10 Best Festivals in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Celebrations You Won’t Find Anywhere Else
Los Angeles is home to some of the most extravagant festivals in the U.S.. Multiple festivals might be happening at a given time, and LA is so big that you might visit during a massive one without ever knowing it. Foodies can highlight the city’s food and wine festival, an opportunity to try a unique degustation of American and global tastes. Spending a New Year’s celebration at a parade of floral floats is also an unmissable occasion.
There’s a slew of other Los Angeles celebrations you won’t find anywhere else and answering to a wide range of interests. There’s a festival that hosts some of the hottest hip-hop and cerebral comedy in the city, while the several week-long celebrations bring a bit of ethnic flavor to the City of Angels. Check these out to help you plan your next LA visit.
1. Moonlight Forest
A lantern art festival offering an enchanted evening stroll
Good for: Couples, Families, Photo
The Moonlight Forest welcomes you on a walking tour of an imaginative, thrilling light show in Los Angeles. For part of the year, the Los Angeles County Arboretum is bedecked with lanterns of all kinds, including ones made by artisans from China.
This colorful trail takes about 90 minutes to explore and is guaranteed to inspire visitors of all ages with interactive displays and illuminating exhibits. The tunnels of lights are enough to make the Moonlight Forest a truly Instagrammable destination, so make sure your phone is fully charged. If you’d prefer to keep your phone in your pocket, this event is also perfect for date nights, whether it’s the 1st or 100th.
Location: 301 North Baldwin Avenue, 91007 Arcadia, CA, USA
Open: November–January
Phone: +1 626-821-3222
Moonlight Forest
2. Tournament of Roses Parade
A celebration worthy of a new year
Good for: Couples, Families, Photo, Budget
The Rose Parade started in 1890, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more cheerful tradition featuring floral floats. When was the last time you rang in the new year outside in a T-shirt? The wonderful California weather was partly why this parade was founded.
The joy of the marching bands and dancers is contagious, and artists pour their heart and soul into their extravagant floats, all of which are decorated solely with natural materials like flowers. The results are always breathtaking (and sweet-smelling). Fun fact: a major soccer game older than the Super Bowl was named for this parade, and only a world war and a pandemic have managed to get it canceled.
Location: 391 S. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91184, USA
Open: January
Phone: +1 626-744-4241
Tournament of Roses Parade
3. Fiesta Broadway Cinco de Mayo Festival
When Los Angeles gets turned upside down
Good for: Families, Photo, Budget
Fiesta Broadway is a celebration of Latin-American culture with loads of performances and locally made food. Bring the whole family, as they’ve gotten rides and games with plenty of prizes. Alcohol is prohibited, making this a fantastic opportunity to bond, rather than party, with friends and family.
Music can be heard all over the place, whether it’s a mariachi band or the hottest up-and-coming Mexican artists. Get ready to see how long you can dance. If you do get hungry, food trucks line the street selling tacos and burritos brimming with slow-simmered meat, guacamole, and spicy chilies.
Location: Broadway & W 1st St Downtown, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA
Open: April
Fiesta Broadway Cinco de Mayo Festival
4. Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival
Fine dining in the City of Angels
Good for: Couples, Food
The Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival is the only festival where your palate gets as much stimulation as your eyes and ears. You’ll rethink your idea of food after a few hours here. The diverse and adventurous dishes are ever-changing but include succulent lamb ribs, plump glazed doughnuts, vegan sushi, and so much more. And of course, everything comes with the perfect wine pairing.
Some of the venues get decorated with a red carpet during Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival, so dress up if you want the fancy eats. You’ll also enjoy music from top acts like The Roots.
Location: 800 W Olympic, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Open: August
Phone: +1 855-433-5239
Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival
5. Nisei Week
A slice of Japanese heaven in Los Angeles
Good for: Families, Photo, Food, Budget
Nisei Week is when Little Tokyo in Los Angeles goes all out with its unique tastes, sounds, and colors. While the main event is a parade with a slew of cultural floats to see, Nisei Week spans much more than a week.
You can visit 3 main locations for a variety of food stalls, performances and crafts booths. Make sure to hit the Museum of Contemporary Art for the Tanabata Festival to see the brilliant display of streamers at night. Check out other events such as fashion shows and automobile shows as well. Wear your yukata to add to the colorful throng and truly be a part of Nisei Week.
Location: Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) and Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Open: August
Nisei Week
6. LA Korean Festival
Enough K-pop to take on Coachella
Good for: Shoppers, Photo, Food, Nightlife
The LA Korean Festival is one of the hottest parties you can attend in Los Angeles. You should know upfront: you’ll be hearing a ton of K-pop, and it will get the people around you very excited. This is still a cultural festival through and through, though.
Browse exhibits dedicated to Korean-American history. Get ready for some eye-opening performances, colorful parades and incredible food – like packed kimbap rolls and traditional noodles heaping with gooey cheese and spicy kimchi. Bring enough money for shopping, especially if you’re a fashionista. Done all that? Good. You can then party all night to EDM DJs and K-pop heartthrobs.
Location: 965 Normandie Ave #102, Los Angeles, CA 90006, USA
Open: September–October
Phone: +1 213-487-9696
LA Korean Festival
7. LA Times Festival of Books
Where the American word comes to life
Good for: Budget
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is the perfect snapshot of American cultural history as it is being created today. This festival proves that literature is still a robust art, capable of transmitting personal experiences like no other. You can attend panels with contemporary authors or listen to talks about social media’s relationship with artistic expression.
Don’t miss poetry readings if you were stirred by the inauguration poem delivered by Amanda Gorman, herself an esteemed guest of the festival. If you’ve been itching for a new book to read, attending the LA Times Festival of Books is the best way to come across your next read – or your next genre.
Location: University of SoCal, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
Open: October
LA Times Festival of Books
8. Dia De Los Muertos Art Walk
A Los Angeles celebration of the dead
Good for: Families, Photo, Budget
The Dia de Los Muertos Art Walk is the best way to celebrate the Day of the Dead. The Dia de Los Muertos is a celebration of the deceased, and a celebration means having fun. Everyone walks around either dressed like a skeleton or painted with a skull on their face, and music and art are everywhere.
You can sample free treats, participate in a costume contest, or watch a theatrical performance. Art is exhibited in the form of paintings, collages, jewelry – you name it. Welcome the autumn by immersing yourself in a vacation closely related to Halloween, and lend a thought to those who are no longer with us.
Location: Olvera Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, USA
Open: October–November
Dia De Los Muertos Art Walk
9. Adult Swim Festival
Among the best-curated music and comedy festivals
Good for: Couples, Nightlife
The Adult Swim Festival is a comedy and music festival organized by the late-night block of television on Cartoon Network. Catch live panels for The Eric Andre Show, Rick and Morty, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, among other cutting-edge comedy acts.
The music on offer here is as good as it gets. Past performers include Run the Jewels, Zola Jesus, Kamasi Washington, Tierra Whack, and Thundercat. It’s a wonder people pay a pretty penny for festivals like Coachella when this exists. Regular venues include ROW DTLA on 777 S Alameda St.
Location: ROW DTLA, 777 S Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90021, USA
Open: October/November
Adult Swim Festival
10. Disney Festival of Vacations
Where Disney and the vacation spirit come together
Good for: Families
Disney Festival of Vacations is the only way you could ever make Disneyland more magical. Everything in the famed amusement park takes on a Christmas theme. Rides like Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree are decked out in Christmas decorations, while the World of Color exhibit becomes even more spectacular with vacation magic.
Head on over to Disney California Adventure Park for a greater emphasis on Happy Vacations over Merry Christmas. Browse the Festival Foods Marketplace for a diverse array of vacation snacks and Santa-sized meals. Make sure you hit both Disney parks for the full vacation experience.
Location: Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802, USA
Open: November–December
Disney Festival of Vacations
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