Things To Do in L.A. This Week [10-3-2022 to 10-7-2022]

So what’s on your radar for the first week of October? Need ideas? We got your back.

For October 3-7 in Los Angeles, catch Tito’s Fiesta Mexicana, the Black Lagoon Pop Up Bar, the Hola Mexico Film Festival, new exhibitions at TAM, Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch, Carved at Descanso Gardens, Oktoberfest at Fairplex, and more. Start game planning below, and make the most of the week to come!

Things To Do This Week

Beyond Fest -> Now through October 23, the 10th anniversary lineup for Beyond Fest offers a bold of lineup of 63 films screened across 5 Los Angeles locations: Aero Theatre, Los Feliz 3, TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Legion Theatre and IMAX Headquarters/Playa Vista. And the best part? Many of the screenings are free. See the full film schedule here.

14th Annual Hola Mexico Film Festival -> Running October 2-10, the 2022 Hola México Film Festival is the largest Mexican Film Festival outside of México, with the nine-day lineup featuring screenings at the Montalbán Theatre, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, and Regal Cinemas LA LIVE. See the full slate and get tickets for individual events here.

Tito’s Fiesta Mexicana at Tito’s Tacos -> This Tuesday, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Tito’s Tacos team up to celebrate National Vodka Day and National Taco Day, which happen to occur on the same day of the year. Coupled with the food and drink will be Mariachi entertainment and live comedy. Proceeds will go on to benefit The Culver City Cultural Affairs Foundation. Tickets cost $30 for food and alcohol, $15 for those interested in food only. More info here.

Black Lagoon Pop Up Bar -> The touring immersive Halloween pop-up bar Black Lagoon takes over Lost Property Bar in Hollywood for a month-long residency of themed cocktails in a wicked atmosphere filled with goth and metal music. No cover and costumes are encouraged. The bar is open Tuesday through Sunday beginning at 7 p.m. 

TAM’s Newest Exhibitions -> The Torrance Art Museum debuted two new exhibitions over the weekend. UnCivil War!: an election special and Ken Friedman: 92 Events will be on view now through December 10. Admission to TAM is always free, open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Get more info here.

Clerks III at Ace -> Clerks III: The Convenience Tour pops up Ace Hotel Theater this Tuesday with a screening of Kevin Smith’s latest film followed by a post-show Q&A. Tickets start as low as $26. Get more info here.

First Wednesday’s Lecture at AoP -> First Wednesday Lecture at The AoP -> Every first Wednesday evening of the month, the Aquarium of the Pacific hosts a free evening guest lecture and cocktail reception at the Pacific Visions Theater. For October, the Aquarium hosts a discussion on climate featuring Robert Gehorsam, a contributing author for The Carbon Almanac. Get more info and RSVP here.

Bear City Comedy -> Every Wednesday, you can catch free comedy at Que Sera in Long Beach presented by Bear City, featuring a rotating lineup of up-and-comers from Netflix, Comedy Central, HBO, and beyond. Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 7:30. Cash bar, but no drink minimum.a More info here.

Letter Writing Nights with Vote Forward -> Join the the folks from Vote Forward at Angel City Brewery this Wednesday for an evening of letter writing aimed to drive election turnout among unregistered and low-propensity voters. More info here.

Rock 2ND & PCH -> Long Beach’s 2ND & PCH hosts a free concert series on three select Thursdays in October, features a selection of top Southern California tribute bands. This week, catch Twisted Gypsy, a Fleetwood Mac Tribute Band. All shows free to attend. More info here.

Haunt O’ Ween -> Haunt O’ Ween’s 200,000 square-foot playground of Halloween-themed games, performances, rides, and attractions is now back in Woodland Hills. This action continues this Thursday to Sunday, then on select dates through October 31. GA tickets run $36-$44. Get more info here.

Nights of the Jack -> The annual 1-mile trail of Halloween lights and jack o’lanterns at King Gillette Ranch continues on select dates through October 31, including this Thursday to Sunday. In addition to the signature walk, expect live pumpkin carving demos, face painting, a souvenir shop, and a “spookeasy” offering adult beverages for sale. Admission runs $29.99-$44.99 depending on which day of the week you attend. Get more info here.

Urban Death Tour of Terror -> Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre’s annual tradition of Urban Death is back with a brand new series of terrifying vignettes, bookended by walks through a creepy maze. Performances continue on Fridays and Saturdays through October 29, with two bonus shows on Sunday, October 30 and Halloween Monday, October 31. Advance tickets are $20 per person. More info here.

Reign of Terror Haunted House -> This award-winning haunted house and walkthrough experience located in Thousand Oaks is now in its 22nd season. The 2022 edition features 135 (!) rooms in 10 different, inter-connected sections within 28,000 square feet of floor space. Standards tickets are $30. Available on select dates through Nov. 5, including this Friday and Saturday. More info here.

Carved at Descanso Gardens -> Starting Friday, Descanso Gardens’ latest version of the family-friendly Carved debuts with brand new UV light installations by Belgian artists Tom&Lien Dekyvere, alongside a hay maze, pumpkin house, and hundreds of carved pumpkins inside the Camellia Forest. Tickets run $32-$38 for non-members. Carved runs nightly through October 31. Get more info here.

Oktoberfest at Fairplex -> Beginning Friday, Pomona Fairplex transform into a fantastical Bavarian Oktoberfest every Friday and Saturday with live oompah bands, DJs and even a No Doubt tribute band plus German food and plenty of beers to go around. Tickets cost $10 – $15. 21+ only. Event runs through October 30. More info here.

Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch -> Back this Friday, Culver City’s favorite pumpkin village offers plenty of family fun, including photo ops in front of giant pumpkin installations, a straw maze, a super slide, petting zoo, giant rocking horses, and pumpkin decorating sessions. Tickets range from $8-30, depending on date of attendance. Open daily through October 30. More info here.

Jazz at LACMA -> This Friday at 6 p.m., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art hosts Alan Pasqua, Peter Erskine, and Darek Oles to Smidt Welcome Plaza as part of the ongoing Jazz at LACMA series, which continues on Friday evenings through December 2. Admission is free, however seating is limited and first come, first served. More info here.

First Fridays in LB -> Bixby Knolls First Fridays return this week along Atlantic Ave, and this month the programming includes free salsa dance lessons at Expo Arts Center. More info here.

Highland Park Independent Film Festival -> The 9th Annual Highland Park Independent Film Festival (HPIFF) returns to the Highland Theater this Friday and Saturday for a two-day celebration of indie filmmaking featuring four feature-length documentaries and 43 shorts, including 8 world premieres. See the full lineup and get info on tickets for individual screenings here.

Oktoberfest at Benny Boy Brewing -> Benny Boy Brewing gets in on the Oktoberfest game this weekend with two days of beers, ciders, stein-holding competitions and German-inspired eats by River Street BBQ, Shappy Pretzel Co., Comfy Pup (Friday only) and A’s BBQ (Saturday only.) Themed entertainment includes a classic Volkswagen Beetle car show with Vintage Vochos on Friday and a live German polka band on Saturday. Anyone who wears a dirndls and lederhosen will get $1 off steins! 

Dining & Drinking

(round-up by Christina Champlin)

A Santa Monica Taco Crawl -> In celebration of National Taco Day, Downtown Santa Monica and Trejo’s Tacos will host an epic taco crawl with seven restaurant stops on Tuesday, October 4. The crawl kicks off at 4 p.m. when Danny Trejo makes an appearance at his Santa Monica taco spot. The public will be given a Taco Crawl punch card to enjoy free tacos or chips and salsa with purchase at Santa Monica restaurants, including Trejo’s,Tocaya, Lanea, Blue Plate Taco, Socalo, Cabo Cantina, and Jameson’s Pub. More info on deals here. 

$3 Tacos & Margaritas -> For National Taco Day, Chicas Tacos will offer $3 tacos and $3 margaritas all day long at their Culver City and W3rd Street locations. Every single taco and margarita will be $3 including the new Shrimp Taco, the Slow Braised Steak Taco, and the Crispy Taco.

Magari Launches New Pizze Menu & Fall Cocktail Class -> Tokyo Italian restaurant Magari recently launched a new menu featuring contemporary Neapolitan pizza crafted by Sicilian-born Executive Chef Enrico Merendino. The pizze menu highlights classic Italian ingredients, as well as Japanese-inspired twists like an eggplant pizza with tomato-miso sauce. In addition to new menu items the team will also host a cocktail class on Friday, October 7. Guests will learn how to make the Testarossa, an autumn tropical cocktail, made with reposado tequila, Stambecco amaro, Lucky falernum, blood orange, Umeshu, almond milk, and aromatic bitters. The hands-on class runs $55 a person and includes two cocktails, one to take home and one made at the bar, a recipe card, a spirit tasting, and a Magari coaster set.

Looking Ahead

Family Style Food Festival -> The Hundreds present another edition of the Family Style Food Festival on Sunday October 9. Presented by DoorDash, the day brings together dozens of the hottest food operations and prominent streetwear brands for collaborative merchandise and dishes that drop exclusively at the festival. Tickets cost $60 for general admission and gives people access to the festival with food available for purchase, VIP cost $200 and includes select food items, drinks and merch. More info here. 

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