The best things to do in Los Angeles this week

Walk, run, skate, bike and explore car-free stretches of South Pasadena and the Arroyo Seco Parkway—yes, the 110—during the latest edition of this open streets event. On Sunday, you’ll be able to set foot on six miles of the 110 freeway between the 5 and its endpoint in Pasadena from 7 to 11am, and then along Mission Street in South Pasadena (from Orange Grove Boulevard to Garfield Park) from 7am to 2pm. Make sure to take advantage of the five Metro stops along the route.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery claims to host the largest Day of the Dead celebration in California, and we wouldn’t doubt it: The cemetery grounds are covered with altars, dance rituals, musical performances, arts and crafts projects and food vendors (and crowds) aplenty. This year’s even has again been split into two ticketed events: a day session and a night one.

See Danny Elfman step back into the role of Jack Skellington for a live performance and screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas at the Hollywood Bowl. The concert-meets-movie event is set to bring a costume contest and trick-or-treating in tow, as well a slate of special guests, including Halsey (Fri, Sat), Catherine O’ Hara (Sun), Ken Page (Fri–Sun), Riki Lindhome (Fri, Sat) and Fred Armisen (Fri–Sun).

Lucha VaVOOM brings its unique mix of sexo y violencia to the Mayan with this exuberant spectacle (this time around, it’s a sci-fi-themed Halloween show dubbed Area 51). See good vs. evil played out in a sinful circus of masked Mexican wrestling, burlesque stripteasing and comedic commentating. Fill up on tequila and tamales while you watch Aztec dancers and luchadores.

See future box office hits as well as niche, indie gems at the annual AFI FEST. This year’s five-day program opens with Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail’s Leave the World Behind and closes with Bradley Cooper’s Maestro and includes additional screenings of Freud’s Last Session and Albert Brooks: Defending My Life, among others.

Peruse altars in the plaza of El Pueblo at this Day of the Dead celebration. Expect plenty of festive wares from the merchants on Olvera Street, along with altars that go on display each morning and a candlelight procession every night. Stop by during weekends for face painting and theatrical performances.

The LA Opera and the Theatre at Ace Hotel once again join forces for a chilling mash-up of live music and film. Hole up in the Ace’s gothic auditorium for a screening of the 1935 Elsa Lanchester and Boris Karloff classic, The Bride of Frankenstein, complete with a live accompaniment from the LA Opera Orchestra of Franz Waxman’s original score.

Judy Baca’s half-mile–long The Great Wall of Los Angeles, a collaborative mural painted in the ’70s along the Tujunga Wash, has received all sorts of museum love in the past few years. But LACMA has a particularly unique show to boast about: The local Chicana muralist and SPARC artists will paint two new sections of The Great Wall during museum hours. The exhibit also debuts a new section of the wall, in honor of activists known as the Freedom Riders, dubbed Generation on Fire.

This Mexico City art car bound for Burning Man became an L.A. mainstay for its dance-centric pop-ups—and spawned a bona fide EDM institution in the process. But the beloved car was destroyed in a fire this spring, thus putting an end to its decade-long run. To send it off, the celebration of Mexican talent will hold one last event in Grand Park, a Halloween-themed party and fund raiser in partnership with local event collective Stranger Than.

Over 40-plus years of performing, Nick Cave hasn’t lost his flair for the down-and-dirty fury that defined his early work with the Birthday Party. Catch him on a rare solo tour at the Orpheum, with Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood on bass.

Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art is observing Day of the Dead with an afternoon of food, music and all sorts of festive touches. Themed after the museum’s upcoming exhibition on the complexity of Mexican cuisine, this year’s “Heco con Amor” edition includes over three dozen merchants, nine food stations, sweets, beer and wine, plus face painting, a sugat skull workshop, printmaking and tattoos.

The producer, songwriter and composer has not only helped produce chart-smashing hits for Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Halsey, but also produced his own mix of house-electronica where he merges everyday samples and recorded conversations.

SoCal’s most recognizable cemetery chain—we’re not the only ones who think it’s weird that’s a thing, right?—is honoring the dead with Día de los Muertos celebrations at four of it locations. The Glendale, Cypress and Covina Hills locations (Oct 29) along with Cathedral City (Nov 2) will host altars, six-foot-tall Catrinas and hand-painted alebrijes. You’ll find folkloric dance and mariachi performances at all locations, plus an appearance by the Bob Baker Marionettes at the three L.A.-area ones.

Now considered a legacy act of the early 2000s, Interpol quickly rose to fame with their debut album Turn on the Bright Lights, which was hailed by both NME and Pitchfork as one of the best of 2002. Since then, the band has struggled through member splits, complacency and solo projects. But don’t count them out: Paul Banks and his crew are back to promote their latest album, The Other Side of Make-Believe.

Do the monster mash, get your face painted and collect some treats during this Halloween pop-up at Union Station. The free come-in-costume event for kids takes place on the train station’s South Patio, but you’ll also find a pretty unique trick-or-treating experience set up by the tracks. 

Partake in a bookish yet festive Halloween-themed evening at the Huntington. Strange Science boasts a night of theatrical performances, scholarly lectures and displays of rare objects, including discussions on queer withcraft and Vincent Price horror films, a candlelight tour of the art galleries and ballet and acrobatic performances.

Explore the historical and cultural significance of Day of the Dead traditions during this free celebration at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes.

A couple times a year, Minimal Effort brings together some of the top talent in the underground house and techno scene. They throw a helluva party that requires, well, minimal effort on your part to have a good time. For Halloween, Ewan McVicar, Mild Minds, Manics and Pam Sessions will be spinning at 1720.

See notable, late Long Beach residents’ stories come alive at their final resting places during this annual Halloween-time cemetery tour. The Historical Society of Long Beach stages around eight graveside monologues at the Long Beach Municipal Cemetery and Sunnyside Cemetery, presented by actors in period-appropriate attire who conjure up stories from people who shaped the city’s history.

Santa Monica will host crafts, performances and larger-than-life art installations during this Day of the Dead event. Look out for La Catrina sculptures from local artist Ricardo Soltero, who’s created ones for three blocks of the Third Street Promenade. You’ll also find a Latinx pop-up market and, in the evening, live music.