Unlike bad toasts, pointless meetings, and the Rolling Stones farewell tour, summer doesn’t go on forever. Thankfully, the end of summer in LA doesn’t mean the end of fun events — or even the end of trips to the beach, for that matter. There are a ton of fall activities waiting for you just around the corner, and we’ve rounded up all the ones you need to know about, ranging from music festivals and boozy parties to neighborhood art shows and dog-surfing lessons. You can now decide how to spend your weekends from here till eternity (er, until it rains).
September 7-9
Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes
A food and wine weekend for the ages, with all-inclusive passes available. Returning for its fifth year, you can expect rock-solid stuff like tasting sessions with sommeliers, wine and golf combined at “Pinot Putting,” and even a full-on food fest.
Cost: $650
Bust out the stretchy pants for LA Food Fest
September 8
Santa Anita Park, Arcadia
You know the drill with food fests in LA: A wristband gets you all the food you can eat and drinks you can drink. The vendors are still TBA, but a VIP pass gets you in an hour early before all the lines form. What is there to even think about?
Cost: $65-95
Come together for the Glendale Open Arts & Music Festival
September 15
Glendale
Not much is announced yet for this promising Glendale festival, but you can safely count on there being music, art, kids activities, great food, and a craft beer garden.
Cost: TBA
Teach your dog to surf at Surf City Surf Dog
September 29
Huntington Beach
If this isn’t the most LA thing ever, I’m not sure what is. For the hordes and hordes of you out there who have been desperate to teach your dog how to surf, here’s your shot.
Cost: Free
Open up your ears and mouth for Music Tastes Good
September 29 & 30
Long Beach
A ton of Long Beach’s best chefs (like Wesley Young, Rachel Aronow, and Christine Rivera) are joining forces with the likes of acts like New Order, James Blake, Janelle Monáe, and Broken Social Scene for a weekend of top-notch food and music. Oh yeah, and there’s an all-inclusive tasting event, too. You want to be there.
Cost: $85-300
Have the best Sunday Funday ever at Abbot Kinney Festival
September 30
Venice
Four stages of music and spoken word, three beer gardens, and a ton of TBA tasty food trucks & vendors will be lining the streets of Abbot Kinney for the event that waaaaaay predates trends; it’s a 34-year tradition.
Cost: Free admission
Raise a glass at the Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival
October 4-7
Newport Beach
Celebrity chefs (including Nobu Matsuhisa and Jet Tila) are at the forefront of this tasting event, which also includes cooking demos; seminars; cocktail, beer, & wine tastings; and live music.
Cost: $125-250
Disconnect completely at the Joshua Tree Music Festival
October 4-8
Joshua Tree Lake Campground
This jammy, yoga-y fest is a steal if yoga/live music’s your thing, with a four-day wristband going for a relative pittance (as music fests go). Performing talent this year includes Fatoumata Diawara and Matador! Soul Sounds.
Cost: $180 for a four-day wristband
Say hello to the Adult Swim Festival
October 5-7
Row DTLA
This inaugural fest is kicking off with some truly great stuff, like performances by T-Pain, Hannibal Buress, and your soon-to-be-favorite-new-comic Ahmed Bharoocha. Expect tons of great food, too.
Cost: $255
Show your pride at Camp No Counselors’ LGBTQ Weekend
October 5-8
Canyon Creek Summer Camp, Lake Hughes
All of the great stuff that Camp No Counselors normally offers is ramping up again in October, but this time with a focus on the LGBTQ community. All are welcome though, no matter who you are — but if you’re Mike Pence, your presence might be frowned upon.
Cost: $450-699
Get sudsy at LA Beer Fest
October 6
LA Center Studios
LA’s biggest beer fest is back for fall, held once again at LA Center Studios. Expect live music, a dueling piano bar, and food trucks galore — oh, and with over 200 beers, there’ll probably be a little drinking as well.
Cost: $55-80
Watch rich people do rich people things at the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic
October 6
Will Rogers State Historic Park
You’ll have a chance to watch polo, drink champagne, try to pronounce Veuve Clicquot, and even eat an individual lunch courtesy of Wolfgang Puck at this year’s Polo Classic. It’s an indulgent day, no doubt about it, but look: Sometimes we need those.
Cost: Tickets range from $80 for GA admission, all the way up to $450 for VIP
Enjoy the open spaces of COAST Festival
October 7
Santa Monica
Santa Monica will be dedicating more than 2 miles of Lincoln Boulevard to close off to cars at this annual open street event. Starting at 10am, you’ll have the opportunity to hang out and enjoy tons of food, live music, and art.
Cost: Free
Zone out at the Desert Daze music fest
October 12-14
Moreno Beach, Lake Perris
Tame Impala, My Bloody Valentine, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are toplining this year’s Desert Daze. If dazey desert ambience and psychedelic music is your thing, you shouldn’t miss this somehow-only-$280 ticket weekend.
Cost: $280-1,199
Taste some ultra-fresh fish at Off the Hook Seafood Festival
October 14-17
Santa Monica Pier
This big-time seafood extravaganza will feature winners like FIG, BOA, Herringbone, and Sushi Roku, as well as live music — including a performance by our very own Jeff Miller and the Black Crystal Wolf Kids.
Cost: $50-100
Taste the East Side at EastSide Food Festival
October 21
Mack Sennett Studios, Silver Lake
The Silver-Lake-and-further-east food fest is back for round five with a TBA vendor lineup — but it’s safe to say it’ll be as killer as ever. And as always, the wristband is all-inclusive.
Cost: TBA
Don’t escape from the music at Escape Psycho Circus
October 26 & 27
NOS Event Center
Not only does this EDM fest boast A-Trak and Alan Walker, but it’s also got circus performers, scary mazes, and lots (and lots) of fire. Sure, it’s also not the cheapest fest you’ll attend all year, but sometimes the best things in life aren’t free.
Cost: Prices range from $200 for two-day GA tickets, all the way up to $2,000+ for VIP SkyDeck tickets
Get your film nerd on at AFI Fest
November 8-15
All Over LA
LA’s premier film festival features all the trendiest Hollywood types you can imagine, gathering together for a week of screenings, tributes, retrospectives, conversations, and talent showcases. If you’re even partly interested in the film business, this fest is a must-attend.
Cost: Varies by event
Get psyched for the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival
November 10 & 11
Dodger Stadium
A$AP Rocky, Post Malone, Kids See Ghosts, and, of course, Tyler, The Creator will be headlining this year’s edition of the Odd Future-curated music fest.
Cost: $250-1,000
Drink up at Cocktails in the City
November 16
The Majestic, DTLA
Our craft cocktail scene is incredible in LA — so why not gather the top mixologists from over 30 LA spots into one building for a night of the the tastiest shenanigans you can conjure? Bars like Harvard & Stone, Melrose Umbrella Company, The Stubborn Nail, and Big Bar will be ready to party; so, too, should you be.
Cost: $25
Multitask at the Burbank Winter Wine Walk
November 17
Downtown Burbank
Not much of a riddle with this one; Burbank will be lighting up the streets of its “downtown” section with a celebration of local businesses and, of course, tons of wine tasting.
Cost: Free
Story courtesy of Thrillist.
