43 Things to Do in L.A. This Weekend [2-26-2021 to 2-28-2021]

We used to tell you about all the things you could go out and do in Los Angeles on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Then, COVID-19 changed life for all of us, in a thousand small and massive ways. Until the pandemic is behind us, we’ll post events that adhere to Public Health’s current protocols—including plenty of at-home and online events—every Monday and Thursday. We hope they keep you busy, make you laugh, teach you something, or help you feel less alone.

This weekend, we’ve got a Spongebob Squarepants drive-in experience, rooftop yoga, virtual art galleries, Bob Baker Day, Golden Globes takeout specials, and more. Have something you want to submit for next week? Hit us up: [email protected].

In-Person Events

The Corey Helford Gallery presents Seven, a new show featuring work from Andy Adamson, Helice Wen, kozyndan, Rodolfo Loaiza, Travis Lampe, Yang Cao and Zoé Byland. The show will open with an Instagram Live event @CoreyHelfordGallery on Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. and will remain on view through April 3.

CAP UCLA presents Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK, a GPS-enabled work of public art that brings the natural environment of Griffith Park to life through music. Created by Pulitzer Prize-winning sound artist Ellen Reid, the experience is dictated by the listener. As they explore the park, the app triggers musical cells that harmonize with the park’s landscape. The app is free to download and will be available until 2023.

THE DRIVE-IN at Exposition Park takes place on the lawn of the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between the Olympic flame and the oldest palm tree in Los Angeles. Films selected celebrate the work of women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ voices. On Friday, Feb. 26, they’ll screen be Paris is Burning. Black-owned food trucks will be on the premises as well.

Paramount+ invites you on an Under the Sea Road Trip Adventure with SpongeBob at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena Feb. 26-28. The in-vehicle drive-though and drive-in screening experience will include multiple experiential environments with digital interactions, photo ops, and a first look at the new series Kamp Koral: Spongebob’s Under Years, followed by the full feature film The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run. A minimum donation of $30 per ticket is required. Heal the Bay will receive 100% of donations. 

STATE OF THE WORLD is a temporary outdoor mural exhibit in the Arts District that features 11 local artists connected to the neighborhood. A collaboration between Art At The Rendon and SO|DA Architecture, STATE OF THE WORLD provides a canvas for artists to raise awareness for social causes that are important to them and relevant in today’s environment. On view through March.

Hot 8 Yoga will host yoga classes on Saturdays, Feb. 27 through March 20, at 10:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. from ROW DTLA’s rooftop. Mats and other equipment will be provided, but bring your own towel and water. And don’t forget your mask, which must be worn at all times!

The Los Feliz Flea is an outdoor curated market with over 120 sellers, food trucks, live music, and spaces to picnic. Admission is free and the market runs every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Rose Bowl is hosting a Drive-Thru Fair Foodie Fest Feb. 12-28 featuring fair foods like turkey legs, deep-fried Oreos, and doughnut cheeseburgers. Admission is free, but you’ll have to pay per item. Register online in advance to receive a free mini funnel cake.

Insomniac presents Electric Mile, a drive-thru festival experience inspired by the unique worlds of signature events including EDC, Beyond Wonderland, Nocturnal Wonderland, Escape, and Countdown. The event takes place at Santa Anita Park through Feb. 28 and features music, a warehouse rave, 5 million lights, installations, and more.

The Cinelounge Drive-in in Hollywood’s upcoming screenings include the documentary Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, (Feb. 26 to March 4), horror film The Vigil (Feb. 26 to March 4), and drama Nomadland (Feb. 23 through March 4). Don’t forget to pre-order some of Cinelounge’s gourmet popcorn!

Street Food Cinema has pivoted to a drive-in at the Santa Monica Airport. Friday’s slate includes The Sandlot and Step Brothers. Saturday’s films include Finding Nemo and Coming to America.

Hollywood Legion Theater at Post 43’s drive-in cinema is open seven days a week, reservations include popcorn, soda, and candy for each guest. Upcoming films including Chinatown and Being There. Tickets start at $65 for two people.

UNCONCEALED by Leticia Maldonado is a new art installation at FIGat7th on view now through May 15, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. In one window, find a twinkling nightscape, neon stars, and El Conejo, an etched mirrored moon. In another, find three neon roses.

Through March 15, Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. will recognize Black History Month with a series of art installations by Black artists including Tiayrra Bradley, Shplinton, and Mira Gandy. All three pieces can be found on the Third Street Promenade. Exact addresses and more info here.  

Glendale’s Electric Dusk Drive-In will be screening 10 Things I Hate About You, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Buellers Day Off, and The Little Mermaid this weekend.

The Marina Drive-in’s weekend (Feb. 26-27) offerings include Bill and Ted Face the Music and Black Panther. All screenings begin at 6:30 p.m. with doors an hour earlier. Tickets are $20 per car. Nearby restaurants are open for outdoor dining and takeout if you’re looking for a meal to enjoy beforehand or in your car.

At-Home & Online Events

KP Projects Gallery has two new virtual exhibits on view Feb. 27 through March 20. Holly Elander’s “Our Home” consists of “simply narrated acrylic paintings, driven by the artist’s self-proclaimed desire to understand the interactions and connections between people and nature.” Vonn Sumner’s “Burning Down the House” features subjects the artist says he “generally loves to look at: trashcans, dumpsters, empty industrial buildings, the way that fire dances and licks the air.”

In honor of the 7th annual Bob Baker Day, Metro Arts Presents and Bob Baker Marionette Theater present a virtual celebration starting on Feb. 27 at 10 a.m. on Metro Art and Union Station’s Facebook and YouTube channels. Watch puppets explore, dance, and roller stake through the station. Then, check out even more performances through an interactive map at BobBakerDay.com. Those performances will be available through March 7. 

The Pasadena Symphony’s spring season includes five virtual concerts. The first features Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Mendelssohn’s Octet on Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. You can view all concerts here. They will remain available for 48 hours after the performance.

The City of Santa Monica will host a virtual opening and dedication ceremony for Historic Belmar Park, a 3.5-acre sports complex, on Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. The accompanying Belmar History + Art project also provides “a historical reflection on a site where African American residents lived and contributed to making Santa Monica a vibrant and unique place.” This includes a public art installation that visitors can view along a walking path, but you can also read more about the park and its history—as well as register for the virtual event—here.

Deepen your understanding of Japanese spirits and how they’re made with a Shochu and Awamori tasting and lecture on Feb. 28. The online event includes tastings of a variety of Shochu and Awamori as well as a virtual visit to a Shochu brewery in Japan. Tickets are $10 and include the spirit tastings. Participants will need to pick up the spirits ahead of time.

Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair goes virtual this year Feb. 24-28 combining forces with the New York edition of the fair to feature over 400 exhibitors selling zines, artists’ books, and out-of-print editions. Free programs during the fair include panels, videos, and a virtual variety show from the Bob Baker Marionette Theater.

On Feb. 28 at 3 p.m., the Echo Theater Company hosts a virtual version of the feminist salon “Mrs. Porter’s.” Per a release: “Who is Mrs. Porter? In T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land,” she’s a character. In Cairo, during WWI, she’s the owner of a notorious brothel. In Los Angeles, from 2004 – 2013, she hosted an art and literary salon founded by co-hosts Teresa Carmady and Johanna Blakely and sponsored by Les Figues Press, a nonprofit literary organization that publishes experimental writing and literature in translation, with a focus on feminist and queer authors.” Free. Register for the Zoom link here.

The Moth’s next storytelling event is on Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Join host Jonathan Ames and storytellers Stephen James, Aida Rodriguez, and Michael Fischer for a night of personal tales. Tickets are $15.

The annual Huntington Bonsai-A-Thon goes virtual this year on Feb. 27 with a free program that includes a morning Zoom tour of the gardens’ bonsai courts, the Ben Oki Bonsai Nursery, and the “Lifelines/Timelines” bonsai exhibition. The event concludes in the afternoon with an introduction to the garden’s new penjing court and a discussion on the history of the bonsai.

Skirball Stages’ next virtual concert features American roots music with Joachim Cooder playing with his father Ry Cooder, and a set from Grammy-nominated Amythyst Kiah. Watch on Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. on YouTube.

Underground Sun’s Virtual Variety Show debuts on Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. The record label’s debut episode was filmed in Joshua Tree and includes music videos and teasers from their artist roster. Watch it here.

Arena Cinematheque and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association present the 2021 Golden Globes Foreign Language Nominees Symposium on Feb. 27 at 11 a.m., featuring five nominated filmmakers who will discuss their work in contemporary cinema. Panelists include Jayro Bustamante (LA LLORONA), Lee Isaac Chung (MINARI), Filippo Meneghetti (TWO OF US), Edoardo Ponti (THE LIFE AHEAD), and Thomas Vinterberg (ANOTHER ROUND). RSVP here.

On Feb. 27, Atsuko Okatsuka hosts a free Zoom comedy show featuring stand-up by comedians who’ve all grown up with family members affected by mental illness.

On Feb. 26 at 11 a.m., the Craft in America Center presents a virtual talk with artist Timothy Horn. Horn specializes in media including blown glass, crystalized rock sugar, and various metals. More info here.

The Getty Villa Museum presents Laurel Ollstein’s Pandora, a feminist retelling of the myth of Pandora’s box, Feb. 26 through March 19. You can register to watch the pre-recorded reading here. You’ll need to register to receive the viewing password.

Check out LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes‘ exhibit “afroLAtinindad: mi casa, my city” virtually here. The exhibit “ explores the history and contemporary experiences of Afrolatinidad in Los Angeles through art, photographs, and personal objects.”

Long Beach’s International City Theatre opens its 36th season with a virtual presentation of Yasmina Reza’s Tony award-winning play Art. It streams on-demand Feb. 18 through March 8.

Japan House LA presents its next virtual exhibition, “NATURE/SUPERNATURE: Visions of This World and Beyond in Japanese Woodblock Prints.” The exhibit includes three sections. Woodblock Printing goes over the history and process of the art form. Nature depicts landscapes from Japan. Supernature depicts supernatural beings. View online through May 31 here.

Modernism Week, Palm Springs’ premier midcentury architecture and design event, is virtual this year (Feb. 1-28) with an array of online experiences you can stream safely at home.

Pickup & Delivery

E!GHT Korean BBQ has reopened in Koreatown for outdoor dining 5-11 p.m. on Fri. & Sat and 5-10 p.m. on Weds, Thurs., and Sun. They offer eight different marinades of pork belly, including wine, ginseng, garlic, curry, miso paste, and more. 

Caffe Luxxe co-founders Mark Wain and Gary Chau have brewed the very first coffee-based kombucha. Made with their signature Montenero roast, raw brown sugar, and kombucha culture, the probiotic coffee drink is currently available at all seven Caffe Luxxe locations including Long Beach, Brentwood, and Santa Monica. The 16oz bottles retail for $6. Nationwide shipping is also available.

Wally’s Wine & Spirits and Casa Dragones Tequila have teamed up for a luxurious at-home Golden Globes package. The Awards at Home Box includes batched Casa Dragones Oro Blanco Paloma for two, house-made truffle popcorn, smoked salmon pizetta with Calvisius caviar, Dungeness crab rolls with yuzu lime aioli, bacon-wrapped Medjool dates, spring vegetable crudite with avocado hummus, and chocolate chip cookies.
Reservations for the box go live on Friday via ChowNow for $90 (serves two) with options for pick-up or delivery Friday through Sunday.

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele will be offering a one-night-only Golden Globes takeout special on Feb. 28. It includes five savory courses including truffle arancini, cacio e pepe, and more for $100. Add two cocktails for an additional $20.

To celebrate the Golden Globes this weekend, Katana Los Angeles and Sushi Roku will be offering a Golden Globes Pack for delivery or pick up. The pack features two 16oz cocktails, a sushi family pack, Hamachi Serrano, and Spicy Tuna Hanabi.

Chef Dominique Crisp’s Saso is now opening in Pasadena, featuring an extensive seafood menu available for lunch, happy hour, and dinner. Some options include the Jamon Iberico Sandwich with maple butter, jicama, and handmade white bread; Navarra-style Bone-in Wagyu Tomahawk and Alaskan Mussels with fennel, charred leek, and chistorra; Txangurro Tortas / dungeness crab cakes with queso navarra, hot peppers, avocado crema; and Pasta Saso with handmade duck egg-yolk pasta, shellfish, fin fish, prawns, and ginger. Takeout and outdoor dining available.

In honor of National Flirting Week (Feb. 14-21) Japanese delivery concept Krispy Rice has teamed up with dating platform Tinder on limited-edition combo boxes to enjoy at home or on a socially distanced date. From Feb. 12-28, order up a “Hold My Handroll” box, “Plenty Of Fish In The Sea” box, or “Soul Mate” box and receive a one-month membership to Tinder Gold on the house.

Bloom and Plume Coffee in Westlake has teamed up with Community Loving to collect school supplies and monetary donations for students at 153rd Elementary School. Donate supplies through a registry, or drop items off at the coffee shop to receive a drip coffee on the house. Donations will be taking place all month long.

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Need more delivery and takeout options? Check out our latest comprehensive guide here.