A Massive A-Z List of Free Things to do in Los Angeles (Updated November 2015)

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Over the course of the past couple years I’ve found myself charting A TON of free things to do in Los Angeles for the We Like L.A. blog.

As time went by by it became obvious that I’d only be able to keep track of it all if I had a master list somewhere in an excel file or some other document with all of the event/location/experience names and links archived for reference.

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I recently took some time to clean up that list, and after looking it over I realized, “You know what, I should probably share this thing with our readership.”

So here it is!

Some of what I’ve included below are evergreen, year-round points of interest or places to explore while others are seasonal series or annual to-dos. I guess the point is, if you’re looking for free things to do in L.A. throughout the year, this is about as exhaustive a list as you’re going to find (though it is ever-evolving).

A couple quick notes:

If this list is too overwhelming for your taste, take a look at a more select list of our favorite free & fun things to do in Los Angeles.

While free museums are included here, I did not include free museum days (might have caused some confusion about whether a museum was free or not), so check this link for a list of all free museum days in Los Angeles.

I also did not include farmers markets in this list, but we’ve put together a comprehensive list of L.A. farmers markets in a separate article for you to browse.

All caveats aside, hope you enjoy it and find it useful.

Love Lock Los Angeles
The Love Lock Bridge up close. Credit: Brian Champlin / We Like L.A.

A

Abbot Kinney Festival  FREE
Amoeba Hollywood Concerts  FREE
Annenberg Space For Photography FREE
Amir’s Garden FREE
Armory Center for the Arts FREE
Artists & Fleas FREE
Ascot Hills Park FREE
Automobile Driving Museum FREE ($5 suggested donation)

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B

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook FREE
Barnsdall Park FREE
Bat Caves FREE
Bergamot Station FREE
Beverly Canon Gardens FREE
Beverly Gardens Park FREE
Big Parade LA FREE
Bradbury Building FREE
Brand Library & Art Center FREE
Brand Park FREE
Brewery Art Walk FREE
Bridge to Nowhere FREE
Broad Museumd FREE

C

Cabrillo Beach FREE
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium FREE
California African American Museum FREE
California Science Center FREE
Camera Obscura FREE
Casa Adobe De San Rafael and Park FREE
Cave of Munits FREE
Chandelier Tree FREE
Channel 101 FREE
Charmlee Wilderness Park FREE
Chinese American Museum FREE
Chumash Trail FREE
CicLAvia FREE
Clutter’s Park FREE
Corral Canyon FREE

D

Dance Mob Nation FREE
Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum FREE
Downtown Art Walk FREE

E

Eagle Rock Odd Market FREE
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden FREE
Eaton Canyon FREE
Echo Park Lake FREE
Echo Park Rising FREE
El Matador State Beach FREE
El Porto Beach FREE
Escondido Falls FREE
ESMoA FREE
Evergreen Cemetery FREE
Exposition Park FREE

F

Festival of the Chariots FREE
FIDM Museum FREE
First Fridays in Venice FREE
First Fridays in Long Beach FREE
Fisher Museum of Art FREE
Flower District (Neighborhood) FREE
Fowler Museum FREE
Franklin Canyon Park FREE
Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden FREE

G

Gagosian Gallery FREE
Galcos Soda Pop Shop FREE
Gallery 1988
Garden of the Gods FREE
Gardens of the World FREE
Getty Museum FREE (but mind the parking fee)
Getty Villa FREE (but mind the parking fee)
Grand Central Market FREE
Grand Park FREE
Grand Performances FREE
Great Los Angeles Walk FREE
The Great Wall of Los Angeles FREE
Greystone Mansion FREE
Griffith Observatory FREE
Griffith Park FREE

H

Hammer Museum FREE
Hollywood Sign FREE
Hondo Canyon FREE
Hsi Lai Temple FREE

I

Ice House Canyon Trail FREE
Inglewood Open Studios FREE

J

Jet Propulsion Laborartoy Open House & Tours FREE

K

KCRW Summer Nights FREE
Kenneth Hahn Recreation Area FREE (no fee to enter on weekdays)
Korean Friendship Bell FREE

L

La Brea Tar Pits FREE
LAFD Museum in Hollywood FREE
Lake Balboa FREE
Lake Hollywood FREE
LA Plaza de Culture y Artes FREE
The Last Bookstore FREE
LAX Flight Path Learning Center FREE
Levitated Mass FREE
Levitt Pavilion Pasadena FREE
Los Angeles Central Public Library FREE
Los Angeles City Hall (Observation Deck) FREE
Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) FREE
Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust FREE
Los Angeles National Cemetery FREE
Love Lock Bridge FREE
Lower Arroyo Seco Recreation Area FREE

M

Madrona Marsh Preserve FREE
Make Music Pasadena FREE
Malibu Hindu Temple FREE
Metro Art Tours FREE
Mi’s Westside Comedy Theater
Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden FREE
Moonlight Movies at the Beach FREE
Mosaic Tile House FREE
Mt. Hollywood  FREE
Murphy Ranch Abandoned Nazi Compound (Rustic Canyon) FREE
Muscle Beach FREE
Museum of the the Arroyos Day FREE
Music Box Secret Stair Loop FREE
Music Center FREE (free events vary by season)

N

Nethercutt Museum FREE
Newton Canyon Falls FREE

O

Old L.A. Zoo FREE
Old Pasadena Film Festival FREE
Olivera Street FREE
Orcutt Ranch FREE
Original In ‘N Out Burger Replica FREE

P

Paramount Ranch FREE
Pasadena Chalk Festival FREE
Pasadena City College Flea Market FREE
Pasadena Roving Archers FREE (first timer’s class)
Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens FREE
Pershing Square FREE
Point Dume Malibu FREE
Point Fermin Park FREE
Polliwog Park Concert Series FREE
Public Star Parties at The Observatory FREE

Q

…?

R

Rancho Park Archery Range FREE (beginner’s class)
Ranger Ernie Hikes in Griffith Park FREE
Redondo Beach Pier Movies FREE
Reseda Park FREE
Rivas Canyon Trail FREE
Rocky Peak Park FREE
Rodeo Drive FREE
Rose Parade FREE
Rosies Dog Beach FREE
Royce’s Arcade FREE
Rubio Canyon Waterfall FREE
Runyon Canyon FREE

S

Sandstone Peak FREE
Santa Monica Pier FREE
Santa Monica Traveling Rings FREE
SEA Lab FREE ($2 suggested donation)
Self Realization Fellowship’s Lake Shrine Temple FREE
Shakespeare at the Park FREE
Shakespeare by the Sea FREE
Sherman Oaks Street Fair FREE
Shoreline Village FREE
Silver Lake Picture Show FREE
Sleepaway Comedy FREE
Solstice Canyon FREE
Spaldena House FREE
Sturtevant Falls FREE
Sullivan Canyon FREE
Sundays Live at LACMA FREE

T

Taste of Soul FREE
Taco Peak / Amir’s Garden FREE
Temescal Canyon FREE
Third Street Promenade FREE
Time Travel Mart FREE
Tongva Park FREE
Topanga Lookout FREE
Torrance Art Museum FREE
Towsley Canyon FREE
Travel Town Museum FREE
Turnbull Canyon FREE
Twilight Concert Series FREE

U

UCLA Meteorite Gallery FREE
Union Station FREE
USC Fisher Museum of Art FREE
USC School Music Recitals FREE

V

Vanalden Cave FREE
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park FREE
Venice Beach Boardwalk FREE
Venice Canals FREE
Venice Skatepark FREE
Verdugo Park FREE
Vincent Lugo Park FREE
Vincent Price Art Museum FREE
Vista Hermosa Park FREE
Vroman’s Bookstore FREE

W

Wacko Soap Plant FREE
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Watts Day of the Drum Festival FREE
Watts Towers FREE (external view is free, tours are $7)
WeHo Carnaval FREE
Whittier Narrows FREE
Wisdom Tree FREE

X

…?

Y

…?

Z

Zócalo Public Square FREE


Did we miss anything you know about or would like to suggest? Any errors? Keep in mind this list is ever-evolving, so we’d love more input. If you know about free stuff to do in L.A. that should be on the list, email us at [email protected]

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