Best Things to Do in Los Angeles This August (2026)
August is the month Los Angeles finally figures out what to do with its evenings. Five events this month are worth actually planning around, and one of them is a genuine last-chance: Gustavo Dudamel conducts his final concerts as Music & Artistic Director of the LA Phil, ending a 17-year run at the Hollywood Bowl. Here's what's happening, what it costs, and what to know before you go.
What's happening at the Hollywood Bowl in August 2026?
Four nights, August 20–23, under the banner Celebrating Gustavo at the Bowl. This is not a retrospective tribute, it's Dudamel's actual farewell weekend as Music & Artistic Director, closing out 17 seasons with the LA Phil.
Thursday, August 20 opens with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, performed alongside musicians from Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, the LA Master Chorale, and the LA Children's Chorus. The evening begins with a world premiere by Michael Giacchino, the composer behind Up, Coco, and Ratatouille, with lyrics by Amanda Gorman.
Friday, August 21 is the loosest night of the four: Dudamel leads the Phil alongside norteño legends Los Tigres del Norte, with Lila Downs and Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles.
Saturday, August 22 brings the Foo Fighters together with the LA Phil and YOLA.
Sunday, August 23 closes it out with a genre-spanning program pulling from everything he's conducted here across 17 years.
If you've been meaning to see Dudamel at the Bowl and keep putting it off, this is the deadline. Tickets and full programs at hollywoodbowl.com. (Source: LA Phil / Hollywood Bowl)
Is Shakespeare in Griffith Park actually free?
Yes, and it has been for over twenty years. Independent Shakespeare Co. opens The Comedy of Errors on August 5, running Wednesday through Sunday at 7:00 p.m. through September 6, at the Dell at the top of the Old LA Zoo.
This year's production is staged in the round with a live band and an original score, which is a departure from the usual setup. Seating is open, blankets closest to the stage, low beach chairs behind them. Attendance is free but advance registration is requested so the company can manage crowd size. Reserved elevated seating is available with a $60 donation.
Pack dinner. Arrive before sunset. Free pre-show programming runs most nights, including family workshops on August 22 and a director talk with Melissa Chalsma on August 15. Details at indieshakes.org. (Source: Independent Shakespeare Co.)
What's going on at the Getty Center this August?
The Getty Center, sitting right above Brentwood off the 405, runs its summer programming through August with extended Saturday hours until 8:00 p.m., which is the whole point. The view from that hilltop at golden hour is one of the better free things in this city.
Admission is always free. Parking is the cost: $25, dropping to $15 after 3 p.m. and $10 after 6 p.m. If you're going for the sunset, go late and pay ten dollars.
Two August specifics worth noting. The Making of a Medieval Manuscript opens August 4. And Garden Concerts for Kids run weekend afternoons on the lawn, Dan + Claudia Zanes with Tyree Austin on August 1–2, Flor Bromley August 8–9, and Elizabeth Mitchell August 15–16. Free reservations open closer to each date.
Full calendar at getty.edu. (Source: Getty)
When is the LA Jazz Festival at Dockweiler Beach?
August 22 and 23, and this one matters more for Westside residents than the press has made obvious.
Jazz on the Beach is the closing weekend of the inaugural LA Jazz Festival, held on the sand at Dockweiler in Playa del Rey. The lineup is not small: John Legend, Janelle Monáe, Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton, Charlie Wilson, Raphael Saadiq, Big Freedia, Ezra Collective, and Nubya Garcia, among others. Organizers have projected attendance as high as 40,000 people per day.
Doors open at 11 a.m. Saturday. Tickets range from free community allocations up to luxury cabanas, and they're on sale now at lajazzfestival.com.
The practical note for anyone living in Playa del Rey, Westchester, Marina del Rey, or the south end of Venice: Vista Del Mar and the Imperial Highway corridor are going to be difficult both days. Plan around it or plan to be there. (Source: LA Jazz Festival, Patch, Travel & Tour World)
Where are the free KCRW Summer Nights parties?
KCRW's Summer Nights series continues its run of free, all-ages outdoor parties hosted at cultural institutions around Southern California, DJ sets, live bands, food, a beer garden, and after-hours access to the host museum's galleries.
The August 1 stop is at the California African American Museum in Exposition Park. Additional August dates and partner venues are posted as they're confirmed, and the series wraps September 5 with a block party takeover in the NoHo Arts District.
These are free but capacity-limited, and RSVPs have closed early at several 2026 stops. Check the current schedule and RSVP at kcrw.com/events. (Source: KCRW)
One more, if you're on the Westside
The Caribbean Street Carnival lands at Windward Circle in Venice on August 21 as part of the jazz festival's citywide programming. Free, family-oriented, and about a ten-minute walk from the beach. It didn't make most of the roundups.
What I'd actually tell you
Two of these collide. Saturday, August 22 is Foo Fighters at the Bowl and day one of Jazz on the Beach at Dockweiler. You're picking one, and if you pick both you're spending the evening on the 405 instead of at either.
The other thing worth saying: nearly everything above happens after 6 p.m. That's not an accident, August in Los Angeles is an evening city. Parking gets cheaper, the light gets better, and the events are built around it. Arrive early, eat before the show, and buy in advance for anything at the Bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
What free events are happening in Los Angeles in August 2026? Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival (The Comedy of Errors, August 5 – September 6), KCRW Summer Nights parties including August 1 at CAAM, Getty Center admission and Garden Concerts for Kids, and the Caribbean Street Carnival in Venice on August 21. Free community tickets are also available for Jazz on the Beach at Dockweiler.
Is this Gustavo Dudamel's last season with the LA Phil? The August 20–23 concerts at the Hollywood Bowl are his final performances as Music & Artistic Director, closing a 17-year tenure.
How much is parking at the Getty Center? $25 standard, $15 after 3 p.m., and $10 after 6 p.m. Museum admission itself is free.
Do I need tickets for Shakespeare in Griffith Park? Performances are free, but advance registration is requested so the company can manage crowd size. Reserved elevated seating is available with a $60 donation.
Where is the LA Jazz Festival held? The August 22–23 Jazz on the Beach finale is at Dockweiler Beach, 12000 Vista Del Mar in Playa del Rey. Earlier festival programming runs across Leimert Park, Venice, and other locations throughout the month.
