Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [119]
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
Banjos to bongos, film fests to book fairs, Day of the Dead to Doo Dah, the party never stops in LA. Basically, if you can’t find something to do, you aren’t looking. For a monthly listing of city-wide events see www.culturela.org. Art aficionados get their tips from www.artscenecal.com or check calendar listings in the LA Times or LA Weekly. Also see Out & About in Los Angeles, Top Five Film Festivals and Free Sounds of Summer.
January & February
Rose Parade ( 626-449-4100; www.tournamentofroses.com) This cavalcade of flower-festooned floats snakes through Pasadena on New Year’s Day. Get close-ups of the stunning floats during postparade viewing at Victory Park. Avoid traffic and take the Metro Rail Gold Line to Memorial Park.
Chinese New Year ( 213-680-0243; www.lachinesechamber.org) Colorful celebrations in Chinatown mark the lunar new year, culminating with the Golden Dragon parade, food, floats, fashion and firecrackers. Occurs late January or early February.
Academy Awards ( 310-247-3000; www.oscars.org/bleachers) Ogle your favorite film stars from the Kodak Theatre’s red-carpet adjacent bleachers. Apply in September for one of 600 lucky spots. Held in late February.
March
LA Marathon ( 310-444-5544; www.lamarathon.com) Rally the 25,000 runners and wheelchair racers, then wander performance stages and finish-line festivities. Held on the first Sunday in March, it’s a 26.2-mile party through the city.
April
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach ( 888-827-7333; www.longbeachgp.com) World-class drivers and celebrities tear up city streets at this week-long racing spectacle by the sea in mid-April.
Blessing of the Animals ( 213-485-8372; www.cityofla.org/elp/) Chihuahuas to iguanas, all critters are welcome for a blessing from Cardinal Mahoney at this fun-loving Olvera St fest held on the Saturday before Easter.
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books ( 800-528-4637, ext 72665; www.latimes.com/festivalofbooks) It’s a bookworm’s paradise for one long weekend of reveling in readings, discussions and storytelling at UCLA. Late April.
Fiesta Broadway ( 310-914-8308; www.fiestabroadway.la; last Sun in Apr) One of the world’s largest Cinco de Mayo parties brings out half a million folks to historic Downtown LA on the last Sunday of April. Dance, eat and sing along with chart-topping Latino performers.
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival ( 661-286-4021; www.cowboyfestival.org) Yee-haw it with the best of them at this annual celebration of cowboy poetry, horseback riding and country music at Gene Autry’s old Melody Movie Ranch in Santa Clarita (near Six Flags Mountains). Late April.
May
Cinco de Mayo ( 213-625-5045; www.cityofla.org/elp) Celebrates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla (1862); free festivities around Olvera St in Downtown during early May.
Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival ( 818-382-4819; www.topangabanjofiddle.org) Toe-tappin’ bluegrass and old-time tunes tear up the Paramount Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains. Held in mid-May.
Fiesta Hermosa ( 310-376-0951; www.fiestahermosa.com) Get in the mood for summer at this three-day festival where you can browse for arts and crafts, groove to surf music and feed your belly with a United Nations of food options. It’s held on Memorial Day and again on Labor Day weekend.
Muscle Beach Body Building Competition ( 818-922-4626; www.musclebeachvenice.com) You’re gonna get an eyeful of some buff dudes and babes flexing their quads and biceps at this thrice-annual testosterone-fest, the search for the next Arnold. Appropriately it’s held at his old gym in the Venice Beach Recreation Center. Held late May, July 4 and early September.
June
LA Pride ( 323-969-8302; www.lapride.org) Running since 1970, this three-day festival held in mid-June includes music, exhibitions, and a parade down Santa Monica Blvd.
Mariachi USA Festival ( 800-627-4224; www.mariachiusa.com) This four-hour fiesta held at the Hollywood Bowl brings together the finest