Coronavirus is wreaking havoc on schools, stores, businesses and events. With in-person concerts, talks, comedy shows, food festivals and other gatherings cancelled, we have turned our events column into a "nonevents" column. It will remain this way as long as social distancing and stay-at-home orders are in effect.
During this difficult time, please consider contributing to your local arts organizations or to individual artists and performers.
Celebrate the end of summer (what?) with drive-in movies (Cars, Back to the Future, The New Mutants), a Scarypoolparty concert and virtual Burning Man events. Don a hat or fascinator and sip a mint julep for the Kentucky Derby. Honor the Alex Theatre on its 95th birthday. Cheer on margarita-makers who go glass-to-glass in a friendly competition. Take part in a month long Coastal Cleanup.
Digital Dance DTLA: Samba
The Music Center's virtual summer dance series wraps this week with the samba, taught by Fransini Giraldo, a dancer, kinesiologist and nurse who studied and performed samba and folk dances throughout her life in her native Colombia.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Corpse Flower
Better known as a corpse flower, an amorphophallus titanum is getting ready to bloom at the Huntington. Although its galleries are closed and it lacks Smell-O-Vision, the Huntington's livestream is available 24-7.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Scarypoolparty
Drive-In OC at City National Grove of Anaheim
2200 East Katella Ave., Anaheim
Pomona native Scarypoolparty amassed 10 million streams on his debut album, Exit Form. Now, the musician and producer brings his talents to the drive-in. One ticket per vehicle; each passenger must have a seatbelt. Safety protocols will be enforced.
COST: $150 - $250; MORE INFO
The Art of Facing Fear
Written by Ivam Cabral and Rodolfo García Vázquez, this one-hour virtual play is inspired by the current worldwide pandemic and takes place in a dystopian future where people are struggling through a 5,555-day quarantine. The play has debuted in 10 countries adding international theater artists with each virtual run. The U.S. edition of the play, which is co-produced by L.A.'s Company of Angels, takes place on Saturdays at 5 p.m. PDT and 3 p.m. PDT on Sundays. The Zoom link will be emailed one hour prior to each show.
COST: $2 - $50; MORE INFO
Coastal Cleanup Month
Heal the Bay's Coastal Cleanup Day turns into Coastal Cleanup Month during this time of social distancing. There are decentralized cleanups throughout the month and weekly programming that includes conversations, panels and live Instagram chats. Organize the people in your pandemic bubble to clean up your street, park or local shoreline.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Alex Theatre's 95th Birthday
The Glendale theater celebrates its birthday with a 12-hour virtual event that reflects on stories, interviews and performances over the last nine decades. The virtual benefit will be broadcast through multiple channels. If you make a donation of $250 or more, you can be part of the pop-up audience as a photo cutout during the broadcast.
COST: FREE, but donations accepted; MORE INFO
L.A. Times Dinner Series
The L.A. Times' new dinner series brings curated menus and online gatherings to Angelenos at home. The series kicks off on Saturday with a collaboration dinner between chefs Jon Yao of Kato and Mei Lin of Nightshade. They'll design a dinner that brings the Taiwanese and Chinese influences of their respective restaurants together for a one-time-only takeout meal. To accompany the meal, there's a discussion planned between dinner guests and chefs via video chat, hosted by Lucas Kwan Peterson of the paper's food section.
COST: $175; MORE INFO
Back to the Future: Drive-In Cinema
Gardena Cinema
14948 Crenshaw Blvd., Gardena
Pack the fam into the Delorean and set the flux capacitor for the Los Angeles Arts Society. Its latest offering is a pop-up drive-in screening Back to the Future. Cinematographer Dean Cundey joins for a live Q&A and intro before the movie.
COST: $25 per vehicle; MORE INFO
Margarita Showdown
HomeState's second annual boozy showdown goes virtual for a good cause. Livestreamed on www.MargaritaShowdown.com, the competition is hosted by comedian Cristela Alonzo and features musical performances by Spoon, Chicano Batman, Questlove, Local Natives and Fred Armisen intercut with margarita-makers sharing their drinks and stories. Attendees can watch from the comfort of their homes while they sip and vote for their favorite cocktails. Competitors include El Carmen, El Compadre, El Condor, Gold Line, Gracias Madre, HomeState, Las Perlas and Petty Cash. Attendees who would like to participate in the drinking and voting can pre-order a margarita flight package and pick them up at HomeState in Highland Park on Saturday (ID required). All proceeds from ticket sales will go to No Us Without You! andWatts Empowerment Center.
COST: FREE - $50; MORE INFO
Kentucky Derby
Women Who Whiskey Los Angeles throws a virtual party to celebrate the Derby aka "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports!" Grab a bourbon, mint julep and a fancy hat and join in the conversation. All (21+) are welcome.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Cars at the Drive-In
Rose Bowl Stadium
1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena
Bring the family for a meta movie experience: a screening of Cars from your cars for a fun, safe and socially distanced drive-in experience.
COST: $35 per car; MORE INFO
Texas Chainsaw BBQ
Dirk's Terror Tavern
13730 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks
The pub celebrates 1974 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with Texas-style BBQ ribs, brisket, pickle-brined chicken thighs and all the sides. For a $10 add-on, get all-you-can-drink Bluebird Brasserie beer.
COST: $35 per person; MORE INFO
Labor Day Pie Classes
The Gourmandise School of Sweets & Savories in Santa Monica hosts two virtual pie baking classes on Labor Day. Learn the art of hand-making a flaky, all-butter pie crust with a rich blueberry filling in the Blueberry Pie class (10 a.m.). Take a stab at creating a key lime filling and a gooey s'mores filling in graham cracker crusts in the S'mores and Key Lime Pies (1:30 p.m.). The classes are taught by pastry chef Clemence Gosset. Upon registration, each participant receives a shopping list and Zoom ID number to prep for online baking.
COST: Tickets start at $55; MORE INFO
Melrose Trading Post
Fairfax High School
7850 Melrose Ave., Fairfax
The open-air market with arts, crafts, vintage goods, fashion, antique furniture and collectibles recently reopened after a COVID-19 closure. New safety protocols are in place, including limiting the number of shoppers and requiring them to wear face coverings. If tickets are sold out online, a limited number of cash tickets will be sold at the entrance.
COST: $5; MORE INFO
Burning Man Multiverse
Are you a burner missing Black Rock City? Burning Man has teamed with Multiverse to create a virtual festival. Participants appear as 3D avatars that can interact with each other, simulating a festival with music, workshops and live events.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
The New Mutants
Rose Bowl Stadium
1001 Rose Bowl Drive, Pasadena
Catch the horror thriller in which a group of young mutants is being held for psychiatric monitoring.
COST: $35 per car; MORE INFO
Lauren Lapkus and Paul F. Tompkins: September Babies
Comics Lapkus and Tompkins perform a two-person improv set. Ticket holders will have access to the livestream for a week after the show. Link will be sent with an Eventbrite confirmation email.
COST: $5 - $10; MORE INFO
Here/Now and A Humble Legacy
Craft in America presents two virtual exhibitions that focus on cups, honoring the centennial of the founding of Leach Pottery and the impact of Bernard Leach on studio ceramics. Here/Now: Contemporary Narrative and Form in the Yunomi is a ceramic cup invitational, which features a small group of ceramic artists who were asked to construct a series of yunomi (a Japanese teacup). A Humble Legacy is an exhibition of historic and contemporary cups crafted by artists affiliated with Leach Pottery and others who continue in its legacy.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Who doesn't miss going out to eat or stopping by a bar for a drink? Here are a few options from restaurants and bars as we work our way back toward normal.
