June 2026 events calendar for Los Angeles

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 reliably packed. Familiar KCRW DJs will be providing free, open-air tunes on select nights from June through September at Maydan Market, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, La Brea Tar Pits, CAAM, ASU FIDM Museum, the Kidspace Children’s Museum, Hauser & Wirth, MOLAA, California Plaza, LACMA, Wende Museum, Union Station, downtown Long Beach, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, Bowers Museum, the Autry and the NoHo Arts District. 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.

One of L.A.’s best free live-music offerings, Jazz at LACMA has featured legit legends over its 35-year run at the museum. Seating for the program is available in the museum’s plaza on a first-come, first-served basis, though you’re welcome to picnic on the grass, too (you won’t really be able to see the show, but you’ll still hear it). You’ll find the series on Friday evenings in LACMA’s welcome plaza (just behind Urban Light) throughout the summer. We’re betting it’ll be even more popular than usual this year, with the new David Geffen Galleries in the background.

Now one of L.A.’s most treasured summer traditions, Barnsdall Park’s wine tastings regularly attract sell-out crowds. Perched atop Olive Hill on the west lawn of the historic Hollyhock House (which you can tour during the evening for an additional $37), the Barnsdall Friday fundraisers include fine selections of boutique wines provided by Silverlake Wine set against a spectacular sunset, DJ sets and 360-degree views of the city. Bring along a blanket and a picnic basket, or just nosh on food from the variety of trucks parked up there. Though there used to be lots of kids running around, the event lawn is now 21-and-up—perfect for a date night. Proceeds support the park’s art programs and historic renovations—an especially crucial cause now, as the park is once again facing proposed budget cuts from the city.

This week marks Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday. Did you know the starlet was a regular at the Formosa Cafe? Back in Hollywood’s golden age, she’d sit at the bar, drinking Piper-Heidsieck champagne cocktails. Now the champers brand and Chinese restaurant are teaming up for a weeklong celebration of their famous onetime customer with five nights of programming. On Monday night, there will be a tribute concert (8pm); on Tuesday, a short film screening on the rooftop and Marilyn trivia (8pm); on Wednesday, “old Hollywood close-up magic and Marilyn-inspired mentalism” (8pm); a free rooftop screening of The Seven Year Itch on Friday (8pm); and, finally, a costume contest on Sunday (9pm). Sidle up to the bar and order house-made potato chips and dip (a nod to Seven Year Itch) and wave to the life-size Marilyn mannequin sitting at her favorite booth.

Ariana Grande is finally touring again next year, and fans in Los Angeles are in for something special: The Oscar-nominated Wicked star is bringing her Eternal Sunshine Tour to L.A. for five nights of arena magic—split between the Crypto.com Arena and Kia Forum—that promise to feel both intimate and gigantic. This is her first tour since the 2019 Sweetener World Tour, and it’s in support of her seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, and its deluxe edition, Brighter Days Ahead. The tour kicks off June 6, 2026, in Oakland before Los Angeles gets a five-night run that feels like a homecoming. 

This epic (and free) outdoor concert series—now in its 40th season—features live performances by artists from around the world at the totally overhauled California Plaza stage in DTLA, where the shallow water separating the stage from the audience has been replaced by a proper event lawn. Don’t miss a diverse and highly intriguing mix of bands, DJ sets and dance parties on Saturday nights (and a few Friday Nights) from June 6 through August 22. Highlights this year include a season kickoff with Grupo Soñador and Wachiwara, tributes to Stevie Wonder, Ritchie Valens and Roy Ayers, and an edition of KCRW Summer Nights headlined by Mariachi El Bronx and the Tijuana Panthers. Just be sure to RSVP ahead of time to reserve a spot.

Affectionately dubbed LITLIT, this free fair hosted by the Los Angeles Review of Books is a celebration of indie booksellers, presses and literary arts organizations along the West Coast. Head over to SCI-Arc in the Arts District to peruse tomes and chat with local publishers. The lineup of over 50 vendors includes A Good Used Book, Heavy Manners Library and Angel City Press at Los Angeles Public Library. The weekend is also chock-full of expert-led panels, covering topics like West Coast publishing and archiving Los Angeles. Oh, and did we mention it’s all free?

Hilltop sunset views and rising bands join forces to make this Getty tradition a worthy destination for Angelenos on both sides of the 405. This year’s lineup of free Saturday-night shows includes aja monet (May 30), Hunx and His Punx (June 13), LEENALCHI (July 11), Horse Lords (July 25) and Laurel Halo (Aug 22). Tip: Avoid the traffic and the crowds and arrive early, preferably after 3pm when the parking price drops to $15 (though it’s actually free if you wait until the show starts, after 6pm). You’ll get to visit the exhibits, which stay open until 9pm on Saturdays, and beat the dinner rush.

Check nearly 80 American classic cars, from hot rods to trucks, at this annual auto show at the Original Farmers Market. This year’s event celebrates the centennial of Route 66 with a tribute to cars of the 1960s, but anyone who drives a car older from before the year 2000 is welcome to register their ride. Otherwise, you can just browse the stalls and cars all afternoon for free.

LA Pride may have moved out of West Hollywood, but that hasn’t stopped the city from holding its own colorful Pride celebration. The bulk of events will take place June 5 through 7 in and around West Hollywood Park. There’s an all-weekend music fest dubbed OUTLOUD (more on that below), which coincides with the free WeHo Pride Street Fair along Santa Monica Boulevard on Saturday and Sunday (noon–10pm). In addition, you’ll find the Women’s Freedom Festival (noon) and Dyke March (6pm) on Saturday, June 6. Then, on Sunday, June 7, WeHo Pride will hold a parade that starts at Santa Monica Boulevard and Crescent Heights Boulevard at noon and heads west to San Vicente Boulevard.