The best things to do in Los Angeles this week

The L.A. Zoo’s annual Halloween celebration includes two weekends of spooky decor and up-close-and-personal interactions with some of the zoo’s creepiest crawlers. Look out for trick-or-treating, a spooky storytime, education stations, slime from Sloomoo Institute and photo ops. The animals will get in on the Halloween action, too, with pumpkin feedings scheduled a couple of times a day.

It’s an event, to say the least, when the world’s biggest cartoon band brings its chart-topping show to town. Murdoc & Co. are of course helmed by Damon Albarn and cult cartoon artist Jamie Hewlett, with a cast of impressive (as in, spit-out-your-drink-impressive) collaborators. Albarn and the Gorillaz live band just performed their new album, The Mountain, in full during two sold-out dates at the Palladium in February, but for those who couldn’t snag tickets to the intimate shows, not to worry: The band will be stopping at the Kia Forum in October as part of its arena tour, supported by Deltron 3030.

After performing over the summer at the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields fest, Chappell Roan returns to the stage at the Shrine Auditorium—once again for a good cause. At the two-night Super Graphic Spectacular, the singer and her Midwest Princess Project will present an extravaganza of live music, drag, comedy, special guests and hands-on volunteer opportunities—and, of couse, a special performance by Roan herself. Proceeds directly support LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations, including the Ali Forney Center, TransLatin@ Coalition and Backline. Tickets are sold out, but you can still join the waitlist.

Almost a decade after the tour for his confessional hip-hop opus, 4:44, Jay-Z returns to the stage to prove that he can still “Run This Town.” Catch him one of two nights at SoFi Stadium for a career-spanning set, marking the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album, Reasonable Doubt.

Head to Gloria Molina Grand Park for a two-week display of over a dozen altars created by professional artists and community organizations. The displays officially kick off on October 24, during Grand Ave Arts: All Access, complemented by an afternoon of face painting, paper weaving and sugar-skull decorating, plus live mariachi music (11am–4pm). On November 1, the event closes with Noche de los Muertos, which will feature cultural performances, local artisans selling goods at a mercado, and more family-friendly activities. All of the festivities are free.

Embark on a culinary adventure at this weekend-long event from the L.A. Times Food section, held at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar. On Friday night, be one of the first people to see the new edition of the L.A. Times’ annual 101 Best Restaurants guide at a live countdown and reveal party. Enjoy unlimited bites and drinks from dozens of the city’s top restaurants and bars. Highlights from this year’s lineup of participants (which means they must be on the guide in some fashion) include Baroo, Darling, Dunsmoor, Holbox, Alta Adams, Baroo, Saffy’s, Villa’s Tacos and many more. The next night, at “Saturday Night Flavor,” Anthony Anderson, Cedric the Entertainer and Roy Choi will keep the party going with comedy and culinary demos.

Weezer is back in town—maybe you’ve seen their clever Shen Yun and injury attorney parody billboards on your morning commute, advertising the band’s upcoming show at Crypto.com Arena. Dubbed “The Gathering,” the concert will bring together not only the nerdy rockers but also the Shins and Silversun Pickups—in short, a millennial dream of a show. 

The Academy Museum is hosting a day of spooky silver-screen experiences, looking at Halloween through a cinematic lens. This year’s event is all about vampires. Expect thrilling tours of the museum’s new “Horror Show” exhibition, appearances by Universal Studios monsters, a fake-blood workshop, special-effects makeup demos and a Killer Fitness performance and dance-along. There’s also a trio of separately ticketed fang-tastic screenings in the Ted Mann Theater: Hotel Transylvania (11am), Blade in 4K (2:30pm) and Horror of Dracula in 4K (7:30pm).

One of the most talented improv performers, period, see Schwartz (perhaps best known as Parks and Rec’s Jean-Ralphio and now as the voice of Sonic) and a surprise assembly of friends take to the stage at one of his wildly popular live shows—what other improviser could fill the Dolby Theatre?

I’m not OK: After a few increasingly large local shows, and a huge summer show at Dodger Stadium, aughts pop-punk fixture My Chemical Romance will return to L.A. next October for five shows at the Hollywood Bowl. The concerts are part of a newly announced tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band’s much-loved rock-opera album The Black Parade, which the band will play in full, including hits like “Welcome to the Black Parade,” “I Don’t Love You” and “Famous Last Words.” 

Have a drink at seven of the Sunset Strip’s best haunts over the span of a single night during this Halloween bar crawl. Register and pick up your wristband and map at Saddle Ranch Chop House, and you’ll be granted no-cover bar access and themed drink specials at some of the liveliest hot spots in West Hollywood: the historic Andaz hotel, Hotel Ziggy, Katana, the Naughty Pig, White Rabbit Sky Lounge (formerly Skybar) and Wokcano.

Every year, Haunted Little Tokyo turns the area into a ghoulish maze of Halloween-themed pop-ups, walking tours and performances. On October 24, you can set out on a free, family-friendly scavenger hunt hosted by the Terasaki Budokan (11am–2pm) or explore the haunted history of 1st Street on a ghoulish ghost tour (5pm, tickets $25). On Halloween night, dance the evening away at a 21+ block party with music, a costume contest and full bar (4pm–midnight). RSVP online for the secret Little Tokyo location.

See future box-office hits as well as niche, indie gems at the annual AFI Fest—the unofficial start of awards season—held each fall in Hollywood. For five days, a mix of films will be shown at the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Chinese 6 Theatres. The complete schedule is listed online, but highlights include red-carpet premieres and special screenings followed by Q&As with filmmakers and stars like Quentin Tarantino, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Ava DuVernay, Pedro Pascal, Abbi Jacobson, Sophie Okonedo and more. You’ll also find Oscar-contending world cinema, documentaries, shorts and a “Luminaries” section with the latest works by world-renowned filmmakers like Werner Herzog, Mike Leigh, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Céline Sciamma. Most screenings are only $19—less than the cost of an AMC ticket. The fest kicks off Wednesday, October 21, with the U.S. premiere of LAIKA’s stop-motion Wildwood.

Peruse altars in the plaza of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument at this Day of the Dead celebration, which incorporates pre-Columbian, Aztec, Mayan and Catholic traditions. Expect plenty of festive wares from the merchants on Olvera Street, along with altars that go on display each morning and a candlelight procession every night for nine nights. Stop by during weekends for face painting (for a fee) and theatrical performances. And on Halloween, there’ll be a 5K race through the area, which you can register for here.

Celebrated Chicana artist Judy Baca’s half-mile-long The Great Wall of Los Angeles, a collaborative mural begun in the ’70s along the Tujunga Wash, has received all sorts of museum love in the past few years, including at a LACMA show where the muralist and her team painted new sections of the work during museum hours. Now, Baca and her Social and Public Art Resource Center team are the center of a new exhibition at the Skirball, where you can see recently completed mural sections focused on the 1960s—in particular the Civil Rights Movement—that soon will be part of the larger work.

We’re pretty spoiled when it comes to live scores in Los Angeles, whether it’s orchestra-backed screenings at the Hollywood Bowl or ensemble-accompanied showings at iconic movie palaces. Time to add another very cool entry to that second category: Wordless Music, Sister Midnight and KCRW will host a series of live scores of A24 films at the architecturally-stunning United Theater on Broadway in Downtown L.A., including Heriditary (Oct 23) with a 40-member variation of the same ensemble.

Explore the historical and cultural significance of Day of the Dead traditions with music, dance and food during this free celebration at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. See traditional Oaxacan dance and ballet folklórico performances, and pay your respects at the community ofrenda. The whole family can get creative with hands-on art, garden and culinary workshops—make a flower crown, paint a mask or activate your scent memory with herb bundling. You can even vote early at an on-site mobile voting center. 

We challenge you to come up with a more beautiful trick-or-treating destination than the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. At this annual family-friendly Halloween event, costumed kids and their families can stroll the gardens, collecting nature-based treats (not candy) while learning fun facts about plants along the way. Expect some spooky natural history, too: Discovery tables along the route will offer encounters with hissing cockroaches, earthworms, spiders, snakes, bones and skulls and more. You can choose the half-hour entry slot that works best for you between 4 and 7pm, and all guests are required to bring a flashlight. 

Make like Ariel and take a ferry over to Catalina Island for its second annual mermaid- and ocean-themed arts festival on the island’s South Beach. The programming sounds like every little girl’s dream: There are DIY mermaid arts and crafts, games and face painting, a Mermaid Grotto, plus a mermaid transformation station. And in addition to a parade and trivia competition, there’ll also be a beachside screening Saturday night of—what else—The Little Mermaid on the beach (6pm). 

When luxury hotels in L.A. host outdoor moving screenings, sometimes they lean a little too far into luxury. But the Regent Santa Monica Beach seems to have struck the perfect balance: a screening on a pool deck overlooking the ocean that costs $40 but comes with unlimited popcorn and soda plus a snack pack. Given the proximity to the Santa Monica Pier, they’ve opted for a Route 66 theme this summer, with cocktails and food for purchase plus a lineup of road trip films.

Treat your ears to a vibrant concert on a spring or summer night by attending MUSE/IQUE’s annual program. This concert series, held at cultural venues across L.A., features a mix of performances inspired by music movements and public figures, including tributes to Quincy Jones, Joni Mitchell, the world of Oz, the Harlem Renaissance, the American Sound and more. You can make a $75 donation to the performing arts nonprofit for a single event, or become a MUSE/IQUE member if you’re interested in multiple programs. Up next is a look at the music of the American West at the Huntington and Skirball.

Step inside a historic—and haunted—Glendale theater to find a supernatural shindig full of magic, spirits and mystery. Don your best Oktoberfest-inspired attire and set out on a spooky journey with themed drinks in hand (not included in the ticket price). Formerly known as House of Spirits, Haunted Soiree is an adults-only, two-hour immersive experience that allows you to roam around an eccentric festival of drinks, music, masks, ghost stories and games. This year’s edition—based on a true crime story from 1928—is full of German-American folk magic.

Like a Halloween version of its Yuletide Cinemaland series, Street Food Cinema will turn Heritage Square Museum into a spooky, cinematic playground. On the movie side, you can catch a different double feature each night (picks include Obsession, Sinners and Jennifer’s Body, among others) while embarking on Victorian home tours and adult trick-or-treating and perusing food trucks, a bar and market vendors. 

Hollywood loves scientific nonsense (remember when Mark Wahlberg played a scientist in a Transformers movie?), but the Natural History Museum is ready to separate the cinematic magic from the actual science. Movies Under the Microscope brings a pair of ’80s sci-fi favorites to the big screen, complete with expert-led discussions examining what these cult classics got right, hilariously wrong or somewhere in the radioactive middle. On October 16, see Joe Dante’s 1985 adventure movie Explorers, about three kids who build a homemade spaceship. Then on October 22, see Real Genius, the Val Kilmer comedy about teenage physics prodigies and a very dangerous laser. Each screening includes a pre-show reception with an all-vinyl ’80s DJ set, vintage collectibles and pop-ups, followed by a conversation with scientists and pop-culture experts. 

Slow down and soak in the magic of the woods during these guided, moonlit forest walks at the Arboretum, inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin yoku, which is said to boost immune strength, reduce stress and improve cognitive function. Each after-hours meditative walk starts just before sunset and wraps up underneath the full moon with herbal tea.

Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art is observing Day of the Dead with an afternoon of food, performances and festive touches. The free family-friendly festival will also host poetry-writing, face painting and sugar-skull painting for kids, and a catrina contest for those who come in costume. Entry to the museum is always free on Sundays, so be sure to head inside to check out the latest art exhibitions, too.

It’s hard to imagine a lovelier setting than the Huntington’s rose garden in bloom. Add in live music provided by the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, and there’s no better place to spend a Monday afternoon. Wander among the blooms while solo and duo performers share their strings skills on violin, cello and guitar. Admission is included with your $29 Huntington ticket.

This traveling horror-themed Halloween cocktail pop-up stops at Melrose Umbrella Co. again this October. The women-owned concept—created by industry veterans Erin Hayes and Kelsey Ramage—is taking over the Beverly Grove bar, serving up expertly mixed cocktails amid metal music and spooky decor (including the famous 12-foot-tall skeleton from Home Depot). Drink highlights include the Bone Temple, made with Teremana Blanco Tequila, and Abyssa’s Obsession, made with pumpkin-infused Kraken Black and Gold Spiced Rums—plus fun glassware you can purchase for yourself. Spirit-free options are also available. And if you can’t get enough Black Lagoon, there’s another SoCal outpost at Midnight Oil in Long Beach.

American Contemporary Ballet opens its 15th season with a program of four works that explore relationships through ballet’s most intimate dance. The program consists of George Balanchine’s Sonatine, Rubies and Episodes, plus the premiere of a new ballet by ACB founder Lincoln Jones—all performed to live music. You’ll find the hour-and-a-half show at the Bank of America Plaza in DTLA. Stick around afterward for a reception with the dancers and musicians.

Stroll through a mile-long trail filled with all things pumpkins, including an illuminated forest of jack-o’-lanterns, during Descanso Gardens’ annual Carved. For four weeks this fall, the family-friendly event will line a loop of the botanical garden with thousands of professionally carved pumpkins. For the 2026 edition, the popular neon-hued Rhizome light sculpture is moving into the Oak Grove, and the labyrinth will feature immersive new sculptures. Also new this year is a pricey “anytime” ticket you can use on any day of the run—though we recommend picking a day and time and saving $30.

Every October, Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group hosts a chilling series of vignettes that’s been named one of Yelp’s top 10 scariest haunts in the country. Armed with a shoddy flashlight to illuminate their path, guests navigate a labyrinth of terror both before and after watching a series of shocking scenes (over the course of roughly 40 minutes) that will unsettle even the most stoic of horror fans. The haunted house-slash-theater experience has been scaring audiences for over 20 years in its North Hollywood theater, and this year’s event is being touted as “bigger and badder than ever.”

Stroll the streets of Downtown San Pedro to the sounds of both traditional and contemporary Mexican folklore music during this 15th annual Day of the Dead celebration. Snack on regional Mexican fare, sip on suds in the beer garden, shop for artisan crafts and let the kiddos run around, make crafts and get their faces painted. Make sure to stop by the ceremonial altars—you can enter your own in a free competition—in addition to a community-wide altar of remembrance. The event, which regularly attracts thousands of guests, will take place at the intersection of 6th and Mesa Streets.

South Coast Botanic Garden’s adorable dog-walking hours jump from a once-a-month treat to an every-weekend affair just during the month of October at Dogtoberfest. In addition to dog-friendly walking paths, the garden throws a bunch of Oktoberfest-style activities into the mix. For the humans, you’ll find beer stations along a Pup Crawl throughout the garden, as well as on the main lawn. That’s where you’ll find the bulk of the programming, too, including live music from Die Sauerkrauts, plus stein-holding, pretzel-tossing and yodeling contests. For the pups, expect training obstacles along the garden pathway and races on the lawn. As for the beer aspect, a VIP ticket gets you a flight of beer (or root beer) samples, a full-size beer, a pretzel necklace and a few other small perks. New this year is the dog VIP ticket, which comes with a free “dog beer” tasting (who knew that existed?), a treat, a photo of your pet and access to the VIP Top Dog Zone, complete with splash pads and doggie pools.

Artist and composer Emmit Fenn turns an Arts District soundstage into a multisensory music experience during this limited-run performance. The phone-free, roughly two-hour event progresses across three environments: a snowy field where you can enjoy tea, the main music space where synchronized lights appear to float atop a darkened pool of water and a post-show gallery with behind-the-scenes imagery.

It feels like Oktoberfest all year round at Silver Lake’s long-running Red Lion Tavern, but it’s especially festive in the fall, when it celebrates the Bavarian tradition all the way through mid-November. Order the Oktoberfest platter—an epic array of pretzels, brats, schnitzel and sides—alongside a four-liter boot of beer. You’ll also find live music and stein-holding contests on select nights. Check the bar’s Instagram for programming updates.

Catch Curtis Cook, Brandie Posey, Rick Wood and John Michael Bond host this free comedy show on Wednesday nights at Hollywood’s Y2K-inspired Zero Lounge. The event coincides with the bar’s daily 7-to-10pm happy hour, so hang out for a bit and garnish your comedy with a cocktail or mocktail.

Right in time for Halloween season, the Academy Museum seeks to answer the question “Why do horror films matter so deeply to so many?” in this immersive look at the genre whose cultural cachet is always increasing. Knowingly employing horror tropes and exploring the lasting appeal of scary movies, the show will be divided into six subcategories of horror—gothic, psychological, science, slasher, religion and ghosts. Expect re-creations of iconic settings where visitors will encounter creatures, monsters and objects from their favorite horror flicks and, in typical Academy fashion, a behind-the-scenes look at the storytelling and production processes of films from the original Frankenstein to The Shining to Get Out.

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. Highlights from the upcoming months include evenings with Michael Douglas (Oct 10), David Byrne (Oct 13), Andy Serkis (Nov 6) and Andy Richter (Nov 19).

One of L.A.’s best free live-music offerings, Jazz at LACMA has featured legit legends over its 35-year run at the museum. Seating for the program is available in the museum’s plaza on a first-come, first-served basis, though you’re welcome to picnic on the grass, too (you won’t really be able to see the show, but you’ll still hear it). You’ll find the series on Friday evenings in LACMA’s welcome plaza (just behind Urban Light) throughout the summer and into the fall. We’re betting it’ll be even more popular than usual this year, with the new David Geffen Galleries in the background.

The only thing better than a haunted attraction is a haunted attraction on a giant boat—which has its own haunted history. You’ll find all the usual horrors here—think fog, mazes and countless monsters roaming around. What sets Dark Harbor apart is its use of its surroundings; the dark, cramped confines of the Queen Mary are already pretty spooky even without monsters—just be prepared to climb a lot of skinny staircases. For its 13th anniversary, the event dives further into the ocean liner’s lore with reimagined mazes set both on shore and in the ship’s swimming pool and corridors. New this year is the “Shipwrecked: Brace for Impact” maze, as well as carnival rides Alien Abduction and blacklight bumper cars. When you tire of the terror, sip spirits at secret speakeasies or catch spooky live entertainment.

He’s why birds suddenly appear—oops, wrong Carpenter. This one may be why birds fall dead from the sky, as L.A. will see when the Academy Museum’s John Carpenter: Prince of Darkness series opens September 26, bringing the horror maestro’s pulsing synth scores, practical monsters and beautifully bleak worldview to the big screen through October 25. The retrospective includes The Thing, Halloween, They Live, Big Trouble in Little China, Christine, The Fog and Prince of Darkness in 35mm, among others. And Carpenter himself will make an appearance on four nights! Basically, consider this your excuse to spend a month being gloriously creeped out at the movies.

Following the wildly successful first edition of her Daisy Chain Fields music festival, Olivia Rodrigo is stepping into the spotlight at the Grammy Museum, where a new two-part exhibition is devoted to the pop star. Running through February 22, 2027, “Olivia Rodrigo: the cure unraveled” features an exclusive look at the handcrafted hospital sets, costumes, props, stop-motion animatronics and original artwork from the singer’s music video for single “the cure.” Meanwhile, “note by note,” the second installment, which opens September 25, offers a journey through the prolific singer’s career so far, with outfits and accessories spanning all three of her album cycles and two world tours, plus items fresh from the Daisy Chain Fields grounds.

See the marionette theater’s family-friendly take on Halloween during the two-month return of its Hallowe’en Spooktacular—a refurbished production of its long-running “boo-sical revue” where you can see over 100 silly and spooky puppets take the stage. A newer addition is the Día de los Muertos sequence that pays tribute to the holiday. Once October arrives, each show will include a costume parade, so dressing up is encouraged.

This Highland Park biergarten is hosting its second annual Oktoberfest shindig, transforming the space into a Bavarian beer hall. The sister to Wirtshaus and Rasselbock already serves standout sausages and schnitzel year-round (including veggie options), but every Friday and Saturday through Halloween, you can also enjoy food and drink specials, live music, stein-holding contests and more.

Far from those kid-friendly rides through a pumpkin patch, this hayride unleashes all sorts of demons and bogeys on Griffith Park, which is transformed into the mid-’80s fictitious town of Midnight Falls. The Griffith Park tradition, which has been running for 18 years now, centers on a relatively lengthy hayride. The premise: A witch has summoned spirits of the underworld who’ve hidden themselves among Halloween decorations in the town’s foothills. This year’s event introduces a new, Sunset Strip–themed maze, “Fallen Angel,” and sees the return of Elvira’s Trick or Treat Mayhem, the Scary-Go-Round, Hellbilly Halloween and axe-throwing. A welcome addition this year: alcohol, served at themed bars throughout the event.

This Denver-originated Halloween attraction returns to SoCal with over 10,000 thousand hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns lining a mile-long pathway at the beautiful South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes. This year’s event adds a whimsical circus scene, a Día de los Muertos tribute and an under-the-sea display. Pumpkin light shows, bounce pads, inflatables and festive food complete the family-friendly experience.

Encounter free-roaming monsters, stage shows and 10 terrifying mazes—this year’s new additions are “Inked,” which brings 1930s cartoon characters to life, and the excavation-themed “Unearthed”—as well as a menu of eerie eats and sinister sweets, five scare zones and the theme park’s thrill rides during Knott’s Scary Farm, SoCal’s original and longest-running Halloween theme park event. Also new this year are two shows: Voodoo: Bayou's Edge and Occultum, featuring magicians from the legendary Magic Castle.

Head to the mountains for the annual Oktoberfest at Big Bear Lake, where you’ll be able to clink steins every weekend from September to early November. Beer will be flowing, knockwursts will be cooked up, and dirndls will be worn. The entertainment lineup includes numerous bands—many straight from Germany—and other performances, and one lucky damsel will be named the Oktoberfest Queen when she wins the stein-carrying contest. Others can test their skills with free log-sawing, stein-holding and chugging competitions.

Every weekend through October 24, this Venice gastropub is throwing a Bavarian celebration with lederhosen and finger-licking fare. Dive into a savory rattlesnake and rabbit hot link topped with onions and peppers, choose from a selection of German and Belgian beers on draft, and enjoy yodeling and live German music. The best part? Each ticket (with noon or 5pm start times on Saturdays and 2pm start times on Sundays) includes a Wurstküche beer stein, with the first fill-up included. Entry isn’t cheap ($72 and up), but the seatings regularly sell out.

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—from tarantulas to wolf spiders—are in enclosed habitats.) 

Well, well, well, what have we here? The Nightmare Before Christmas’s bug-stuffed sack is once again taking over the Halloween duties at Disneyland Resort for Oogie Boogie Bash, an after-hours, specially ticketed seasonal event at Disney California Adventure Park on select nights from mid-August through October. You’ll find trick-or-treating trails, kid-friendly shows, the maze-like Villains Grove and, new this year, Madame Leota's Swinging Wake—A Haunted Mansion Street Party. And the perks of the after-hours event aren’t just Halloween-y: You’ll be able to venture through and hop on rides in most areas of the park (with considerably shorter wait times), including at Avengers Campus (the Guardians of the Galaxy ride will flip to its Monsters After Dark edition). The catch: Tickets always sell out quickly—though you can still enjoy the Halloween decor, a special fireworks show and the Nightmare Before Christmas takeover of Haunted Mansion at the resort.

“Somehow it’s a happier ending than I thought it would be—it felt so bleak,” Tacita Dean says of crafting this tribute to the then-fading format of analog film back in 2011. But here in the year of The Odyssey, Dean’s commission for the Tate Modern—restaged here at the Marciano Art Foundation’s cavernous theater gallery—feels like a triumphant touting of film’s resurgence: An 11-minute-long collage (all of the cutouts were achieved in camera) plays out on a vertically-oriented reel of 35mm film. The show coincides with Pierre Leguillon’s selection of old advertisements that feature prominent artists promoting commercial brands.

Admire suspended sheets of textiles—including the metallic ones that would be incorporated into the curtains at the new David Geffen Galleries—along with colorful sketches and a recreation of Tokyo store NUNO at LACMA’s showcase of pioneering textile designer Reiko Sudō.

Five photographers who pushed their medium in new directions in the second half of the 20th century present their unique takes on the city in this Getty Center show. Influenced by techniques including social documentary practices, staged scenes and fashion, the photographs of Laura Aguilar, Reynaldo Rivera, George Rodriguez, Patssi Valdez and Ricardo Valverde expanded Chicano and Chicana representation in Los Angeles.

Billing itself as “Orange County’s biggest party since 1977,” the Old World Oktoberfest promises enough beers, brats and bands to make you feel like you’re in Munich—albeit with better ocean views. Every Wednesday through Sunday between September 12 and November 8, this re-created Bavarian village will offer a sausage-filled menu, oompah and German bands, a biergarten, dancing and more. While Old World’s Oktoberfest is 21-plus with a cover charge on Friday and Saturday evenings, it’s open to families and revelers of all ages on Saturday afternoons and other nights. (Entry is free on Wednesday and Thursday nights, as well as Saturday afternoons, just book ahead online.)

Held in the so-called Alps of Southern California, Lake Arrowhead’s all-ages Oktoberfest runs every weekend from September 19 to October 25 this year, hosting live German American oompah bands, “choke the chicken” (“like stein-holding but more fun”), dance contests, children’s games and a daily sausage toss. Although there’s no entry fee, attendees are advised to book picnic tables ($150 on Saturdays for up to eight people) or pub tables (four-seaters $75 and two-seaters $35 on Saturdays) to secure seats closer to the stage. On Sunday, tables are first-come, first-served. This year, the event is again being held in the picturesque Waterfront Park.

Just in time for silver screen starlet Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday, the Academy Museum is presenting a centennial celebration dedicated to the woman and her work, offering “unique insight into her agency in becoming a Hollywood icon.” In addition to posters, portraits, letters and rarely seen personal items, highlights from the exhibition include two screen-worn costumes from Some Like It Hot and the rarely exhibited famous pink dress Monroe wore in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Borrowed from Woody Guthrie’s egalitarian folk anthem, the title of this exhibition at the Huntington offers a pretty literal teaser of what you can expect to see: lots of relics tied to land, specifically American land. But that lens provides an insightful and profound perspective on 250 years of ambition, achievement, struggle, exclusion and belonging in the United States. There are some truly remarkable documents on display here—including Guthrie’s original lyrics sheet for “This Land is Your Land,” paired with one of his acoustic guitars with a faded proclamation that “this machine kills fascists” scratched into the back. But the most humbling piece on display just might be the one that first greets you: the cross section of an oak tree that stood on the grounds of the Huntington for 250 years.

The Skirball’s Jack Kirby exhibition may be over, but the museum has followed it up with this expansive look at how comics came to dominate pop culture. Many of the creators of the medium were immigrants and outsiders—including Jewish Americans—who poured their experiences with struggle, aspiration and reinvention into their work. From the Great Depression through Y2K, comics reflected the national moment and actually helped shape American identity. On display, you’ll find original artwork and artifacts relating to beloved comic book characters, from Superman and Black Panther to Little Lulu and Archie.

This L.A.-centric exhibition looks at the Declaration of Independence’s promise of life, liberty and happiness, and how that promise has been fulfilled—or not—throughout the city’s development. Told via the stories of diverse Angelenos alongside historical and contemporary objects, media and art, the show “invites you to step into a conversation that has been shaping Los Angeles for over two hundred years.” 

This show aims to give Black queer culture in California—particularly in Los Angeles—the credit it’s due as a part of the decades-long fight for LGBTQ+ rights and recognition. Through historical materials, photographs, film and vintage newspapers, the exhibition recovers a history that’s been largely excluded from the record, introducing visitors to sites, protagonists and allies who played a role in the fight for democracy and free expression. 

It’s a very Fast & Furious kind of year in L.A., between Universal Studio’s roller coaster and this 25th anniversary exhibition of the movie franchise. The Petersen Automotive Museum is showcasing movie vehicles, stunt cars and production prototypes in its second-floor galleries, including the 1993 Toyota Supra “Stunt #3” and 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) in the original film, Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) 1968 Dodge Charger R/T and 1993 Mazda RX-7, Suki’s (Devon Aoki) 2001 Honda S2000 and more.

The reopened Getty Villa will descend into the underworld with this exhibition, which looks at the ritual spells and religious writings ancient Egyptians employed to garner favor with Re and Osiris in the afterlife. See the Getty’s collection of rare Book of the Dead rare hieroglyphics-adorned and illustrated manuscripts, dating back to around 1000 BCE, which were last displayed in 2023. The show should dovetail nicely with the museum’s “Sculpted Portraits From Ancient Egypt,” which runs through January 2027.

Do you get a little thrill every time you go to the Beverly Hills Hotel? You have architect Paul R. Williams to thank, even if you might not know the name. This exhibition at the USC Fisher Museum of Art aims to fix that. “Paul R. Williams: An Architect Considered” specifically spotlights the visionary architect’s multifamily housing projects through original drawings, photographs and plans, juxtaposed with new commissions by contemporary artists and architects. The message is clear: Williams didn’t just shape Los Angeles; he imagined a more livable version of it, one gorgeous building at a time. Complementary Williams exhibitions at LACMA and the Getty Center will open later in the year.