LOS ANGELES, CA — Summer is in full swing across Los Angeles, and the weekend of August 14–16, 2026, brings everything from K-pop and major concerts to night markets, outdoor dancing, Japanese cultural celebrations, television panels and after-hours garden strolls.
Whether you’re looking for a free night out in Downtown Los Angeles, a family-friendly festival, live music or something completely different, Presence News has rounded up 15 events happening across Los Angeles and surrounding communities this weekend.
Here are 15 things to do in Los Angeles this weekend.
| Event | Date | Tickets / RSVP |
|---|---|---|
| 🎤 KCON LA 2026 | Aug. 14–16 | Official KCON Tickets |
| 📺 Televerse 26 | Aug. 14–16 | Official Televerse Passes |
| 🍜 626 Night Market | Aug. 14–16 | Official 626 Night Market Tickets |
| 🎧 KCRW Summer Nights — Wende Museum | Aug. 14 | Official KCRW RSVP |
| 🎎 Natsumatsuri Family Festival | Aug. 15 | Official JANM Tickets |
| 🎶 Grand Park Sunday Sessions | Aug. 16 | Official Grand Park Event Page |
| 🌅 Twilight Garden Strolls at The Huntington | Aug. 16 | Official Huntington Tickets |
1. KCON LA 2026
📅 Friday, August 14 – Sunday, August 16
📍 Los Angeles Convention Center & Crypto.com Arena, Downtown Los Angeles
🎟️ Ticketed
One of the biggest K-pop celebrations in the world returns to Downtown Los Angeles for three days.
KCON LA brings together K-pop performances, artists, fans and Korean culture under one massive weekend experience. Daytime programming at the Los Angeles Convention Center includes panels, interactive experiences, performances and opportunities for fans to engage with artists, while the M COUNTDOWN concerts take over Crypto.com Arena each night.
The 2026 M COUNTDOWN shows begin at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
🎟️ Get KCON LA Tickets & Event Information
2. Televerse 26
📅 Friday, August 14 – Sunday, August 16
📍 JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE, Downtown Los Angeles
🎟️ Passes required
Television fans and entertainment-industry professionals can spend the weekend immersed in the world of TV at Televerse 26.
The three-day conference at the JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE brings together creators, actors and television professionals for panels, workshops and conversations about the craft and future of television.
The 2026 program also includes retrospectives and special programming surrounding television series including Homeland and Six Feet Under.
3. 626 Night Market
📅 Friday, August 14 – Sunday, August 16
⏰ 3 p.m.–11 p.m. daily
📍 Santa Anita Park, 285 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia
🎟️ Ticketed
Come hungry.
The 626 Night Market returns to Santa Anita Park this weekend with a huge collection of food, drinks and vendors inspired by the bustling night markets of Asia.
The current vendor lineup ranges from noodles and aguas frescas to over-the-top fusion dishes, sweets and street-food creations. The market runs from 3 to 11 p.m. all three days.
🎟️ Buy 626 Night Market Tickets
4. KCRW Summer Nights at The Wende Museum
📅 Friday, August 14
⏰ 6 p.m.
📍 The Wende Museum, Culver City
🎟️ Free
Start the weekend with music, food and art as KCRW Summer Nights comes to The Wende Museum for its Good Food Night Market Edition.
The event combines KCRW’s summer party atmosphere with a food-focused night market and access to the museum. KCRW’s Summer Nights series is built around free, all-ages outdoor events featuring DJs, cultural institutions, food and community gatherings.
🎟️ Official KCRW Summer Nights Information & RSVP
5. Dance DTLA: Bollywood
📅 Friday, August 14
⏰ 7–11 p.m.
📍 Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center, Downtown Los Angeles
🎟️ Free
Turn Downtown Los Angeles into your dance floor Friday night.
The Music Center’s Dance DTLA wraps up its summer season with a Bollywood-themed evening featuring free beginner-friendly dance instruction, live DJ sets and an outdoor dance party.
Food and drinks will also be available for purchase on-site. No previous dance experience is required.
💃 Official Dance DTLA Event Information
6. Astronomy Night at Columbia Memorial Space Center
📅 Friday, August 14
⏰ 7–9 p.m.
📍 Columbia Memorial Space Center, Downey
🎟️ Free
Looking for something beyond concerts and nightlife?
The Columbia Memorial Space Center is hosting Astronomy Night Friday evening. The family-friendly program offers visitors a chance to explore astronomy through science programming and telescope viewing.
The August 14 event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. and admission is free.
🔭 Official Astronomy Night Information
7. Melanie Martinez at the Kia Forum
📅 Friday, August 14
⏰ 8 p.m. showtime
📍 Kia Forum, Inglewood
🎟️ Ticketed
Melanie Martinez brings HADES: THE SACRIFICE to the Kia Forum Friday night with Isabel LaRosa.
The Forum lists terrace access beginning at 5 p.m., doors at 7 p.m. and showtime at 8 p.m.
For fans looking for a major Friday-night concert, this is one of the weekend’s biggest options outside of Downtown Los Angeles.
🎟️ Buy Melanie Martinez Tickets
8. Al Green at the Hollywood Bowl
📅 Friday, August 14
⏰ 8 p.m.
📍 Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
🎟️ Ticketed
Legendary soul singer Al Green takes the stage at the Hollywood Bowl Friday night.
The performance kicks off an especially busy weekend at the Bowl, which has a different major event scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Pack a picnic, head to the Bowl and spend a summer night under the stars with one of soul music’s most recognizable voices.
🎟️ Hollywood Bowl Tickets & Event Information
9. Natsumatsuri Family Festival
📅 Saturday, August 15
⏰ 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
📍 Terasaki Budokan, 249 S. Los Angeles St., Little Tokyo
🎟️ Free
Celebrate Japanese and Japanese American culture in Little Tokyo during the Japanese American National Museum’s annual Natsumatsuri Family Festival.
The free summer festival features cultural performances, crafts and activities designed for families and children of all ages.
The celebration takes place at Terasaki Budokan while JANM’s Pavilion undergoes renovation.
🎟️ Get Free Natsumatsuri Tickets
10. Ferragosto at Helms Design District
📅 Saturday, August 15
⏰ 1–6 p.m.
📍 Helms Design District, Culver City
🎟️ Free event
Get a taste of an Italian summer without leaving Los Angeles.
Pasta Sisters and the Helms Design District are bringing the Italian tradition of Ferragosto to Southern California with an afternoon street fair featuring food and drinks, a beer garden, live music, family activities, art, shopping, games, free tastings and more.
🇮🇹 Official Ferragosto Event Information
11. KCRW Summer Nights at Union Station
📅 Saturday, August 15
⏰ 6 p.m.
📍 Los Angeles Union Station
🎟️ Free
KCRW isn’t stopping after Friday night.
On Saturday, Summer Nights heads to Los Angeles Union Station for another free evening, this time in partnership with Metro Art and featuring RIO KOSTA.
It’s an easy option for anyone looking for a free Saturday-night event in Downtown Los Angeles — and taking Metro means you can arrive directly at the venue without worrying about downtown parking.
🎟️ Official KCRW Summer Nights Information & RSVP
12. Top Gun: Maverick in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl
📅 Saturday, August 15
⏰ 8 p.m.
📍 Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
🎟️ Ticketed
Top Gun: Maverick gets the Hollywood Bowl treatment Saturday night.
Rather than simply watching the blockbuster at home, audiences can experience the film on the Bowl’s big screens while its score and music come alive in a concert setting.
The event begins at 8 p.m. Saturday.
🎟️ Get Top Gun: Maverick in Concert Tickets
13. Sensory Morning at The Broad
📅 Sunday, August 16
⏰ 9–10 a.m.
📍 The Broad, 221 S. Grand Ave., Downtown Los Angeles
🎟️ Free — reservation required
The Broad is opening early Sunday for a sensory-friendly museum experience.
Sensory Morning provides early access to the museum’s third-floor collection galleries, The Shop and Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away for visitors who benefit from a sensory-friendly environment.
The event is free, but capacity is limited and advance reservations are required.
🎟️ Reserve Free Sensory Morning Tickets
14. Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Sunday Sessions
📅 Sunday, August 16
⏰ 3–8 p.m.
📍 Gloria Molina Grand Park, Downtown Los Angeles
🎟️ Free
Dance your way through Sunday afternoon at Gloria Molina Grand Park.
Sunday Sessions brings house music to the heart of Downtown Los Angeles with local DJs, open dancing, a makers market, food and drinks and a community-focused outdoor atmosphere.
The event is open to all ages, and no dance experience is needed. A 21+ beer garden will also be available.
🎶 Official Sunday Sessions Event Page
15. Twilight Garden Strolls at The Huntington
📅 Sunday, August 16
⏰ 4:30–7:30 p.m.
📍 The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino
🎟️ Reservations required; public and member pricing varies
Close out the weekend with a quieter summer evening at The Huntington.
Twilight Garden Strolls gives visitors an opportunity to explore The Huntington’s gardens after regular daytime hours as the sun begins to set.
Sunday’s event runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. and marks the final scheduled Twilight Garden Stroll listed for the summer. Reservations are required.
Visitors looking for something more structured can also book a separate 90-minute Twilight Garden Estate Tour, with tours scheduled Sunday evening.
🎟️ Reserve Twilight Garden Stroll Tickets
Bonus: Dine LA Restaurant Week Begins This Weekend
If all of those events make you hungry, Friday also marks the beginning of Dine LA Restaurant Week, which runs from August 14 through August 28.
Restaurants across Los Angeles are offering special prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus, with participating restaurants and menu options available through Dine LA. Lunch tiers begin at $15, with multiple price levels available for lunch and dinner.
🍽️ Browse Dine LA Restaurants & Menus
A Packed Summer Weekend Across Los Angeles
From KCON and Televerse in Downtown Los Angeles to Japanese culture in Little Tokyo, food in Arcadia, dancing at The Music Center and Grand Park, and three nights of entertainment at the Hollywood Bowl, August 14–16 offers plenty of ways to experience Los Angeles.
Several of this weekend’s events are completely free, making it possible to put together an entire weekend without spending much beyond transportation, food and drinks.
As always, schedules, ticket availability and event details can change. Check the official event website before leaving home, particularly for events requiring reservations or advance tickets.
Have an event Presence News should know about? Contact Presence News with upcoming Los Angeles events, openings, performances and community happenings.
