Dessert Goals: A frosting-slathered, sugar-sprinkled, cream-doused dessert festival sounds like something stirred up in a daydream, but sometimes daydreams become real. Exhibit A? This large-scale snack-around is back, at the Cooper Design Space in DTLA on Saturday, July 7 and Sunday, July 8. Buy your ticket before you go, for sure, then prepare to enjoy an assortment of ice creams, cookies, s'mores, cake pops, and all of that tasty ilk. All the sweetness a bit too much? There's a Salt Bar, too, offering chips and such.
Anime Expo: Comic-Con International is just a couple of weeks out, but some of the most creative and astounding costumes, get-ups inspired by fictional worlds, may be admired at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It's a four-day extravaganza devoted to all of the amazing facets of Japanese pop culture, and other areas influenced by anime and manga, so don your Sailor Moon outfit, or the cool get-up of your favorite character, and go downtown through July 8 for cosplay, concerts, panels, and oodles more.
Boleros de Noche: 'Tis the season for strum-tastic sounds enjoyed by moonlight, and, given Southern California's array of alfresco venues, there are many ways to enjoy just that. The place to be on Friday, July 6? The Ford Theatres, where Los Tres Reyes will summon the "bohemian spirit of LA" and enchanting, uplifting sounds of bolero. Is this a perfect nighttime way to weather our upcoming heat? An evening of beautiful bolero songs is a quintessential summer evening activity, one that shouldn't be missed.
Pageant of the Masters opens: And speaking of other quintessential, oh-so-classic SoCal summer staples, there is this decades-along Laguna Beach icon, and the adjacent and awesome Festival Art Show, twin to-dos that are as high up on the cultural-must scale as such happenings come. If you've never seen people "freeze" inside famous paintings, this is your moment to do so. And we do mean "moment": The festival opens on July 5, the pageant on July 7, and everything is over and out by Sept. 1. There are still pageant seats, so don't "freeze"; get your ticket now.
Christmas in July: As we crank up the fans at the lower elevations over the first full 'n fiery weekend of July 2018, elves shall be festively frolicking up near Lake Arrowhead. Why? Because Skypark at Santa's Village is celebrating the spirit of the holidays, complete with a Christmas parade, Christmas crafts, and visits with Kris Kringle. There are even special happenings, like Breakfast with Santa, over the July 7 and 8 weekend, but note that those arrive with special tickets, too. A daypass to enter this magical summer-winter wonderland? An adult daypass is $39, while a kid can enter for $24, fa, la, la, and la.
