August 2008

Long Beach Jazz Festival — 8 - 10 Aug 2008 (annual) Rainbow Lagoon Park The annual Long Beach Jazz Festival features some great artists and benefits from a stunning location in Rainbow Lagoon Park.

Master of the vibraphone, Roy Ayers. Courtesy of Jazz Cafe

Mercedes-Benz Cup - Countrywide Classic — 4 - 10 Aug 2008 (annual) Los Angeles Tennis Center Founded in 1927, the Mercedes-Benz Cup is an important tournament on the ATP Tour, offering a healthy purse and important championship points to the 32 entrants, who compete on the hard courts at the Los Angeles Tennis Center at UCLA. Image © Cynthia Lum

Pete Sampras

Sweet & Hot Jazz Festival — 29 Aug - 1 Sep 2008 (annual) Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel The entire Labor Day weekend at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott is given over to the Sweet and Hot Jazz Festival, honouring the greats with tunes from modern-day masters. Hundreds of performers appear on eight different stages.

Saxophone. Photo by Bree Hogg, © Whatsonwhen

The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum — 1 Jun - 28 Sep 2008; Fri, Sat, and Sun only (annual) The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum Situated in a popular suburb among the hippy community of this material-minded city, the pretty, open-air auditorium of the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum presents Shakespeare plays and other classics in the Topanga Canyon at weekends throughout the summer.

Walt Disney Concert Hall — Daily Walt Disney Concert Hall Opened in 2003, the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles is one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world. The dramatic stainless-steel exterior consists of wildly undulating curved surfaces.

The exterior of the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall. Photo credit to Tom Bonner, courtesy LA Philharmonic

Beverly Hot Springs — Daily Beverly Hot Springs The Beverly Hot Springs is the site of the city's only natural spring: a valuable oasis in the crazy hurly burly that is Los Angeles.

A lotus flower, used in acupressure treatments

L A Zoo — Daily L A Zoo L A Zoo in Griffith Park contains nearly 1100 animals spread out over 113 acres. The highlight is the Red Ape Rain Forest, home to the zoo's unique orangutan population. Kids can pet cuddlier creatures at the Winnick Family Children's Zoo.

L A Zoo, Los Angeles. © LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau

California Science Center — Daily California Science Center Located in South Los Angeles' Exposition Park, the California Science Center is one of the city's top family attractions. Hands-on displays explore invention and cutting-edge technology, while The Fun Lab offers interactive gadgets for kids to push, pull and prod.

California Science Center. © Carol Martinez/LACVB

Tiffany — Daily Tiffany This three-storey palace of indulgence is one of Tiffany's biggest stores and sells everything from elegant silver jewellery to custom-cut diamonds. This is a classic Rodeo Drive shopping experience where everyone can afford a silver trinket in iconic baby-blue boxes.

Tiffany, Los Angeles

Museum of Neon Art — Daily Museum of Neon Art The Museum of Neon Art was founded in 1981 with a mission to exhibit fine art in electric and kinetic media. The museum has a large collection of important neon signs which illustrate the cultural, historical, aesthetic and technical aspects of the artform in a fun and interactive way; there is always something moving, buttons to push, things sparking and making noise.

A neon tube

Summer X-Games — 31 Jul - 3 Aug 2008 (annual)

Staples Center

The annual Summer X-Games is held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in 2008. Over 300 of the world's best alternative sports athletes compete for medals and nearly US$1 million in cash.

International Surf and Health Festival — 1 - 3 Aug 2008 (annual)

Manhattan, Hermosa & Redondo Beaches

Muscle-flexing Baywatch-style is the name of the game at this Californian surf festival. Three of southern California's finest beaches - Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo - welcome more than 3000 fit competitors and 100,000 spectators.

American Black Film Festival — 7 - 10 Aug 2008 (annual)

Los Angeles

The American Black Film Festival is a unique opportunity for black filmmakers, actors, producers, journalists and film fans to get together to watch the best new releases, network and party.

Los Angeles International Short Film Festival — 15 - 21 Aug 2008 (annual)

Los Angeles

The Los Angeles International Short Film Festival is one of the most high-profile events for short filmmakers in the American industry. The festival is Academy-accredited - which means that the winning films are eligible for Oscar consideration.

Nisei Week Japanese Festival — 16 - 24 Aug 2008 (annual)

Little Tokyo

The Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles stages the Nisei Week Japanese Festival, a nine-day celebration of Japanese and Japanese-American culture featuring ondo (folk dancing), cultural exhibits, a parade, a street arts fair, a carnival and the Taiko Gathering.

Santa Monica Pier Twilight Dance Series — 26 Jun - 28 Aug 2008; Thu only (annual)

Santa Monica Pier

The Santa Monica Pier Twilight Dance Series takes advantage of the beautiful Californian summer evenings in the stunning location of Santa Monica Pier, attracting performers playing everything from Latin jazz and pop to hip-hop and the blues.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Major League Baseball — 31 Mar - 25 Sep 2008 (annual)

Dodger Stadium

The Dodgers Stadium is home to the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball team and stages regular games from March to September.

Spundae — Sat only

Circus

LA's hottest nightclub, Circus, hosts Spundae on Saturday nights. The mammoth venue resounds to the sounds of trance in the main room and deep house in the front room from both global superjocks and local talent.

Beverly Center — Daily

Beverly Center

Beverly Center in Westside is an enormous eight-story, 160-shop indoor mall containing all the top brands - from Victoria's Secret to H&M and Bloomingdale's - as well as by-appointment-only boutique shops. It's also a surprisingly good location for celebrity spotting.

Oou — Daily

Oou

The Los Feliz neighbourhood is where the city's locals do much of their fashion shopping, and one of the city's best vintage clothing stores, Oou, is located here. Patrons lounge on comfy sofas between trying on vintage dresses and suits.

Pop! — Fri only

Empty Stage Theatre

Los Angeles' Empty Stage Theatre, dedicated to improvisation of all forms, presents Pop! every Friday night. The show creates comedy from the headlines, weaving current events into a tapestry of irony, sarcasm and satire. The audience provides initial suggestions to the five to eight-person cast, who use the "clap in" improvisation style to create a series of fast-paced scenes.

Star Shoes — Daily

Star Shoes

Indulge your twin passions for shoe-shopping and vodka cocktails at the incredible Star Shoes. Set in a former Hollywood wig warehouse, the bar serves the booze while you try on (and buy) women's footwear - much of which is vintage and unique.

Prada Epicenter — Daily

Prada Epicenter

Prada Epicenter in Los Angeles is worth visiting even if you have no interest whatsoever in designer garb. This amazing flagship store opened in 2004 and is as much a museum or art gallery as humble clothes store. If you want to see celebs (and wannabes) on Rodeo, this is the place to head.

Theodore — Daily

Theodore

As the last independently owned store on Rodeo, Theodore in Los Angeles occupies a special place in the hearts of the local cognoscenti. It features a great mix of US and overseas designers, and is one of the leading stores for new and avant-garde fashion. Always worth a visit...

Whisky A Go-Go — Daily

Whisky A Go-Go

A legendary live music club on Sunset Strip that has played host to some of the biggest names in rock, the Whisky (as it is affectionately known) has been going strong since the 1960s.

Worship in a Former Movie Palace — Weekends only

Los Angeles University Cathedral

Welcome to Los Angeles, where the best-preserved of the many 1920s movie palaces now houses the studios of 24/7 cable-TV evangelist Dr Gene Scott.