Concerts & Events in Los Angeles, California

Downtown LA's South Park district, bounded roughly by 7th, the 110, Pico, and Main, is the major-events core of the city. Crypto.com Arena anchors the neighborhood for Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Sparks, and arena tours. The Microsoft Theater next door (formerly Nokia) handles theatrical concerts, awards shows, and televised events. LA Live wraps both venues with restaurants, the Grammy Museum, and the Conga Room. The Theatre at Ace Hotel a few blocks north on Broadway runs concerts, comedy taping, and film festivals in a restored 1927 movie palace. The 7th Street/Metro Center subway station drops you a few blocks from every venue, and the Pico Metro stop sits steps from Crypto.com Arena.

Hollywood and West Hollywood run the highest concentration of comedy clubs, live music venues, and nightlife in the city. Sunset Strip stretches roughly from Doheny to Crescent Heights along Sunset Boulevard in WeHo — the Comedy Store, the Laugh Factory, the Whisky a Go Go, the Roxy, the Viper Room, and the Troubadour all sit within a mile of each other. Hollywood Boulevard between La Brea and Vine runs the Walk of Fame, the Pantages Theatre, the TCL Chinese Theatre for premieres, and Hollywood and Highland. The Fonda Theatre and the Avalon book mid-size concerts. Parking in WeHo is brutal on weekends — plan rideshare. The Metro Red Line stops at Hollywood/Vine and Hollywood/Highland.

Inglewood is now the heaviest sports and concert corridor in LA. SoFi Stadium, opened in 2020, hosts the Rams and Chargers and books the biggest stadium tours of the year — Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, the Rolling Stones, and the FIFA World Cup in 2026 all route through SoFi. The Kia Forum, the legacy arena across the parking lot, still books some of the most desirable arena tours and residencies in the country. The Intuit Dome, the new Clippers arena, opened in 2024 next door. The Hollywood Park development wraps all three with restaurants, shops, and a year-round event plaza. Metro K Line runs to Downtown Inglewood station; expect long rideshare queues after major SoFi events.

Echo Park and Silver Lake are the indie-rock and East Side music corridors of LA. The Echo and the Echoplex, two connected rooms on Sunset, book indie, electronic, and emerging touring acts most nights in the 400-800 capacity range. The Bootleg Theater (now closed) anchored the scene for years; smaller bars and music rooms along Sunset and Glendale Boulevards keep the indie circuit running. Dodger Stadium sits up the hill in Chavez Ravine, so Echo Park gets busy on home game days. The neighborhood runs creative and a little scruffier than the WeHo strip — lower covers, walk-up friendly, more local crowds. The 2 freeway and Metro Red Line stops at Vermont/Sunset.

Mid-City and Fairfax along Wilshire, Beverly, and Pico Boulevards house some of LA's best mid-size and listening-room venues. Largo at the Coronet on La Cienega just south of Beverly programs the quieter, curated end — comedy, music, podcast tapings — most nights of the week with reserved seating and a strict no-phone policy. The El Rey Theatre on Wilshire books mid-size indie, rock, and Latin tours in an art-deco room. The Original Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax and the Grove next door run free outdoor music in summer. Museum Row along Wilshire — LACMA, the Petersen, the Academy Museum — programs evening events and member nights. Parking is street or paid lots; Metro Purple Line extension is opening Wilshire stops in stages.

Santa Monica and the Westside run a different rhythm — beach-adjacent, family-friendly during the day, with a strong free outdoor music slate in summer. Santa Monica Pier's Twilight on the Pier concert series runs free Thursday and Sunday evenings July through September with mid-tier touring acts on a stage at the end of the pier. Pico Boulevard between Bundy and Centinela runs late kitchens, dive bars, and a few small live rooms. Third Street Promenade has street performers nightly. The Broad Stage in Santa Monica programs theater, dance, and music. UCLA's Royce Hall in Westwood books touring world music, lectures, and classical performances. Metro E Line (formerly Expo) runs from downtown LA to Downtown Santa Monica in about 50 minutes.

Sundance Film Festival's LA satellite programming runs late January, with select premieres and panels at theaters across the city. The Lakers, Clippers, and Kings are in the heart of their NBA and NHL home schedules at Crypto.com Arena most nights. The Pantages and Ahmanson run winter Broadway programming. New Year's Eve programming spills into the first weekend at Disneyland Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood. Cooler-but-mild weather makes it one of the better months for walking-around tourism without the crowds.

The LA Art Show takes over the LA Convention Center in mid-February with hundreds of contemporary galleries showing work. Grammy Awards week (typically the first or second Sunday) brings industry events across Hollywood and West Hollywood, with the ceremony itself at Crypto.com Arena. Valentine's Day pulls reservations on Sunset Strip and at the Hollywood Bowl winter dinner programming. Lakers and Clippers are in their final regular-season push. The LA Marathon runs in mid-March most years but sometimes lands in late February.

The LA Marathon runs from Dodger Stadium to Century City on a Sunday in mid-March, shutting down major boulevards along the route. The Academy Awards (usually the second or third Sunday) brings Hollywood Boulevard's red-carpet shutdown around the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood and Highland. The Natural History Museum's Spider Pavilion and butterfly programming opens for spring. NBA and NHL home schedules are in their final push at Crypto.com Arena, and the Dodgers begin spring training with exhibition games at Dodger Stadium late in the month.

Coachella runs the second and third weekends of April in Indio, two hours east of downtown LA — most attendees treat Los Angeles as their before-and-after base. Stagecoach Country Music Festival runs the weekend after Coachella on the same Indio Polo Grounds. The Dodgers open the home season at Chavez Ravine in early April. Crypto.com Arena hosts NBA and NHL playoff games. The Hollywood Bowl announces its summer season. Weather is ideal — typically mid-70s and dry.

The Hollywood Bowl summer season opens in late May or early June with the LA Phil's opening night. The Greek Theatre opens its outdoor concert season in May with mid-tier touring acts. Cinco de Mayo brings major programming across East LA, Olvera Street, and the LA Live plaza. Mother's Day weekend pulls brunch reservations at Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Pasadena restaurants. NBA and NHL playoff games at Crypto.com Arena if either of the LA teams are in. The Dodgers home schedule is in full run.

The Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl in mid-June kicks off the summer Bowl programming in earnest. LA Pride parade runs on a Sunday in early-to-mid June, taking over Hollywood Boulevard with a parade and street festival. The Greek Theatre is in full swing. Smorgasburg LA Sundays at ROW DTLA pull large crowds. The Dodgers home schedule is heavy. Summer concert series at Santa Monica Pier (Twilight on the Pier) starts in late June or early July.

Independence Day brings free fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl, Dodger Stadium after a home game, the Rose Bowl, and the Queen Mary in Long Beach. The Hollywood Bowl's summer season is in peak run — film-score nights, KCRW World Music, jazz festival nights, and headliner pop dates layer week to week. Santa Monica Pier's Twilight on the Pier free concert series runs Thursday and Sunday evenings all month. The LA Sparks (WNBA) home schedule is in full run at Crypto.com Arena.

The Hollywood Bowl is at its busiest in August with the Tchaikovsky Spectacular fireworks weekend, jazz programming, and pop headliners most nights. The Sunset Strip Music Festival runs along Sunset in WeHo (when programmed). The LA County Fair opens in late August at Fairplex in Pomona and runs through Labor Day weekend. Made in America LA (now defunct but occasionally revived) historically ran Labor Day weekend at Grand Park. Outdoor screenings at Hollywood Forever Cemetery's Cinespia series run Saturday nights all month.

The LA County Fair runs through Labor Day weekend at Fairplex in Pomona with concerts, rides, and food. The Hollywood Bowl's summer season wraps in late September. NFL kickoff weekend brings the Rams and Chargers home to SoFi Stadium. Just for Laughs LA (the festival's Los Angeles edition) runs comedy programming across multiple venues for a week. Dodgers playoff push at Chavez Ravine. The Emmy Awards typically air the third or fourth Sunday from the Microsoft Theater downtown.

AFI Fest takes over Hollywood theaters in late October with red-carpet premieres and international film programming. Halloween events fill the city — Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights runs nightly, Knott's Scary Farm in Buena Park, and the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval shuts down Santa Monica Boulevard on October 31st. The Rams and Chargers home schedule is in full run at SoFi. NBA and NHL season tip off with Lakers, Clippers, and Kings home games at Crypto.com Arena. Dodgers playoff run if they advance.

The LA Auto Show opens at the LA Convention Center in mid-November and runs through Thanksgiving weekend. The Hollywood Christmas Parade runs the Sunday after Thanksgiving down Hollywood Boulevard. The Rams and Chargers home games anchor most weekends at SoFi. The Lakers and Clippers home schedules are in their early-season run at Crypto.com Arena. Holiday programming starts at Disneyland, Universal, and the Grove. The American Music Awards (when scheduled) air from the Microsoft Theater.

The LA Auto Show runs through the first weekend of December. Christmas programming saturates Disneyland Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, and the Grove with tree lightings, fireworks, and seasonal overlays. The Nutcracker by the Los Angeles Ballet plays at the Dolby Theatre and at Royce Hall across the month. Lakers and Clippers Christmas Day games at Crypto.com Arena are nationally televised marquee dates. New Year's Eve programming runs across Disneyland, Universal, Grand Park's free downtown countdown, and Hollywood Boulevard club nights.