I’d like to start by welcoming you all to the second week of July. Not super exciting on its own, but add the 40th anniversary of Outfest, the opening night of the Griffith Park Shakespeare Festival, CicLAvia South LA, and the Great LA River CleanUp to that sentence, and now you’ve got somethin’ special. The Holocaust Museum LA is also back in the mix this week with another one of its thought-provoking discussions, as granddaughters of Holocaust survivors and those of Nazis meet and discuss lessons from that dark time in history – so, so fascinating! And on a lighter note, free concerts, book talks, and a vintage show are also on the menu for those of you looking for a more laid-back happening.
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
Vintage shopping is something that never gets old for me, and if you feel the same, head over to the Pickwick Vintage Show, back again this week at ROW DTLA on Saturday, July 9. Sort through an abundant mix of vintage treasures from close to 50 vendors, including clothing, jewelry, accessories, inspiration and more. Doors open at 10 a.m. for early birds ($20), and noon for general admission ($10), and will be open until 4 p.m. Limited tickets will be available for purchase at the door, so advanced ticket purchase is highly recommended. This may be the last show of the season at ROW, so be sure to check back regularly for updates.
Kicking off the first concert of July with a special lineup, Grand Performances will be bringing the funk this Saturday, July 9 from 6-10 p.m. Viral YouTube sensations Scary Pockets, brass maestros CARM and DJ Aaron Paar (aka DJ Destroyer) will all be gracing the stage. Scary Pockets has a rotating roster of world class musicians who release live funk reimaginations of familiar songs every week, with 200+ collaborators including Larry Goldings, John Scofield, Darren Criss, Antwaun Stanley, Judith Hill, Bruno Major, Bahamas, Theo Katzman, Elise Trouw, Lizzy McAlpine, and Bill Wurtz. Next up for GP is World Stage Night on Saturday, July 16. Grand Performances take place at 350 South Grand Ave. in DTLA. This event is free and open to all ages; register here.
The Griffith Park Shakespeare Festival has returned and will open this Saturday, the 9th of July! Treat yo’self to an entire summer of free theater, starting with Shakespeare’s friend Francis Beaumont’s rarely performed, The Knight of the Burning Pestle, followed by Macbeth on August 6. This family-friendly production is a LA premiere and will run through July 31, with evening performances every Wed-Sun all month long. Seating is limited and first come, first served, so maybe try to get there early for once. In addition, there will be several pre-show events including Night of Knights, a dress-up night on July 21, and a Celebrate the Summer Faire on July 30. P.S. SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition will be collecting hygiene supply kits for the local unhoused population, so if you can, please bring items to donate. The festivities will take place at The Dell at the top of the Old Zoo. Registration is required.
Hollywood Forever Movie Nights have been back in our lives for a little while now, and will continue to be this week on Saturday, July 9 with one of my personal favs Almost Famous. Unfortunately, that show is sold out, but tickets to next week’s screening are still up for grabs. Showgirls will be the main event for Saturday, July 16, as sweet Jessie Spano (Elizabeth Berkley) straps on her classiest Vegas stripper shoes and shows us how it’s done. You’re welcome to bring your own picnic with food and drinks, or you can opt to patronize the beer and wine bar and or concessions stand. Bonus: there will also be a free Photobooth for you and yours to ham it up in. Gates at 7:15 p.m. / Movie at 9 p.m.
Inspired by the Ciclovía events that started 45 years ago in Bogotá, Columbia, more than 3 miles of Western Ave. in South LA will be closed to car traffic this Sunday, and open to bikes, skateboards, skates, non-motorized scooters, and pedestrians during CicLAvia South LA. Come celebrate the open streets of Vermont Square, Harvard Park, Chesterfield Square, Exposition Park, and King Estates on Sunday, July 10 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., where you can breathe fresher air and feel the love of community. There is no starting point or finish line, so feel free to go at your own pace and explore the area (see this guide to local gems and rules of the route). This is a free event for people of all ages and abilities, with only people-powered vehicles allowed (motorized wheelchairs are the exception). There will also be hubs and activities along the way with water stations, restrooms, first aid stations, and more.
On Sunday, July 10 at 4 p.m., the Holocaust Museum LA will present yet another thought provoking program, Granddaughters of the Holocaust, an in-person conversation with the grandchildren of both survivors and Nazis. Beth Kean, the Museum’s CEO and granddaughter of survivors, will discuss lessons of the Holocaust in conversation with Dr. Franziska Frank; the granddaughter of Hans Frank, Hitler’s governor general of occupied Poland who was sentenced to death at the Nuremberg trials after the war. The discussion will be moderated by Jordanna Gessler, who is also a granddaughter of survivors and the Museum’s VP of Education and Exhibits; register here. In operation since 1961, Holocaust Museum LA is the first survivor-founded and oldest Holocaust museum in the US. Museum admission is free for all students and California residents.
Also on Sunday, July 10, the Fountain Theatre will livestream the final performance of Roe by Lisa Loomer (see our review here) beginning at 8 p.m. PT/11 p.m. ET. The event, which the theater calls “part outdoor rally, part call to action, part guerrilla theater,” tells the story of “Norma McCorvey, known as “Jane Roe” and Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who argued the case—behind Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that gave women the right to safe, legal abortions.” It’s just ending a 3-week, sold-out run on the Fountain’s outdoor stage, where it was presented as a “hyper-staged” reading. Sunday’s livestream will available free of charge as a public service to audiences around the country. To receive the link, go to www.fountaintheatre.com.
Chevalier’s Books is bringing you a trio of subsequent in-store gatherings and book discussions this week, along with one virtual to add a little spice. First up, poets and authors from FlowerSong Press will be gracing the store with their presence for a chill night of book readings on Monday, July 11 at 6 p.m. The second day will commence on Tuesday, July 12 at 7 p.m. with the release of Jeff Bishop’s YA novel A Heavy Dose of Allison Tandy, followed by a book signing. Thirdly, on Wednesday, July 13 at 7 p.m., come celebrate the release of cartoonist Olivia de Recat’s new book Drawn Together while learning how to draw! Masks required for all in-store events. And that virtual event I mentioned will be happening on Thursday, July 14. Check Chevalier’s calendar for deets.
Attention, all! Celebrating its 40th anniversary of LGBTQ+ film and television, Outfest LA will make its triumphant return on Thursday, July 14 and run through Sunday, July 24, so bust out those stretchy pants because you’ve been invited to an 11-day feast for the eyes and mind with more than 200 films spanning every genre, and representing 29 countries from around the world. There will be an Opening Night Gala, of course, bringing you the world premiere of Billy Porter’s directorial debut Anything’s Possible, as well as a Closing Night Gala and screening of They/Them starring Kevin Bacon. So much good stuff is going on, including special events such as the 6th Annual Trans, Nonbinary & Intersex Summit, a 20th Anniversary screening of Far from Heaven with the director and Julianne Moore in attendance, and live-performances by The Future X, Alaska Thunderf*ck – possibly the best stage name I’ve heard in my 40+ years of life – and the always hilarious Margaret Cho. The festival will take place in multiple locations around town, including The Orpheum, Ace Hotel, The Ford, Harmony Gold, and Plaza de la Raza. Tickets range from $8-$175.
Community and Local Government
Get your wellies out kids because the 33rd Annual Great LA River CleanUp, brought to you by the lovely folks at Friends of the LA River (FoLAR) continues this Saturday, July 9 at Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park. The July CleanUp dates feature two key sites and will take place at five handpicked sites along the 51-mile river, including a new site at Maywood Riverfront Park. Clean ups start at either 8 a.m. or 9 a.m., depending upon the location, and if you cant make it out this weekend, no worries, there will be plenty of chances to help out on July 16, July 23, and July 30. This popular annual event draws 1000s of volunteers and is “a place to learn about and take a hands-on approach to addressing climate change,” all while preventing tons of trash (literally) from entering the river. Register as a volunteer here.
Your local NC, the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council has just the General Board meeting on the schedule this week on Wednesday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m. Click here to view the calendar for details.
And the Mid City West Neighborhood Council will wrap up our events list with just two gatherings on the books this week, starting with a General Board meeting on Tuesday, July 12 at 6:30 p.m., followed by weekly, in-person Wednesday Walks on Wednesday, July 13. Click here to check Mid City’s calendar for details.
