The Best Memorial Day Weekend Events & Things to Do in Los Angeles | May 2026

Courtesy of Topanga Days.

Memorial Day Weekend has officially arrived in Los Angeles, and with it comes the city’s first real taste of summer: blazing sunshine, warm nights, packed patios, live music drifting through the air, and a calendar stacked with reasons to stay out all day long. Whether it’s an evening of world-class jazz under the lights at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, a blissfully bohemian escape into the canyon spirit of Topanga Days, or a food-filled stroll through MAINopoly in Santa Monica, the long weekend is overflowing with ways to celebrate the unofficial start of the season. From beach parties and outdoor movies to concerts, festivals, markets, and family-friendly happenings across the city, these are just a few of the standout events making this sunny May weekend one of the best times to be in Los Angeles.

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Jazz at LACMA
Friday, May 22 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
LACMA
COST: FREE
Trumpeter, vocalist, arranger and band leader Brian Swartz has recorded with a wide range of performers including Michael Bublé, Patti LaBelle, Keb’ Mo’, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, along with numerous TV and film studio dates. For five years, Brian studied with trumpet guru Bobby Shew, who showed him the importance of passing down the tradition of trumpet playing. As a leader, Swartz has released five acclaimed jazz albums that showcase his compositional and improvisational prowess and has made significant contributions as an arranger for ensembles such as the Luckman Jazz Orchestra and John Beasley’s MONK’estra.

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Arroyo Secodelic Festival
Friday to Monday, May 22 to 25
Various locations, Highland Park
COST: VARIES
Arroyo Secodelic Festival is a 4 day music fest in Highland Park, May 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 25th, 2026, featuring a frenetic and fuzzy array of rock & roll artists spanning generations — including three of Southern California’s finest first wave punk bands: Lee Ving’s FEAR, OC royalty Adolescents, and pioneering punk bassist Mike Watt; as well as San Francisco power pop icons Flamin’ Groovies and LA rockers Strawberry Fuzz, Levitation Room, The Warlocks, and Death Valley Girls. The festival takes place across multiple venues on Figueroa Street and beyond — The Lodge Room, Oblivion, Highland Park Ebell, Cheerio Collective, De La Playa Records, Blind Barber, and North Figueroa Books. Stay tuned for further lineup announcements. All Arroyo Secodelic shows are ALL AGES.

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Topanga Days
Saturday to Monday, May 23 to 25, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
1440 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga
COST: ADULTS $31.80
Topanga Days is the easiest way to time-travel back to a simpler time when folk musicians roamed the hills, winning a yodeling contest was the biggest bragging right and you spent all year coming up with your parade costume. Those days are here once a year at Topanga Days, headlined on Saturday by New Orleans icon Cyril Neville and peppered with cherry-seed-spitting and bubble-gum-blowing contests, tons of other music, food, and, of course, the parade.

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Bright Eyes: 21 Years of Wide Awake & Digital Ash
Saturday, May 23 7 p.m.
Hollywood Bowl
COST: VARIES
Indie rock institution Bright Eyes arrives at the Hollywood Bowl on May 23 for a rare anniversary performance celebrating 21 years of the band’s landmark 2005 albums, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. Joined by cult anti-folk favorites The Moldy Peaches, the evening will see both records performed in full, revisiting the dual release that cemented Bright Eyes as one of the defining voices of 2000s indie music. Equal parts intimate folk confession and fractured electronic experimentation, the albums captured the political anxiety and emotional volatility of their era while helping launch frontman Conor Oberst into a new tier of cultural prominence.

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Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind
Saturday, May 23 to October 11
The Broad
COST: FROM $21
This spring, The Broad presents Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind, the pioneering artist’s first solo museum exhibition in Southern California, on view May 23 through October 11, 2026. Spanning more than seven decades of work, the expansive exhibition traces Yoko Ono’s radical fusion of conceptual art, music, film, and activism through interactive installations, instruction-based works, films, and peace campaigns created both independently and alongside John Lennon. Visitors are invited to directly engage with many of Ono’s most influential works, from Painting to Hammer a Nail and her landmark instruction book Grapefruit to participatory installations like Wish Trees for Los Angeles, which transforms The Broad’s plaza olive trees into a collective expression of hope. The exhibition also features documentation of iconic works including Cut Piece, Bed Peace, and FLY, alongside later installations that continue Ono’s enduring exploration of connection, memory, and collective humanity.

MAINopoly 
Sunday, May 24, 1 p.m.
Main Street, Santa Monica
COST: FROM $28.01
The 11th Annual “MAINopoly: A Taste of Main Street” returns to Santa Monica on Sunday, May 24, 2026 from 1–5 p.m., inviting guests of all ages to experience some of the neighborhood’s best restaurants, bars, and eateries through a playful spin on the classic board game. Participants will enjoy tastings from more than 20 local businesses while making their way along Main Street for a chance to win a “Taste of Main Street” prize package by stopping at every location. Monopoly-themed attire is encouraged, with prizes awarded for the best dressed attendees.

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Moulin Rouge! at Cinespia
Sunday, May 24 Gates at 6:45 p.m. / film at 8:30 p.m.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
COST: $24
25th Anniversary! “Spectacular, spectacular” doesn’t even begin to describe Baz Luhrmann’s glittering and intoxicating jukebox masterpiece with your favorite songs, your favorite stars, and your favorite subject: l’amour. More is more as we bring Parisian excess to Los Angeles, with DJ sets, a beer and wine bar, and a photobooth that’ll have you over the moon. Dress in your Lady Marmalade best and follow the green fairy to a dazzling night, come what may.

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UCLA JazzReggae Festival
Monday, May 25, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
UCLA Wilson Plaza
COST: $26.14
The 38th annual JazzReggae Festival returns to UCLA this Memorial Day weekend. 🥁🎷 The beloved campus tradition will feature top-tier jazz and reggae artists, community and student vendors, and a wide variety of local food offerings. Stay tuned for the official lineup and additional festival details. 🌱

Forest Lawn Memorial Day Remembrances
Monday, May 25
Various locations
COST: FREE
Honor the lives and sacrifices of America’s fallen service members at Forest Lawn’s annual Memorial Day Remembrances, taking place Monday, May 25 across six Southern California locations including Hollywood Hills, Glendale, Long Beach, Cypress, Cathedral City, and Covina Hills. This longstanding community tradition brings together patriotic musical performances, ceremonial wreath layings, keynote speakers, flag presentations, and moments of reflection in some of the region’s most historic memorial parks. This year’s featured commemoration at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills includes appearances by Brigadier General Dr. David Smith, emcee Michael Ellington, and the Los Angeles Concert Band, alongside family-friendly offerings like complimentary coffee, sweet treats, and community activities. Admission and parking are free.

Enjoy Memorial Day Weekend, Los Angeles!

Jacqueline Tager | DRE# 1476997
jacqueline.tager@sothebyshomes.com | (323) 697-3040
Sotheby’s International Realty – Los Feliz Brokerage
1801 N Hillhurst Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90027

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