August is a popular time to visit Los Angeles and, as always, there are a ton of things going on here this month. What we, at The Real Los Angeles Tours, try to do here is break it down and give you an easy to manage list, a selection of cool activities that we think would be totally fun to do AND also give you a feel for what the real LA is all about. A lot of them are free and doing them will give you an authentic experience of Los Angeles’ food, music, art and general joie-de-vivre. Here’s our list of the best things to do in LA in August. Enjoy!

Events & Activities in Los Angeles This Month

1. DANCE DTLA (FRIDAY NIGHTS THROUGH AUGUST)

Want to dance under the stars? Well, this is the way to do it. Every week a different dance genre is featured at the Music Centre in downtown, with beginner dance lessons led by some top LA dance instructors. So get down there, get your groove on and cut some moves!

More information here.

2. KCRW SUMMER NIGHTS (DATES THROUGH AUGUST)

KCRW, a National Public Radio member station, is required listening in Southern California both for the current affairs, news and playlist. And then they go and organise a concert series like this one? Anthony Valadez, Jason Bentley and Raul Campos, amongst others, are spinning the wheels of steel at various locations dotted around LA. If you like music – and having a good time – this is a must do this month.

More information here.

3. 626 NIGHT MARKET (AUGUST 12-13 AND 26-27)

This night street food market is a summer staple for Los Angeles. And with good reason. For several nights the Santa Anita Racetrack is made to resemble an Asian night market, with hundreds of food stalls offering every different kind of Asian (and non-Asian 🙂 ) food. Nearly all of it’s good and reasonably priced too. This year it’s visiting Santa Monica.

More information here.

4. FIESTA LA BALLONA (AUGUST 25-27)

This is a great annual summer festival in Culver City on the Westside, with live music, carnival rides, a beer and wine garden and loads and loads of food trucks. The perfect way to enjoy summer in Los Angeles.

More information here.

5. CINESPIA AT HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY (DATES THROUGH AUGUST)

Los Angeles has the perfect weather for outdoor movie screenings – and the perfect venues too. Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a piece of Los Angeles and Hollywood history in and of itself, being the final resting place of a host of stars (including the original King of Hollywood Douglas Fairbanks, as well as Judy Garland, Fay Wray and Cecil B. De Mille to name but a few). It doesn’t only host dead stars, prominent city folk, such as the Chandler family (one-time long-time owners of the Los Angeles Times) also have their final resting place there. 

Cinespia always has a great movie line-up, this month’s includes some LA classics, like Valley Girl and Pretty Woman.

More information here.

6. GO TO A COMEDY SHOW (DATES THROUGH AUGUST)

Who couldn’t do with a good laugh at the moment? Most of LA’s comedy clubs have reopened with shows featuring lineups of both household names and up-and-coming stand-ups. Hollywood Improv has a full slate of shows and The Comedy Store is open almost nightly. Don’t Tell Comedy is an underground series of “secret” standup shows offering pop-up shows at outdoor venues, including parking lots and rooftops.

Got to be one of the best things to don in LA in August, right?

7. ENJOY SOME OF THE BEST FOOD IN LOS ANGELES (EVERY SUNDAY)

Southern California has some of the best food in the world – in fact 40% of the food Americans eat comes from our state – and Los Angeles is a beneficiary of that fact. Our LA: Food + History + Design tour celebrates it with a selection of the best of the best – the French Dip Sandwich, a locally-invented dish, tacos on Olvera Street, birthplace of Los Angeles, a visit to Grand Central Market… In between courses we show guests the best of LA design and tell them the story of the city.

More information here.

8. GO TO A CONCERT (ALL MONTH)

There are always great bands coming to Los Angeles to perform. This month some of the highlights are Post Malone, Metallica and 50 Cent.

More information here.

It’s also worth keeping an eye on the Hollywood Bowl (erm Gladys Knight) and the Greek Theatre (Regina Spektor?), to see what performances and artists they’ve got scheduled.

9. SMORGASBURG LA (DATES THROUGH AUGUST)

This import from New York has fast secured its foothold here and is becoming increasingly popular. Probably the location helps, in a fast emerging part of the Arts District in DTLA, with nice shopping, creative offices and loft apartments (natch). Apparently its now the largest open-air food market in the U.S. and there are hundreds of food vendors, as well as small businesses selling art and jewelry amongst other things. Head down on a Sunday in August, it’s fun.

More information here.

10. GETTY GARDEN CONCERTS FOR KIDS (DATES THROUGH AUGUST)

How are you going to keep the kids entertained through the sweltering dog days of August? Well how about taking them to this world-renowned art museum, in an architectural award-winning building, with stunning views of Santa Monica, the mountains and the Pacific? They’ve even arranged these garden concerts for the little ones, with some of the best children’s musical artists from around the U.S.

More information here.

If you have any feedback on 10 Best Things to Do in LA in August please email us or reach out on social media, we’d love to hear from you.

– By Damien Blackshaw (Twitter)