The best things to do in Los Angeles this week

L.A. doesn’t typically seem like much of a winter wonderland, until, that is, you create an ice skating rink right in the midst of Downtown skyscrapers. Come glide around and pretend there’s snow on the ground at Pershing Square’s outdoor holiday skating rink. Skate rentals are included in admission, though lockers and skating aids cost a few dollars extra.

Drift into the Convention Center for the 10-day L.A. Auto Show with cars that would even make Bond drool. If you’re a car nerd, get behind the wheel to test drive one of the cherry rides (including an outdoor EV track), while celebrities meet and greet at the manufacturer exhibits. With world and North American debuts from a slate of manufacturers, rev up for the machines of the future.

Pop culture icon Cyndi Lauper is embarking on her first major tour in a decade—but also one that’s being billed as her farewell. The ’80s songstress and Kinky Boots composer is sure to bring timeless hits like “Girl Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time” to the Intuit Dome.

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 week, journey to a galaxy far, far away with a selection of pieces from the entire Star Wars saga, hosted by C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels.

Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center is kicking off its 2024–2025 season by making Music Center history. Groundbreaking Brooklyn-based dance company Urban Bush Women, known for amplifying the stories of Black women, is celebrating its 40th anniversary by becoming the first-ever professional dance theatre company to perform in the Mark Taper Forum. The troupe will grace the stage with the West Coast premiere of SCAT!… The Complex Lives of Al & Dot, Dot & Al Zollar, a jazz-club-set love story set amid the Great Migration.

It’s cozy season, and for many, that means pulling out their favorite pair of UGGs as their winter uniform. But if your favorite fuzzy boots are looking a little worn, head to the brand’s pop-up on Melrose this week. The multisensory retail experience that takes you “behind the seams” is curated by none other than Post Malone, who’s the newest UGG men’s ambassador.

This Christmas-themed Costa Mesa event is celebrating 10 years of turning Orange County into a winter wonderland. Expect a North Pole walk-through, snow play, ice tubing and photo ops, plus an all-new holiday light show twinkling with more than 2 million lights. Upgrade your experience with an expanded carnival, ice skating, VIP arctic cabanas, “polar putt putt” golf and fireside igloos. Hot cocoa and seasonal treats will help keep things cozy.

Every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the Great Los Angeles Walk debunks all of those cliches about walking in L.A. Hundreds of walkers start the free urban hike on one side of the city and, about half a day later, end up at the other. You can hop on or off the walk whenever you’d like, and though no reservations are required, RSVPs are appreciated. This year’s route starts in Exposition Park—in front of the oldest palm tree in L.A.—and heads toward the Bruin statue in Westwood for a USC-meets-UCLA edition.

A world of glam electro-pop anthems and and glittering costumes hits the Hollywood Bowl when the disco-inspired duo Empire of the Sun comes to town. Local duo Neil Frances opens with bouncy, psychedelic electronic pop beats.

From November 18 through mid-February next year, Koreatown’s Boba Bear is transforming into Arcane’s Last Drop Bar to promote the popular Netflix show’s second season. Inside the pop-up, guests will be transported straight into the heart of Zaun, where they can imbibe Arcane-inspired soju cocktails, plus a nonalcoholic option (“Shimmers”), served in a snazzy commemorative glowing glass tube. Expect plenty of games and photo ops in the space, which is decked out in the fictional city’s gritty, steampunk aesthetic, plus build-your-own cocktail classes and cosplay contests.

Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show) and Rainn Wilson (The Office) star as Estragon and Vladimir, who are, as you may have guessed, waiting for the elusive Godot in Samuel Beckett’s timeless, tragicomic classic. The Geffen’s production is produced by Gare St Lazare Ireland, an Irish theater company dedicated exclusively to Beckett’s works.

If you loved Greta Gerwig’s Little Women (or even, gasp, Louisa May Alcott’s original), head to the Heritage Square Museum and step into the lives of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy in this immersive ballet—the wintry final installment of a seasonal trilogy developed by Emma Andres, the resident choreographer for Pasadena Civic Ballet.

Riverside’s stunningly beautiful Mission Inn is bathed in 4.5 million twinkly lights during the annual Festival of Lights. The free six-week-long holiday tradition runs from late November to early January and typically features more than 400 animated figures. Having been voted the “Best Public Lights Display” by USA Today, the festival attracts over 500,000 visitors each year.

Like a holiday edition of Fiesta Hermosa, this weekend-long event transforms the coastal city’s downtown with an open house among existing retailers, plus an artisanal pop-up marketplace (Pier Avenue between Valley Drive and Monterey Boulevard) and a carnival—complete with Ferris wheel—at Pier Plaza. Also on the schedule: a tree lighting ceremony and community concert on Sunday, and fun family activities including the culmination of a citywide Elf on a Shelf Scavenger Hunt. 

Feeling like you and your four-legged friend are attached at the hip? Spend even more quality time together during this dog-friendly series at Palos Verdes’ South Coast Botanic Garden. One Sunday a month (usually the last), you can roam the gardens’ 87 acres with your fur baby. Nearly all of the paths are open to pups. You’ll find plenty of water stations set up across the grounds, as well as an optional obedience class for purchase. You—the human—will need a reservation, while your best friend—the pup—will need to remain on their leash at all times, including in the parking lot.

On November 23 and 24, the Los Angeles Ballet will take excerpts of its Nutcracker show to teatime at the Waldorf Astoria. The Beverly Hills hotel will host morning and afternoon sessions of high tea that include holiday crafts, dancing with Clara and her doll friends, and photo ops with Santa. Meanwhile, grown-ups can get some shopping done, thanks to the on-site boutique and its luxury pop-ups. Note: Tickets support the ballet company’s outreach and education programs, so you’ll need to pay fundraiser prices to attend.

We could spend hours wandering the Huntington’s gardens—and about just as long in its wonderful gift shop. Well, here’s an excuse to spend even more time there: this one-day-only artisan pop-up market, which brings more than three dozen art, home, jewelry, craft and fashion vendors to the visitor center’s Haaga Hall. We recommend French-style caramels from Le Bon Garçon, old-Hollywood-inspired makeup from Bésame Cosmetics, and retro L.A. menus turned into art from Vintage Menu Art. Admission is free and doesn’t require a museum ticket.

L.A. has themed bars devoted to the 1970s and 1980s, and now comes a new Hollywood nightlife spot dedicated to...the 2000s (feel old yet?). Grab your flip phone and give in to nostalgia at the Y2K-themed Zero Lounge, opening this Friday. Order cocktails like the Friends Frappe or Mean Girl (or a nonalcoholic option like the Bikini Bottoms Up), then dance to your favorite hits from the ’90s and early 2000s.

Revered but controversial comedian Dave Chappelle teams up with rap legend Killer Mike and his gospel choir, the Mighty Midnight Revival, for a night of comedy and music during this seven-stop tour, which wraps up this weekend in Long Beach. Note: Tickets are sold out, but if you’re willing to shell out hundreds for this pairing, you can probably get lucky on Stubhub. (Also, no phones are allowed at the show, so if you bring yours with you, expect to lock it in a Yondr pouch.)

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.

The beloved Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s year-end production, Holiday on Strings, is back onstage at the puppet troupe’s new-ish Highland Park location. The hour-long show, which follows the Wizard of Fantasy and his sidekick, Demetrius Nova Twinklestar III, on a tour of the holiday galaxies, covers every festive angle: It’ll transport audiences to Santa’s workshop, the world of Charles Dickens and a Hanukkah celebration.

It’s always Christmas at this charmingly kitsch amusement park outside of Lake Arrowhead. But it’s extra Christmassy toward the end of the year at Santa’s Village—especially if we’re lucky enough to have had some fresh mountain snowfall. Swing by from November 14 to January 5 for lighting displays, a train ride, a magical nighttime walk through the forest, seasonal snacks, breakfast with Santa and tea with Mrs. Claus (those require a separate ticket) and ice skating.

Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show) and Rainn Wilson (The Office) star as Estragon and Vladimir, who are, as you may have guessed, waiting for the elusive Godot in Samuel Beckett’s timeless, tragicomic classic. The Geffen’s production is produced by Gare St Lazare Ireland, an Irish theater company dedicated exclusively to Beckett’s works.

Located just blocks from the ocean, Ice in downtown Santa Monica brings a bit of winter to the coastal city. The 8,000-square-foot outdoor rink runs daily from November to mid-January on the corner of Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue (less than a 10-minute walk from the E Line). Tickets for an hourlong slot ($24) include skate rentals, and you can book private parties and cabanas if you’re looking for something a bit more premium. Look out for treats for sale, plus special themed nights.

See what’s cutting-edge in the city’s vibrant performing arts scene at REDCAT’s 21st annual festival, where it turns its theater into a creative artistic laboratory for Los Angeles artists à la its namesake institution, CalArts. Each of the three weekends boasts unique, daring and distinctive performances of new original works for the stage—from dance, theater and music to multimedia performance art. The festival concludes with a program of works by Bret Easterling, Mallory Fabian and Kensaku Shinohara.

The multicity Jackalope Arts fair is back again this year, featuring over 150 local artisans and high-quality, handcrafted goods perfect for gifting. Both the Pasadena market (held in Old Pasadena’s Central Park November 9 and 10) and Burbank market (held on San Fernando Boulevard as the Downtown Burbank Winter Arts Festival on December 7 and 8) offer free admission.

Broadway travels back in time to the 1950s, by way of the 1980s, in a noisy musical adaptation of the hit 1985 movie now onstage at the Pantages.

Explore the Autry into the evening at the Griffith Park museum’s Thursday-night series that spotlights the city’s emerging and established artists, musicians, poets, writers. Programming ranges from a sound bath to alfresco music to a meet-and-greet with the world’s first Indigenous droid.

There’s nothing Christmassy nor even wintry about this hour-long Palos Verdes trail, yet its nine stellar installations are the most cosmically mesmerizing of the budding after-dark botanical garden shows that’ve come to blanket L.A. toward the end of the year. Astra Lumina, which debuted in 2022, returns to South Coast Botanic Garden with the same array of celestial-inspired, experiential display.

This exhibition of 21 soundstage-sized installations has floated its way into L.A. Don’t expect mere bundles of birthday balloons: Instead, these pieces range from room-filling ball pits to reflective LED tunnels to giant grabbable bubbles, all inspired by air in some way. The “Let’s Fly” edition of this touring show is a more fun experience than your run-of-the-mill made-for-Instagram attraction: Whether you’re bonking the bouncy “Ginjos,” pushing a charcoal-tipped sphere or getting swept up in a staticky whirlwind of balloons, there are some undeniably entertaining—and yes, very photogenic—hands-on scenes here.

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.

LA Compost’s annual autumnal event gives “smashing pumpkins” a whole new—and very literal—meaning. Now that Halloween is over, you likely have at least one pumpkin rotting on your doorstep. Did you know that trashing it and sending it to the landfill releases methane, which contributes to global warming? Instead of adding your jack-o’-lantern to the 1.3 billion pounds of yearly pumpkin waste, bring it (as long as its free of paint, glitter or anything else nonorganic) to one of these composting parties to help nourish the earth. Check here for the different locations and to sign up.

In honor of its 18th birthday, Blu Jam Café is turning back the clock with a steeply discounted Recession Break-Fast menu on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from October 29 through November 27. Dine-in customers at the Melrose original can order select menu staples for $8.79—the original prices offered back in 2006, the year the beloved local brunch chain first opened. Expect egg dishes, breakfast tacos, wraps and more. Walk-ins only, no reservations accepted.

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.

Cirque du Soleil is leaving behind DTLA for the beach with this staging of KOOZA in Santa Monica. The high-flying troupe heads under the big top for its first show next to the Santa Monica Pier since 2014.

Face your fears and head to the Natural History Museum’s Spider Pavilion, where you can observe several hundred orbweaver spiders in a living exhibit just outside of the museum. Scared the spiders might be hard to spot in the wild? Fret not. In previous iterations we’ve spotted ones about the size of an adult’s palm. Gulp. (But don’t worry: The scariest ones are in enclosed habitats.) 

Everyone’s favorite murder mystery parody of true crime podcasts makes the jump from TV to IRL with this Only Murders in the Building escape room. Part of the Westfield Century City will flip into a faux movie set, where you’ll be tasked with tracking down a missing film reel.

The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing are keeping their season going in Downtown L.A. with Halloween and horror picks. Known for excellent film choices and a steady supply of snacks and booze, Rooftop Cinema Club is your snazzy, comfortable and less stressful alternative to other outdoor movie screenings. You’ll be provided with your very own comfy lawn chair and a set of wireless headphones so you never have to miss a word of the movie. Find the full schedule on their site, or in our outdoor movie calendar.

West Hollywood’s ultra-chic restaurant and rooftop bar, E.P. & L.P., is serving much more than handcrafted cocktails and modern American bites. The spot also hosts Melrose Rooftop Theatre, an outdoor screening series that runs much of the year on the rooftop space attached to its open-air bar, L.P. Its all-VIP seating setup means everyone gets their own bean bag to watch a mix of cult classics and newly released films, with the audio piped in to provided sets of wireless headphones. Opt for the dinner-and-a-movie package and you’ll get a pre-show starter, main and dessert—or you can skip it and just opt for a cocktail during the movie.

Take a seat under the arch at the former Hollywood & Highland for this free series of movie screenings, typically held on the last Friday of the month. Stop by the Ovation Hollywood booth for free popcorn and discounted treats from the TCL Chinese Theatre concessions stand.

Plunge into the deep end while watching a slate of movies (sometimes ones filmed at the Hollywood Roosevelt) during this outdoor screening series Thursday nights at the Tropicana Pool & Cafe. You’re welcome to get wet (towels, blankets and heaters are available on a first-come, first-served basis) or stay dry. Seating is available by the bed, which fits two to four people comfortably.

Every Sunday you can find dozens of food vendors at this market at ROW DTLA, with a mix of much-loved pop-ups and future foodie stars. Look out for this year’s new vendors, including Basket Taco Co., Battambong Barbecue and Taste of the Pacific.

A collaboration with the Carnegie Observatories and the Griffith Observatory, this LACMA exhibition brings together a global collection of pieces, from the Stone Age to today, that reflect humans’ ever-evolving attempts to explain the origins of the universe. Alongside pieces of sacred artwork and architecture, you can expect some heady, scientifically minded contemporary works—like a teaser from Josiah McElheny that’s already on display in the center of the Resnick Pavilion. Island Universe features five reflective, rod-encircled spheres; each individual sculpture is supposed to represent a different parallel universe, and each branching rod the passage of time.

“Color in Motion” features close to 150 objects—pieces of technology, costumes, props and film posters—from the 1890s to today. Broken up into six themes, the exhibition looks at the connection between color, music and movement, like in early dance and animated shorts; decades of color technologies, from Technicolor processes and Disney’s women-led Ink & Paint Department to contemporary digital tools; monochrome silent films; the narrative role of color; and experimental works.

This spectacular exhibition from the Icelandic–Danish artist brings a new series of optical installations to MOCA’s Little Tokyo location. Don’t let the reflective, colorful pieces fool you into thinking this is some run-of-the-mill “immersive” exhibit: Olafur Eliasson’s works invite you to admire the everyday miracles of physics that shape how we see the world.

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.

As you might expect, the Getty has a sizable slate of PST Art exhibitions this fall, including ones on Bell Laboratories’ midcentury art and science experiments, medieval astrology and this show, which takes a multi-faith examination of how astronomy and optics impacted art and religion in the Middle Ages.

Artists and JPL scientists come together for this collaborative exhibition in Glendale, where 11 artists across a mix of mediums present their take on how nature and the night sky can inspire wonder in us.

Hatched during the pandemic and 2020’s social justice demonstrations, this exhibition—guest curated by Glenn Kaino and Mika Yoshitake—examines how environmental art intersects with equity. You’ll find works from more than 20 artists, including Mel Chin, Ron Finley and Cannupa Hanska Luger, commissioned for this show at the Hammer.

More than 50 works on display at the Autry showcase how Indigenous artists have crafted visions of alternative futures in the face of enduring colonial trauma, with surreal spacescapes from Wendy Red Star, pop culture commentaries by Andy Everson and a site-specific space odyssey created by Virgil Ortiz.

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.

A true multihyphenate, Carver was a painter in addition to a pioneering agricultural scientist. CAAM will display seldom-seen paintings as well as his lab equipment alongside contemporary works that were inspired by his foundational work in modern conservation—ideas that started to spread with his “Jesup Wagon,” an early 1900s movable school.

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 show spotlights influential artists in the Chicano lowrider art scene.

Gawk at a collection of mid-20th-century illuminated pieces from Andy Warhol, Dan Flavin, Allen Rupperberg and eight others at the Norton Simon’s display of electric art.

Inspired by Steve Martin’s satirical City of Angels comedy—and blessed by the legend himself—“L.A. Story” is a group show about L.A.’s enchantments at Hauser & Wirth’s West Hollywood gallery. Though not a one-to-one response to the surreal 1991 film, the exhibition has plenty of after-the-fact homages to key locations and scenes, including swimming pools (David Hockney, Eric Fischl and Calida Rawles), the coastline (Florian Maier-Aichen), the cityscape (Mark Bradford), major streets (Ed Ruscha) and Hollywood shootouts (Vija Celmin).

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.

See large ceramic and bronze sculptures at LACMA plus a few more sculptural pieces and collaborative video works at CAAM during this crosstown exhibition of Black feminist artist Simone Leigh.

Move through a suite of sci-fi installations that depict a world overcome by rising seas and unchecked capitalism in this exhibition from Josh Kline. The MOCA Grand Avenue show includes a mix of sculpture, photography, moving images and ephemeral materials.

See 1930s-to-’50s concept cars plus artwork from Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol and David Hockney at this Petersen exhibition.

Sure, it’s only half the story, but Jon M. Chu’s high-energy repurposing of Stephen Schwartz’s Wizard of Oz origin musical is still a thrillifying ride. The Crazy Rich Asians director’s screen version pops with vibrancy and energy, effervescence and sincerity, adding the odd tweak, expanding the occasional storyline, but largely visualising the musical in a way that will delight the many millions who have seen it on stage since its Broadway premiere in 2003.

Savage baboons. Killer sharks. Opium hits. Panto villains. Ridley Scott’s brawny, bloodthirsty, and occasionally wildly camp sequel is not your dad’s Gladiator movie—or your history teacher’s. But for all its flaws, it’s a colossally entertaining ride that never stints on its efforts to wow you with its scale and spectacle.

‘I’m humble now, but it tells you the story of how I became humble.’ With that magnificent faux modesty, Pharrell Williams provides the synopsis for a hero’s journey that’s rendered entirely in Lego animation. On paper, it sounds completely bonkers – The Lego Movie, only a biopic – but it somehow works a treat. Packed with the super-producer’s pop bangers, punctuating its music biz self-importance with consistent silliness, and laden with A-list cameos, including Lego Snoop Dogg, Lego Missy Elliott and most of the noughties hip hop scene (also Lego), it’s a real joyride. Hopefully it’ll inspire a few more docs to deviate from the boring old biopic formula.