Free things to do in Los Angeles this month

Mark the annual gray whale migration from the shore with this festival, now in its 54th year, which offers a full weekend of marine-themed activities, educational exhibits, family-friendly entertainment, whale-watching excursions, marine conservation talks and a cardboard-boat-building contest and Dinghy Dash in Dana Point. Things kick off Friday with a sunset welcoming ceremony by members of the local Acjachemen Nation, followed by a reception with live music and food trucks. This year, instead of the traditional Festival of Whales Parade, there will be an inaugural Festival of Whales Carnival, complete with carnival rides, games, food and a beer garden with an ocean view. Park at Dana Hills High School (33333 Golden Lantern) and take a free shuttle to Lantern Bay Park.

While participating in L.A. Chinatown Firecracker’s 5K or 10K, dog walk, kiddie run or bike rides isn’t free, the Lunar New Year tradition’s family-friendly festival in the heart of historic Chinatown won’t cost you a thing to attend. Enjoy live entertainment and a beer garden at Chinatown Central Plaza. Don’t miss the weekend opening ceremony, with lion dancers and the traditional lighting of 100,000 firecrackers. Check the website for a detailed schedule of events.

In partnership with the Firecracker Run’s Paw’er Dog Walk, this second annual Lunar New Year celebration specifically caters to dogs and their owners. The Blossom Plaza event includes Year of the Snake–themed pet photography sessions and portraits, plus shopping, cultural activities and pet adoptions thanks to the Lovejoy Foundation. Entry is free, but if you opt for a PASS (Pawsitive Action Supporting Shelters), you get a swag bag and can help support local animal rescues.

This beautiful, free festival celebrates the history and whimsy of the kite. Watch as hundreds take to the sky—you can buy a kite on the pier or bring your own. There will be contests for biggest kite, longest kite, best handmade kite, youngest kite flyer and youngest at heart. The fest culminates with a group kite-flying session on the sand. There’s also a slew of non-kite-related activities on the pier all day, including a hot-dog-on-a-stick-eating contest, a dance performance, martial arts demo, face painting and live music.

Ring in Nowruz (Iranian New Year and the arrival of spring, or literally “new day”) with the Farhang Foundation with a day of free authentic cultural performances, music and activities for children. The 15th annual outdoor program in UCLA’s Dickson Court (near Royce Hall) includes a drum ensemble, storytelling, dancing, a puppet show, a tea house and a traditional Haft-sin table display. It’s one of the largest Nowruz celebrations in the world—last year’s event drew 25,000 people. Look out for a ticketed concert at Royce Hall later that evening, as well.

This International Women's Day, head to South Bay shopping center Manhattan Village for alfresco yoga, self-care and pop-up shops in the outdoor plaza. All of the afternoon’s activations are free if you register here. Work up a sweat during a yoga, sculpt or dance class, then indulge with a mini facial or chair massage in the Beauty & Wellness Zone. Plus, if you show up in pink, you’ll be entered to win a gift basket of goodies.

Pasadena’s underrated collection of museums and performance spaces open up their doors for free at this biannual arts and culture open house. Take advantage of the free shuttle buses or hoof it between local institutions such as the Gamble House, Art Center, Norton Simon Museum and more, many of which will be offering special programming and performances. And, of course, no arts fest would be complete without food trucks, which often include pop-ups from local bricks-and-mortar.

It’s no Emerald Isle, but Hermosa Beach is full of Irish spirit during its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. For the 29th year, bagpipers, marching bands, Irish dancers and classic cars decked out in green will all make their way along the coastal city’s parade route. The procession kicks off near City Hall on Valley Drive, heads west on Pier Avenue and ends at the corner of Hermosa Avenue and 8th Street. The free festivities also include live music nearby at Pier Plaza.

Join in one of L.A.’s oldest traditions at the 126th annual Golden Dragon Parade (rescheduled from February). The colorful procession of lion dancers, dance troupes, music groups and more will make its way through Chinatown (kicking off at Ord and Hill Streets, and concluding at Broadway and Cesar E Chavez Avenue) on Saturday, March 22, from 1 to 4pm. The parade historically coincides with a free Lunar New Year festival in the Central Plaza as well.

Spend an afternoon underneath Torrance’s cherry blossoms as dancers and Japanese folk musicians perform at this annual Pan-Asian celebration. Amid the pink and white blooms, you’ll also find a craft fair with everything from ceramics to intricate textiles handcrafted by local artisans, plus food from South Bay vendors.

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.

Shop local at this celebration of small businesses, held not in Venice but in downtown Mar Vista, along Venice Boulevard. The arts and music festival brings together over 300 local brands and artists three times a year, attracting some 100,000 shoppers. You’ll also find food, live music, art installations and games on Venice between Centinela Avenue and Inglewood Boulevard. The fest is free and pet-friendly.

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.

After its fall debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall as part of PST ART, artist Doug Aitken’s multimedia collab with the L.A. Phil and L.A. Master Chorale makes the jump to the Marciano Art Foundation. The free museum mounts the multi-channel video piece in its massive theater gallery, which you can see during routine opening hours (Tue–Sat 11am–6pm). But look out for separate reservations for weekly (typically on Saturdays) live performances organized by both musical ensembles.

This first-floor exhibition at the Broad features hundreds of German artist Joseph Beuys’s “multiples,” editioned objects (with a focus here on environmentalism) that stretched the meaning of sculpture. But the most notable aspect of this show extends beyond the gallery walls: Inspired by Beuys’s 7000 Eichen (7000 Oaks), the concurrent Social Forest: Oaks of Tovaangar will plant 100 native trees (primarily coast live oaks) in Elysian Park and at Kuruvungna Village Springs.

This spectacular exhibition from the Icelandic–Danish artist brings a new series of optical installations to MOCA’s Little Tokyo location. You’ll need a timed ticket, which costs $18, to visit it on most days, but look for reservations on the first Friday of the month (5–8pm) for free admission.

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. Tickets to the Skirball will cost you $18—except on Thursdays, when entry is free with a reservation.