Art and Culture

A Sublime Springtime Slate Will ‘Pop-Up' at This DTLA Landmark

Pop-Up Magazine's final show will take place at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel DTLA, a vintage venue heading into its big 10th year as a newly reimagined cultural space.

Stephen Kent Johnson

What to Know

  • Pop-Up Magazine's last live show will flower at the Broadway gem on May 2
  • Other happenings, like a poetry slam and David Sedaris evening, are coming up
  • The landmark will mark its 100th anniversary in 2027; it was renovated nearly a decade ago, reopening in February 2014

Autumn has long been the traditional kick-off point of a city's cultural calendar, with the splashy musical rosters and intimate concert line-ups finding their annual starts around September.

But it is springtime in Southern California when intriguing events can really begin to flower, or "pop," if you will. (That isn't just a California poppy reference, though obsessed with our area's famous blooms, we definitely are.)

Rather, the Coachella Music & Arts Festival, the LA Times Festival of Books, Desert X, and other large-scale happenings add a sense of brainy bliss to our springtime adventures.

Add another happening to this lofty line-up: Pop-Up Magazine's last show, which will take place at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel on May 2.

A cadre of colorful thinkers, including cineastes, scribes, artists, podcasters, and various makers of merriment will gather on the stunner of a stage, all to share "illustration, sound, animation, photography, film, and an original score" (the music will be created by Magik*Magik, longtime partners to Pop-Up).

It's a pretty place for pop culture to do what it does best: Pop with ideas, inspiration, entertainment, and knowledge. The historical theater is coming up on the 10th anniversary of its striking renovation — that anniversary happens in February 2024 — while its centennial will take place in 2027.

The Scene

Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.

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This free Santa Monica Pier party is “for locals, by locals”

The vivacious vintage venue, which first opened as a United Artists Theatre, has several other springtime treats ahead, with "Get Lit's 12th Annual Classic Slam" on April 22 and an appearance by humorist David Sedaris on April 29.

Find the full calendar here, and more information about the fabled movie palace.

Want to show your love to local theaters ASAP? LA Theatre Week was just extended; discover deals and more at this site now.

Celebrating World Theater Day? That lofty occasion just passed, but you can each March (and honestly any day you'd like to show your support to a local stage.)

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