August 2022 events calendar for Los Angeles

This Ain’t No Picnic takes its name from one of promoter Goldenvoice’s first festivals, held in Irvine in 1999, but for a more recent comparison, the lineup has very strong FYF vibes. Like that now-defunct fest, you’ll find a genre-spanning mix of on-the-horizon acts and familiar names, including the Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, a reunited Le Tigre, Beach House, Phoebe Bridgers, Earl Sweatshirt, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Four Tet and Floating Points, some longtime local faves like the Descendents and Sparks, and ASMR trailblazers the Ying Yang Twins.

To follow its retrospective of beloved animator Hayao Miyazaki, the Academy Museum will next focus on nearly an entire century of often-overlooked cinema. A collaboration with Washington, D.C.’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, “Regeneration” dives into the works of Black filmmakers from the birth of the motion picture industry through the Civil Rights era. The research-driven exhibition counts filmmakers Ava DuVernay and Charles Burnett among its advisers.

It’s been at L.A. State Historic Park and Coachella, but pan-Asian music and media collective 88rising’s music fest has seemed to settle on the grounds outside the Rose Bowl for its summertime home. For the 2022 edition on August 20 and 21, the Head in the Clouds lineup includes Jackson Wang, NIKI, Rich Brian, Yebi Labs (Joji DJ Set), BIBI, Jay Park, CHUNG HA and more, plus a food fest from 626 Night Market.

Pedal through East, West and… plain-old Hollywood during the latest edition of the car-free, bike-friendly fest.

Each summer, Bard fanatics watch their favorite works come to life at the historic Old Zoo in Griffith Park. Independent Shakespeare Co. puts on a series of lively productions each week, inviting audiences to take a seat on the grass (read: bring a picnic blanket) and enjoy performances like this season’s headliners: Knight of the Burning Pestle (July 2–31) and Macbeth (Aug 6–Sept 4).

Everyone’s favorite NPR member station has a hand in a slew of summer concert slates at public plazas and beloved museums, and this summer’s schedule is particularly packed.

Familiar KCRW DJs and local buzz bands will be providing free, open-air tunes on select nights from July through September at the Hammer Museum, One Colorado, CAAM, Descanso Gardens, Bowers Museum, the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, JANM and—our favorite—the party-till-midnight bashes at Chinatown Central Plaza. This year’s lineup features Ambar Lucid, Hana Vu and Mark de Clive-Lowe, among others, and KCRW DJs including Anthony Valadez, Jason Bentley, Novena Carmel and more.

The details slightly differ at each spot, but you can typically expect a bunch of food trucks, beer gardens and after-hours museum admission. Regardless of the location, you really can’t go wrong with any evening spent at Summer Nights.

If the word Hallyu means anything to you, then pencil this annual K-pop convention into your calendar this summer. For three days, the L.A. Convention Center hosts panels, workshops, signings and more, as well as Crypto.com Arena concerts on Saturday and Sunday stocked with Korean celebs and superstars.

The beloved Getty Center turns 25 years young in 2022, and to celebrate the hilltop museum is hosting a series of free festivals across L.A. On most weekends this summer, the Getty will collaborate with a different local community partner on a two-day arts fair filled with music, workshops and food.

The lineup for August includes events in Crenshaw (Aug 13, 14) and Watts (Aug 27, 28).

Explore the Huntington’s Chinese Garden by moonlight during this after-hours stroll, where all of the pavilions and pathways will be lit up. While you’re there, you can listen to live music or pick up something for dinner at the Jade Court Cafe or the Terrace of Shared Delights.

Famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s first California design has been closed since the start of the pandemic, but the Hollyhock House is finally reopening for tours—and with a free lawn party to celebrate. Self-guided tours resume on August 18 (Thu–Sat 11am–4pm; $7), but Barnsdall Art Park is throwing a proper party on August 20 (4–8pm) with free performances from the Bob Baker Marionette Theater (5, 6:30pm), music, crafts and—thanks to FORT:LA—100 free hot dogs on a first-come, first-served basis.