With this weekend home to both “May the Fourth Be with You…” Star Wars celebrations and Cinco de Mayo, it’s already pretty diverse. But add in three big child/family celebrations, a huge stand-up comedy festival, and one of our biggest neighborhood events of the year – the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society’s annual garden tour – and spring fun is really busting out all over on our Larchmont Buzz calendar.
Highlights
Friday evening includes two big museum-based events. First is the May edition of the Natural History Museum‘s First Fridays adult after-hours parties. This year’s overall theme is From Feelings to Pheromones, and tonight’s installment, starting at 5 pm with music, dancing, a sensory lounge, and expert-led discussions, is titled The Plant Clones are Coming.
Next, and a bit closer to home, Jazz at LACMA, the popular free outdoor music series, welcomes the Bob Mintzer Big Band from 6-8 pm.
And also right in the neighborhood tonight, the Wilshire Ebell Theater hosts one of the scores of standup comedy events in this year’s huge Netflix is a Joke comedy fest, which features dozens of well- and lesser-known comedians performing in close to 30 venues across the city from now through May 12. Tonight’s performance at the Ebell, starting at 7 pm, features Steven Ho and Nurse John, both known for their hospital/medical-themed humor.
Tomorrow there are two big local events. First, ClayLA is the Craft Contemporary‘s annual two-day celebration of all things clay (12-5 pm on Saturday and 11 am-5pm on Sunday), with workshops, exhibits, and a huge marketplace featuring the works of local clay artists.
And then the Windsor Square Hancock Park Historical Society hosts its annual garden tour, this year titled All Good Gardens Big and Small. The event, from 12-4 pm on Saturday, features five local gardens, refreshments, and a silent auction.
Finally, for history buffs this week, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles hosts a
presentation and panel discussion – History & Restoration of Grand Central Air Terminal – on early commercial air travel and the Glendale airport (as well as its later incarnations) by historian Steve Spiegel (who designed the museum exhibit housed in the building), architect John Berley (who oversaw Disney’s incredible restoration of the building), and Jeff Greene, founder and Executive Chairman of EverGreene Architectural Arts at the Glendale Airport.
Family Celebrations
For those looking specifically for family and kid-friendly events this weekend, there are at least three big festivals to recommend. First, the LA Zoo hosts DÃa de los Niños/Children’s Day on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. It’s celebration of all things children and childhood, featuring bilingual (Spanish and English) storytelling, music and dance performances, education activities, crafts, and more.
Also, just across the street from the Zoo, the Autry Museum of the American West will host its 9th annual Great Big Family Play Day on both Saturday (11am-4pm) and Sunday (10am-4pm). It’s billed as “Coachella for Kids,” and offers “two stages filled with live entertainment, character meet-and-greets, the BIGGEST Dino Exhibit we’ve ever had covering 20,000 square feet of space, plus arts & crafts, create & build, sports & games, a bike course, local programs & camps, food, fun, swag and more!”
And finally, a bit smaller and closer to home but still very cool, the Velaslavasay Panorama, on 24th Street between Hoover and Magnolia, is hosting Panorama Play Street from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday. It’s a big block party featuring various exhibits and information from a variety of community organizations, activities and puppet shows for the kids, and more. If you haven’t visited this uniqe venue yet, this would be a great reason to do so.
May the Fourth Be With You
OK, it’s not an official holiday, but to a certain portion of the movie-going and pop culture world, May 4 – or, in Star-Wars-speak, “May the Fourth Be With You” – is an occasion to be celebrated. This Saturday, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures obliges in a big way with a day-long Across the Galaxy celebration including workshops, droid meet-and-greets, sneak-peek tours of the Inventing Worlds and Characters: Encounters gallery, and screenings of two entries in the Star Wars franchise, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Rogue One. See the links above for details, times, and more information.
Meanwhile, the Philosophical Research Society, in Los Feliz, offers EXPTV Star Wars, Nothing But Star Wars from 6-9 pm on Saturday. It’s a screening of a video mixtape described as “the ultimate feature-length comedy compilation from a galaxy far, far away – documenting the last 40 years of the the Star Wars phenomenon and comprised entirely of unseen, lost, forgotten and is-this-real-or-am-I-dreaming archival Original Trilogy video madness.”
And, finally, the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles gets into the Star Wars spirit, too, with its annual May the Fourth Be With You Organ Concert from 8-9 pm on Saturday. Your favorite galactic tunes will be played on one of the world’s largest organs, with more than 20,000 pipes, and the FCCLA Cathedral Choir will make a guest appearance, along with Grammy-winning pianist Gloria Cheng playing movements from John Williams’ concert music ‘Conversations. And, yes, it’s all free!
Cinco de Mayo
Sunday is Cinco de Mayo, and we’ve heard at least two area restaurants, both in Sycamore Square, are having special events. First, Three Borders Brunch & Grill, on Olympic between La Brea and Sycamore, will be having a big fiesta from 10am to 5 pm, with games and family-friendly activities (including a bounce house and visiting police and fire vehicles). 20% of the day’s proceeds will be donated to nearby Wilshire Crest Elementary School to purchase much-needed classroom supplies, so it’s also a great opportunity to do good while eating well and enjoying yourself.
Also, just up the street at 8th and La Brea, All Season Brewing Company in the old Firestone building will be hosting a more adult-oriented Cinco de Mayo Fiesta with wine tasting, a Chicas Tacos taco-eating contest, a piñata smashing party, and more.
Movies
Finally, in addition to the two Star Wars films mentioned above at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, there are, as always, several other fun movies showing on local big screens this weekend. They include:
Friday
High and Low – 7:30 pm – New Beverly Cinema
Kill Bill – 11:59 pm – New Beverly Cinema
Saturday
Breaking Away – 2:00 pm – New Beverly Cinema
High and Low – 7:30 pm – New Beverly Cinema
Easy A – 11:59 pm – New Beverly Cinema
Sunday
Breaking Away – 2:00 pm – New Beverly Cinema
The Great Ziegfeld – 2:00 pm – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The Lords of Flatbush – 6:30 pm – New Beverly Cinema
Trash Mex’s Cinco de Mayo – 7:00 pm – Philosophical Research Society
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – 7:30 pm – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
And of course, also as always, these are just some of the many great local(ish) events you’ll find on our Larchmont Buzz calendar – so be sure to check it every day.
Have a great weekend!
