The Best Los Angeles Events in June 2018

Happy June! With the Summer Solstice occurring on June 21st, all of the summer music and art happenings are kicking into high gear including KCRW Summer Nights, Grand Performances, Made in LA, and more! Here’s a a great list of all the best Los Angeles events and things to do in June from music performances, beer festivals, art and craft fairs, and, as always, food. Lots of food. Enjoy!

Grand Performances
starting June 1
For over 30 years, Grand Performances has offered a variety of performance events at California Plaza, for free. Their 2018 summer series kicks off on June 1, and continues through August 18. Higher! The Psychedelic Soul & Genius of Sly and the Family Stone will kick off the series.

KCRW Summer Nights
starting June 2nd
KCRW presents the 9th season of its signature event series, Summer Nights, featuring free, all-ages, outdoor shows throughout the summer to communities in the greater Los Angeles area and beyond, featuring the best emerging artists and fan favorite KCRW DJs. New to 2018 is the first-ever KCRW HQ Summer Nights series taking place at KCRW’s brand-new home on Santa Monica College’s state-of-the-art CMD Campus. Three nights of exceptional music, delicious drink and food, dancing, and a chance to check out KCRW’s new digs, will take place on three Saturdays – August 4, August 11, and August 18. Talent to be announced. KCRW’s partnerships with organizations across SoCal continue with the second season of concerts at the California African American Museum and Metro Arts Presents at Union Station. KCRW will also continue longstanding partnerships with the Hammer Museum, Chinatown and Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara.

Last Remaining Seats
Saturday, June 2, 2018 – Saturday, June 23, 2018
Join the L.A. Conservancy for the 32nd season of Last Remaining Seats, their signature series of classic films in historic theatres. The lineup has something for everyone, from “The Birds” to “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” — and much more, including recent classic “The Joy Luck Club.” Each screening includes extras like vintage cartoons, special guests, and themed cocktails. In addition to downtown’s Broadway, the series travels for the first time to the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. Don’t miss your chance to watch your favorite film in the breathtaking movie palaces of L.A. County.

Made in LA at The Hammer Museum
Opens June 3rd
Made in L.A. 2018 is the latest iteration of the Hammer’s acclaimed biennial exhibition, showcasing artists from the greater Los Angeles area. The exhibition’s 32 artists range in age from 29 to 97 and have contributed works that are deeply engaged with vital aspects of our contemporary culture. While there is no overarching theme, many of the artists share common interests. Several grapple with issues of representation, marginalization, and pressures placed on the body. Some artists offer interpretations of cultural practices, proposing how ancient forms of knowledge may be reimagined in the present, or reflect on the current political climate. Others consider the landscape, climate change and its repercussions, and the relationship between the land, capitalist expansion, and violence. Through drawings, paintings, sculpture, textiles, performance, video, photography, and installations—many newly commissioned expressly for Made in L.A. 2018—these artists exemplify the diverse and creative landscape of Los Angeles today.

The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited
Through September 1
Immerse yourself in the imaginative world of Jim Henson (1936–1990) and discover his groundbreaking approach to puppetry and transformative impact on contemporary culture. Featuring more than 100 objects and twenty-five historic puppets—including Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Ernie and Bert, Grover, and other popular favorites—The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited illuminates Henson’s unique contributions to the moving image. Along with a talented team of designers, performers, and writers, Henson created an unparalleled body of work that continues to delight and inspire people of all ages to create a kinder and gentler world. Explore Henson’s enduringly popular productions—from The Muppet Show, the Muppet movies, and Sesame Street to Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth—through character sketches, storyboards, scripts, photographs, costumes, film and television clips, and behind-the-scenes footage. Then design your own puppet and try your hand at puppeteering in this highly interactive exhibition.

Line & Color: The Nature of Ellsworth Kelly
Through October 29
In 1948, artist Ellsworth Kelly moved to Paris in order to be near all that European culture had to offer. He stayed for almost a decade, traveling to see museums and making sketches of frescoes and stone sculptures in the many cities he visited, something he was not able to do while he was stationed near Paris during World War II. He befriended fellow American artists while absorbing the artwork of the early 20th century, as well as European masters such as Arp, Matisse and Brancusi. In the mid-1950s, he moved back to the United States just as New York was becoming a central cultural hub. By this point, Kelly’s creative vocabulary had been established. His vision of abstraction reflected the world around him, rather than the emotional and process-based abstraction of New York artists such as Pollock, Rothko and de Kooning. The Norton Simon pairs two complementary series of  lithographs: Kelly’s delicate line drawings of plants and his bold, abstract color-field pieces.

Hollywood Fringe Festival
Friday, June 7 through Sunday, June 24
The Hollywood Fringe Festival is an annual, open-access, community-derived event celebrating freedom of expression and collaboration in the performing arts community. Each June during the Hollywood Fringe, the arts infiltrate the Hollywood neighborhood: fully equipped theaters, parks, clubs, churches, restaurants and other unexpected places host hundreds of productions by local, national, and international arts companies and independent performers.

The L.A. Pride Festival in West Hollywood
Saturday, June 9 & Sunday, June 10
In honor of Pride Week 2018, the two-day festival Pride Festival will feature headliners Kehlani & Tove Lo at West Hollywood Park. Tickets start at $20.

The KTOWN Night Market
Friday, June 15 & Saturday, June 16
Livening up the streets of Koreatown once again for its 4th year, KTOWN Night Market has returned to become the quintessential summer event of all its attendees. A celebration of youth, music, food, and culture, this weekend offers the opportunity to experienc

LA Beer Week Kick-Off
Saturday, June 16
The 10th Annual L.A. Beer Week is here! Join us for our big Kickoff Festival on Saturday, June 16th at the Los Angeles Center Studios in the heart of Downtown L.A.! We are bringing the heat this summer with an awesome festival featuring over 80 craft breweries, live music, great food, and more!

Silver Lake Picture Show
starting June 21
Now in its seventh season, The Silver Lake Picture Show offers free outdoor film screenings on select Thursdays at Sunset Triangle Plaza. This year’s series starts on June 21 with a screening of Dirty Dancing.

Bloom Los Angeles in Griffith Park
June 22, 23 & 24
BLOOM is an interactive, pop-up art show with nearly a dozen large-scale installation art pieces, spread out over 100,000 square feet of lush grass in Griffith Park.With giant dandelions to wish under, a rolling field of pinwheel poppies and a House of Flowers, you will be playing in rose petals and weaving yourself into a sea of jacaranda. We invite you to delight in our creations, snap a selfie (or 500), stick your toes in the soil, envelop yourself in the scent of wild jasmine, soak in a tub of fresh lavender and picnic under the flower teepees with us. BLOOM is partnered with Honeylove, a local nonprofit conservation organization with a mission to protect the honeybees and inspire and educate new urban beekeepers. We will have presentations on these crucial pollinators throughout the day, provided by Los Angeles’ The Valley Hive. With a focus on handcrafted art, BLOOM aims to leave your spirit uplifted and your camera full of fun pictures. From edible flowers and delectable treats to hands-on workshops, food trucks and musical guests, we will celebrate Los Angeles and the outrageous beauty of flowers.

The Mass Meditation Initiative at Los Angeles State Historic Park
Saturday, June 23
A mindful yoga, music, healing arts and vegan festival in the central hub of downtown Los Angeles that brings our global community together via a live stream group meditation

The LA Taco & Beer Festival at Raleigh Studios
Saturday, June 23 & Sunday, June 24
The L.A. Taco & Beer Festival is back at at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood with unlimited taco and beer tastings from local and national taco venders and breweries.

Arroyo Seco Weekend at the Pasadena Rose Bowl
June 23-24
The Arroyo Seco Weekend music festival features an impressive lineup for both days including Neil Young, Kings of Leon, Jack White, Pretenders, Alanis Morissette and Third Eye Blind.

Father John Misty + Gillian Welch at Hollywood Bowl
Sunday, June 24
Father John Misty sings with the richness and command of a classic balladeer, but his sophisticated folk sound finds him devilishly examining the modern world, love, and himself, including cuts from the Grammy®-winning album Pure Comedy. Gillian Welch and her longtime musical partner David Rawlings, pillars of the modern acoustic music world, will perform an intimate set.

Summer Happenings at The Broad
starting June 30
Now in its third year, Summer Happenings at The Broad is a series of late-night events featuring music, performance and art by an array of artistic talent, held on the last Saturday of each month from June through September. Summer Happenings is inspired by art in the Broad collection and occupies various spaces throughout the museum and outdoor Plaza. The events fluctuate between happenings, salons and scenes that animate the important influences of the leading artists of our time. Summer Happenings is made possible in part by the generous support of Leading Partner East West Bank. Happenings are 21+.
Series Pass: $95 for all four Happenings ($25 savings)
Create-Your-Own Ticket Package: $25 each for two or more Happenings ($5 savings on each event)

Enjoy!

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