This is a big, long holiday weekend, and the event gods have taken note and scheduled a whole bunch of big, long, multi-day events over the next three days. Food, music, and movie lovers, especially, should be very happy.
Several of the multi-day events are taking real advantage of the long weekend, and kicking off today (Friday). The first and closest of these is the LA Times’ huge annual The Taste event at Paramount Studios, which runs though Sunday. It features days-long schedules of demonstrations on both a Food Stage and a Bar Stage, bites from more than 40 top LA retaurants (including many of our neighborhood favorite), drinks from more than 30 different bars…and more. Tickets and the full schedule are available at https://events.latimes.com/taste/los-angeles/ (note that there’s also a VIP ticket available, which includes a Paramount Studio Tour).
Also kicking off this evening is the 20th annual West Adams Avenues Jazz & Musical Festival “Under the Stars,” which runs from 6-11 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The festival began 19 years ago as a “culturally diverse gathering of neighbors with picnic baskets and lawn chairs, enjoying local musicians from the community.” Since then it has turned into a huge annual event, with more than 5,000 attendees, some of whom have come from as far away as Australia. It inculdes three full nights of music, dancing in the streets, kids’ activities, a dance contest, arts and crafts (including jewelry from local artisans), and fabulous food available for purchase from local restaurants. This year’s event will be located at the CD10 Field Office at 2521 7th Ave. 90018.
And movie lovers won’t be left out of the multi-day fun, as the Cinecon film festival (which actually began on Thursday) runs through Monday at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. According to the organizers, “Cinecon is where archivists, authors, collectors and film fans come together for five days of classic film screenings, special programs, celebrity guests, and the best movie memorabilia show in the nation.” The festival is dedicated to showcasing unusual films – made from the 1910s through 1950s – that are rarely given public screenings.  See the event link for the (very) full schedule and ticket info.
Finally moving on to events that actually start on Saturday, the first up is a big estate sale, at 530 S. Rossmore Ave., which runs both Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Items for sale include “Restoration Hardware outdoor patio sets, bookcases, credenzas, dressers, marble top kitchen table, Mobler sofa, Milo Baughman sectional with original Lenor Larsen upholstery, B&B Italia Gaetano Pesce mama chair, a blue velvet Calvin Klein sofa, XL Gainey planters, antique matching french wrought iron single beds, a Drexler/Henredon campaign dresser and side table, a Chinoiserie credenza, and outdoor queen-size four-poster bed, Crate and Barrel loveseats, a Herman Miller Aeron office chair, a Savafieh side table, a huge mirror, vintage rugs, lamps, kitchen stools, a wrought iron patio set, Ikea shelves, tables and dressers, a set of 12 wood directors chairs, 8 folding bamboo chairs”…and more. Also worth mentioning is “a hugely disconted sample sale of tribal necklaces, 20 brand new balinese patio umbrellas, brass tabletop and wall decor”…..and still more. Please note, however, that there are some very specific provisions at this one: “CASH ONLY. MUST be able to load items yourself. Not responsible for accidents. All entrants must sign an injury waiver. All items must be picked up by Sept 2.” See the link above for photos and more information.
For those more interested in nature than shopping, this is your final weekend to enjoy the annual Butterfly Pavilion at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. If you haven’t been to this delightful exhibit before, visitors “wander through a unique changing ecosystem and witness more than 30 free-flying native North American butterfly species interacting with plant life.” It’s free, but timed tickets are required. See the exhibit link above for tickets and more information.
Later, there’s another great event for music lovers – the huge LA Master Chorale Big Sing at the newly re-opened Music Center Plaza downtown, starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Download the songbook and come ready for a rousing, all-ages sing-along that will include members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and more than 2,000 of your new best friends from all across the city. (This is the kind of great big, feel-good event that always makes us teary-eyed to be Angelenos.) The program will include hits from the Beatles, Toto, Carly Simon, Abba, Cyndi Lauper, Randy Newman, and Pentatonix…as well as songs from South Africa, Mexico and more. And it’s all free, with no reservations required. All ages are welcome.
Finally on Saturday, score another one for movie lovers as the Cinespia series at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., presents Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, starting at 8 p.m. (doors open at 6:15). The event includes DJ sets, treats for sale, and a “wizardly photo booth for muggles and wizards in training.” There will also be free sandwiches from Bay Cities (courtesy of DoorDash), while supplies last. See the link above for details and tickets.
Moving on to Sunday, if you’re not too busy with all the continuing multi-day events, there’s one more big music festival, the 3rd Annual West Adams Block Party, starting at 12 p.m. and stretching for six blocks from Delicioius Pizza, 5419 West Adams Blvd. to Fais Do Do at 5257 West Adams Blvd. The event features six stages with more than “40 live music and DJ performances spanning Hip Hop, Reggae, Afrobeat, Cumbia, Funk, Dancehall, Latin Jazz, Soul, Salsa and Disco.” Performers will include GRAMMY®-winning rapper Big Daddy Kane; Jamaican dancehall artist Mr. Vegas; soulful Reggae and R&B singer Lila Iké; influential Reggae DJ Yaadcore; eclectic Latina DJ Mia Carucci; The World Famous Beat Junkies with special guest T3 of Slum Village…and many, many more. There will also be more than 50 merchandise vendors, and more than 15 food vendors. All ages are welcome, and admission is free, though RSVPs are required at http://dice.fm/wapb.
Starting just an hour later, and back in the Miracle Mile area, the Craft Contemporary will present “Resilience: On the Inside Gallery Talk,” at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Dominique Morgan, national director of Black & Pink, will share “his story about the direct and secondary impact of incarceration on his family and community.” Topics will include resilience and the ways in which it’s formed in response to trauma. The event is free, but space is limted, so please RSVP to [email protected] if you’d like to attend.
And finally on Sunday, you can catch one last great movie, back at Cinespia and Hollywood Forever, when “When Harry Met Sally” screens at 8 p.m. (again, doors open at 6:15). Like Saturday’s show, the event is part of Cinespia’s 30th anniversary bash, and will include free treats from Jon & Vinny’s (again, courtesy of DoorDash…and again, while supplies last). There will also be other concessions for sale, the trademark Cinespia photo booth, and a love song DJ Set by Mayer Hawthorne.
All in all, it would be a great way to end your great big, end-of-summer holiday weekend. Have a good one!
