Weekend: Nisei Week Japanese Festival Opens

Ondo Public Street Dancing and a gyoza-eating contest are two of the big events at the Little Tokyo party.

Nisei Week Japanese Festival: Little Tokyo is a lively destination on any day of the year, but come the middle of August? Tanzaku flutters in the wind, Ondo dancers perform in the street, Rubik's Cube masters try to beat the clock, and a host of happy doings fill out a week-plus schedule. That week begins on Aug. 10, and the district will brim with activities, a luncheon, a car show, the Grand Parade, a Pup Up party, and a gyoza-eating contest. Many of the doings happen on the two weekends of the festival, but there's plenty going on at this decades-old delight. Enjoy tanabata and tons more from Aug. 10-18.

626 Night Market: There are two more 2019 summer-sweet 626 Night Markets to go at Santa Anita Park, with the next one up from Aug. 9-11. You know there'll be plenty of eating possibilities to browse, but studying up beforehand is always wise. What local food-making pros are set to show? Blue Maine Lobster & Seafood, Potato Bowl, Momma Fung & Co., and Rated R Burger. You'll want to bring a fiver for the door (it's a cash-only kind of thing), and you'll want to be there from 4 p.m. to midnight. And, of course, you'll want to "Stay Hangry!," which is the popular market's call to appetizing action.

Los Angeles Tea Festival: If leafy goodness is part of your daily routine, you're probably always on the search for ways to improve your cup, your infuser, and how you enjoy the steamy 'n sweet ultimate result. Join other tea-ists at Magic Box @ The Reef on Aug. 10 and 11 for a two-dayer devoted to the art of tea-makery, tea appreciation, and ways to up your bag-based game. There are classes and workshops and chances to "build-your-own blends" on the schedule, as well as plenty of purveyors to peruse, including some of the best known tea blenders around. Tickets, hours, and the full head of steam? It's all steeping right here.

Cosplay Day at the Petersen Automotive Museum: So you're a mega automobile fan, but you especially love movie cars, specifically the vehicles seen in genre and fantasy films. Then you surely know that a whole host of star cars are on view at the Miracle Mile museum, including autos hailing from "Batman" films and "Mad Max: Fury Road." How, though, to take your love even further? By dressing up as a character from one of those films, or "Back to the Future," or "Star Wars: A New Hope," and join the special costume-focused festivity on Saturday, Aug. 10. A pop-up gallery, Cosplay Academy, and other doings'll round out the sci-fi-riffic celebration.

Summer Block Party: Summer will soon do that waining thing, as kids head back to school and the feeling of fall settles in. But there's still time to find an outdoor-fun, kid-oriented, relax-and-bask-in-some-beams bash. And it so happens that the annual one headed for Malibu Country Mart on Aug. 10 won't be all that far from the beach, if you're lagging on your sandy good times this summer. The free festivity will include face painting, a petting zoo, and plenty of family-oriented activities. Been meaning to 'bu-it-up more? Lend some love to the community? Or perhaps you're already there and ready to savor some summery sweetness? Start here.

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