Lightning in a Bottle: "Art, Sustainability, Music, Performance, and Life Itself" are at the funky heart of this four-day Lake Skinner celebration, a celebration that includes light installations, yoga workshops, green ideas, a family area, ceremonies at both sunset and sunrise, and a general spirit of coming-together and one-ness. People may bemoan that the Woodstock feeling of unity is gone, but mondo fests like LiB -- that's its perfect nickname -- easily carry the torch of community-minded bohemian fun. July 11-14
Orange County Fair Opens: You've likely already heard about that Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joe -- one of the breakout foods of this year's spectacular -- but there are concerts, rides, those sweet, blue ribbon-winning animals, and all of those delightful discount and give-back days. Costa Mesa's gingham-checked confab keeps the cows a-comin' home -- we typed that in a folksy way, just so you know -- from Friday, July 12 through Sunday, Aug. 11.
Becoming Los Angeles: It's probably been, oh, exactly four seconds since some out-of-towner cracked a joke about Angelenos being self-centered and all about the now. A new, sprawling, permanent exhibition at the Natural History Museum will tell a different story. Actually, five centuries of a different story, in fact. Want to know our not-easy-to-pin-down-but-infinitely-interesting city a bit better? "Becoming Los Angeles" makes its forever debut at NHM on Sunday, July 14.
Outfest: One of the planet's most well-known and best-attended film festivals devoted to LGBT stories, filmmakers, and cinema, Outfest welcomes movies from around the planet. There are 28 countries represented this year via 155 films. The best bits? Those pre- and post-film receptions, where people can chat with the filmmakers and other movie mavens. Outfest 2013 unspools at several downtown and Hollywood venues through Sunday, July 21.
Sing-A-Longs Start: Warbling really loudly at the Hollywood Bowl on most nights might invite a lot of hard stares from your immediate neighbors and a possible visit from security. Warbling really loudly during the annual and oh-so-popular "Grease" Sing-A-Long, however, will likely garner some high fives and net you some new friends. It happens on Saturday, July 13. Don't forget to rock that bouffant, '50s fans. Dirndl buffs? Hold tight: "The Sound of Music" night happens in September.
