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Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas? Well, sort of. In that L.A. kind of way.
This November 14-18 in Los Angeles, catch Astronomy on Tap in Pasadena, the Back Room Shakespeare Project, the Manhattan Beach Pier Lighting, Sparkle in DTLA, the L.A. Auto Show, L.A. Zoo Lights, and more.
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Things To Do This Week
Astronomy on Tap -> On Monday, Astronomy on Tap brings another evening of astronomically-themed pub trivia, live music, science talks, and telescope viewing to Dog Haus Biergarten in Old Pasadena. This month, catch a talk on black holes by computational astrophysicist Nils Deppe, plus a talk entitled “How to Find Things That Go ‘Blip’ in the Night” by planetary scientist and science communicator Stephanie Deppe. Starts at 7:30 p.m. Free to attend, no RSVP required. More info here.
The Back Room Shakespeare Project -> On Monday, players from the Back Room Shakespeare Project come together for a performance of Much Ado About Nothing at Frogtown Brewery. Come for the Bard, stay for the beer. Free to attend. Starts at 7:30 p.m. Get more info here.
Free Garden Days -> The South Coast Botanic Garden, L.A. Arboretum, and Descanso Gardens all offer free admission on the third Tuesday of every month. Note that all three required advance reservations, and space is limited. If you miss this Tuesday’s free days, make sure to check out our big list of free museum days to see other upcoming options.
33rd Annual Manhattan Beach Pier Lighting -> This Wednesday, Manhattan Beach kicks off the holiday season with a night on the pier featuring live community performances, carolers, and holiday activities including photo ops with live reindeer. Additionally, Roundhouse Aquarium will host an extended hours open house event with a complimentary hot chocolate and cookie station, games, and interactive touch tanks and marine exhibits. Free to attend. Event runs 5 to 9 p.m. More info here.
2nd & PCH Tree Lightning -> The Annual Tree Lighting at Long Beach’s 2nd & PCH retail center takes place this Wednesday, complete with holiday performances, live music, and family-friendly activities such like face-painting, bounce houses and more. Free to attend. Festivities begin at 5 p.m., and the lightning is at 6 p.m. Get more info here.
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Wellness Wednesday at SFG -> Self Help Graphics’ Wellness Wednesday returns this week with a special sound bath session led by healer Neil Belen, who will guide guests into a meditative state using crystal singing bowls, gongs and other instruments. Free to attend. Starts at 6 p.m. and runs about 90 minutes. Get more info here.
Ice Santa Monica -> After last week’s rain forced a cancellation, Downtown Santa Monica’s Ice is back on track for an opening event for this Wednesday, returning an 8,000-square-foot pop-up rink to the corner of Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue. The opening celebration runs 6 to 10 p.m. and includes free admission and skating rental, plus DJ’d tunes, and other fun freebies for guests. Following the opening, Ice remains open daily through January 16, 2022. Skate rental and all-day admission runs $20 per person. Get more info here.
Through the Lens of Wayne Thom -> The latest exhibition at the USC Pacific Admission takes on the prolific, 50-year career of Shanghai-born photographer Wayne Thom. Thom’s work illustrates, in particular, the shift to mirrored glass in urban architecture in the latter half of the 20th century that is now ubiquitous in city skylines across the world (the Los Angeles Superior Court Building is a great early example). If skyscrapers and mid-rises are your jam, you’re going to love browsing Thom’s captures. UPAM is open Wednesday to Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults, and entry is pay-what-you-will every Thursday. Get more info here.
MOCA Together Thursdays -> Both the MOCA Grand Avenue and The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA extend hours to 8 p.m. every Thursday, and on select upcoming dates they’ll also offer a free shuttle connecting the two campuses that runs every twenty minutes from 4 to 8 p.m. Special programming for this Thursday includes DJ’d spun tunes at Aileen Getty Plaza along with a lecture on the history of Skid Row and its role in the local community. Admission to both museums is free. Get more info here.
Sparkle DTLA -> DTLA’s The Bloc kicks off a holiday season of festive lights this Thursday with the 2022 premier of Sparkle, a nightly experience (through New Year’s Day) featuring 18 million hues of lights synced to a festive soundtrack. Thursday’s opening event includes a lighting ceremony hosted by iHeart Media KOST 103.5 Host Ryan Manno, a performance by students from the Grand Arts High School, and refreshments provided by Café Balzac and Starbucks. Free to attend. Starts at 5 p.m. Get more info here.
Murder Mystery Night at Common Space -> This Thursday, Common Space Brewery game night pivots to an evening of holiday-themed Murder Mystery. Free to attend. Starts at 7 p.m. Get more info here.
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Lightscape at The L.A. Arboretum -> The L.A. Arboretum’s Lightscape continues this Thursday–Sunday, brightening up the holiday season with a one-mile trail of installations and twinkling displays. GA adult tickets range $37-$39, depending on the date selected for purchase. Get more info here.
L.A. Auto Show -> Starting this Friday, the nation’s top auto show returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center for a ten-day affair featuring a a who’s who of automotive exhibitors, plus vehicle test drives, activations, and family-friendly entertainment. Single day tickets start at $22 for adults. Get more info here.
L.A. Zoo Lights -> The Los Angeles Zoo’s brightest annual tradition returns this Friday, transforming the zoo grounds into a world of light and holiday magic. The after-hours event offers brightly lit displays and festive family-friendly experience every night throughout the entire holiday season. Adult tickets range from $34-$39, depending on the desired date to attend. More info here.
Dining & Drinking
(picks by Christina Champlin)
The updated edition to our happy hour guide is now live. Get a taste of just few of the new inclusions below and bookmark our official guide of 45+ happy hours in Los Angeles. Here are a couple of favorites additions:
Birdie G’s (Santa Monica) -> Birdie G’s “Early Birdie’s Happy Hour” is offered daily from 5-6 p.m. in the “The Bird’s Nest” bar and lounge area. The menu includes bar snacks and shared plates like Rueben Fries, Corned Beef Tongue to Chicken Liver Mousse all priced between $5 to $14. Larger plates such as Birdie’s famous Pickle Chick is offered during this time for $34. Most beers, wines and cocktails are $12 and a featured mocktail is $4.
Pizzana (West Hollywood) -> The West Hollywood location of Pizzana has a fantastic special where $35 gets you a pizza of your choice and any two cocktails or wines by the glass. Happy hour runs Monday through Thursday from 4 to 6 .p.m. Cocktails are fresh takes on classic Italian cocktails such as Tramonto Rosso with Tito’s vodka, Aperol, lemon, Angostura bitters and lime, and Spritz Al Limone with limoncello, orange curacao, lemon, orange bitters, prosecco and mint.
Genghis Cohen (West Hollywood) -> Iconic New York-style Chinese restaurant Genghis Cohen is launches a happy hour this Tuesday offering guests a selection of $8 cocktails such as the Szechuan Margarita or Bloody Mary (add an eggroll garnish for $1) alongside $5 Tsing Tao beer and a special menu of $5 snacks like egg rolls, dumplings, butterfly shrimp and cold sesame noodles. Happy hour will be available every Tuesday through Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m.
Charcoal (Venice) -> The Glass Off menu at two-star Michelin Chef Josiah Citrin’s Charcoal is almost too good to be true. Available at the bar daily between 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., the menu features elevated bites including smoked lamb ribs, chicken wings, skewers to grilled calamari all priced between $4-$7. You’ll also find more substantial offerings, including steak frites, a Charcoal Burger and a Crispy Charred Potato Bowl with marinated steak for $12-$16. Happy hour cocktails go for $12, while highballs are $11.
Soulmate (West Hollywood) -> Soulmate’s happy hour runs Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Available at the bar, guests can expect $8 and $10 cocktails such as Soulmate’s Signature Gin & Tonic, and WeHo Daiquiri. On the food menu are elevated shared plates including $2 oysters, $10 Wagyu Steak Tartare, $10 Scallop Crudo Tostadas and $12 Roasted Pork Belly Brioche Sliders.
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