This week’s events include vintage arcade games, grand openings, block parties, free concerts, surprise “Oh, Myyy!” speaker (pssst – it’s actor and social media star GEORGE TAKEI), a pub crawl, an education fundraiser, and MORE — all in and around the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles!
WED 6/19 @ 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM – ARTS DISTRICT BIKE & WALK SOCIAL: Join us for our neighborhood R.A.D.D. Bike & Walk Social! WALKERS @ 6:30 PM near The Pie Hole at 714 Traction Ave.; walk starts promptly at 6:45 PM and CYCLISTS @ 6:45 PM near Eat.Drink.Americano; ride starts promptly at 7:00 PM. POST-EVENT SOCIAL @ 8:30 PM at the not-yet-opened EightyTwo at 707 E. 4th Pl. (entrance on 3rd St. near the elephants mural). If you are a 1980s pinball wizard, you’re gonna love this! EightyTwo celebrates a lost era of history: “The Golden Age of the Arcade.” Once opened, it will feature a curated selection of 50 fully restored arcade and pinball machines from the 1950s-1990s.
WED 6/19 @ 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM – GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY: Join the Arts District community and elected officials for a celebration to mark the groundbreaking of La Kretz Innovation Campus, the future home of Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI). Enjoy music, complimentary food and drinks, networking opportunities, and interactive booths by LACI’s portfolio companies. LACI @ 521 S Hewitt St., Los Angeles 90013 – RSVP on Eventbrite
THU 6/20 @ 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM – FREE CONCERT: Thursday is the new Friday in Downtown Los Angeles with Grand Park’s OUT OF OFFICE music series, now weekly on Thursday until September 13. This first concert features Becky Martin Jazz Orchestra. Ride your bike or take the DASH over to Grand Park and chill after a hard day’s work, meet new people, and count down to the weekend with live music and full bar. Grand Park between Grand and Hill, 200 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles 90012 – RSVP on Facebook
THU 6/20 @ 9:00 PM – LIVE MUSIC: Jam to some hard-hitting classic porch stomp by My Graveyard Jaw, a New Orleans band known for its country-americana tunes at The Escondite @ 410 Boyd Street, Los Angeles, 90013 (213) 626-1800
FRI 6/21 @ 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM – LAUNCH PARTY: A new creative coworking space, OPODZ offers a street-accessible, professional environment for entrepreneurs, small business owners, independent contractors, virtual employees, and other freelancers in Downtown Los Angeles. RSVP for the reservation-only OPODZ Launch Party featuring socially conscious speakers like Drew Tewksbury of KCET’s Artbound, Shauna Nep of Goldhirsh Foundation and LA2050, and Melissa Richardson Banks of CauseConnect and Downtown Muse. OH MYYY! NEW SPEAKER social media star George Takei, Star Trek actor-turned-Internet-juggernaut, plans to speak, too! Little Tokyo @ 362 E. 2nd St., Los Angeles 90012
SAT 6/22 @ 11:30 AM to 5:00 PM – BLOCK PARTY: Join the Arts District community for a FREE block party with food, music, and storytelling to celebrate the 27th birthday of Cornerstone Theater! In the Arts District @ 708 Traction Ave., Los Angeles 90013
SUN 6/23 @ 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM – CICLAVIA: No cars, open streets and the opportunity to explore one of the most legendary boulevards in Los Angeles by foot, bike, skates or other non-motorized transport marks this latest CicLAvia along the iconic Wilshire Boulevard … the most walkable CicLAvia route ever and of course, it’s FREE! RSVP on Facebook
SUN 6/23 @ 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM – PUB CRAWL: Don’t miss this fun Birthday Fiasco/Pub Crawl/Street Art Scavenger Hunt by ShadowMonsterBear, an Arts District artist known for playful, childlike colorful characters infused with street art style. At each stop along the way, stickers, photography, prints, paintings, and other art will be hidden. Celebrate in the Arts District, Downtown and Hollywood! RSVP on Facebook.
MON 6/24 @ 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM – DESIGN CHALLENGE: Support education and have fun! The 2013 Design Challenge at LOT 613 in the Arts District honors David Abel and Peggy Funkhouser, co-founders of Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP), a recognized school reform nonprofit and the evening’s beneficiary. Some of the event’s luminaries are locals like Kim Abeles, artist and 2013 Guggenheim Fellow and Brigham Yen, realtor & DTLA Rising blogger. Mention “Downtown Muse” when ordering your ticket and save $25 off your tax-deductible ticket (normally $125). Produced by local Melissa Richardson Banks of CauseConnect. Details online HERE!
Got a community event coming up that might be of interest to residents in the Arts District and Downtown Los Angeles? For consideration, send a request to me via email HERE.