Results tagged “festival”

              

This past Sunday afternoon the Japanese Restaurant Association hosted the 10th annual Japanese Food Festival at the Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens in Little Tokyo. The event was a big draw for Japanese food and drink enthusiasts, and offered unlimited sushi,

Attention classical music fans. The Ojai Music Festival today announced exciting programming highlights for next year June, all picked by composer/conductor and the this year's music director, George Benjamin. “Ojai’s tradition of inviting a different music director for each season guarantees variety and vitality across festivals," said Artistic Director Thomas W. Morris....

When the Eastside Extension of Metro's Gold Line opens this Sunday, it will be a lot more than just free rides. Four events are planned at or near stations along the line, featuring food and music.

Talk about wasting no time. Organizers for the Sunset Strip Music Festival have already determined the dates for its third year. It will run from Thursday, August 12th through the 14th, with a Sunset Strip street closure on the last day. “The first-ever street festival brought a renewed energy to The Sunset Strip, and we received a tremendous amount of positive response from the press, attendees, artists and city officials following the event,” said festival Executive Director Todd Steadman in a statement. “We are excited to solidify a date for 2010, and we are thrilled to build on the success of the event for next year.”

This weekend is the big two-day music festival and cannabis expo at the San Manuel Amphitheater and police are ready to make arrests. Cypress Hills, Slipnot, Deftones among many other bands are playing alongside the Cannibus Cup, Medical Marijuana Expo and 4:20 Movie Night. In a statement, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department warns against any recreational use of the drug. "Further, there is no provision in the law for the use of marijuana while operating a motor vehicle, whether someone possesses a doctor's recommendation for the drug or not."

Come Halloween weekend, thousands of Phish fans will descend upon the Indio Polo Fields in the Coachella Valley for a three day festival surrounding eight Phish sets. Yes, it's time for Phish Festival 8 and we're giving away a pair of tickets (you can also buy tickets here).

              

The Sunset Strip Music Festival kicked off its first street closure today, drawing big crowds early afternoon as The Donnas, Fishbone, Unwritten Law, among other bands, took to the one of the six stages. Over 50 bands are playing through 2 a.m. with Ozzy Osbourne headlining--his first time back playing the Strip in years.

A lot of thank-yous, hugs and gratitude has been given to firefighters this past week in light of the recent wildfires, most notably the Station Fire. With that said, Sunset Strip Music Festival organizers today announced that they are allowing free admittance to Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County Firefighters with proper ID into the festival on Saturday when the street closes. Some 40 bands will take the outdoor and indoor-club stages from 2 p.m. to around 9 p.m. (with shows continuing indoors until around 2 a.m.). Headliners include Ozzy Osbourne, Korn, Pepper, The Donnas, Fishbone, Unwritten Law, Kottonmouth Kings, Shiny Toy Guns, Shwayze and LMFAO (see a full list here). Tickets are selling at $39.50 pre-sale, $50 at the door.

Organizers with the Sunset Strip Music Festival just announced the line-up for the festival's third and final day, which includes closing the famous stretch of Sunset Boulevard for for the first time ever. Headliner Ozzy Osbourne takes one of the stages at 8 p.m., following performances by Korn, LMFAO and others. The Roxy and Cat Club have shows for nearly 12 hours straight, with shows also at the Key Club and Whiskey. Here's the full schedule of events for Saturday, September 12th:

Santa Monica Boulevard sees two huge streets closures a year: Halloween and Gay Pride, both of which that draw hundreds of thousands of people. But for the first time the Sunset Strip is getting its due in a week and a half. "The street has never been closed for something like this, this is a first," explained an excited Nic Adler, the tech savvy owner of The Roxy and one of the Sunset Strip Music Festival organizers.

Dan Deacon, Dillinger Escape Plan and Torche have been added to the FYF Fest line-up, which benefits California State Parks this year. For the $20 that will will go towards helping keep state parks open in California, audiences can see over 20 bands including the Black Lips, No Age, Mika Miko, Crystal Antlers, Peanut Butter Wolf, Avi Buffalo and many more. "That is 60 cents a band!!!!" organizers exclaimed in an e-mail today. Check out the full line up here, a schedule will be announced next week. The festival, scheduled for September 5th, will also include a kissing booth, taco eating contest, dance offs, a record fair, face painting and a 'missed connections' center. "This will be the best day of summer and it's all for a good cause, to build awareness about the possible closure of our beautiful state parks," they say.

Tonight is the second of two community meetings Sunset Strip Music Festival organizers are outreaching the immediate surrounding community about the first ever street closure of the Sunset Strip for a day long music festival. On Saturday, September 12 for 24 hours starting at 7 a.m., the famous drag will be shut down from Doheny to San Vicente. The first meeting bought out less than a dozen people, who were "amazingly positive," according to Nic Adler, owner of The Roxy and one of the festival organizers. He said no access to homes will be completely cut off, but most questions were geared to those basic type of logistics.

A Killer Music Festival: On Saturday, September 5th, FYF Fest will host a Save Our State Pars festival at Los Angeles State Historic Park in Chinatown. For $20 that will will go towards helping keep state parks open in California, audiences can see over 20 bands including the Black Lips, No Age, Mika Miko, Crystal Antlers, Peanut Butter Wolf, Avi Buffalo and many more. Check out the full line up here. Meet the Politician: State Senator Fran Pavley, Committee Chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, will be hosting an informational meeting on the budget of state parks and mitigating closures. It's on Friday, August 28th from 9 to 11 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica. Pavley represents portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

The loved and hated Sunset Junction Street Festival is this weekend and as part of the deal with the city to get the event permitted was to give free admission for immediate neighbors of the area. Residents must stop by the Tsunami Cafe tomorrow and Wednesday between noon and 7 p.m., present a California's ID or driver's license plus a utility bill proving residence in the blocks surrounding the festival (list below), according to the LA Weekly via the Silver Lake Improvement Association. "Residents who cannot make it to Tsunami Cafe during those times can contact SJNA "no later the Monday, August 17" to make arrangements. SJNA can be reached at sunsetjunction@sunsetjunction.org or 323-661-7771," explains the Weekly.

Hard Summer was supposed to go all night at the Forum in Inglewood last night, and the sold out event had the venue packed (it seats 18,000). But for some reason, before things could even get too intense, the event was shut down by authorities. LA Times' music blog Pop & Hiss explains:

Saturday's all-night electronic event Hard Summer at the Forum was shut down by midnight. The event was declared a "hazard" by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, according to an Inglewood police representative. Based on the county department's recommendation, Hard Summer was called off. [...]

Continue reading "Riot Police Shut Down Hard Summer Music Fest at Forum Last Night"

After nearly a year of grueling and dramatic meetings between Sunset Junction Festival organizers, the city and local neighbors and businesses, the festival will be likely be permitted for August 22nd and 23rd after addressing concerns, according to City Council President Eric Garcetti's office.

I don't know if I've gotten even nerdier, or if documentaries have gotten even better, but half the films I've seen or wanted to see this year are non-fictional in nature. Which is why I'm stoked for DocuWeeks 2009, playing through the end of August at the Arclight. Sponsored by the International Documentary Association, the festival features compelling characters & stranger-than-fiction stories in first-look Academy-qualifying runs. Each week is a different program; this week features a look at ecology from the ground up, Up With People, the uphill struggle of Congolese & Nepalese refugees, and the uppest of the up, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Now in its second year, the Sunset Strip Music Festival in West Hollywood announced yesterday that the event has evolved from a series of concerts in nearby venues to a full on street festival with two stages in addition to the strip's indoor venues.

K-Town is getting its own food festival early next month and it looks like it could become a staple of LA's summer festival scene. How could grilled and smoked meats with magical flavors not be a hit? Details are slowly coming out for the event, set for August 8th, but here's what we know: Jonathan Gold and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are confirmed to be cook-off judges. Confirmed restaurants include Beverly Soon Tofu, Byul Dae Po (Star BBQ), Ham Ji Park, Mu Dae Po, Park's BBQ, Seoul Jung, So Hyang, Soowon Galbi. There will be a food eating contest

Don't stop till you get enough, right? Head down to the Huntington Beach Pier for the third and final day of the Pier Plaza Festival and enjoy crafts, food and surf rock music, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

View 4th of July 2009: Fireworks in a larger map

                           

100,000 electronica fans dance for two days at the L.A. Coliseum.

As mentioned yesterday, the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council has a motion before them tonight about making the Sunset Junction Street Festival free for all those who live in the three surrounding zip codes. LAist inquired with the post office on how many deliveries are made in the zips and here's what they told us:

Unless Sunset Junction Festival organizers address local resident concerns and businesses, the festival is unlikely to be permitted by the city. So far, the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, who represents the area at a grassroots neighborhood level, has voted against the festival in its entirety. For their meeting tomorrow, the agenda (.pdf) lists has a motion for consideration that seeks to alleviate some of those concerns:

There's plenty to do this weekend, like keeping cool inside the movie theatre or getting out and about around town. But with summer comes warm temps, long days, and festivals galore. There are a couple of such goings-on happening this weekend that you might want to check out.

Even with big name acts like Conor Oberst and Built to Spill announced by the Sunset Junction Festival organizers this week, it doesn't mean the festival is happening. "We've asked the organizers to come back with a written proposal that addresses the concerns raised by local residents and businesses," said Julie Wong of Councilman President Eric Garcetti's office. "If they don't, it's unlikely they will be permitted." But imagine they do get permitted, here's more of the line-up: Nico Vega, Nortec Collective, War Tapes, Arrested Development, Rumspringa, Warpaint, Miss Derringer, Gran Ronde, Fool's Gold, Local Natives, Nico Stai and Love Grenades. Add to that this rumour: "I’m also hearing that ’60s proto-punks the Sonics are on board to play the festival," says Kevin Bronson on his blog Buzz Bands. (thanks to torrmoz for the tip)

                     

This weekend marked the 39th year for L.A. Pride, which for many was one of the more positive years, considering the climate due to the current status of Prop 8. It may have been one of the largest with more than 100,000 people attending.

Well, it's officially LA Improv Festival time at iO West, which naturally makes it the premiere spot for comedy this week. There's sketch and improv tournaments, big name shows with big name stars, and plenty of $5 shows to keep the masses happy. That being said, The Birthday Boys and A Kiss From Daddy are extending their residency at UCB, Comedy Death Ray is extending it's stranglehold across all of LA, and Jay Leno is around for the first time since giving up his seat to Conan tonight.

Start off the morning with a nice casual two hour hike/walk starting at Malibu Bluffs Park and heading to the beach led by the California Native Plant Society who will teach you about wildflowers, native grasses and invading weeds. Begins at 10 a.m.

Here's a 45-second video of a flying fish gliding across the water off the coast of Japan. It's no quarter-mile, as debated in the comments section of an LAist post about this weekend's Flying Fish Festival, but it's still pretty cool.