The Top 5 Things to Do in LA This Weekend

There's always something exciting happening in Los Angeles!

From cultural events to superstar concerts and world-class sports, Discover LA is your go-to source for what's happening in Los Angeles. Be sure to follow @discoverla on Instagram to find out even more about what to do in LA.

Read on for the best things to do in LA this weekend.

The 2025 HSBC SVNS season will culminate in the World Championship, where the top eight men’s and women’s teams will head to Dignity Health Sports Park, the LA 2028 Olympics venue, for a winner takes all battle on the pitch!

Lucha VaVoom de la Liz returns to The Mayan for Cinco de Mayan on Thursday and Friday, May 1-2. Taya Valkyrie leads the lineup of wrestlers in the extravaganza that brings together lucha libre, comedy and burlesque. Tickets at Ticketweb.

Amplified: Experiencing Sound is the title of Natural History Museum’s First Fridays event for May. In addition to live music from Automatic and Doris Anahi, the night will include DJ sets from January and Wyldeflower. The May discussion will be with DJ Kurs, who is the artistic director of Deaf West Theatre. A sound lounge, art activity and more talks are also part of the program.

You might know Patrice Rushen best from her 1982 dance floor classic “Forget Me Nots,” but the singer is also a renowned jazz pianist, composer and music director. Rushen’s turn at the Walt Disney Concert Hall piano on Friday night is not to be missed.

Jazz at LACMA kicks off the 2025 season on Friday, May 2 with the Tony Austin Quartet! Drummer, engineer and producer Tony Austin has toured and recorded with a wide range of today's leading musicians including Lauryn Hill, Carlos Santana, Patti LaBelle and Roy Hargrove. He is the drummer for the acclaimed LA-based group the West Coast Get Down, a collaborative group of musicians born and raised in Los Angeles. Tony produced, engineered and was the drummer for the "The Epic" by Kamasi Washington, "Uprising" by Miles Mosley and Ryan Porter's "The Optimist."

This concert is presented in conjunction with the LACMA exhibition Imagining Black Diasporas and will feature a special performance by poet Yazmin Monet Watkins. The museum will stay open late for guests to visit after the concert.

With a cross-generational lineup that includes Lenny Kravitz, Sublime, The Pretenders, Alanis Morisette, The Beach Boys and Jackson Brown, the BeachLife Festival is one of this week’s hottest concert tickets. General admission tickets for the three-day festival in Redondo Beach are already sold out and VIP single day tickets are running low. BeachLife takes place between May 2 and May 4.

Opening at 5pm on Friday, May 2, the LA County Fair puts the spotlight on all things creative with its 2025 theme, Art Unleashed. The Fair has been a celebration of art for more than a century - home arts, culinary arts, visual arts, performing arts, fine arts and more. The art of having fun. The art of making memories. Celebrate artistry and mastery in all their diverse forms with the Fair’s immersive experience that promises to captivate all guests.

The Fair is partnering with several LA arts institutions for programming and activations: the Music Center will bring Flamenco dancers to the Plaza Stage; the Getty Museum is bringing its Getty Pavilion which intersects well-being and art; the Center Theatre Group is creating a new play starring Fair mascot Thummer, which will be performed every weekend; and theBob Baker Marionettes will perform every Sunday.

Taking place on Saturday, May 3, Baryo HiFi '25 is the annual community-led festival of Fil-Am culture, featuring food, music, entertainment, small business marketplace and more. The festival will be held on Beverly Boulevard, between Union Avenue and the Historic Filipinotown Eastern Gateway. Free with RSVP at Eventbrite.

Now in its 16th year, L.A. Taco's Taco Madness is taking place at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes on Saturday, May 3. Taco Madness features a dozen of LA’s favorite taquerias serving their best tacos, cold beer and micheladas, mezcal and tequila, some of the city’s best DJs and guest judges.

Tickets are on sale at Eventbrite. Early Entrance ticket holders will be admitted at 4pm, which allows you one hour to eat and drink without lines or crowds.

Bringing together young artists from across the city, the LAUSD Arts Fest will take place this year on Saturday, May 3 at Gloria Molina Grand Park. Students from across the school district with be amongst the performers for the day-long event, which also includes a film festival and art exhibitions and demonstrations. The park is right across from the Music Center, so families interested in a Saturday art day for the kids should consider going to both LAUSD Arts Fest and the Very Special Arts Festival.

Saturday’s Very Special Arts Festival at The Music Center is designed for children of all abilities and their families. The free event includes performances and workshops from AbilityFirst, Ballet Folclorico do Brasil, Down for Dance and many more. The event starts at 11am and runs until 2:30pm.

Dance as the sun sets over Chinatown’s Central Plaza when Guy Gerber brings his Rumors party back to the neighborhood on Saturday, May 3. The outdoor event gets underway at 6pm and goes until midnight. Note that Gin Ling Way is a pedestrian street. You’ll find the Plaza between Broadway and Hill and College Street.

Now in its fourth edition, the biennial Leimert Park Garden Tour invites guests to explore nine beautiful private gardens, meet neighbors and get inspired in one of LA's most historic neighborhoods. With Leimert Park comprising a manageable 1.2 square miles, the tour is walkable or easily accessible by bike or car, with free ample parking throughout the neighborhood. Please note, there are no accommodations for pets or strollers in the backyards of the featured homes on the tour. Additionally, portions of some gardens may not be accessible by wheelchair. The tour will take place rain or shine.

Pricing is $20 for advance tickets and $25 day-of. Children under 13 are free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

On Saturday, May 3, The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood invites locals and visitors alike to don their most extravagant hats, bold bow ties and Churchill Downs best for the Hollywood Derby Day Party - a high-energy, fashion-forward celebration with signature LA flair.

Taking place from noon to 7pm on the hotel's spectacular i|O Rooftop, the Derby Day Party will be hosted by Billy Francesca and the ever-glamorous Derby Divas. Entertainment includes DJ sets by DJ PK and DJ Beau Byron, alongside performances by an all-star drag lineup including Mylique E. Faucett, Shanita Blunt, Karen Beaches, Kay Bebe Queue and Rico TV. Best-dressed contests will be held throughout the day, allowing guests to win prizes and show off their Derby style.

Free with RSVP at Eventbrite, Open Bar and VIP options are available.

Presented at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Raising the Lantern: A Celebration of Chinese-Language Cinema is guest-programmed by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Janet Yang. The series spotlights Chinese-language films that were submitted to the Oscars’ International Feature Film category over the last thirty-five years.

As part of Raising the Lantern, Hero is screening in 35mm on Saturday, May 3. Director Zhang Yimou collaborated with cinematographer Christopher Doyle to create a visually stunning drama where color palettes drive the narrative in equal measure to the acting and on-screen action. This tale of a master swordsman secretly plotting revenge as he tells his king stories of defeating previous assassins features a cast of internationally acclaimed actors and martial artists led by Jet Li and including Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung and Donnie Yen.

These ARE the droids you're looking for at the spectacular Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which houses more than 13 million objects in a 300,000 square-foot campus designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano.

May the 4th Celebration: Exploring the Galaxy
Is the Force strong with you? Whether you’re a Padawan, Jedi or Sith, all will unite for the May the 4th Celebration: Across the Galaxy - a fun-filled day that includes a droid meet & greet, all-ages workshop, community mural, screenings, and more in a galaxy far, far away. Be sure to dress up in your best Star Wars–inspired costumes!

SCHEDULE

• Community Mural (10:30am–2pm) - Come to the Dark Side or support the Rebellion by adding colors and drawings on a collaborative mural at the Disney Piazza inspired by the Star Wars universe.
• Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (11am) - Screening in the David Geffen Theater. This is a separate ticketed event.
• R2D2 Meet & Greet (10:30am–12pm | 2pm–4pm) - Stop by the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby for photo ops with your favorite fan-built droids. General Admission ticket not required.
• Space and Beyond Tours (11am, 12pm, 3pm, 4pm) - Travel among the stars in the Inventing Worlds and Characters: Encounters gallery located on Level 3. Explore strange lands—known and unknown—and dive into the world-building and character development of films that transport you into space and beyond. These 30-minute, educator-led tours will showcase objects on view and stories you can only find among the stars.
• Save the Galaxy with Cosplay for Science (12pm–3pm) - Make the jump to hyperspace and join scientists as they talk about the importance of conservation on unique planets and the creatures that inhabit them through immersive Star Wars-themed activities.
• Force Training Demo (1pm) - Are you Force sensitive? Learn the ways of the Force with an interactive performance by Skywalker Temple in the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby. All ages are welcomed.

Screenings in the David Geffen Theater are separately ticketed events.

• Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (11am)
• Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (3pm)
• Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (7:30pm)

Singer Yukimi Nagano has spent much of her career fronting the Swedish electronic pop outfit Little Dragon. In late March, she released her first solo album, For You, where the singer delves deeper into Neo-Soul and alt R&B. Catch Yukimi at The Fonda on Sunday, May 4. Tickets at AXS.

Taking place on Sunday, May 4, Museums of the Arroyo Day features six history-based museums that will open their doors free of charge from noon to 4pm: Gamble House, Heritage Square, Los Angeles Police Museum, Lummis Home, Pasadena Museum of History and South Pasadena Historical Museum.

For the best guide to what's happening in Los Angeles, visit the Discover LA Events Calendar and book your stay today!