All the sparkles and celebrations of Pride month are coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean the sparkle party stops there. It’s Pre-4th of July week everybody, and sparklers, fireworks, and summer fun are on their way! If you plan on heading out to the beach or elsewhere for the holiday, why not prepare yourself by staying a little closer to home this week and catch the last of the month’s offerings. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is on screen for LGBTQ Night @ Cinespia, and The Grove will throw its hat in the ring for a Pride Night all its own. Listen to authentic West African sounds at Grand Performances, learn about the power of movement with Black – Still, and have cocktails with the Art Deco Society at The Wolves. So much to do, and you have a whole week, so get to it!
Arts, Culture, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and The Wolves
On Saturday, June 24, LA Pride presents – drumroll please – LGBTQ Night @ Cinespia with a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) at LA State Historic Park! Of all the fan favorites I haven’t seen, this cult classic is at the top of my ‘need to watch’ list. It stars Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Susan Sarandon as Janet, and a colorful cast of characters including the late one-man rock opera, Meat Loaf. Watch as sweethearts Brad and Janet, stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, and through elaborate song and dance, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation – a beautiful man named “Rocky Horror.” Gates open at 7:30 p.m. Enjoy a free photobooth, full bar, DJ, and munchies before the film. Movie starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are only $22!
Grand Performances is back again this week bringing you the West African sounds of Gambia and beyond (for FREE) on Saturday, June 24 from 6-10 p.m. Described as a living archive of the Gambian people, Sona Jobarteh is the first professional female Kora virtuoso to come from West Africa, and one whose lineage carries a “formidable reputation” for renowned Kora masters, including her cousin – the legendary Toumani Diabaté. Nubians are considered the Pharaohs of Sudan, and The Nubian Sound Group, an LA-based ensemble of local Nubian musicians and dancers, will be in the house opening the night with a rare performance of royal northeast African sounds. Get ready for an authentic presentation of ancient melodies and rhythms! And darling DJ Passionfruit will kick things off with disco sounds from around the world at 6 p.m. Kindly RSVP here. For Location, Parking & FAQ, click here.
What’s a summer without attending a festival (or ten), and LA Design Festival: Design for the People is definitely one you should consider. Happening now-Sunday, June 25 at ROW DTLA, Design for the People encompasses voices from all walks of life, backgrounds, creative practices, educational experiences, and places of origin including those that are often excluded, dismissed or overlooked. The festival will also explore social, technological, environmental, political, and economic shifts that are rapidly changing the way our future will look. As a global design capital, Los Angeles has the opportunity to create a space for collaborative engagement with creatives from all corners of our city and the world. LA Design Festival provides a place for creatives to explore and engage with other members of the design community. Hours are 10:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Entrance is FREE.
Use postures, breathing, relaxation, and meditation methods you’ll learn at the Craft Contemporary: Black – Still: FREE Movement Workshops to get more in tune with your higher self. On Sunday, June 25, join your fellow man for a day of movement in and around the museum’s courtyard installation, Black – Still, at a yoga session with Sonya Om or Movement Workshop with Ajani Brannum (you can register for one workshop or both). The afternoon will begin at 12-1:30 p.m. with a classical yoga session for all ages and levels, followed by a movement workshop from 2-3:30 p.m. This workshop (designed for ages 18 and up) will also give students a chance to talk about and reflect on the power of movement, so participants are encouraged to bring writing materials. Advanced RSVP is required; workshop limited to 15 people. Be sure to check Craft’s calendar for other events like Open Clay Time and more this week, too.
I love these events! What better way to learn about the way things were than by having Cocktails in Historic Places® at The Wolves on Sunday, June 25 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Join the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles for no-host cocktails (that means you’re buyin’) in the 1906 John Parkinson designed Alexandria Hotel, once the most extravagant hotel in the city (it cost $2 million to build – that’s almost $68 million today!), and was once a gathering place for the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, King Edward VIII, and Charlie Chaplin. The Wolves DTLA is a “Belle Époque” style bar with Parisienne flair, innovative cocktails, and a French-American menu, so come see for yourself! Cocktails in Historic Places happens once a month in an historic building, with a bar, for the public and ADSLA members to socialize and revel in the beauty of historic architecture – “It’s our duty”! All are welcome; no reservations required.
Larchmont Village sweetheart Chevalier’s Books won’t start its week off until hump day, this coming Wednesday, June 28, when award-winning author Christine Sneed will be in store discussing her new book, Direct Sunlight, with Colette Sartor at 6 p.m. Inspired by the “memorable strangeness of everyday life,” the characters in these topically diverse tales experience events that bring the terms of their day-to-day lives and their relationships into focus in a new way. RSVP here. Next up is Write Here Now Poets at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 29, followed by Nathan Masters’ Crooked on Friday, June 30, in-store and in-conversation with local architecture writer Greg Goldin. The book is the riveting, forgotten narrative of the most corrupt attorney general in American history and the maverick senator who stopped at nothing to take him down. RSVP here. All talks are FREE!
And on Friday, June 30, The Original Farmers Market and The Grove cordially invite you to their FREE annual Pride Night from 5-9:30 p.m., with disco dancing, live entertainment, festive bingo, and more! Gilmore Lane will transform into a “sequin-filled disco oasis” complete with Pride-themed décor, rainbow dance floor, and photo ops aplenty. Lance Bass will kick things off with a Pet Parade and Adoption Event, and Pop Ups like a Beer Garden and Market Food Stands will abound. Bingo begins at 6:30 p.m.; tickets are $60 pp and include 10 rounds with LA legend ‘Bingo Boy,’ meal and beverage tickets, and special prizes from brands like Alo Yoga, Diptyque, and Todd Snyder. Proceeds will be donated to LA Pride. P.S. Pride Night is sponsored by Afterpay, so if you have (or open) an account you can get your Bingo ticket reimbursed, as well as some extra swag, just by showing the app on your phone at check-in. Cool!
Community and Local Government
What brings people to California and why should we stay? On Sunday, June 25, Latino, Black, AAPI, and Jewish leaders will examine and discuss the results from the latest California Community Poll through their communities’ unique perspectives at Building Bridges: What are Californians Thinking. Come join a diverse group of leaders from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Holocaust Museum LA for a town-hall conversation. The California Community Poll is an ongoing partnership between the LA Times, Strategies 360, The Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality, and the Los Angeles Urban League. Building Bridges is HMLA’s signature series that brings together leaders from diverse communities for conversations about common social justice goals. This event is FREE; RSVP HERE.
The Mid City West Neighborhood Council has two meetings again for y’all this week, starting with a Planning and Land Use Committee on Monday, June 26 and ending with an Social and Racial Equity Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 27. 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 meeting on the schedule this week and it’s the all important Land Use Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 27 at 6:30 p.m. All Land Use Committee meetings take place at Marlborough School, 250 S Rossmore Ave. (enter via 3rd street security gate). Check the GWNC’s website for agendas and full schedule.
If you missed the blood drive at the Original Farmers Market last week, or are just feeling extra generous, then head on down, up, or over to the Blood Drive at The Ebell hosted with the American Red Cross on Wednesday, June 28 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Every day, blood donors help patients of all ages, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer and other chronic diseases. Help save a life at one of LA’s most beautiful and historic locations, The Ebell! Schedule your appointment here or just show up and donate. The entrance is at 741 S. Lucerne Blvd. Look for free parking in the lot across the way.
