This is Easter weekend, so there are a number of holiday and spring-related items on our list of fun things to do over the next few days. But it’s also supposed to rain for much of Saturday and Sunday, so we’ll preface everything by saying that if an outdoor event catches your eye, it’s probably worth checking with the venue to make sure it’s still on as scheduled. That said, here’s our curated selection of events for this weekend from our larger (much larger) Buzz calendar.
Friday, March 29
The LA Zoo is first out of the gate this weekend with its three-day Spring Fling running from 8 am to 5 pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This “jubilant celebration of nature’s renewal” is entirely family-friendly, with “egg-citing activities” including “fascinating education stations, pollinator spotlights, live story readings, special animal feedings, and photos with Big Bunny.”
A bit later, starting at 5 pm on Friday, the Petersen Museum will hold an opening reception for its new Eyes on the Road: Art of the Automotive Landscape exhibit. The show features works by Ed Ruscha, Vik Muniz, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Mr. Brainwash, Roger Kuntz, Harry Chandler, and many others. A panel discussion at the opening event will include artists Carter Tutwiler, artists Harry Chandler and Jeffrey Sincich, Disney Legend and Imagineer Bob Gurr, and Guest Curator Jim Farber.
At 7 pm, LACMA holds the last of its Ramadan-adjacent sunset events inspired by the exhibit Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting, bringing people together over food and live musical performances. Visitors are encouraged to break their fast (if they’re observing) by bringing their own picnic blankets and refreshments or purchasing a custom mezze box created by chef Paris Rezaie. At tonight’s event, performer and composer Fahad Siadat will present an evening of “improvisation-based pieces for electronically enhanced voice and a specially tuned piano.” The event is free, but RSVPs are required.
And finally tonight, if you’re more in the mood to laugh, the Dynasty Typewriter comedy club will present Fast & Furious: A Musical Parody, at 7:30 pm. It’s an update of a popular pre-pandemic show – “New songs! New dances! Same dumb premise!” – in which “your favorite car-driving gang members battle their greatest foe yet– singing and dancing at the same time.”
Saturday, March 30
Starting early on Saturday morning and running from 9am-1pm, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will present one of its periodic sensory-friendly gallery explorations and a family workshop inspired by the film Queen of Katwe (see our film list below for a related accessible screening). From 9-10 am, visitors will have early access to the Inventing Worlds and Characters: Animation and Effects galleries, with sound and lighting adjustments for a more sensory-friendly viewing experience. And then, from 10-11 am, there will be a special family workshop inspired by Queen of Katwe, at which families can illustrate themselves winning an Oscar, write their acceptance speech, and use a green screen to depict themselves in their future dream role or career.
From 10-11 am, if the rain holds off, kiddos and their parents can also head to Memorial Branch Library, 4625 W. Olympic Blvd., for a special holiday storytime and egg hunt at Memorial Park.
Meanwhile, for civic-minded adults, join the Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design (2339 Glendale Blvd., 90039) from 10 am to 12 pm for a panel discussion on LA’s hottest housing topic: ED1 Friend or Foe. Confirmed speakers include Rachel Allen (Principal, RADAR/Senior Fellow, LA Metro), Frances Anderton (Co-author, Awesome and Affordable, Author, Common Ground: Multifamily Housing in Los Angeles), Greg Goldin (Co-author, Never Built Los Angeles; Phaidon Atlas of Never Built Architecture), Joshua Gonzales (Education Director, Abundant Housing), Eduardo Mendoza (Policy Director, Liveable Communities Initiative), Rochelle Mills (President & CEO, Innovative Housing Opportunities (IHO), Boardmember, Housing California), Shane Phillips (Author, The Affordable City: Strategies for Putting Housing Within Reach (and Keeping it There), Manager, Randall Lewis Housing Initiative for the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies), Vijay Sehgal (Partner, FSY Architects), and Andrew Slocum (Principal, Green Development Company).
For a more peaceful morning, starting at 11 am on Saturday, the Japan Foundation Los Angeles will hold a calligraphy workshop in conjunction with its exhibit TATSU: Depictions of Dragons in Japanese Art. Instructor Kuniharu Yoshida will teach participants (ages 18+ only please) how to write the character for dragon in Japanese calligraphy (shodo), as well as the basics of correct posture, the proper way to hold an inkbrush, and the right stroke order. Calligraphy tools and paper will be provided; no experience is necessary. Admission is free, but RSVPs are required.
On Saturday evening, things heat up again with A Spring Night of R&B and Soul at the Wilshire Ebell Theater, starting at 7 pm and featuring Klymaxx (2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the hit “Meeting in The Ladies Room”) and the soulful songstresses Elaine Gibbs and Nicole Thompson.
Next, Dynasty Typewriter checks in again, with two opportunities – at 7:30 and 10 pm – to catch a taping of a show by standup comedian, best-selling author, producer, actress, and publisher Phoebe Robinson. Robinson is the author of the essay collections “You Can’t Touch My Hair,” “Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay,” and “Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes,” as well as the co-creator and co-star of the podcast “2 Dope Queens” and HBO series of the same name.
And finally on Saturday, at 8 pm, the Broad presents the latest installment of its LA Intersections music and spoken word series. The event spotlights “the musicians, writers, and movement artists who have helped position Los Angeles at the vanguard of cutting-edge culture,” and will include live music by Medusa the Gangsta Goddess, Alice Bag + Kid Congo Powers in their debut live performance as a duet, Kamau Daaood and a Band of Griots featuring Dwight Trible, and Anna Luisa Petrisko with Lu Coy and Mark Golamco. There will also be readings by 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist Will Alexander and Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight, Nein, Nein, Nein!); a video of the last interview with Sean DeLear, international scenester and frontman for the post-punk sensation Glue, and a slideshow of his posthumously discovered photos…along with dance performance work by Jobel Medina + Elliott “L” Sellers in the galleries.
Sunday, March 31
The legendary Hollywood Bowl Easter sunrise services are no more, but Easter events still break early on Sunday, starting with Forest Lawn’s Centennial Easter Sunrise Service at 6 am…at all six of the Forest Lawn memorial parks. The events all feature worship services (now moved indoors due to the weather forecast), and there will be a special family community event in Glendale. History buffs can also read more about 100 years of Forest Lawn Easter Sunrise Services here.
Next, if you’re looking for a special Easter meal, check out the holiday fare available from 11 am to 11 pm at the Cat & Fiddle Pub and Restaurant, 742 N. Highland Ave. The menu starts with a choice of Coconut Carrot Soup or Mixed Organic Green Salad with Dried Apricots & Toasted Almonds, includes an entree choice of popular Sunday Roasts (either Angus Rib, Australian Stuffed Leg of Lamb w/ Spinach & Kale, or the vegetarian Nut Roast), and a dessert choice of Chocolate Mousse or Sticky Toffee Pudding. Advance reservations are strongly suggested for both dine-in and takeaway orders. Prices range from $34-42 per person.
At 3 pm on Sunday afternoon, the Holocaust Museum LA will host a Survivor Talk with Betty Hyatt. Hyatt was born in 1934 in Antwerp, Belgium to Dutch parents. After Nazi Germany invaded Belgium, Betty’s parents fled with their family but were caught in Vichy France. They settled in a small town, received aid, and – after Betty’s father was taken by the Germans – joined the French resistance. Betty became a messenger and alerted local farmers to light bonfires to designate safe landing places for Allied Special Forces paratroopers. After the war, Betty, her mother, and her brother immigrated to the United States in 1946, and she settled in Los Angeles.
And finally on Sunday, there are more laughs at Dynasty Typewriter, this time with Comedy: Hope You Have Fun? at 7:30 p.m. Host Ruby Karp gathers her favorite comedians, including Beth Stelling, Aparna Nancherla, Dylan Adler, Pat Regan…and a “very special guest” not yet named.
Film
Last but not least, for film fans and movie buffs of all kinds, the weekend doesn’t disappoint. Here’s what’s showing for the next three days on the screens of our many local film-friendly venues.
Friday
6:30 pm – Women on the Verge of a Nervious Breakdown & Run, Lola, Run – New Beverly Cinema
7:30 pm – Bitter Rice & Thieves’ Highway – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
7:30 pm – Sylvia Scarlett – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
7:30 pm – Meredith Monk’s Book of Days – Philosophical Research Society
11:59 pm – Death Proof – New Beverly Cinema
Saturday
11 am – Queen of Katwe (accessible open-caption screening) – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
2 pm – Field of Dreams – New Beverly Cinema
2 pm – Pigskin Parade/One Horse Farmers/Twin Triplets – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
2 pm – The Mind Reader & In the Palm of Your Hand – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
2 pm – Oscar-Winning Animated Short Films – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
6:30 pm – Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown & Run, Lola, Run – New Beverly Cinema
7 pm – Legend of the Stardust Brothers – Philosophical Research Society
7:30 pm – Takashi Ito: Animating Spirits – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
7:30 pm – Nightmare Alley – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
11:59 pm – Resident Evil – New Beverly Cinema
Sunday
2 pm – Shanghai Express – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
2 pm – Field of Dreams – New Beverly Cinema
2 pm – Under the Gun & New York Confidential – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
3 pm – Oscar-Winning Animated Short Films – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
4 pm – ’98 Honda – Philosophical Research Society
6:30 am – Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown & Run, Lola, Run – New Beverly Cinema
7:30 pm – Godzilla Minus One – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
7:30 pm – Le Samourï – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
Remember, these are only some of the events you’ll find on our Buzz Calendar – be sure to check for more…every day, every week!
Have a great weekend…and a happy Easter!
