Here in LA, winter is for awards, spring is for desert music, June is for gloom and July is for tourists. And August? August is for festivals. Below, your guide on which festival to attend, categorized by whether they’re posh, boozy, hipster-y, adventurous, fatty and/or kid-friendly.
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Alex’s Lemonade – Westwood 9/20 – Mixologists from places like The Varnish and vintners from Santa Barbara mix it up for this charitable event, which raises money to help children with cancer. Drink up. It’s a great cause. They also serve virgin drinks for the kids. Bring the whole fam-damnily.
Food GPS Fried Chicken Festival – Downtown 8/17 – Celebrating all the different iterations of the crispy bird, from the Indian-style (Badmaash) to your more traditional Southern (Flores), the GPS includes The Roger Room guys mixing drinks and the McConnell’s folks scooping ice cream.
LA Craft Beer Crawl – Downtown, 8/9 – Now in its fifth year, LA Craft Beer Crawl spans eight Downtown bars, all walkable and mostly owned by the 213 guys (Seven Grand, Broadway Bar, etc.). They’re pouring 100 local oat sodas. Don’t drive, but do go.
LA Food & Wine Festival – Downtown 8/22-24 – Definitely more of an expo than a party, the LA Food & Wine Festival is for the sort of person whose cream is whipped by the Food Network. If you want to hear celebrity chefs talking about food, go here.
LA Times Taste – Hollywood 8/29-31 – You’ll see Jonathan Gold amongst the throngs at this weekender. It takes place on the city set at the Paramount Studios lot, so you feel like you’re wandering the streets of a fake NYC. Every major local restaurant will be dishing out the goods.
LA Weekly Pancake Breakfast – Downtown 8/24 – You have to love pancakes to nosh at 18 different pancake restaurants (Salts Cure, A-Frame, etc.). Held in the ornate Park Plaza Downtown, this is the ideal fest for Bloodies and syrupy sweetness.
LUCKYRICE Festival – Hollywood, 8/7/14 – Chef Sang Yoon (Lukson, Father’s Office) heads up the 3rd Annual LUCKYRICE Festival. Park’s BBQ will be wrapping their short ribs in rice paper. Check out the mouthwatering menu.
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