42 Totally Fun Things To Do in L.A. This Week You Need to Know About [10-2-17 to 10-6-17]

Every week in Los Angeles there are tons of great things to do (even before the weekend gets started) that we think you ought to have on your radar. With that in mind, we put together a list every Monday morning to keep you in the know about what’s happening in the city you love (or maybe just like).

This week, from Monday, October 2 to Friday, October 6, features Dumplings & Beer Festival, Creep LA, Whisky Live USA, L.A. Greek Festival, Urban Death: Tour of Terror, Oktoberfest events and MUCH more.

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Remember you can always go to our L.A. events calendar page to get an updated rundown of what’s happening around the city.

Hope you find the rundown useful and, as always, enjoy your week!

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tropicana pool feature
Image via Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood

Keep in mind that while we retain complete editorial control of our content, for some of the ticketing options provided we utilize affiliate links and receive a commission if you purchase through our links.

Monday October 2nd, 2017

1. Boo at the L.A. Zoo returns for a spooktacular season this year with a new “Nocturnal Adventure” maze and favorites like the Zoo’s “Animals and Boo” creepy crawler encounters, pumpkin-carving demos and other family-oriented fun. Weekend tickets will feature “Fearsome feedings,” during which carnivores will devour their favorite carcasses and bones.

2. Celebrate the art of the music video during the 7th Annual Los Angeles Music Video Festival, taking place over seven nights from October 1 to 7 at various L.A. locations. This grassroots festival is the largest music video event in the country and includes video screenings, speakers, a juried competition, musical performances, and more.

3. There’s a Great Pumpkin Hunt happening at the South Coast Botanic Garden from Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 everyday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring an imaginative scavenger hunt, light hiking, a pumpkin shop and access to the gorgeous 87-acre grounds. Great for families. Halloween costumes are welcome.

4. Beyond Fest returns from Sept. 29 through Oct. 10 with 12 days of special screenings from around the globe at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

5. The folks at Rooftop Cinema Club are back with a special screening of Paradigm Lost presented by Red Bull Media House at their Montalban rooftop in Hollywood followed by a q&a by surfer and director Kai Lenny.

6. Grab dinner On the Lot in Los Feliz where an array of gourmet food trucks are ready to serve you. Taking place at Our Mother of Good Counsel from 5 – 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday October 3rd, 2017

7. The month of October is still a warm one so the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt hotel will throw Angelenos an “Endless Summer” ​Movie + Swim ​series every Tuesday night. Catch throwback films as you lounge by the David Hockney painted Tropicana Pool and enjoy a curated menu of food and drink offerings unique to each movie, this week it’s Blade Runner. All you need to do is rsvp to get in.

8.  Pacific Standard Time LA/LA is in full swing with a four-month-long exploration of Latin American and Latino art in relation to the City of Angels. Led by The Getty the high profile event is a collaborative effort with dozens of art institutions across the city. Check out our top highlights here.

9. The folks at Rooftop Cinema Club are back with two screenings at their rooftop locations. 10 Things I Hate About You at LEVEL in Downtown Los Angeles and La La Land at Montalban in Hollywood.

10. Free museum days: Kidspace Museum (4 to 8 p.m.), Natural History Museum and La Brea Tarpits Museum.

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Wednesday October 4th, 2017

11. Griffith Observatory offers a Sunset Walk & Talk one evening a month. At this free event, guests will enjoy a sunset hike led by a Griffith Park park ranger and a museum guide. FREE

12. Sip over 150 different scotches, bourbons and whiskies during Whisky Live USA happening at The L.A. Hotel Downtown. The night will also feature whisky cocktails, live entertainment and a full dinner buffet.  DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

13. Sound Off Silent Disco nights head to the Sherman Oaks Galleria for a free wireless-headphone dance party featuring two live DJs playing three hours of your favorite, danceable songs. There will also be free food samples from Galleria vendors during the party. FREE

14. The folks at Rooftop Cinema Club are back with two screenings at their rooftop locations. La La Land at LEVEL in Downtown Los Angeles and The Big Sick at Montalban in Hollywood.

15. Berlin celebrates their 50th anniversary as a sister city to Los Angeles this Oct 4-5 with the launch of ‘Berlin Lab’, a two day event held at LOT 613 featuring Berlin’s emerging tech, art, music, and food scenes in the heart of Los Angeles. Programming includes cultural panels and workshops, a design symposium dedicated to the Bauhaus movement, dance performances, live concerts and Europe´s largest interdisciplinary technology festival from Berlin, Tech Open Air to name a few.

16. Horse Thief BBQ, located at Grand Central Market, will screen Top Gun on their patio this Wednesday. FREE

Thursday October 5th, 2017

17. The city of San Gabriel is putting their own spin on Oktoberfest by throwing a Dumplings & Beer Festival in the Historic Mission District this Thursday featuring a wide variety of dumpling vendors, craft beer tastings, live entertainment, a “Best Dumpling” competition as well as a Dumpling Eating Contest.

18. Multi-sensory, walk-through experience Creep LA returns to the Music Box in DTLA Oct. 5 through Nov. 12. Inspired by the Amazon Prime Exclusive Series Lore the experience is fully engaging, multi-sensory and super-scary, featuring some of pop culture’s most legendary horror myths, including vampires, changelings, werewolves, séances and possessed dolls. Happening Thursday through Sunday.

19. Time to get in the Halloween spirit. The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride returns to The Old Zoo in Griffith Park from September 29 to October 31. This years theme is “Clown” and features four different freaky zones, a slew of demonic clowns, a corn maze and more. Check for discount tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

20. Back for its 8th year, Wicked Lit is a spooky immersive theatre experience that takes classic and unique horror literature and turns them into plays at the Mountain View Mausoleum & Cemetery every Thursday through Sunday starting Sep 28 and running through Nov. 9. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

21. The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor will transform into a seaport of the damned this Halloween season with terrifying mazes and monsters at every turn like the Iron Master and Graceful Gale. This year they’ll reveal their newest member of the crew, his name is Chef and he’s got a carnivorous kitchen staff with a big appetite. Happening Thursday and through the weekend. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

22. There’s a Full Moon Hike at Franklin Canyon Ranch in Beverly Hills. The moderate hike takes 2.5 hours total and covers a total of 2.8 miles.

23. Young the Giant with Cold War Kids and Sir Sly will play at the Fivepoint Amphitheater in Irvine. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

24. Halloween Horror Nights taking place at Universal Studios Hollywood will immerse guests in a three-dimensional world of terror featuring a new slate of mazes, scare zones and a newly designed “Terror Tram” experience. Themes include American Horror Story, The Shining, SAW, Insidious and more.

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25. The folks at Rooftop Cinema Club are back with two screenings at their rooftop locations. Back To The Future at LEVEL in Downtown Los Angeles and Jurassic Park at Montalban in Hollywood.

26. Knott’s Scary Farm is back with their signature haunted attractions, mazes and thousands of monsters ready to scare the living day light out of you and your crew. Be sure to check for discount tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

27. The Actors Gang in Culver City will open their season with Captain Greedy’s Carnival, a musical satire mocking greed, humbug, corruption and predatory capitalism. Follow the story of four innocents who get tricked by a legendary con man. From there on they’ll encounter freaks, illusion, terrifying exhibitions and more. Happening Friday and Saturday. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

28. Get spooked during Paramount Pictures After Dark Tour: Tales From The Other Side where you’ll hear scandals of yesteryear and the lost souls who haunt the studio lot by moonlight. The tour starts at dusk with champagne as you head into the studio lot where you’ll weave in and out of sound stages and the darkest corners of the infamous backlot. You’ll end the night next door at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

29. Free museum days: Japanese American National Museum (from 5 to 8 p.m.),  MOCA Grand & MOCA Geffen (from 5 to 8 p.m.), Skirball and Long Beach Museum of Art (3 to 8 p.m.)

Friday October 6th, 2017

30. Get ready to shriek, because Urban Death: Tour of Terror is back at Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group in North Hollywood. This haunted theater attraction features a terrifying performance and a maze of inexplicable horrors, unfathomable monstrosities, and the disturbing spirits that walk among us. The organizers have been creating versions of Urban Death for 12 years and the theatre group is known for creating boundary-pushing live progressive theater. Happening every Friday and Saturday this month. Check for discount tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

31. Eat|See|Hear returns with Front Porch Cinema, a free movie night below the stars every Friday on Santa Monica Pier from Sept. 29 through Oct. 27. This fall film series will also feature music, drinks, and bites before each screening. Guests have the option to rent old-timey lawn chairs on site or bring their own gear. The series continues with a screening of The Princess Bride. FREE

32. The L.A. Greek Festival returns Oct. 6 -8 for a big fat block party featuring delicious Greek food, live music, dancing and more. Now in its 19th year, the event is a popular one, drawing over 15,000 each year. This year honorary chairs and co hosts are Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson.

33. It’s Oktoberfest at the Pomona Fairplex! Oom-pah music, the Chicken Dance, authentic German brats and brews such as wheat beers flown directly from Germany will be on hand to help you party in Bavarian style. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

34. The 10th annual IndieCade gaming festival is coming to Little Tokyo in DTLA from Oct. 6 through 8 featuring 200+ innovative indie games. Test out games, attend talks, network, and meet both new creators and industry legends.

35. Head over to Torrance for one of the most well-known Oktoberfest celebrations in the L.A. area! Alpine Village Oktoberfest runs Sept. 8 through Oct 28 every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy traditional Bavarian food, beer, dancing, and more.

36. The Griffith Observatory hosts a monthly forum where some of the most amazing phenomena in the known universe are explained and discussed. It’s called All Space Considered and it takes place on the first Friday of every month. FREE

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37. Now in its 6th year, the L.A. Podcast Festival happening October 6-8 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles will feature industry panels, parties, a DIY podcast lab, and a special stand-up comedy show on Saturday featuring Marc Maron and appearances by shows My Favorite Murder, Doug Loves Movies, Jackie & Laurie Show, Dork Forest and many more.

38. The ultimate NSFW traveling showcase returns to Think Tank Gallery in DTLA on Oct. 6 and 7, I Didn’t Ask For This: A Lifetime of Dick Pics features a tongue-in-cheek approach to dick pics. However, it’s not just all show and tell. The event also features various panels and discussions on gender inequality and consent in the digital age. There will also be celebrity panelists on-site, including Garbage front woman Shirley Manson, Sovereign Syre (author and feminist pornstar) and Tristan Taormino (sex educator and author).

39. The folks at Rooftop Cinema Club are back with two screenings at their rooftop locations. Raiders of the Lost Ark at LEVEL in Downtown Los Angeles and Mary Poppins at Montalban in Hollywood.

40. Since its the first Friday of the month check out all the cool events happening around town including block parties and art walks for First Fridays.

41. There’s a Musical Parody of Hocus Pocus at Los Angeles’ Rockwell Table & Stage. The 1993 family comedy starred Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker as three witches looking to feed on the youth of the world on Halloween. Only two teens, a young girl and a once-human cat can stop them. In this version expect powerhouse songs and lots of jokes. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

42. Free museum days: Norton Simon Museum (5 to 8 p.m.), Pasadena Museum of California Art (noon to 5 p.m.) and Long Beach Museum of Art.


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