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Summer is in full swing with festivals, food pop-ups, and more fun things to do in LA.
By
Jeff Miller
There's nothing like summer in LA; days are warm and getting longer, nights are crisp and cool, and it’s the perfect time to get outdoors. Cool off in the city's most luxurious pools for a fraction of the price, take the (free!) trolley along the coast to a stunning beach, or explore LA's booming K-Pop scene. If you're looking to leave the city for a bit, head over to a star-studded mountain town rife with state parks or discover Temecula's underrated wine scene.And for something a little more timely, we’ve put together this handy guide to the best things to do in LA this June.
June 6
Santa Monica, Free
Opening night of the Night Market series at the Bungalow in SaMo is going to be jam-packed: Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, will be there both slanging co*cktails from his brand Mali Vodka and playing with his band ÖOF TATATÁ, and Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad will also be there repping Dos Hombres tequila. On the non-celeb front, expect local vendors like Tacos 1986 and The Boiling Crab, and look forward to upcoming markets with performances from Anderson.Paak and an appearance from Eva Longoria.
June 7
Inglewood, $41 and up
This flagship event of the gaming industry is being broadcast live from the YouTube theater, with a ton of ultra-anticipated moments including the first-ever gameplay footage of Elden Ring, and reveals from franchises including Mortal Combat and Final Fantasy.
June 7
West Covina, Free
The first-ever Pride celebration in West Covina has a big get: Mariachi Arco-Iris, the world’s first and only LGBTQ+ mariachi band. In addition, there’ll be other performers as well as queer-friendly food and merch vendors and more.
June 7
Hollywood, $40.75
Is the Shrek Rave, as you may assume from its title, an over-the-top costumed dance party worshiping everything Shrek? You bet your swamp it is! This one’s particularly momentous, because they’ve got a special guest: Smash Mouth singer Zach Goode, who’ll be both spinning and singing. Hey now!
June 8
Hollywood, $35 and up
Speaking of Mariachi, this massive mariachi festival is celebrating its 35th year at the Hollywood Bowl with a packed lineup. Performers include the Ballet Folklórico Mi Tierra as well as Mariachi Cobre, Mariachi Divas, Mariachi Los Reyes, Mariachi Campanas de America, and Mariachi Los Camperos.
June 8
Pomona, $199 and up
It’s honestly not wild to call the lineup for this fest from Goldenvoice the best punk-leaning festival lineup in years: topline bands include The Misfits, Iggy Pop, and Bad Religion. The lineup only gets better, with the return of Power Trip and Sublime as well as genre heroes like Black Flag and The Dead Milkmen, to name a few amongst the dozens of acts on the bill. Of course, there’s a slew of different ticket levels as well, ranging from $199 for standard general admission up to $399 for VIP.
June 8
Mid-City, Free
In advance of the new season of the hit Peaco*ck show The Traitors, the network’s throwing a popup one-day-only event at the Grove, with trivia, photo opps, themed snacks, and celeb experiences from cast members including Kate Chastaine, Trichelle Cannatella, and Parvati Shallow.
June 8
Venice, $20 and up
This one-day progressive rosé crawl/street festival has tons of artists, musicians, photo opps, and $8 glasses of rosé, all up and down Rose Blvd in Venice. A portion of the ticket sales go to Venice Family Clinic, helping people in need with high quality health care.
June 8–22
All over the city, prices vary
LA is turning up for Pride as well, with a Ricky Martin-headlined festival kicking things off on June 8 before a slew of events throughout the month including a big ‘ol parade on June 9, Pride Day at Dodgers Stadium on June 14, and Pride Night (with a screening of D.E.B.S.) at Cinespia on June 22.
June 9–June 30
Santa Monica, $45
A ticket to this outdoor screening series at the Fairmont Miramar may be one of the best deals in LA, with a movie screening, popcorn, and a three-course dinner from Fig all for $45. The series kicks off with Palm Springs on June 2, with other films throughout the season including Independence Day, Super Troopers, and Napoleon Dynamite.
June 9
Pasadena, $250 and up
This food fest is moving to a new location in Pasadena this year, but the overall quality stays the same: top restaurants like Alexander’s Steakhouse and Tam O’Shanters serving bites, tons of vineyards pouring sips, and everyone involved helping out a worthwhile cause: AbilityFirst’s mission to help people transition from childhood to adulthood seamlessly.
June 11
Beverly Hills, $45
Rejoice, Film Independent’s live reads are back! The series, which takes a classic script and puts unexpected actors in its iconic roles, is always a hoot, and this iteration is no exception: performers including Zoe Lister Jones, Abbi Jacobson, and Nicole Byer will take on every schwing in the classic Wayne’s World script, which hopefully will include some headbanging to “Bohemian Rhapsody” as well.
June 15
Mid-Wilshire, Free
For the 21st year this totally-free, family-friendly music festival is taking over a park near the tar pits for some beginning-of-summer fun. This year features the reggae and afrobeat specialists Boomyard as well as DJs from KCRW; there’s also tons of kids activities, food trucks, a boutique, and more.
June 18
Sherman Oaks, $125
The Valley’s legendary Mexican restaurant is having a one-night-only anniversary dinner with guest chef Javier Placencia from Caesar’s in Tijuana to celebrate both the restaurant and the 100th anniversary of his own restaurant’s invention of the Caesar Salad. The prix fixe will of course include the salad, as well as shrimp ceviche, and more, as well as a commemorative t-shirt for all attendees.
June 20–30
Hollywood, prices vary
LA’s biggest independent film festival returns for its 26th year, with a ton of national and international premieres. There are over 30 world debuts of full-length movies, including the opening night’s drama Paper Tigers and Terre Wiseman’s Max Dragan to close the fest.
June 21
Mid-City, Free
Trisha Cole started a newsletter called “Life At The Dumpling” during the pandemic, and she’s since turned it into a very LA-centric book, which she’ll be signing for the first time ever at Joan’s on Third. Even better, Joan’s will be serving up some snacks from the book, which may or may not include dumplings (actually, likely not: it’s actually the pet name for her house).
June 22–23
Lakeview Terrace, $16
Tickets to this festival includes all-you-can-eat watermelon, and if you get sick of just the fruit, you can also buy it in a ton of absurd concoctions, including watermelon dim sum, watermelon tamales, watermelon tacos…yeah, you get it. There’s also live music, a beer tent, and a ton of kids activities.
June 22–29
Long Beach, Free
This week-long art party has a ton of different components, from live mural painting to interactive art exhibitions to a projection map on the Queen Mary. Featured artists include Canada’s Andrea Wan, Columbia’s SakoAsko, and Detour, who specializes in large-scale public art.
June 23
West Adams, Free
Acclaimed interactive-theater director Annie Lesser is one of the prominent behind-the-scenes conductors of this one-day festival, which aims to educate people about disaster preparedness via fun and artsy activities including poetry, music, and augmented reality experiences. Of course, there will also be interactive performances, as well as walking tours and a local small-business showcase.
June 28–30
Montecito Heights, $12 for the screening
If your interest venn-diagram contains weed, running, and old movies, we’ve got the event for you: on June 28, there’ll be a screening of the Cheech & Chong classic Up In Smoke at Videotheque; then, the morning of the 30th, meet your fellow cinephile/stoners at the same location for a 5k run around a ton of spots featured in the film (presumably stopping for photo/coughing breaks.)
June 29
West Hollywood, $25
If you’ve ever had a Katz’s-vs-Langer’s pastrami debate with someone and wanted to put it to the test, here’s your chance. Grab NY’s iconic Katz’s Pastrami sandwich either from Bar Next Door in WeHo or via Postmates; there’s limited numbers (obviously) and there’s also limited merch marking the Katz’s-in-LA occasion.
June 29
DTLA, $49 and up
This inaugural festival from Please The Palate’s Allison Levine and Chris Kern of the Forgotten Grapes Wine Club is dedicated to California varietals that don’t get their due, with a focus on obscure grapes like Cinsaut, Marsanne, and Roussanne. You can also purchase as many bottles as your heart desires and get them delivered in case you don’t want to carry them around.
Jeff Miller is the founding editor of Thrillist LA. You can follow him at @jeffmillerla on Instagram.
