Los Angeles

Weekend: Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

Thousands of fans are ready for races, concerts, and the Lifestyle Expo.

Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach: As far as street circuit, pedal-to-the-metal races go, this springtime zoomer is one of the planet's biggest. And starriest, too, thanks to a phalanx of celebrities — both from the racing world and from the screen — who drive. If you're not catching the fast fly-bys, or you want to add gas to your weekend to-dos, there are the concerts — hiya, Cheap Trick — and the mega Lifestyle Expo. Things shift into go-go-go gear from April 15 through 17.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Opens: Stunning sculptures, a raft of parties, and posh dining choices are all on the docket as thousands of tune fans decamp to the Empire Polo Club in Indio to catch headliners, indie acts, and the fab bands that people thought belonged only to them. LCD Soundsystem, Guns N' Roses, and Calvin Harris have the top spots on the April 15/22, April 16/23, and April 17/24 shows, respectively. 

Record Store Day: Music mavens sticking closer to town will have plenty to see/hear on Saturday, April 16 when recorded music's annual holiday pops up at independent shops across Southern California (and beyond). Amoeba Records in Hollywood will welcome some big-name DJs, while other spots will offer a whole bundle of specials, special releases, and come-out-and-hang happenings. It's not Small Business Saturday — that's in November — but Record Store Day rocks a lot of that spirit.

The Great LA River Cleanup: It's nice to give a place in your house a freshening up every year, perhaps that closet where all the coats congregate. Now picture that on a much larger scale, as in our urban waterway, and you know how helpful an annual freshen-up can be. Volunteers will take to 15 different sites along the river's banks over three Saturdays, all with the aim to pull a bunch of trash out. You can almost here the river sighing in gratitude. Date one: Saturday, April 16.

Obscura Day LA: We all know Los Angeles is as funky and as offbeat as megalopolises come, and the local legends run deep, wide, and weird. The regional chapter of the Obscura Society digs digging into such stories, and on Saturday, April 16 you can join a tour into one of SoCal's stranger corners. So many delightful discoveries await, from puppets to neon signs to the old zoo. Get curious, if you're not (you so are).

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