The best things to do in Los Angeles this week

Santa Monica’s annual seafood festival is back at the Santa Monica Pier, where attendees can line up for unlimited seafood, beer and wine tastings, plus live music, oyster shucking, eating competitions, carnival games and more. Culinary highlights include Michael’s Santa Monica, Soko Sushi and Westside newcomer Al Dente Pasta Shop. This year’s event doubles as the closing event for LA Tech Week and will be the first time Off the Hook has eliminated all single-use plastics. A portion of the proceeds also goes towards Heal the Bay.

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—from spider monkeys to Tasmanian devils—with pumpkin feedings scheduled a couple of times a day.

The oceanfront Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows is pairing Bavarian fun and beachy vibes at a weekend-long Oktoberfest celebration. Raise a stein of Paulaner and Hofbräuhaus beers by the sea, and feast on bratwurst, pretzels, apple strudel and more. Also on offer: live bands playing traditional Polka tunes and classic folk games with cash prizes. Die Sauerkrauts will kick things off on Friday evening. All ages are welcome, but if you’re over 21, entry costs $20 and includes access to on-site bar the Bungalow.

Kooky new wavers the B-52s are sure to get the party started at the Hollywood Bowl when they perform their nostalgic hits (“Rock Lobster,” anyone?). Now in their 60s and 70s but still proudly decked out in technicolor outfits and huge hair onstage, the “Love Shack” quartet will show their audience how to let their freak flags fly in the best way. Joining them as co-headliners are deadpan synth-pop heroes Devo. 

The beloved Bob Baker Marionette Theater is staging free, family-friendly performances at Barnsdall Art Park outside the Hollyhock House. Spread out a blanket and enjoy a 30-minute puppet show, followed by free art activities for all.

Every year, Haunted Little Tokyo turns the area into a ghoulish maze of Halloween-themed pop-ups, walking tours and performances. Through October 19, video game Silent Hill f has taken over the neighborhood with photo ops and themed treats and drinks from participating businesses. On October 18, you can explore the haunted history of 1st Street on a ghoulish ghost tour (4:30–6pm, tickets $25). The next Saturday, a full-day Halloween celebration kicks off at Terasaki Budokan with a free, family-friendly scavenger hunt (1–5pm). Then dance the evening away at a 21+ block party with music, a costume contest and full bar (6pm–midnight). RSVP online for the secret Little Tokyo location.

Halloween time can be a bit scary for kids—we’ve all been there—so for a less frightening affair, head to the Original Farmers Market for its children-friendly Fall Festival: Carnival games, a petting zoo, crafts and a pumpkin patch (for a small fee) are all mainstays at this annual harvest fest. Come in costume, catch a musical performance and explore the always-delicious treats at the market.

Treat your ears to a vibrant concert on a spring or summer night this year by attending MUSE/IQUE’s annual program. This monthly series of performances, held at cultural venues across L.A., features a mix of performances inspired by music movements and public figures, including tributes to Ray Charles, immigrant film composers, the Memphis sound, Etta James and more. The best way to attend is to become a MUSE/IQUE member; you could make a $75 donation to the performing arts nonprofit for a single event (with the exception of September’s free open house), but if you’re interested in more than just one, it’s cheaper per event to become a full-fledged member.

Plenty of Angelenos take their dogs to street fairs, but what about an event specifically for your furry friend? Enter the Day of the Dog, a free fest on Main Street in Santa Monica (between Ocean Park Boulevard and Strand Avenue) that features over 100 pet-centric vendors and lots of dog-friendly attractions, including a ball pit, a foam party, doggie brunch, a surf machine, a pool party and a Halloween costume contest, plus photo ops, races, a puppuccino bar and 18 tons of snow for dogs to play in.

Every spring and fall since 1973, artists have descended upon the Beverly Gardens Park to showcase their work to browsers and buyers at this festival (once called the Affaire in the Gardens). This year will feature 235 artists exhibiting paintings, sculptures, watercolors, photography and much more. Set on four blocks along the grassy Santa Monica Boulevard between Rodeo and Rexford Drives, the event will include something for everyone, with free kids’ activities, food trucks, and beer and wine gardens with live music.

Listen to classical and jazz in a dome more than a mile above L.A. during this mountaintop concert series. The Mount Wilson Observatory is hosting monthly concerts this summer inside the dome of its 100-inch Hooker telescope. This Sunday, hear all-female mariachi band Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas. Tickets cost $60 (that also includes access to the exhibit at the observatory) and it’s highly recommended that you buy them in advance since seating is limited. You’ll need to be able to climb 53 steps to reach the dome, and children under 12 aren’t permitted. 

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 American Psycho, Ready or Not and Scream 2, among others) while embarking on Victorian home tours and adult trick-or-treating and perusing food trucks, a bar and market vendors. 

Spend your Sunday morning in the South Bay, walking from the Manhattan Beach pier to the Hermosa Beach pier and back for a good cause. The annual walk, hosted by Skechers, attracts 22,000 participants each year and raises millions to support children with special needs, public schools and national college scholarships—over $2.3 million has already been raised so far this year. After you complete the 3.4-mile walk, with ocean views and live music along the way, stick around for festive pumpkin races at noon. Howie Mandel, Brooke Burke, the cast of Love on the Spectrum and Nickelodeon stars will be on hand showing their support, too. 

The TikTok influencer turned pop star brings the surprisingly distinct sound of her debut album, Addison, on the road, including a stop in L.A. at the Wiltern.

I dreamed a dream that the world’s most popular musical returned to the Pantages. You know the show, you know French history. The “reimagined” production of the bombastic Broadway spectacle Les Mis hits the road with a stop in Hollywood.

Merrill Davis first hatched this bicoastal stand-up show as a showcase of predominantly female comedians, plus a few lucky male mortals. For the October 19 show at the Comedy Store, Davis and cohost Nthenya Ndunda welcome a lineup that includes Greta Titelman, Leslie Liao, Kimberly Clark, Orchid Cameron and Vanessa Gonzalez.

The Natural History Museum is bringing back its B Movies and Bad Science film series and tying it into its “Fierce! The Story of Cats” exhibition. For three Thursdays this month, catch campy, cult-classic horror films starring cats at the museum’s new NHM Commons theater. The spooky screenings will be supplemented by pre-show activities with with local cat organizations and vendors, post-film discussions and evening access to “Fierce!” This week, catch 1959’s A Bucket of Blood (Oct 16), followed by 1964’s The Tomb of Ligeia (Oct 23). 

The Hammer Museum’s excellent, ongoing series of biennial exhibitions ups the ante with each edition of its spotlight on emerging and under-recognized L.A. artists. This October’s exhibition—the seventh such show—brings together works from 28 artists, spanning film, painting, theater, photography, sculpture and video, that engage with the city of Los Angeles. A 20-foot-high inflatable, Buggy Bear Crashes Made in L.A. by Alake Shilling, welcomes you to the museum on the corner of Wilshire and Glendon. 

South Coast Botanic Garden’s adorable dog walking hours jumps 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 will hold an Oktoberfest-style pub crawl (for humans) with four stations of included beer samples (full pours are available for purchase, as are pretzels and Bratwurst). The pup-friendly offerings continue with a “dance pawty” and obstacle course.

Highland Park’s new biergarten is turning 1, and the celebrations are plentiful: First, it’s debuting a new outdoor dining, drinking and playing area dubbed “The Backyard by Kiez.” Second, it’s introducing a new craft cocktail program, and third, it’s hosting its first 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 October 25, you can also enjoy food and drink specials, live music, stein-holding contests and costume contests, so come dressed in your Bavarian best.

American Contemporary Ballet opens its 14th season with two new mysterious new ballets—the perfect way for culture vultures to get their Halloween fix. The program consists of “Death and the Maiden,” an otherworldly work set to Franz Schubert’s meditation on death that features opera singers and levitating dancers, followed by “Burlesque: Variation IX,” a follow-up to last October’s “Burlesque”—both 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.

For the Record, a live production company known for transforming the soundtracks of favorite filmmakers into immersive musicals, is back with its most impressive display yet: CineVita, the world’s largest Spiegeltent, is FTR’s new home in Hollywood Park, next to SoFi Stadium. After its opening in February, it’s bringing back Tarantino Live, which celebrates 30 years of Pulp Fiction and re-creates memorable musical moments from the director’s films including Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained.

Held over two weekends (Oct 11–12, 18–19), this Oktoberfest celebration combines Santa Anita’s famous horse races with the best of the Bavarian fall festival, including stein-holding and costume contests, a corn hole competition, musical chairs, keg rolling, pretzels—and beer of course. Each $38 general admission ticket includes a mini tasting stein and eight three-ounce beer tastings, as well as a $5 betting voucher, a tip sheet and access to grandstand seating at the race track. A pricier $75 VIP group ticket (with a three-person minimum) secures you picnic table seating and a $20 food voucher. 

Stroll through a mile-long trail filled with all things Halloween, including an illuminated forest of jack-o’-lanterns, during Descanso Gardens’ annual Carved. For four weeks this fall, the event will line a loop of the botanical garden with thousands of professionally carved pumpkins. For the 2025 edition, Carved is introducing a new route, as well as new vignettes on the Pumpkin Trail, treats at Harvest Acres (order the churro) and new characters carved from logs by chainsaw—plus ghostly wire sculptures haunting a garden filled with twinkling lights. The gardens’ model trains are also illuminated for the event, and the popular neon-hued Rhizome light sculpture is back.

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. 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. The event’s 2025 “Summoned by the Seas” iteration dives further into the ocean liner’s lore with new and reimagined mazes set in the ship’s swimming pool, kitchen and staterooms. When you tire of the terror, take a spin on the carnival rides, sip spirits at secret speakeasies or catch spooky live entertainment.

Even after attending a performance, I’m not quite sure how to describe The Cortège, a new experimental theater production from outside-the-box Oakland creative Jeff Hull. (Hull’s 2008 immersive alternate-reality game the Jejune Institute served as the inspiration for the Jason Segel–created TV show Dispatches From Elsewhere.) This latest outing, held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, is a mix of live music, choreography, larger-than-life costumes, large-scale puppetry, a silent disco, a score by artists including TOKiMONSTA, robot dogs and a simultaneous drone show. The abstract, 99% wordless experience is billed as “a festive funeral for our times,” and a nearly two-hour performance filled with striking visuals culminates in a wake of sorts with cups of tea inside an ambient tent. Before the show, food—veggie bowls, gyros, hummus, pita chips and baklava—and drinks are available for purchase. The Cortège was originally scheduled to run through September 28, but the buzzed-about production has been extended through October 19.

Go pumpkin picking in the pines as a Halloween hits Santa’s Village, the perennially Christmas Lake Arrowhead amusement park. On weekends from October 11 to 26, SkyPark hosts its Pumpkins in the Pines activities, which—you guessed it—sees pumpkins and hay bales covering the grounds of the park. In addition to pumpkin picking and painting, find photo ops, a Sleepy Hollow puppet show, costume contests and trick-or-treating.

What could be a better fit for Halloween than spooky films screened in a cemetery? This October, Cinespia will be showing a 50th-anniversary screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Craft, Paranorman and A Nightmare on Elm Street at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Plus, for the first time in a decade, the series is hosting a Halloween-night party in the cemetery itself (it usually hosts a soiree inside a Downtown theater) Catch a screening of Scream on October 31—costumes are mandatory.

Ready or not, spooky season is upon us. The clearest sign? Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights has filled the theme park with haunted houses. Among the highlights: Fallout, inspired by the video game franchise and Prime Video TV show, which takes you through the post-apocalyptic Wasteland. You’ll also find a truly freaky maze celebrating 45 years of Friday the 13th’s iconic villain, Jason Voorhees, which re-creates the summer camp, cabin and forest as the hockey-mask-wearing killer goes on a vengeance tour. And a Five Nights at Freddy’s maze brings the creepy animatronic characters to life at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Over on the studio tour—ahem, Terror Tram—you can expect to encounter a host of Blumhouse villains, including M3GAN. 

The Angel City Jazz Festival presents every type of jazz you can think of over two weeks at a handful of venues across the city. Innovative jazz musicians from both the local scene and around the world will perform; the festival presents established artists as well as lesser-known emerging talent, with a focus on West Coast creative styles from some super cool cats. There are a couple of free shows on the lineup, while tickets for the rest range from $20 to $48.

West Hollywood’s ultra-chic restaurant and rooftop bar E.P. & L.P. is serving much more than handcrafted cocktails and modern American bites. This October, head to the rooftop for dinner-and-a-movie screenings of Practical Magic, The Exorcist, Silence of the Lambs, Scream, Halloweentown, Nightmare on Elm Street, It and more, including a midnight showing of Hocus Pocus on Halloween.

This traveling horror-themed Halloween cocktail pop-up will have three locations in L.A. this year: Melrose Umbrella Club in Beverly Grove, the Corner Door in Culver City and the Ordinarie in Long Beach. Halloween lovers can sip expertly mixed cocktails amid metal music and goth decor, including the famous 12-foot-tall skeleton from Home Depot. Drink highlights include the Corpse Flower (tequila blanco, ube syrup, Giffard Banane, lime juice, sherry) and the Creature’s Curse (rice-washed rye and rum, sherry, sweet potato or pumpkin syrup, bitters). Non-alcoholic options will also be available.

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 is celebrating 20 years of scaring audiences.

Every Saturday (and select Fridays) through October 25, 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 7pm start times on Fridays) includes a Wurstküche beer stein, with the first fill-up included. Entry isn’t cheap ($72 and up), but the 12 seatings regularly sell out.

Walk across the grounds of the scenic King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas as the Santa Monica Mountains hideaway is illuminated with thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns. Night of the Jack returns with an on-foot, mile-long trail this year, plus live pumpkin-carving, food trucks and a “Spookeasy,” too. This year, you’ll find new themed environments and multisensory experiences that make use of projection mapping.

One of L.A.’s best free live-music offerings, Jazz at LACMA has featured legit legends over its three-decade 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.

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 on weekends through mid-November. Order the Oktoberfest platter—an epic array of pretzels, brats, schnitzel and sides—alongside a four-liter boot of beer, or a collector’s stein designed by the local Bad Bean Studio. Check the bar’s Instagram for programming updates.

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 don’t even need to bring your own camping chair—Rooftop Cinema Club provides you with your very own comfy lawn chair. And instead of listening to the movie over loudspeakers, you’ll get a set of wireless headphones so you never have to miss a word. Enjoy a steady stream of recent hits (Sinners, Wicked) modern classics (The Dark Knight, Pride & Prejudice) and local favorites (La La Land, Friday), as well as the occasional TV marathon—this month, it’s fall favorite Gilmore Girls. You’ll also find a handful of September “Singles Night” screenings.

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. New this year is a Día de los Muertos sequence that pays tribute to the holiday, as well as a sneak peek of BBMT’s upcoming Choo Choo Revue—its first new show in 40 years. Once October arrives, each show will include a costume parade, so dressing up is encouraged.

Encounter free-roaming monsters and 10 terrifying mazes—think: a zoo with animal-human hybrids, a convalescent home with “spider-possessed residents” and a greatest-hits parade of past Knotts monsters—as well as a “boo-fet” dinner and all sorts of other haunted houses and attractions at the OC theme park for 26 nights during Halloween season.

This Denver-originated Halloween attraction returns to L.A. with thousands of hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns lining a pathway at a new location this year: the beautiful South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes. Pumpkin light shows, bounce pads, inflatables and festive food complete the family-friendly experience.

The iconic Hollywood Roosevelt hotel is hosting some poolside screenings this sumer. Tickets are super reasonable ($12). And don’t worry if it’s a chilly night: Towels, blankets and heaters are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Find the series running every Thursday night.

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 7 and November 9, 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, Thursday and Sunday nights, as well as Saturday afternoons, just book ahead online.)

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. October highlights include talks with Werner Herzog, Tim Curry, Judd Apatow and Marc Maron.

Panic! at the Disco and Blink-182 top the now-annual Las Vegas festival that features just about every emo-pop act from the early 2000s. Seriously, we’re not kidding: Weezer, Avril Lavigne, the Offspring, All Time Low, the Used, Knocked Loose, the Gaslight Anthem, Bad Religion, Yellowcard and more are all set to take over the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on October 18 and 19, 2025, with a special focus on each band’s most beloved album.

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.

Held in the so-called Alps of Southern California, Lake Arrowhead’s all-ages Oktoberfest runs every weekend from September 20 to October 26 this year, hosting live German American oompah bands, stein-holding and dance contests, children’s games and a daily sausage toss. Although there’s no entry fee, attendees are advised to book picnic (for up to eight people, $100–$150 on Saturdays, $50–$100 on Sundays) or pub tables (for up to four, $50–$100 on Saturdays, $25–$50 on Sundays) to secure seats closer to the stage. This year, the event is being held in a new venue, the picturesque Waterfront Park.

Don’t go in the water, but do go to the Academy Museum to see the largest exhibition ever dedicated to Steven Spielberg’s original summer blockbuster, Jaws—which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The museum was already home to the last surviving model shark from filming, but now you can go behind the scenes and see some 200 original objects from the film across multiple galleries. Some highlights: a re-creation of the Orca fishing boat, the dorsal fin used both in Jaws and its sequels, costumes worn by the central trio and a room full of vintage film posters and merch promoting the film. There are interactive elements, too: You can have your own Chief Brody dolly-zoom moment (and see the lens used to film the famous shot), play the iconic John Williams two-note score and control a replica of the mechanical shark.

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.) 

Japan House Los Angeles is bringing an exhibition of shokuhin sampuru—hyper-realistic food replicas that have crossed over from marketing tool to art form (think Is It Cake? but cultural)—to Los Angeles for the first time. See mouthwatering faux food representing each of Japan’s 47 prefectures, from coffee house parfaits to izakaya skewers, as well as Chinese and Western cuisine, and try your own hand at food presentation by filling a bentō box yourself.

Not over last weekend’s Oasis shows at the Rose Bowl yet? Revisit the Gallagher brothers’ early days of fame, captured through the lens of music photographer Kevin Cummins, at Musichead Gallery on Sunset, which is displaying an exhibition of band portraits through October 28.

The Getty Villa reopens to the public five and a half months after its Palisades Fire closure with this international loan exhibition dedicated to the Greek Mycenaean civilization and the kingdom of Pylos, which Homer immortalized in the Iliad and Odyssey. It’s the first major museum show in North America devoted to the Late Bronze Age Mycenaeans. See treasures excavators unearthed from Messenia, the Palace of Nestor and burial sites including the tomb of the Griffin Warrior (1450 BCE)—think clay tablets, gold cups, ornate weapons and tiny signets and sealstones adorned with awe-inspiring amounts of detail. 

On the 50th anniversary of the Norton Simon Museum, look back to when Simon took over management of the Pasadena Art Museum in 1975, then ahead to the museum’s exciting future at this retrospective exhibition. See rare photos from the museum’s archives, and learn about the history of its major acquisitions, exhibitions, building and gardens—which are currently undergoing a transformation.

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.

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.