Gillian Glover

After endless, premature teases from retailers, the holidays are here for real, and they’ve taken over our December events calendar. Dive into the spirit of giving with a stop at one of the best gift shops in L.A., or behold one of the city’s best Christmas lights displays. If you’re sticking around town this year and feeling a little lonely, maybe consider embracing it with some me-time at one of these secluded getaways. Whatever your plans are—even if you’re feeling like a bit of a grinch—you’ll find plenty of activities to take advantage of in our December events calendar. RECOMMENDED: Full events calendar for 2024

Figuring out what to do for New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles can be a challenge—should it be a black-tie affair? A laid-back shindig? A dance-till-morning marathon? To make sure that you’re up to something special at the stroke of midnight, we’ve put together a list of the city’s best events for NYE (including some with fireworks). Whether you’re looking for something lavish or casual or even something to do that’s free, we’ve got a New Year’s Eve party in L.A. for you.RECOMMENDED: Our guide to New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles

Need help figuring out what to do for New Year’s? Whether you’re flying solo, heading out to dinner, hanging with friends or have the little ones in tow, we’ve got plenty of great things to do for New Year’s Eve and day, from movie screenings and ice skating to costume parties and fireworks. Here, our list of the best New Year’s Eve events in Los Angeles. RECOMMENDED: New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles guide

Still have some last-minute Christmas shopping to do? You probably won’t be able to order that perfect gift online without spending a fortune on rush shipping, and ordering from Amazon just doesn’t have the most personal touch. But good news: Shopping at these local boutiques, full of curated goodies and covetable objects, does away with the need for shipping! Tick off the remaining people on your gift list and leave with your treasures in hand at these 27 shops. Then you can get back to enjoying festive holiday events and Christmas lights guilt-free. RECOMMENDED: The best shops in Los Angeles

Sure, you won’t find snow-covered trees and below-zero temperatures in L.A., but there are still plenty of Christmas events and holiday activities to get you in the festive mood—even when it’s 70 and sunny in December. With outdoor movie screenings, illuminated walks in botanical gardens, holiday plays, festive takeovers of theme parks and Christmas lights all over town, our list of the city’s best events and things to do this season will help make L.A. feel like a winter wonderland. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to Christmas in Los Angeles

We don’t know about you, but our mind is always focused on the weekend. It can never come soon enough—which is why we’re already thinking about what new restaurants we want to try or where we can drive for the day. Whether you’re looking to scope out the latest museum exhibitions or watch a movie outdoors, you’ll find plenty of things to do in L.A. this weekend. We curate an L.A. weekend itinerary of the city’s best concerts, culture and cuisine, every week, just for you.

’Tis the season for Christmas shows, festive holiday lights and, most of all, shopping, shopping and more shopping. Back to tempt your wallets this winter are a number of holiday markets and craft fairs featuring local, handmade goods for extra special gifting. Find everything from apothecary goods and handwoven handbags to artisan jewelry, candles, prints and more. Even if you’re not sure what to get family and friends on your gift list this season, these Christmas events are a treasure trove of inspiration—you’ll likely walk away with more goodies than you ever knew you needed. Support small businesses and head to the best holiday markets in Los Angeles. RECOMMENDED: See more Christmas in Los Angeles

Some of us will spend the morning after New Year’s Eve nursing a hangover or hiding underneath the covers. But for those looking to seize on the promise of another year, there are a handful of New Year’s Day events to help you get a jump start on 2025 (and the January events calendar). Whether you’re up for an afternoon (or evening) at a botanical garden or some lingering Christmas lights displays, these are the best New Year’s Day events. RECOMMENDED: Read more about New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles

If we could write the rules of living in Los Angeles this would be our No. 1, always at the top of our list: When you live in this city, there’s no excuse for boredom just because it’s a weeknight. There are hundreds of things to do in Los Angeles each week, whether you hit the beach at sunset or go for a morning bike ride, or catch a concert or a comedy show—and that’s really only scratching the surface. Well, we don’t make the rules, but we will provide you with plenty of ideas for your next free weeknight right here. Now go out and tackle these things to do in L.A. this week.

It’s been a fantastic year for new music. We’ve had long-running artists finally break through (hello, Chappell Roan), what felt like the longest and most carefully calculated album roll-out of all time (Charli, we’re looking at you), as well as niche new finds and epic comebacks from old faves (The Cure).  As the year draws to a close, it’s time to share our favourite albums of 2024. From intergalactic post-punk to gritty, lyrical hip hop, dance floor-ready pop and everything in between, grab your best headphones or line up the speakers: these are the albums Time Out had on repeat this year. RECOMMENDED:The best movies of 2024The best TV shows of 2024 you need to streamThe best songs of 2024

The past 12 months always feel like a blur by the time we reach the end of the year, but for our team of editors at Time Out Los Angeles, there are a handful of events, venues and timely oddities that feel like proper moments—the kind of ones we’ve kept thinking about all year long. We spent countless hours scoping out dozens of PST ART exhibitions and obsessively tracking rocket launches (and a beloved space shuttle), filling up on pastries at bakeries and tirelessly surverying the sushi scene. Amid all of that and then some—the wax museum bar visits, sopping wet log flume rides and Souplantation dupe meals—these are the 13 things that really left an impression on us. Some of our Best of the City picks are one-time events or ephemeral pop-ups that we thought deserved some recognition, but the bulk of these new restaurants, entertainment venues and attractions are spots that you can get out and see this very second—and absolutely should.

Christmas events in Los Angeles are back in full swing—from holiday markets to light shows—and there’s no better way to get in the spirit than with a ticket to one of these festive plays or concerts. Now through December, performing arts companies are bringing lively holiday cheer to L.A. theaters across the city—think theatrical renditions of A Christmas Carol, a memorable Nochebuena with live mariachi-infused ballet and imaginative takes on The Nutcracker. You may even get to meet the Sugar Plum Fairy after the show (a major win for the kiddos). Whether you’re looking for an epic Secret Santa gift or a festive experience with family and friends, the best Christmas shows in Los Angeles are a great way to celebrate the season. RECOMMENDED: Find more things to do in our December events calendar

It may look unassuming from the outside, but Lundeen’s in downtown Culver City is a hidden gem. It’s been beloved by locals since Kathryn Lundeen opened the shop in 2008 after noticing a need for a local gift shop. You’ll find jewelry, kids’ toys, L.A.-centric trinkets, glassware, paper goods from Rifle Paper Co., wall decor, greeting cards, candles, diffusers and books. I’ve personally bought a first-birthday present here, a congratulatory gift for a new job, and a patterned kettle that brightens up my kitchen. And it’s a store where I’d be thrilled to receive literally anything inside as a gift myself.

P.F. Candle Co.—first founded by Kristen Pumphrey as an Etsy shop in 2008—specializes in rustic-chic soy-wax candles (they’re also vegan, cruelty-free, and phthalate-free) whose signature amber glass jars you’ve definitely seen at any cool friend’s place. Bestselling scents include teakwood and tobacco, Golden Coast, bergamot shiso and Los Angeles—which smells like redwood, lime, jasmine and yarrow. But they’re constantly expanding their offerings, with seasonal scents like smoky cinnamon special or vanilla and ghost pepper, as well as collaborations like P.F. Candle Co. x Peanuts, with cute labels starring Snoopy. But all of the independently owned brand’s products are still developed, produced, tested and packed right here in L.A. Their products can be found in stores all across the city, but we suggest going straight to the source and visiting the Echo Park flagship for the best selection.

Traditional newsstands have all but disappeared—but luckily we still have the coolest one: the Daily Planet, located on the corner of Franklin Village. Well, it’s more of an independent bookstore, but it stocks international magazines, curated vinyl and thoughtful gift items in addition to unique books. The ultra-cool owners are incidentally the duo that make up the band Cold Cave and run Heartworm Press, which publishes poetry books by cult musicians and influential writers. Pick up some of their titles and a sleek Joan Didion or Charles Bukowski volume while you’re there.

Brick-and-mortar toy shops are growing fewer and farther between, making a gem like Leanna Lin’s Wonderland—which appeals to both the young and young at heart—all the more special. The Eagle Rock store, open since 2010, functions as both a gift shop and gallery that features independent artists and designers. Find a playful gift for any age—like Hello Kitty or Unicorno blind boxes for kids, and cute canned candles for grown-ups—inside the cheery space.

The bottom level of Vintage Land will be decked out for the holidays December 19–21. The special edition of Los Feliz Flea will host a vintage market and artisan pop-ups, where you can find unique, handcrafted items perfect for gift-giving. Grab a hot cocoa or coffee to keep warm, and shop the day away amid live music. Admission and parking are both free, and the market is pet-friendly. If you’re able, bring a donation for the toy drive, which will benefit the Art is My Drug Foundation. And if you need a break from shopping, you can test your gaming skills at Vintage Land’s VR Escape Room.

Head to the Hollywood Roosevelt for a classy, Christmassy night out. A reception in the Roosevelt lobby—complete with mulled wine, chestnuts, hot cocoa, carolers and a brass band—kicks off the festivities. A traditional Christmas dinner in the ballroom comes next, followed by the main event: Tim Davis, with Gerrit Kinkel and his JAZZ:||:SYMPOSIUM Orchestra, will present “Let It Swing!,” a two-hour performance that combines jazz, holiday classics and ballroom dancing. Be sure to don your best “holiday-inspired” black-tie attire. Have the kids in tow? You can bring them to meet Santa at a free matinee show on Saturday from 4–6pm.

This musical-comedy trio—L.A.’s own up-and-coming version of Flight of the Conchords (and what a great name, right?)—has been on a steady rise lately. They opened for Tenacious D (Jack Black is a fan), played Netflix Is a Joke Fest and leveled up with their Scorpion Train Tour, bringing their blend of music, comedy and parody across the U.S. Now, they’re closing out the tour with a hometown show at the El Rey. Expect lots of laughs—and to have their songs stuck in your head for days afterward.  

This serene entry into the holiday-lights-at-botanic-gardens category finds the native-plant-focused California Botanic Garden lit up with twinkling strands and luminarias—lanterns made from candles in paper bags. Illuminated pathways lead to live music stages, which will be hosting three performances each night, ranging from jazz to Native American flutes to Caribbean music. A food truck, sweet treats and hot drinks will also be on offer.

Book clubs sound great in theory, but what if yours votes on a book you have absolutely no interest in? Enter Reading Rhythms, a happy alternative for the literary-inclined. Billed as a “reading party,” the event series started in NYC and got noticed by The New York Times and Good Morning America for its refreshing spin on book clubs: You bring a book of your own choosing to a central location, then alternate between peaceful reading time and chatting with fellow readers about what you’re reading. Reading Rhythms is popping up on the Eastside for the first time this week, so bring your current read (and blankets and pillows, if you want to create a cozy book nook) and head to teahouse Hey Hey.

Fans of the Fab Four, rejoice: This concert series, which originated in Argentina 10 years ago, has made it’s way to Hollywood. This isn't your average Beatles cover band, though. A curated lineup of over 30 performers from the L.A. music scene will pick their favorite Beatles song and perform with a house band made up of the city’s finest session players. Expect both note-for-note re-creations and creative interpretations of Beatles classics and B-sides alike.

Catch some comedy and learn at the same time at this educational and interactive game show hosted by creator Chris Duffy. The set-up: A panel of three comedians (Lauren Lapkus, Karen Chee and Joanna Hausmann) play games and quiz a scientific expert (environmental and chemical engineer Dr. Kandis Leslie Gilliard-AbdulAziz) on their work. Past editions have delved into topics like cybersecurity, group behavior and food science. If you can’t make it to Dynasty Typewriter for the show, you can RSVP for a free livestream option.

Travel back to the Victorian era with this holiday celebration at the Arboretum. The front lawn of the 1880s Queen Anne Cottage, which has been recently restored, will host visits with Santa, carolers and food trucks all weekend, plus lessons from the Historical Tea & Dance Society (Sunday only). Grab a hot cocoa or hot toddy and browse goods from local artisans at the on-site holiday market.

Gilmore Girls nostalgia seems to be at an all-time high lately. Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s fast-talking show is a mainstay for millennial women—and many men—and with the show available to stream on Netflix and now Hulu, it’s been drawing new Gen Z fans as well. The show premiered in 2000, but two dozen years later, fans still aren’t over its romantic drama, pop culture references and small-town charm. A new Walmart commercial, of all things, actually provided a first glimpse of what Lorelai and Luke are up to eight years after we last saw them in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, and fans are clearly hungry for more—as evidenced by the 3,000 who descended upon the Warner Bros. backlot on the opening day of its wintertime ode to Gilmore Girls: Holidays Made Here. Even though I don’t partake in the yearly rewatch ritual like many fans do, whenever I’m asked what my favorite TV show is, Gilmore Girls is my automatic reply—it’s a reflex from back when I discovered it in high school. So I was thrilled to check out the seasonal addition to Warner Bros.’ Studio Tour on opening day. I even got the chance to talk to Luke himself, actor Scott Patterson, and ask his thoughts about the show’s lasting appeal and the possibility of another season. When I walked onto the backlot, where the studio’s Midwest Street has been transformed back into the idyllic small town of Stars Hollow, I instantly felt at home. It’s not the first time Warner Bros. has hosted Holidays Made Here, but this

If there’s one thing I’m passionate about, it’s bookstores. If there are two things I’m passionate about, it’s bookstores and the Valley. So this summer, when I caught wind of the fact that none other than the Last Bookstore was going to open a new location mere minutes away from me, it just about made my year. And this week, I got an early look at the shop before it has its grand opening on Saturday. The Valley outpost came about because the Last Bookstore’s lease was nearly up on its warehouse in Northridge, where over a half a million books were stored, so the team needed a new base of operations. Enter the new space, which serves as both storage and retail. The Last Bookstore in DTLA is one of the best independent bookstores in L.A.—and certainly the largest and highest-profile (check out this bar it inspired all the way in Glasgow, Scotland). After its first iteration in a Downtown loft in 2005, the Last Bookstore made a huge splash when it opened in an old bank building on Spring Street. It’s often credited as part of Downtown’s renaissance, but it led an independent-bookstore renaissance as well. It cleverly drew people in with its eye-catching book installations—who flocked to snap pics in the book tunnel or peekaboo window, leading to its being crowned the world’s most-Instagrammed bookstore. But the Last Bookstore’s magic lies in the way it’s always combined immaculate vibes and aesthetics with real substance and a love of reading—and the result is getting people in

Mini-golf surprisingly doesn’t have much of a presence in L.A. Given its reputation as a quintessential date or birthday-party activity, you’d think the city would be swarming with options. There’s Castle Park in Sherman Oaks—an outdoor classic, windmill and all—and Golf N’ Stuff (of Karate Kid fame) all the way in Ventura or Norwalk and… that’s pretty much it. Until this month, that is. Holey Moley Golf Club is now open in a prime spot on pedestrian destination Third Street Promenade. A project from Australian company Funlab, which transforms familiar activities into “immersive worlds of fun where people can connect in real life,” Santa Monica’s Holey Moley is actually the sixth location in the U.S. and the first in Southern California—another opened in San Francisco over the summer, and a spot in Irvine is coming soon. I went to check it out with our video editor, Danny, and it’s easy to see why the concept has proved a success for Funlab thus far. The retro putt-putt destination is campy fun and lets you cut loose and feel like a kid again—albeit with booze. Photograph: Gillian Glover for Time Out Amid the stores and eateries of Third Street, you’ll find the entrance to Holey Moley. Head up an escalator under a constellation of disco balls to find the first course (there are three courses, and 27 holes in all). Right away, you’ll see a Pacific Park–themed hole where you try to hit your golf ball through a Ferris wheel. Photograph: Stan Lee But before you pick up a club

If you’re one of the millions who tuned in to Squid Game when it dropped in 2021, you might already know that the eagerly awaited second season finally has a release date: December 26—perfect for a little high-stakes post-Christmas viewing. If you just can’t wait till then, though, you’re in luck: Netflix is offering access to an advanced screening of the Season 2 premiere—but there’s a catch. To get into the screening, you’ll have to turn from a fan into a player and make your way through the streets of L.A. during a special themed run—not a 5K but a 4.56K (after Player 456)—being held at an as-yet undisclosed location in East Hollywood on December 12. This isn’t your average foot race. Along the way, there will be various elimination challenges designed to thin out the competition—“tasks of choice, physical challenge and chance,” promises Netflix. The downside: Not everyone who competes will score a seat at the screening (though those eliminated will receive a participation prize—a decidedly gentler fate than the players in the show face). The Squid Game 4.56K Run is free to participate in (you can register here). Keep in mind, though, that even after registering online, your spot in the run isn’t guaranteed. There’s a limit of 2,000 participants, so it’s recommended you arrive early when the line opens at 4pm, as entry is first-come, first-served. Check-in will start at 6pm at the event headquarters, where you’ll get a complimentary tracksuit to wear over your own clothes.

Studio Ghibli fans, rejoice: New to the Academy Collection—the largest film-related collection in the world, which boasts more than 52 million items from across the history of cinema and is housed partially at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures—are 80 pieces of original animation from Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo, his family-friendly film inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. One of the animation studio’s most beloved films, 2008’s Ponyo (it was subsequently released in the U.S. by Walt Disney Pictures in 2009) was notable for its focus on hand-drawn animation, with not only the characters but backgrounds drawn frame-by-frame rather than using animation cels or CGI. That makes the drawings rendered by Miyazaki and conceptual drawings by Noboru Yoshida all the more special.  Rounding out the Academy’s Studio Ghibli animation collection are the studio’s Japanese movie posters and Miyazaki’s own animator’s desk—a gift from Studio Ghibli Inc. Drawing by Noboru Yoshida for “Ponyo” (2008). Photograph: Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library Four-time-nominated, two-time Oscar-winning director Miyazaki—who also received an honorary award at the Academy’s Governors Awards in 2014—already has a history with the Academy Museum. When the institution opened in 2021, one of its inaugural exhibitions, “Hayao Miyazaki,” was the first North American museum retrospective dedicated entirely to the internationally celebrated artist and filmmaker’s work, bringing his animate

The Natural History Museum has a new “front porch”: NHM Commons, a $75 million project being unveiled this weekend, aims to make the institution more inviting and accessible to the local community. Located on the west end of the museum, the space consists of a cafe, lobby, welcome center, theater, gallery and outdoor garden. Here’s what to expect from a visit. A new glass façade now seamlessly connects the museum to the Exposition Park, allowing those outside a peek at Gnatalie, a.k.a. “the Green Dinosaur” (more on her below), and grants those inside views of Exposition Park, the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which looks like it’s inching closer to completion each day.  Once you enter, ride the escalator to the second-floor Judith Perlstein Welcome Center, which serves as both a destination unto itself and a gateway into the museum, offering a free mini museum experience (you don’t need a ticket to explore the handful of displays). The star of the show here is Gnatalie—the “g” is silent, like “gnat”—one of a new species of sauropod who was discovered in Utah in 2007 and excavated for over a decade by a team of interns, volunteers and international staff. The most complete sauropod skeleton on the West Coast and the world’s only green-colored fossil specimen, she measures over 75 feet long. While her bones don’t look as green (read: very green at all) as you’d expect from the marketing, she is notably lighter than the dark brown skeletons of oth

After a year-long closure—and some 90 years after it first opened as Clifton’s Cafeteria—Downtown’s most fanciful drinking den, Clifton’s Republic, has officially reopened its doors. And as a fan of classic L.A spots, I was thrilled to hear the news—I can’t think of anywhere else where you can drink among a taxidermied lion, bison and bear (oh my) and dance under the boughs of a three-story tall (faux) redwood. During my recent visit, four of Clifton’s themed “lands” were open to the public—including the much-loved Pacific Seas—and more are on the way. Since you’ve last stepped inside, the venue has introduced a new food menu and a projection system that brings some of its decor to life. Photograph: Danny Caranza for Time Out In the 1930s, Clifford Clinton opened a local chain of cafeterias beloved for their escapism and “Golden Rule” model that never turned away Angelenos during the Great Depression, even if they couldn’t afford a meal—Charles Bukowski even mentions that fact in Ham on Rye. The current Broadway location was actually the second spot Clinton opened, modeling it after his memories of Brookdale Lodge in Santa Cruz. At one point, it was even the original terminus of Route 66 (today, that honor goes to the Santa Monica Pier).  In 2010, nightlife impresario Andrew Meieran purchased the Broadway spot in the heart of Downtown, hoping to revitalize the L.A. icon. He unveiled his vision for Clifton’s in 2015 but eventually closed the cafeteria concept in 2018 and reb

Election Day is less than a week away, and unless you’ve already voted (in which case, go you!), you need to make a plan for where and when to cast your ballot. Now, if you need to drop off your Vote by Mail ballot, you can do so at any of the county’s 426 Official Ballot Drop Boxes (find a list here), or at any of the 648 Vote Centers where people will be voting in person. (Both options are available until 8pm on November 5.) And if you’re voting in person, as of 2020, Los Angeles County moved from a polling place model to vote center one, meaning you don’t need to vote at the option nearest to you, but can show up at any official vote center in the county and make your mark on this year’s momentous election. So instead of heading to your neighborhood church or elementary school, you can choose your own destination and make a day of it. We’ve combed through the hundreds of vote center locations to find a handful where you can fill out your ballot, then settle in for an afternoon of learning, hiking or shopping in order to take your mind off the stress of the incoming election results—if only for an hour or two.  Many vote centers have been open for early voting since this past Saturday; all of the below options are open this weekend and, of course, on Election Day itself. We’ve included the hours for your reference. And once you’ve voted, make sure you’re signed up for BallotTrax to keep track of your ballot’s journey and ensure your vote is counted.  Now, go vote!   Photo

The American Film Institute’s annual festival each fall has long marked the unofficial start of awards season in L.A. A-list stars turn out for premieres and screenings at the TCL Chinese Theatre and the Chinese 6 Theatres next door at Ovation Hollywood. The fest will kick off with the world premiere of the documentary Music by John Williams on Wednesday, October 23, and run through October 27. With a lineup consisting of over 100 films, though—an assortment of A-lister vehicles, indie gems, world cinema, docs and shorts—it can be hard to know which ones are most worth your while. Not to worry: We’ve done our homework and feel confident offering up these seven films for your viewing pleasure. Note: For a decade, tickets to AFI Fest screenings were free, but a few years back the fest switched to paid ticketing—$19 for a screening, $25 to $30 for Red Carpet Premieres. Advance tickets are sold out for some screenings—especially the premieres—but all sold-out screenings will have a “Rush Line” that sells tickets on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to seating availability.  Photograph: Courtesy AFI FEST Heretic Hugh Grant continues to pivot away from rom-coms in the much-hyped Heretic, a new take on the religious thriller genre from A24. He plays Mr. Reed, a “creepy shut-in who ‘welcomes’ two bright-eyed Mormons into his home,” says Time Out’s global film editor, Phil de Semlyen, trapping them in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse to prove their faith. As Grant embraces his