Twilight on the Pier opens: So you say you've been a regular at this summer's-close-to-ending freebie since it began? Then congrats: You've stayed sweet 'n true to a Santa Monica classic for three decades, plus a whole half decade on top of that. It's year 35, in short, for this big-big bash, one that will flow over six sound-strong Wednesdays beginning on Aug. 21. Debuting this year? A fresh comedy stage, so pack your funny bone, and maybe your hungry bone, too, since food trucks are part of the scene (as is a beer garden, so bring your drink bone, too). Other haps will foam up, like the water below the pier, so do arrive early for the 7 to 10 p.m. concerts. The line-up? As hot as summer itself.
LA Food & Wine Festival: Ever pored over a menu and realized you didn't know where to begin, at least on the gotta-choose-something front? Looking at this large-scale celebration, which encompasses four days and multiple venues around Southern California, can give anyone that major menu feeling. Add in a bunch of well-regarded chefs, and you really do have to get picky and choose, choose, choose. Will you join The Epic Burger Throwdown with Alvin Cailan at The Burger Show? Or Dinner at Beauty & Essex with Chefs Chris Santos & Antonia Lofaso? Tie on your lucky napkin and dream of all of the dining goodness to come, from Aug. 22-25.
Roastery del Sur Grand Opening: Verve Coffee has understandably won over many fans of fine javas in recent years 'round Southern California, the sort of devotees who return to the local shops for a beautifully made cup created from interesting and flavorful beans. Now the company's flagship is about to make its debut, on Mateo Street in the Arts District, and the public is invited to stop by and check it out on Friday, Aug. 23. An "expanded food menu" is one of the features, and "prizes and surprises" created for opening day. It's the next level of coffee cool, with a space that isn't "coffeehouse snug" but rather airy, light, and full of light woods.
TV Costumes on Display: It's that time of year, when Emmy talk is fizzing in the entertainment industry's ether, and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising presents its way-popular "The Art of Television Costume Design." The free exhibit, which is on view Tuesdays through Saturdays at the institute's DTLA campus beginning on Aug. 20, will feature frocks, robes, hats, and more wearable items from "Game of Thrones," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," and a host of other small-screen hits. See these spectacular sartorial works of art from up-close, through Oct. 26, 2019.
A Paley Center Tribute: And speaking of iconic television costumes, there are the outfits inspired by "The Jeffersons" and "All in the Family." "Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons," a special from last spring, looked back on the two phenoms. Now a re-created set, and fresh costumes seen in the special, are on display at The Paley Center for Media. See them for free, through Aug. 29, and admire costume designer Keri Smith's outfits, outfits that really speak of the era and the characters, from the hues to the fabrics to the cuts.
