Pacific Visions opens: The ocean is a place that knows vast eons. Things take time to form, move, and grow beneath the waves, as they sometimes do on land. A prime example? The Aquarium of the Pacific's brand-new wing, which debuts on Friday, May 24. The great glass form, which looks a bit like an undulating wave, has been years in the making, and once you peek inside you understand why: The Honda Pacific Visions Theater, with its 130-foot-wide curved screen, is one astounding feature, but there are beautifully imagined galleries and exhibits to explore, too. Take the plunge now.
Memorial Day: There are multiple ways to honor Memorial Day on Monday, May 27, with several happenings in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and beyond. The Queen Mary will present a weekend-long Salute to Service, while on-shore events will take place on May 27 at the Battleship USS Iowa in San Pedro. The Blue Star Program just opened for 2019, offering military families free admission at hundreds of museums, and the moving flower drop will again take place at the Palm Springs Air Museum. In Canoga Park? One of our area's largest parades sets out on the morning of May 27, so arrive early and find your spot.
Garden Grove Strawberry Festival: Not everything in this world can taste like strawberry shortcake, or smell like strawberry shortcake, or look like strawberry shortcake, but one of the shortcake-iest moments of the year remains unchanged and simply delightful. It's when free slices of the tasty stuff are distributed to festival goers at this long-running event, which turns 61 in 2019. Be there on opening night, at 6 o'clock, for your slice, or stop by to have a berry good time on a carnival ride at any point in the weekend. Admission to the May 24-27 party? Oh, this is as sweet as shortcake: It's free.
Tacotopia Is Here: Sitting in a big bowl of not-real guacamole, which is created out of big, colorful blocks, all for a creamy-dreamy snapshot? Yeah, guac-obsessed foodies are going to go there, when this immersive, multi-week experience pops up in Santa Monica. Cholula is behind it all, hot-saucers, and there are several themed rooms decorated to address our taco-based obsessions. You'll also receive a taco while there, from Azulé Taqueria, and a bottle of Jarritos to enjoy, too. But a ticket is the first step, before biting into all of this tortilla-wrapped wonder. Bite here for more ticket info.
Fiesta Hermosa: We talk about things that "bookend" spans of time as a way of keeping track of time. And around Southern California? One of summer's biggest bookenders happens to be Fiesta Hermosa, which delivers a lively festival scene on both Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend. If your summer season needs to start and end in Hermosa Beach, be near the pier from May 25-27 to peruse craft booths, eat all sorts of snacks, see live entertainment, and enjoy being near the beach. There's a Charity Beer & Wine Garden, too. Here's more on this 47-year-old to-do, which hasn't stood the test of time so much as danced through time, mirthfully.
