen different culinary marketplaces under themes such as garlic, local breweries and wineries, peppers and food-truck fare. Just be sure you don’t forget the rides in all of the culinary whirlwind—fan-favorite Soarin’ will temporarily bring back its California-themed version just for the occasion.

Strap on your cowboy hat and make the pilgrimage to country music’s biggest jamboree, taking up residence at Coachella’s digs, the Empire Polo Club. Stagecoach is coming back for a three-day fest; expect the usual mix of contemporary and classic country. Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll and Luke Combs headline, with additional sets on the lineup from Brothers Osborne, Sturgill Simpson, Midland, Lana Del Rey, Nelly, Carly Pearce, Shaboozey, Goo Goo Dolls, Tucker Wetmore and DASHA, among others.

The Boy Who Lived lives on in a wizardly spectacle. As though it had cast a Shrinking Charm on itself, the formerly two-part epic is now a single show, albeit a long one—and one that our New York critic awarded five stars.

After popping up at D23 and Long Beach shopping center 2nd & PCH, themed mini-golf experience Pixar Putt has landed at its most logical home: the Pixar Place Hotel, close to California Adventure and its Pixar Pier. Putt your way through 18 themed holes and step into the stories of Pixar favorites including Toy Story, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Coco, A Bug’s Life, Wall-E and Inside Out. Opening weekend is sold out, but don’t worry: The course will remain open through June 1.

L.A.’s star-studded lecture series returns—both virtually and in person—with a lineup of writers, artists, performers, scientists and business leaders who will graciously blow your mind. For both online and IRL events, you’ll often have the option of purchasing a signed copy of the speaker’s book, as well.

Austrian-born Helmut Lang walked away from fashion 20 years ago to focus solely on art. Now, thanks to the MAK Center for Art and Architecture, his first solo institutional exhibition is opening in Los Angeles—in the historic Schindler House, no less. Curated by Desert X founding artistic director and Frieze Projects curator Neville Wakefield, the show consists of a series of fist-like freestanding sculptures made with found or discarded materials that “both imagine the future and materialize the past.”

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House—centerpiece of Barnsdall Art Park and Los Angeles’ only UNESCO World Heritage Site—just might be the most stunning backdrop for an art exhibition. And, in this case, the home is the subject itself, too. L.A.-based photographer Ireland captured the intricate details of the Hollyhock House in 21 photographs on display throughout the onetime residence.

See over 50 garments from Diane von Furstenberg, best known for her iconic wrap dress, during this career-spanning exhibition at the Skirball. Alongside artwork and fabric swatches, the show will also focus on her philanthropic work as well as how her life was shaped as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.

On the 50th anniversary of the Norton Simon Museum, look back to when Simon took over management of the Pasadena Art Museum in 1975, then ahead to the museum’s exciting future at this retrospective exhibition. See rare photos from the museum’s archives, and learn about the history of its major acquisitions, exhibitions, building and gardens—which are currently undergoing a transformation.

The Los Angeles–based conceptual artist and now-retired CalArts educator is back with his first L.A. solo exhibition since 2019, debuting new works from his Numbers and Trees series. The colorful and complex works combine Plexiglas, watercolors and his signature numeric grid systems to depict the baobab trees Gaines photographed on a recent trip to Tanzania. The show opens February 19 with a conversation between the artist and LACMA’s Naima J. Keith, followed by an opening reception (6–8pm). The event is free, but reservations are recommended.

Pasadena’s USC Pacific Asia Museum hosts this exhibition based on the Getty’s scientific research into Cai Guo-Qiang’s gunpowder art. The show fills up nearly the entire museum with a vast selection of the artist’s work alongside scientific imagery exploring the nature of gunpowder and Cai’s process in using it.

The Natural History Museum’s taxidermy dioramas turn a century old this year, and to celebrate the museum is reviving an entire hall of displays that’ve been dark for decades. Expect some fresh approaches to these assembled snapshots of the wilderness, including alebrijes made of recycled materials, a crystalline depiction of pollution and a tech-driven display of the L.A. River.

Study the technical and cultural background of colorful clay vessels, textiles, bark-paper pages and sculptures in the Indigenous Americas—and how their significance has been downplayed among colonialist histories—during this LACMA exhibition.

It’s more than just the low clearance: This exhibition at the Petersen explores the custom paint, engraving, upholstery and, of course, the gravity-defying suspension of the lowrider scene. In addition to iconic cars, the exhibit spotlights influential artists in the Chicano lowrider art scene. Even if you have no interest in cars, this colorful showcase of 20-plus lowered cars and bikes is excellent: The candy-colored paint jobs are dazzling, and the craftsmanship of the customizations—many vehicles are on display with their engines and undercarriages visible—is remarkable. You’ll learn a little bit of history here, how the “low and slow” movement is rooted in the postwar Mexican American zoot suit counterculture, but largely this is an excuse to ogle some L.A. automotive icons.