- Los Angeles
- Events
- Cities
Plus, ways to celebrate Memorial Day and Mother’s Day.
By
Jeff Miller
Spring is the best season in LA, or it’s at least tied for first. Yeah, it’s probably tied for best season with fall, summer, winter, Dodger, andmariscos.Days are warm and getting longer, nights are crisp and cool, and it’s the perfect time to get outdoors. Ditch winery-hopping for a sojourn down Northern California's Cannabis Trailor plan a hike at one of state's most beautiful places,and if you're staying in LA, you can kick back at the city's top-notch spas and or strike up a match at some new padel courts.And if you’re looking for something a little more timely, we’ve put together this handy guide to the best things to do in LA this May.
May 1–12
Various locations, Prices vary
Netflix is basically monopolizing every venue in LA for their enormous yearly comedy festival, which features just about every funny person you can imagine: Ali Wong’s doing a residency at the Wiltern, the cast of Big Mouth is appearing at the Greek, Seth Rogan’s hosting a night at the Hollywood Bowl, and there’s a festival-within-a-festival with star-studded drop-ins at the Palladium both weekends. Essentially, if you wanna laugh, it’s worth checking the schedule because something will be up your alley.
May 3–5
Redondo Beach, $179 and up
By far one of the most laid-back and fun festivals of the season, BeachLife is a three day, vibey throwback-and-more-jam right on the sand in Redondo. Headliners this year include Incubus, Sting, and My Morning Jacket, along with bigger acts like Seal and Phish’s Trey Anastasio; upgrade your ticket to eat a chef-cooked meal on stage during ZZ Top or Devo, and visit booths and activations from Gray Whale Gin, Golden Road Brewing, Mammoth Mountain, and more during your (probably very little) downtime.
May 4
Inglewood, $500 and up
This benefit gala at SoFi Stadium supports City Year, a charity that donates to schools in need of support and funding. This year’s event should be one for the books: John Legend is performing, and Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Dwayne Wade are among the honorary committee members, so it’s a prime opportunity to make a difference and spot some stars.
May 4
DTLA, $44.62 and up
One of LA’s most beloved cultural events, Lucha Va Voom—the Luchadore/comedy/burlesque extravaganza—is back for a special Cinco De Mayo edition in a brand new location, the nightclub Don Quixote, just east of the Arts District downtown. Expect your regular Lucha insanity, including wrestling matches, vibrant costumes, hilarious commentary, and hopefully some people dressed as chickens.
May 4
Buellton, $55 and up
If you’re looking to take a little day trip, the drive out to Buellton (near Solvang, just past Santa Barbara) is totally gorgeous and serendipitously, has a unique beer festival. The whole thing is Star Wars themed, with guests encouraged to get decked out for a costume contest. Of course, there are also dozens of breweries, cover bands, mega-sized beer pong, and corn hole as well.
May 4
Culver City, $135 and up
This massive culinary event raises money for No Kid Hungry, an organization seeking to end child hunger in America, and is always a delicious blast. Participating restaurants this year include Akasha, Pine & Crane, Maple Block Meat Co, and Pizzana, and there will be kitchen demos with Gueleguetza’s Bricia Lopez and Daybird’s Mei Lin.
May 5
DTLA, $5
This brand new drag brunch is presented by the beloved gay bar The Abbey (so you know it’s gonna be legit) and features not only a fantastic show wi performances by Aura Mayari from Ru Paul's Drag Race and Becky Peach from HBO's Legendary but also decacent dishes like the Black Dahlia (cinnamon swirled croissant, French toast, almond brittle, blueberry sauce).
May 10
DTLA, $22
It’s not truly summer in LA until you’re sitting outside watching a classic movie, so consider this the beginning of the season: Cinespia is kicking it off with a screening of Mamma Mia! at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Bring a picnic and your vocal chops—no doubt there will be some very strong singalongs.
May 10–19
Venice, Free
This annual event returns with over 150 local artists displaying their work and the money raised from the online auction of their pieces going directly to the Venice Family Clinic. Before the auction, the gallery is open to the public and totally free, with legendary sculptor Fred Eversley as the featured artist this year.
May 11
Pasadena, $229 and up
This goth-and-new-wave retro-leaning music fest boasts a killer lineup that includes headliner Duran Duran, huge acts like Interpol and Blondie, and throwback faves ranging from Gary Neuman to The Faint to The Alarm. It’s presented by Coachella backers Goldenvoice, so it’s no surprise they’ve also got amazing local food vendors, including Burritos La Palma, Burger She Wrote, and Quarantine Pizza Co.
May 11
Downtown, $62.32
This energetic event takes over Pershing Square for one day only and features classic British DJ Lee Burridge as well as Christian Loffer, Tim Green, and Sinca.
May 12
Beverly Hills, Prices vary
There are a bevy of places in LA you can hit up for brunch on Mother’s Day, but Porta Via is a staple and has three different locations: Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades, and Calabasas. Brunch offerings include a Grand Marnier French Toast, grilled Ora King Salmon, and, of course, blood orange mimosas.
May 12
North Hollywood, $25 and up
The renowned, over-the-top immersive theater group Zombie Joe’s Underground is presenting the greatest kind of Mother’s Day counterprogramming: a no-holds-barred interactive horror experience about a mother’s grief that they claim will “leave audiences trembling long after they leave the theater.”
May 12
DTLA, Prices vary
If you’ve somehow missed the billboards, Instagram stories, and breathless features about Luna Luna, here’s the lowdown: this wild art exhibit is actually a recreation of an amusem*nt park built in Germany in the 1980s, with rides designed by world-famous artists like Basquiat and Warhol. The story around it is fascinating (the rides were found in a shipping container, and in a roundabout way, it’s all related to Drake), and this is your last chance to see it before it moves on to another city.
Across the Horizon
May 17 and 18
Highland Park and Historic Filipinotown, prices vary
These two concerts feature different artists but carry the same airy vibe all the way through, with reunited '90s underground heroes Acetone headlining the first day and avant-garde Texas guitarist Hayden Pedigo topping the second. Whichever you choose, you’ll get wide-open instrumental sounds that will inspire your next road trip soundtrack.
May 17–18
Highland Park, $15 per day
If you like your music festivals hyper-affordable, hyper-local, and hyper-awesome, then you’ll want to get out to Permanent Records Roadhouse for Eastside f*ck, a two day celebration of the LA music scene put together by iconic blogger and podcaster Jolynn Braswell and former P L a N E T S frontman Adam Stilwell. Plus, the long-dormant LA band Mars and The Massacre are reuniting to play, as well as other local faves including Pom Poms and Suzie True.
May 18
Pasadena, $199 and up
True, it may seem like a stretch, but The Postal Service—the one-album-only indie-rock supergroup fronted by Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard and featuring local hero DNTEL—are headlining this one-day fest that pulls from mostly early-aughts dance-rock heroes. Also on the bill: French masters Phoenix, Coachella vets Two Door Cinema Club, Miike Snow, and the long-awaited return of Beth Diddo’s Gossip. There’s also an afterparty at The Mixx right up the street.
May 17
Santa Monica, $189
Santa Monica’s stunning Mon Ami is launching a new monthly series they’re calling First Class, focusing on the food of one of the world’s great cities. First up is Barcelona, which will include hand-carved Jamon stations, live flamenco dancers, and a sangria station; guests also get “passports” to bring home with stamps from their journey.
May 18
Pacoima, Free
This free fest is an ode to the written word and is celebrating its 19th year with cultural workshops, book giveaways, an artisan market, food vendors, and more. The whole thing goes down at Vaughn G3 Academy in Pacoima.
May 24–26
Newport Beach, Prices vary
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort is going all out for Memorial Day Weekend. Not only are they throwing a mini-music fest as well as a screening series that includes Luca and Captain Marvel, but Memorial Day marks the reopening of their inflatable aquatic park, featuring giant slides, trampolines, and more ridiculous attractions. There are also beach cabanas available to rent, and if you stay overnight you can lounge in the cabanas by the pool.
May 25
Pasadena, $23
For the first time ever, The Rose Bowl is going to host a giant outdoor movie screening with Cinespia, and it makes sense that it’s the classic ode to '70s rock excess, Almost Famous. Stillwater always deserved an arena-sized singalong to “Fever Dog,” and they’re finally going to get it.
Opens May 27
Santa Monica, $30
This new museum is dedicated to all things science fiction, with exhibits focusing on everything from Star Trek to Dr. Who. Some of the featured opening draws are a Millennium Falcon bounce house and '80s-era arcade games on free play, with promised celeb signings on the daily as well.
Jeff Miller is the founding editor of Thrillist LA. You can follow him at @jeffmillerla on Instagram.
