Things to do in Los Angeles today

The masters of alfresco rooftop movie viewing have returned for another season of screenings in Downtown L.A., the Arts District and El Segundo. 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 (though you’ll need to bring your own blanket for the ultimate cozy experience). 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. Find the full schedule on their site, or in our outdoor movie calendar.

It isn’t summer in L.A. until the first cemetery screening brings hoards of movie-lovers to Hollywood Forever, toting folding chairs, picnic blankets, snack spreads and lots of booze. Each year, Cinespia brings classic cult favorites to the hallowed resting place of Old Hollywood greats—and a couple of off-site screenings, too. For 2023, Cinespia started things off at L.A. State Historic Park and on the grass just outside of the Greek Theatre, but has now settled into a steady lineup of cemetery showings. For each evening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, pack a picnic (yes, booze is allowed), pose in the photo booth and enjoy DJ sets, dance parties and all sorts of other magical mischief that’d otherwise be strictly forbidden behind the cemetery gates. The outdoor screenings are an L.A. rite of passage, a quintessential summer experience and one of the best film venues in the city. Just be sure to get your ticket early, arrive early, pee early… it’s a popular affair, to say the least.

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

Though we’ve largely reverted back to grassy, picnic-style movie screenings after a stretch of pop-up drive-ins, we’ll gladly get back in our vehicles for this series—since, you know, this time that vehicle is a boat. True to its name, Boat Cinema will once again present a mix of nautical-themed movie screenings (think: Jaws, Titanic) and decades-spanning fan favorites on the beach at Castaic Lake every Friday, Saturday and Sunday this summer. You can rent an electric mini boat that seats up to five people ($199, front row for $249), or bring along your own blankets and chairs for a spot on the beach ($15). The movie itself will be screened on the sand and viewable from both land and on the lake. You’ll be able to kick things off with beachside music, pick up picnic or charcuterie boxes, and even get pizza delivered directly to your boat or shop from a canoe of concessions.

Keith Haring’s colorful, energetic designs—like his barking dogs or crawling stick figure-like radiant baby—have moved well beyond the world of street art over the past four decades and ingrained themselves as instantly recognizable pieces of pop art. Now, the Broad is examining that body of work in a museum setting (for the first-ever time in L.A.) with this display of over 120 artworks and archival materials. The specially ticketed “Keith Haring: Art is for Everybody” explores the late New York graffiti icon’s artistic practices as well as his activism, including his work centered on nuclear disarmament, anti-Apartheid movements and the HIV/AIDS crisis. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out Los Angeles (@timeoutla) The energetic show opens with a Day-Glo display of paintings and sculptures before moving into a wall-filling gallery of some of Haring’s most recognizable motifs. Alongside works on tarps, canvases and windows, you’ll find photos of Haring and an homage to Pop Shop, his New York retail shop (much of it set to a soundtrack pulled from the artist’s own mixtapes). In conjunction with the show, the free-to-visit permanent galleries upstairs at the Broad will display works from Haring’s contemporaries, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, George Condo, Jenny Holzer, Kenny Scharf and Andy Warhol.

The annual Anime Expo takes over the Los Angeles Convention Center for four days of panels, special events and plenty of cosplay. Thousands of fans come to celebrate the quirky art and culture of anime as figureheads and stars of the industry visit to speak and sign autographs. Plus, a massive wing of the convention is set aside specifically for gaming—both electronic and card-based.

Blessed by the late artist’s estate (his sisters Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux serve as producers and curators), “Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure” brings over 200 pieces—a mix of paintings and drawings alongside ephemera and artifacts—to the Grand in Downtown L.A. That familial connection adds a touching amount of tenderness to the exhibition. The opening gallery explains how this isn’t meant to be a scholarly exhibition but instead a fresh perspective told from the family’s point of view (you’ll find a reproduction of the Basquiats’ living room and kitchen as well as interviews with family members and close art world associates). There’s a surprising amount of emotion in the wall texts, of all things; rather than taking an academic approach, they tell of “our brother” and how his love of cartoons influenced his earliest drawings.  The exhibit design leans on lots of wood plans and lifesize experiences, like stepping into recreations of Basquiat’s strewn-about studio or the VIP room at NYC’s Palladium nightclub, which showcased two of his paintings. But don’t let that fool you into thinking this is some sort of “immersive” show: The content here is substantial, with an exceptional assortment of rarely-seen pieces (and a bit of an L.A. connection, too, with two large paintings created on pieces of the fence behind Basquiat’s Venice studio). “King Pleasure” debuted in New York last April, and our friends at Time Out New York called it the closest thing to getting in

For dinner and a movie, all in one, just follow the food trucks. During the spring, summer and fall, Street Food Cinema throws together a series of outdoor parties—usually alfresco, sometimes in a drive-in format—that include screenings of some of our favorite movies, paired with an assortment of gourmet food trucks and even a live music performance from a cool local band. The screenings are held in venues across L.A. and alternate from week to week, so make sure to check the schedule. Some of the outdoor venues are dog-friendly, allowing you to bring your four-legged cinema lover along. See more of this season’s outdoor movie screenings in L.A.

Dance, stroll and unwind at Descanso Gardens toward the end of the day during this series of summertime events. During Cultivate (second Fri 4:30–7pm) you can take a sound bath, learn about mountain lions or make your own tea bag. The Summer Music Series (third Thu 4–7pm) will present two stages of live tunes, while Tonalism (July 1 8pm–1am) will turn the garden into a backdrop for late-night ambient music.

The midnight snacker’s greatest fantasy is just a car ride away. One of America’s largest Asian food markets spans the course of Santa Anita Park’s front Paddock Gardens during the summer. Come hungry and come caffeinated—this lively market, complete with over 250 Asian street food and booze peddlers, live music, artists, games, and beyond, won’t put itself to bed until midnight. The event has also expanded its way to Orange County, as well as to Santa Monica (1324 5th St, near the Third Street Promenade) for a mini edition with two dozen vendors.