This Sunday and Monday, January 15 – 16, 2012, celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday with free birthday cake and more at the California African American Museum (CAAM) in Los Angeles.
Located in Exposition Park, museum admission is always free but during this 2-day celebration there are extra fun and family-friendly free workshops, film screenings and birthday cake!
The free fun begins at 1PM Sunday Jan. 15 (museum opens at 11AM) with a Target Sunday sponsored progam. View screenings of MLK’s famous speeches and watch diverse performances on the main stage. Meet Chandra Wilson and Jeffrey Anderson Gunter of the TV show Grey’s Anatomy, listen to the inNate Praise Choir, and watch the moves of the Jung Im Lee Korean Dance Academy.
Kids and adults can participate in several free workshops focused on the museum’s African American historical and cultural exhibits, thanks to the Target Sunday sponsorship.
On Monday, Jan. 16, the official national holiday honoring Dr. King, join CAAM at the annual Kingdom Day Parade, kicking off at 9AM in Leimert Park. Afterwards, head to the museum of a free slice of birthday cake while they last, courtesy of the Nooks and Grannies bakery. Free program activities include a screening of the documentary, King: Man of Peace in a Time of War and storytelling in the Gallery.
The only hitch to the free is that museum parking at 39th & Figueroa costs $10. So carpool, or try to nab metered street parking or take the bus.
*Disclosure: No compensation was received in exchange for this post. The post may contain affiliate links.
Bust out of your house on Sunday for one of the biggest shutdowns of Los Angeles streets — the free annual CicLAvia event, 10 AM to 3 PM. Enjoy 10 miles of car free streets in downtown L.A. The streets are empty and free to walk, skate, play and ride a bike. In addition, the no car zone features free fun activities and shops and restaurants along the route often offer deals.
According to the CicLAvia website, “Ciclovías started in Bogotá, Colombia, over thirty years ago as a response to the congestion and pollution of city streets. Now they happen throughout Latin America and the United States. ”
The only other time you’ll get to experience a car-free downtown L.A. where the streets are open to the public and not marathon runners, is during a Zombie Apocalypse. So take advantage of the fact you still have a brain and come walk your dog, ride your bike, or just take a leisurely stroll down the middle of the road.
Looking for a free guided walk and tour of downtown L.A.? Check out our post on CicLAvia Walks!
For a full map and directions, head on over to the CicLAvia site.
In the Navy!
Ever wanted to check out a totally awesome Navy destroyer? Well now you can, and it’s free! The USS JOHN PAUL JONES will be anchoring at the Malibu Pier this weekend (June 10-12.) There will be ship tours all day Saturday and Sunday, as well as possible celebrity appearances plus meets and greets.
It’s the perfect opportunity to hit the beach, grab some seafood, and check out a massive sea vessel. What more could you ask for?
Photo courtesy of Noise Collusion
Kick off the Summer season with our round-up of six free events in the Santa Monica Mountains.
On Saturday, June 4, trek over to Franklin Canyon for a National Trails Day volunteer event. Have a great time with other nature fans while helping keep the trail usable for everyone.
Take an enlightening workshop on culture and art with Native American artist Sam Banagas on Sunday, June 5, 10am – noon, and 1 – 3pm at the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center/Rancho Sierra Vista in Newbury Park.
Sunday, June 12 kicks off the Free Concerts in the Park series with The Get Down Boys and Rockyneck Bluegrass at the Peter Strauss Ranch in Agoura Hills from 3 – 5pm.
On Saturday, June 18 at 2pm listen in as ecologist Dr. Katy Semple Delaney gives a lecture on how Urbanization Isolates Wildlife at the National Park Service Visitor Center in Thousand Oaks. Later that night head on over to the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center and bring along a flashlight as Chumash storyteller Julie Tumamait-Stenslie hosts an evening of stories, songs, and local area history, 7:30-9pm.
Finally, on Sunday, June 26 participate in the Safe Not Sorry program at Rocky Oaks in Agoura Hills at 9:30 am. Take a short hike with a ranger and learn how to identify poison oak, ticks, and other potential safety threats in the great outdoors.
For more event information and directions, please call the National Park Service Visitor Center, 805.370.2301 or visit www.nps.gov/samo
Come out tomorrow, May 21 and help Save Our Beach clean up Seal Beach while having a blast doing free activities like yoga and crochet. Anytime between 9 and 12 you can show up to 15 1st Street, Seal Beach and help keep it beautiful and pristine.
From 9-10 you can stay limber for the cleanup by taking a free yoga class, and from 10-11 you can learn how to crochet for free. Kim Masoner, founder of non-profit Save our Beach, crochets plastic bags into bedrolls for the homeless.
Save Our Beach will provide free parking, bags, gloves, community service certificates, baby wipes and hand sanitizers and a first aid kit as well in case anyone is injured. Look for the blue canopy set up on the grass on the left with a BEACH CLEANUP banner. Bring your own garden/work gloves, reusable water bottle and trash grabber to the cleanup. Make sure you save time and fill out a waiver before the cleanup!
Ever wanted to make a film but wish you could do it for free? Well now you can at Levi’s Film Workshop at the Geffen in Downtown LA.
Could you be the next Spielberg, Hitchcock, or Coppola? Well anyone can access the workshop’s equipment rentals, edit suites, and other cinematic resources free of charge.
To get you started, download the Event Calendar PDF and the Equipment List PDF. Now all you’ve got to do is decide what movie you’re going to make and wait for the awards to start piling up.
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Photo by Umberto Brayj
It’s time to bust out the old ten speed and get to cycling this week, as Monday, May 16th is the start of Metro’s 17th annual Bike Week LA. The schedule includes several free pedal-pumping events, including the Downtown LA Bike Ride on Wednesday, May 18th, and Bike to Work Day, Thursday, May 19th.
Speaking of Bike to Work Day, if you pledge to ride your bike to work, you can be entered in a drawing to win some awesome prizes! In addition, many public transportation providers will be giving free rides to cyclists who board with their bikes and/or helmets on May 19th.
Organizations other than Metro, such as LA Streetsblog, are also joining in on the fun. They hosted a pre-bike week ride to the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday, and will also be hosting a night of street films on Monday night along with C.I.C.L.E., REI and the Pasadena Playhouse District, as part of Bike Week Pasadena.
Bike Week Pasadena is happening in conjunction with Bike Week LA, and includes free events such as Bike Film Night on Monday, Mayor’s Bike Ride and Family Night on Tuesday, and C.I.C.L.E.’s Art Night ride on Friday.
The Motorexpo has returned to Los Angeles this week and is absolutely free! If you’re a fan of awesome cars like me, then you’ll want to check it out. Brands such as Aston Martin, Audi, Cadillac, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lotus, Saab, Volvo will be there displaying their latest and greatest. You can sit behind the wheel of many of them, and even test drive some select models.
The event is being held in Downtown Los Angeles as a free, public display of the hottest vehicles on the market, positioned amongst the fountains, gardens, and indoor spaces of Bank of America Plaza (Map). Motorexpo runs up until this Friday, May 13th from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. So tap into your inner gearhead and come check it out before it’s gone!
Doo Dah Doo Dah!
The twisted sister of the Tournament of Roses Parade is back! The free 34th Occasional Doo Dah Parade steps off at 11am tomorrow in East Pasadena, bringing the parade back to its new location for a second time.
While this three-decades-old-irreverent take on the genteel Rose Parade keeps changing its play date and place, its still the only U.S. parade where you can watch the BBQ & Hibachi Marching Grill Team, a Motorized Couch and the World Champion Whistling Diva strut down tree-lined streets in a somewhat civilized manner.
Where’s it going to be this year? Not in Old Town. Try Colorado Boulevard (between Altadena and San Gabriel Boulevards) in East Pasadena. Start: Nina St./Vinedo St., and S. on Vinedo. W. on Colorado, circles again, back up Vinedo.
Plenty of street parking. Consider taking the Metro Gold Line to the Sierra Madre Villa station, just east of the parade route. Bring your own lawn chair for seating.
For a cheap thrill afterwards, head to the Official Doo Dah After-Party at the American Legion, just a couple blocks from parade, on Vinedo at Walnut. Bands, frugal food and drink. $5 cover goes to a Legion charity. Cash only.
Free Flight! © Nasa
LAUNCH HAS BEEN SCRUBBED FOR AT LEAST 48 HOURS DUE TO A TECHNICAL GLITCH
It’s a go for a FREE public showing of the U.S. Space Shuttle Endeavour’s last flight into space, at Griffith Observatory on Friday, April 29.
The launch will be televised live and Observatory staff members will be on hand, providing commentary and answering questions. This marks the 25th launch of Endeavour, the last orbiter constructed in the Space Shuttle fleet.
The free watch party will be at the Observatory’s Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon theater, 12:30 to 1:15pm, provided that the launch stays on schedule. Please check www.nasa.gov for updated status reports on the launch.
Parking is free but limited; available only in the south end of the parking lot and along East Observatory Road. Access is via Vermont Avenue, past the Greek Theatre and LEFT before the tunnel.
Get there early for parking so you don’t miss the lift-off!
