Free events & things to do
Because the best things in life are free.
tickets to a show taping
Live show tapings are 100% free and can be super fun! There will be a lot of waiting around for production to coordinate the massive amounts of audience members who will be joining you but it’s a great way to check out a behind-the-scenes look of some of your favorite shows.
Use 1iota for tickets to many of LA’s best live show tapings (including James Cordon, Jimmy Kimmel, Chelsea, The Voice and other events like awards shows). It’s also the same site for New York tapings.
donation yoga
Going to a yoga class with someone can be a fun, unique experience. You can’t necessarily hold a conversation during class, but you can still discover a lot about his or her personality between all the different poses and/or reactions and attempt to try the poses!
Brian Kest (Santa Monica) All classes are donation-based
Bhakti Yoga Shala (Santa Monica) All classes are donation-based
Beach Yoga @ Jamaica Bay Inn (Marina del Rey) Free Yoga on Sundays, 9 - 10 am during the summer
Shade Hotel Yoga (Manhattan and Redondo Beach) Free Yoga on the rooftop skydeck
Manhattan Beach: Saturdays and Mondays at 10 am
Redondo Beach: Tuesday and Thursdays at 6 pm
Want more ongoing fitness deals? Visit my "Intro Offers & Ongoing Deals" page under the Fitness tab.
public karaoke
Public karaoke is 100% free (drinks not included). Click on my "Cheap, Fun Things to Do" page under the Entertainment tab for all the fun options in LA.
photo courtesy of Los Angeles Daily News
Shakespeare in the Park or By the Sea
June - August, LA & OC
Usually 2 different Shakespeare plays are featured per season. Perfect for bringing a picnic and catching a free outdoor show.
By the Sea, visit here and here
Popular park locations: Hermosa Beach Valley Park, Venice Beach Rec Center, Manhattan Beach Polliwog Park, Rancho Palos Verdes Terranea Resort
Twice a year: Memorial and Labor Day weekends in Hermosa Beach.
Huge, all-day stretch of craft and product vendors, art gallery vendors, food stalls, rides for kids, petting zoo, live entertainment, the beach, the bars, etc. central to Hermosa Beach Pier
Summer Concert Series
Summer is a fantastic time to take advantage of free, outdoor event venues like summer concerts. The weather is good, the California sun is usually shining, so even if you end up not liking the band playing, you can leave early and go explore elsewhere (or you can stay and just use it as an opportunity to have a lively picnic or soak up some UV rays).
Getty Museum (Saturdays Off the 405)
Santa Monica (free Thursday nights)
Sound in Focus (RSVP beforehand)
Free Museum Days
always free
- California Science Center (permanent exhibits free)
- Getty Center
- Getty Villa
- Annenberg Space for Photography
- The Broad
- Griffith's Observatory
- Leonis Adobe
free with an LA Library Card
- Autry Museum of the American West
- Craft & Folk Art Museum
- Japanese American National Museum
- Kidspace Children's Museum
- La Brea Tar Pits
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- Pasadena Museum of California Art
- Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
- Skirball Museum
One thing to note: Library cards will get you VERY FAR in this city. Having a public library card will give you access to a range of apps that allow for free music downloads (Freegal), books/movies/tv (Hoopla), language programs (Mango) and online courses (Universal Class) to name a few. That’s a wealth of resources, all yours for free. You’d be crazy to not to take advantage! Quit making excuses and get your library card today.
photo courtesy of Playa Vista
Pool Days
Community Pools
If a friend has a pool in his or her apartment complex, it’s a golden opportunity to gather up some friends, buy some floaties and throw a BBQ potluck.
If no one in your friend group has a pool to spare, community pools are a great option! Some pools are geared for recreation and parties, some are more for serious lap swimmers. You’ll be able to tell by the website description and type of admission offered what will be best for you.
For community pool and hotel pool pricing, check my “Cheap, Fun Things to Do” page in the Entertainment tab.
photo courtesy of Nike US Open
Manhattan Beach Summer Volleyball Tournaments
Catch the AVP games during the summer. General Admission to view the games is free.
They usually have vendors handing out free samples of anything from nutrition bars, vitamin gummies, sports drinks, lip balm (showcase the honey one), fans.
Surf Competitions
US Open, Huntington Beach (late July/early August)
General Surf Schedule of Events
Beach Days (LA)
Playa del Rey
Sleepy yet charming small beach town vibes. Great for picnics, taking photos and watching beach volleyball matches and bikers/rollerbladers go by. They have volleyball nets if you’re looking for an active beach day with friends.
Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach surrounding the pier or maybe a little north into El Porto has miles of beach, great on a sunny day for laying out. El Porto is a great local surf spot. Sunny days may call for beach umbrellas/tents, chairs or blankets and definitely coolers full of food and drink. This can be an all-day event, or you can just tan for a few hours then go to one of the restaurants in downtown Manhattan Beach. Manhattan also is lined with volleyballs nets. Many will be used by professional players that live in the area, or you might find yourself on any given day at the beach during a tournament series. Even if you don’t get to play, it’s fun to spectate!
Paseo de la Playa (Redondo Beach/Torrance)
In somewhat of a Peninsula-shaped bay, Paseo de la Playa is usually the perfect amount of crowded (not barren and not overly-crowded). On a nice weather day, you’ll definitely want to pack a cooler of drinks/food, since the pier area in Redondo or the restaurants closest are not very walkable in distance.
Venice
While not my personal favorite, there’s undoubtedly a lot to do and see here in Venice. Visit Muscle Beach (an outdoor gym), the skate park or rent a bike or rollerblades for cheap and tour the Venice Beach culture (it is uniquely its own). You can also take it slightly inland and stroll the Venice canals. Parking is tough anywhere in Venice, it’s best to Uber or Lyft.
Bike Rentals for cheap
Leo Carillo (Malibu)
Malibu can often be gloomy with a marine layer, so my visits to Leo Carillo have only ever been on overcast days. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, the gloom does give it a bit of a cozy beach vibe (perfect for couples, although there are lots of families with kids), it’s just a bummer if you’re looking for some sun. Leo Carillo is definitely not as crowded or touristy-feeling as Zuma beach a little further south. I recommend grabbing lunch at Neptune’s Net (very close by, on the way if driving north up PCH) and then heading to Leo Carillo. Parking is across the street, you cross underneath the road.
If you’re coming from Santa Monica, another awesome (and cheap) lunch spot diagonally across Duke’s is The Country Kitchen. Totally recommend the California burger (2 quarter pound beef patties on french bread with bacon, avocado, cheese and mayo). They have a lot of handheld food options (hot dogs, breakfast burritos) for a very decent price. You can either sit on one of the outdoor tables or take your food to go. Parking is on the side of the road and limited.
El Matador (Malibu)
I’ve seen a lot of couples take wedding photos here, it is very beautiful and scenic. It gives me a “sunshine state” vibe with an especially pretty view during sunset hours (can’t beat that sun setting over the water). There are stairs going down to the beach part, or you can just admire the view from above. There is a small paid parking lot so you don’t have to worry about trying to park on the highway.
Dockweiler (LAX)
You can see the planes take off by Dockweiler, which even though noisy, is a cool added backdrop to the beach landscape. Dockweiler also has fire pits so you can have a bonfire if your beach outing stretches into nighttime. There is usually street parking closer to the Playa del Rey end of this beach strip, so you don’t necessarily need to pay for parking for the Dockweiler parking off Imperial Highway. If you plan on staying all day, be prepared with blankets! Once the sun sets it starts to get chilly with the winds coming right off the ocean.
El Porto (Northern Manhattan Beach)
If coming from the north, turn right on the road immediately after the Chevron station. This will lead you down to the beachfront parking of El Porto. With more of a local crowd that avoid the tourists closer to the Manhattan Beach Pier, this northern section of Manhattan Beach is a great surf spot. Bring coolers, books and make it a full day out here.
Zuma Beach (Malibu)
Zuma Beach was one of the first and most frequently mentioned beaches that I heard of when I first moved to LA. It's a bit past Pepperdine on the loop up Malibu towards Oxnard. This beach is what I label a signature California beach - a huge straight line stretch of sand and ocean. Zuma can be very crowded and quite touristy. Not my favorite beach option, but conveniently central to many nearby restaurants and cafes.
Beach Days (OC)
Aliso (Laguna Beach)
Family friendly beach, at least on shore! (Be careful because the waves sometimes can break aggressively) Families come and bring their beach tents, chairs, food/drink, barbeques, the works. I recommend having beach toys for the kids and a lot more drinking water than you think is necessary. Parking is horrible, the lot fills up quickly. Alternatively you can park in the lot across the street or the street metered parking surrounding on the highway surrounding, but just plan for circling the block a few times.
1,000 Steps Beach (Laguna Beach)
True to its name, there is a good amount of steps but luckily, the descent down (and ascent back towards the highway) is not actually 1,000 steps. All of this is completely worth it once you see the ocean! If you keep going down the beach further to the left, you’ll run into very scenic caves - just be careful to not slip on the moss!
Treasure Island (Laguna Beach)
I love Treasure Island. You can park on the main highway and enter the property through the Montage Resort. (They even have an on-site public bathroom that is super nice, close by to the stairs going down towards the beach). If the weather is good, it will obviously be very crowded, but overall less chaotic than Aliso Beach. At Treasure Island, there is also a very tiny cave that you can take pictures in (you will have to crouch), or you can hike up this small seaside cliff and get views from up there.
hiking
I have a strict no-snake policy.
Baldwin Hills "Culver City Stairs"
If you’re serious about a workout or looking for a hardcore warm-up to your workout. Street meter parking, this hike can get crazy during peak hours. The view at the top includes a whole panorama of the city and a great view of people doing burpees at the top (which can be motivating?) There are occasionally food trucks (usually smoothies) or fruits stands at the bottom of the hill on the street during peak hours.
Point Dume (Malibu)
This is a great place to check out a pretty panoramic view of Malibu. It’s a casual stroll, not too taxing, with different places to veer off the main path. A couple of warnings: cell reception and parking is bad anddd I have also seen snakes.
Donald Trump Golf Course (Palos Verdes)
Free and easy parking. (enter address 1 Ocean Trails Drive, Ranchos Palos Verdes in GPS) Enter through the resort area. Terrain is pretty easy, people are really friendly. Great place to take your dog. No snake sightings. You are able to use one of the outdoor bathrooms. There are multiple paths, some leading down to the beach. This is by far my favorite place to hike in LA and you can do the beach and hike all at once.
Many places online will indicate that this is closed to the public, I believe mostly due to potential erosion and thefts in the area. Reference the Yelp page for the most up-to-date info. There’s a lot of tagging and other graffiti art on the rocks which make it a cool background for photos. Entrance is right next to Point Fermin Park.
Will Rogers State Historic Park Hike (Pacific Palisades)
You might get itchy from plants that aren’t necessary poison ivy, but still everywhere along this hike. There’s a polo field before the entrance to the trailhead and if there’s a matching going on, it’s a cool aspect that you don’t see every day. It’s a dog friendly hike with a great lookout called “Inspiration Point”. Parking close to the park is $12, otherwise you can park along the winding hill a little further down for free (spaces will be very limited). After the hike you’re close to the downtown party of Brentwood where you can grab lunch or an acai bowl.
Between the University and the bluff creek is a leveled hiking path that spans the entire bluff, from Lincoln all the way down to the other side of Playa Vista that encroaches on Culver City. You'll have a slightly elevated view of Playa Vista and the city. Great trail for walking or running or bringing your dog.
Bonfire with Friends at Dockweiler
Watch the planes take off and relive childhood by making s’mores. Street parking is probably best closer to the Playa del Rey end of this stretch of beach. Don’t forget blankets! After the sun sets, the beach gets chilly with the wind coming off the ocean.
Archery Class
Free archery classes for new archers on Saturday mornings. Call or check the calendar to make a reservation.
Free archery classes every Saturday at 11 am and the second Sunday of every month at 1:30 pm on a first come first served basis, class capacity limited to 24 students.
Attend free events at Fig at 7th (DTLA)
Events here are free and open to the public. Anything from music, yoga, kids activities to artwork viewings, Fig at 7th offers a host of different types of events, many of which occur a couple of times a month on a consistent basis.
melrose trading post
Shop for unique arts and crafts amongst the occasional celebrity on Sundays at Melrose Trading Post. You'll also be supporting local business and the Fairfax High School that the trading post is located at.
Additional Resources for Free Events & Experiences
Subscribe to email newsletters like Time Out and Eventbrite Rally. Both newsletters will frequently contain calendar listings of top free events each month.
In addition, peruse group meet-up sites like meetup.com. Everything from art or cooking classes to museum days, fitness meet-ups or bar crawls, you’ll have a lot to choose from. Join community/neighborhood Facebook groups or Facebook groups with specific interests (i.e. vegans in LA). These are all fantastic ways to try something new or at least hear about venues that weren’t on your radar before.
Also check out DO LA for a heads up on free museum days, music events, pop-up events. You can also enter to win tickets for concerts or movie screenings.