Happy Pride Month everyone! It’s June, and with most graduations having taken place already, summer has unofficially begun. And although the magic of summer tends to fade as we age, that doesn’t mean you can’t still get a little excited about it because summer is a feeling. I know I don’t have to explain that to anyone, either, because y’all know what I’m talking about. Go enjoy an outdoor concert, catch a festival of some sort, read some books, eat good food, and relax in good company. It’s time to let down your hair and chill.
Arts, Culture, Music, More Music, and Pride
PRIDE HAS ARRIVED! LA Pride in the Park, with mega superstar headliners Mariah Carey and Megan Thee Stallion, is really getting the party started this weekend with two concerts at LA State Historic Park. Catch The Stallion on Friday, June 9 and Mariah on Saturday, June 10. Check the LA Pride website for the full lineup of acts, activities, and for general info. Festival hours will be from 3-11 p.m. on Fri and 1-11 p.m. on Sat. General Admission and VIP Tickets range from $139-$589. 
Also in the queue, of course, is the 53rd Annual LA Pride Parade, providing the perfect end to a packed weekend on Sunday, June 11 starting at 11 a.m. More than 145,000 of you came out last year to take part in the show, and this year you can expect even more fun and Pride, with extra performances, music, and surprises. Bonus: Pride Village – a FREE street fair with food, activities, and live performances – will be in full swing near the Parade route.
Did you know that the COLA Individual Artist Fellowship, given out by the Dept of Cultural Affairs (DCA), allows accomplished artists to create new work with increased freedom to innovate and experiment in the disciplines of design, visual arts, performing arts, and literary arts? Now we both do! And on Saturday, June 10, Grand Performances will be presenting a live showcase by this year’s Fellows: Daniel Corral is a Filipino-American composer/performer who moved to LA in 2005, where his unique voice found an outlet in accordion orchestras, microtonal electronics, puppet operas, and other various collabs. David Ulin is a writer/editor of fiction, essays, poetry, and criticism. Jasmine Orpilla is an Ilokana/x-American vocal performance artist and operatic composer of experimental theatrical sound installations. The FREE show starts at 6 p.m. RSVP here.
Also, non-profit arts organization LAUNCH LA will produce its 20th Annual TARFEST Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, June 10. Held in partnership with Pan Pacific Park, this FREE One-Day-Only Festival celebrates local artists and culture with live musical performances, creative activities and demonstrations, face painting, breakdancing, art installations (curated from the world-class LA art community), a biergarten & cocktail lounge… AND some of the best food trucks in Los Angeles! TARFEST and LAUNCH LA provide important performance and exhibition opportunities to some of the region’s finest emerging artists, performers, and cultural innovators. Open from 2-7 p.m. P.S. If you’re driving, overflow parking will be available at The Grove (off Grove Dr. next to the park).
Next up is the nine-time Grammy Award-winning Emerson String Quartet, stopping off at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Saturday, June 10. Currently embarking on its farewell season after an incredible 47 years together (!), one of the world’s foremost string quartets reminisces on its almost five-decade-long musical journey by revisiting many familiar venues, including the DCP. For this performance, the players will join legendary soprano Renée Fleming and pianist Simone Dinnerstein for the imaginative new concert work, Penelope. Composed expressly for Fleming by composer André Previn, the story follows a woman frequently courted by suitors, but loyally awaiting her wandering husband. Tickets range from $29-$214. Concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
In another great sign of summer, Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles (Levitt LA) is thrilled to announce its 16th summer long season of FREE family-friendly summer performances in Historic MacArthur Park! The season will kick off on Saturday, June 10 with La Banda Elástica’s – Botas vs. Sombreros, featuring Bostich + Fussible and Nunca Jamás on stage from 7-10 p.m. Dance and sway to the sounds of Nortec (the lovechild of norteño and techno) from Nortec Collective, Bostich + Fussible, and Nunca Jamàs, delighting audiences with a mashup of hard rock and the regional sounds of northeastern Mexico. Levitt LA makes live music accessible to all, creating stronger and more connected communities! Bonus: All are welcome to bring their own picnics, blankets, and lawn chairs. Food and non-alcoholic bevs will be available from local vendors. No outside alcohol permitted.
Good News! The LA Zoo’s Sustainable Wine + Dinner Series continues this month on Thursday, June 15, with the more than a century old (that’s 4 generations), Riboli Family Wines from 6-9 p.m. Join your fellow foodies and wine-pairing lovers for a night you won’t soon forget, featuring gourmet farm-to-table menus, expert wine pairings, and fascinating takes on conservation and sustainability that might just change your perspective on things. For these exclusive evenings, the LA Zoo has partnered with several CA wineries who serve as inspiration for the custom 4-course menus created by its own executive chef, Eileen Aguilera. Each evening focuses on a different topic and features convos with a curator or keeper, and winery reps. The cost is $175 per person and $165 for Members. Tickets sell out fast, so make haste! Click here for full menu and wine list.
Pride Month is the gift that keeps on giving and on Friday, June 16, the 10th Annual LA Pride LGBTQ Night at Dodger Stadium will keep the gifts coming. Watch the Dodgers beat the SF Giants on a night that also benefits the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the world’s largest provider of support for LGBT individuals. Along with the game and raffle, there’ll also be a Community Hero Award ceremony honoring The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence®, an Order of queer and trans nuns that, since 1979, have devoted themselves to community service and ministry to those on the edges, all while using humor and irreverent wit against the forces of bigotry. The pregame Pride party starts at 5 p.m. in the right field pavilion. Game starts at 7:10 p.m. Tickets range from $66-$112 and include an exclusive Dodgers LGBTQ+ jersey!
Blood Donor Day, Fundraising, and Local Government
GO Campaign, a nonprofit that raises awareness and funds to help vulnerable children around the world, will be holding its 2023 Vintage Hollywood Event on Saturday, June 10 at The Park Santa Monica. The event will take place from 6-9 p.m. and showcase an exclusive group of more than two dozen wineries, with food from some of the area’s top restaurants, including local favorites like Marino Ristorante. The evening will also include a uniquely curated silent auction. Proceeds will support the non-profit’s ‘Local Heroes’ who are “creating change at the grassroots level to help children thrive.” Check the website for a full list of participating vintners and restaurants. For more info and to purchase tickets, visit the link here. Tickets start at $350.
Special Saturday Sale!! I love alliterations, don’t you? And so do the friendly folks of Friends of the Fairfax Branch Library. Come on down, buy some gently used books and support the FOTL who do all sorts of nice things for the community, such as supplementing library programs and book collections. Fairfax Library is located at 161 S. Gardner St. The book sale take places at the library every Wednesday from 12-4 p.m. The Special Sale will happen this Saturday, June 10 and also take place from 12-4 p.m. For ADA accommodations, call (213) 228-7430 at least 72 hours prior to the event.
The Mid City West Neighborhood Council has two meetings for y’all this week, starting with a General Board Meeting on Tuesday June 13 and ending with an Outreach and Civic Engagement Committee on Thursday, June 15. Meetings commence at 6:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. Check Mid City’s calendar for more info and full schedule of meetings. Please Note: all MCW meetings will now be held at the Pan Pacific Park Senior Center (lunch room) located at 141 S. Gardner St.
And your local NC, the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council has one gathering on the calendar this week and it’s the General Board Meeting on Wednesday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. All Board meetings take place in the Ebell of Los Angeles Dining Room located at 743 S Lucerne Blvd. Check the GWNC’s website for agendas and full schedule.
Finally, roll up those sleeves, people, because it’s that day again – World Blood Donor Day! Make your way over to the Original Farmers Market any time between 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. to donate your precious, lifesaving blood at a community Blood Drive. Look out for the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Bloodmobile, which will be parked next to the Market’s historic gas station on Wednesday, June 14 and Thursday, June 15 at the times listed above. Bonus: All donors will receive free parking for the day, so why not reward yourself with some shopping or a bite to eat afterward.
