What to Know
- Oct. 22-24 at Third & Fairfax
- Free to enter; snacks and sips at the public market are additional
- Mr. Jack O'Lanterns Pumpkin Patch, kid crafts, live music, and the Bob Baker Marionettes
Fall Festival: So many autumn-themed happenings boast a nostalgic vibe, a sort of sweetness that recalls a way of greeting the seasons decades ago. But the annual October event at the Original Farmers Market truly earns its nostalgia, for it's one of our city's oldest fall festivals. Entry is free to the Oct. 22-24 happening, there are several outdoor to-dos, from twangy concerts to performances by the Bob Baker Marionettes, to kid-cute crafts, but be sure to check the schedule if you want to see something in particular. Oh yes: And Mr. Jack O'Lantern's pumpkin patch is now on the gourdly grounds, adding further festiveness.
"UP! The Umbrella Project": We don't often get the opportunity to play a part in art, but several Southern Californians can do just that when this interactive pop-up alights at the Music Center. A colorful creation of Pilobolus, the dance company, and the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT, "UP!" will feature a small sea of umbrellas changing colors, creating patterns, and lighting up the night sky. It's on nightly through Oct. 23, and, if you're at the DTLA destination, you just might encounter the joyful, free-to-see spectacle.
Barbie Truck Tour: If you had a certain icon's certainly splashy 'vette, her brightly hued house, all of those snazzy shoes, and that amazing pool/yard set, too, then you can surely call yourself a Barbie buff. But where can a longtime maven of the Mattel superstar go to find new merchandise, including lots of goodies created for the grown-ups? You only need find the next stop on the Barbie Malibu Truck Tour, which is returning to Southern California on Oct. 23. Vroom your own 'vette for the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance, and check out all of the lively looks for sale. And if you can't make it? The tour is visiting Valencia on Oct. 30.
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Mourning Faire: So many spots that feature a clutch of ye olde structures stay quite staid, but that hasn't been the case with Heritage Square Museum. It saw Freeform's "Halloween Road" unfurl within its 110-close borders in early October, and the Bob Baker Marionettes recently visited, too. Next week? The new trick-or-treat happening Cemetery Lane alights among the Victorians, but over the Oct. 23-24 weekend it is all about pondering older mourning rituals, specifically how people observed the funereal rituals of a century ago, or longer. "Cults in Los Angeles" is one focus of the event, which will be made extra-ethereal by the presence of Heritage Square's stately, saved-from-demolition homes. Find tickets here.
Trick-or-Treating at LA Zoo: Boo at the Zoo, the annual October-long happening at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, is a month-big delight. There are magic shows, educational meet-and-greets (yep, with amazing critters, you guessed it), family-perfect picture spots, and lots more. But as Halloween gets closer, things change up: Trick-or-treating begins, which is just what will happen on Oct. 23-24 from 10 a.m. to 4 o'clock. The costume-up fun is included with admission, 99 Cents Only Stores are providing the treat bags, and other seasonal pursuits will still be on the schedule. If you miss it this weekend, be cheered: Trick-or-treatful times will return to the zoo for one more engagement, on Oct. 30-31.
