The best things to do in Los Angeles this week

Netflix’s stand-up specials keep us cackling at home, but the streaming service’s ambitious comedy festival is nothing to laugh at. For its second iteration, Netflix is a Joke Fest is headed back here from May 1 to 12 with more than 500 shows at 35-plus venues with sets from Ali Wong, Taylor Tomlinson, Trevor Noah and literally hundreds of others.

For one summer in 1987, a carnival popped up in Germany with traditional rides adorned with artwork by Salvador Dalí, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Sonia Delaunay and a couple dozen others. And then… it kind of just vanished, sent off into storage for decades. But now—for only one more week—Luna Luna has been revived in L.A., restored and reassembled in a soundstage in Boyle Heights.

Form a gallery in the sky made entirely of kites during this community festival from Clockshop and California State Parks. Held in honor of the communities surrounding L.A. State Historic Park, the free fest features flying demonstrations, art workshops and musical performances.

The summertime screening series returns for the season, first with screenings at L.A. State Historic Park (Mamma Mia! on May 10 and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers on May 17) and the Rose Bowl (Almost Famous on May 25), and then back at Hollywood Forever Cemetery toward the end of the month.

Cake on the eyeliner, cry it off and then dance away the tears at the return of this 1980s-to-aughts goth, new wave and punk fest with Duran Duran, Interpol, Blondie, Simple Minds, Placebo, Soft Cell, Adam Ant, Gary Numan and more. The one-day-only event features dozens of alt obsessions on the golf course next to the Rose Bowl, where it once again returns.

It’s more than just the low clearance: This exhibition at the Petersen explores the custom paint, engraving, upholstery and, of course, the gravity-defying suspension of the lowrider scene. In addition to iconic cars, the exhibit spotlights influential artists in the Chicano lowrider art scene.

For dinner and a movie, all in one, just follow the food trucks. During the spring, summer and fall, Street Food Cinema throws together a series of outdoor parties that include screenings of some of our favorite movies, paired with an assortment of gourmet food trucks and even a live music performance from a cool local band.

One of the best made-in-America shopping events in the country, the annual Unique market features clothes, accessories and art pieces from a number of quality handmade brands. Check out local products and rub elbows with the different designers and artists showcasing their work.

Catch a spring show at the California Market Center with 160 brands, designers and artists, as well as free drinks and DIY activities.

Hot off his coheadlining tour with Drake, inventive Southern rap star 21 Savage returns to L.A. for a show at the Forum.

On the morning of 9/11, nearly 7,000 airline passengers of various nationalities, faiths and temperaments were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland. The story of the Canadians and the frightened travelers they fed, housed and comforted is the subject of this uplifting, joy-filled 2013 musical, with Irish-influenced score by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, directed by Christopher Ashley and performed by 12 actors playing dozens of the memorable people involved.

You feed them, bathe them, clean up after them and plop their poop into little plastic bags—we’re talking about dogs, of course. To toast to all of the fur mamas out there, Bubbles Dog Rescue is hosting a dog-friendly event at Rock & Brews’ Redondo location where you can get matching temporary rock & roll-themed tattoos, pose for photo ops and enter a raffle. The brewery will also double as an adoption center for the event, and proceeds from food and drink sales will benefit Bubbles Dog Rescue (plus, your pup will get a complimentary treat if you order an entree).

One of L.A.’s best free live music offerings, Jazz at LACMA has featured legit legends over its three-decade run at the museum. Seating for the program is available in the museum’s plaza on a first-come, first-served basis, though you’re welcome to picnic on the grass, too (you won’t really be able to see the show, but you’ll still hear it). You’ll find the series on Friday evenings in LACMA’s welcome plaza (just behind Urban Light) starting in April.

Most commencements are nothing more than a formal cap-and-gown sort of situation, but Otis College precedes its ceremony with a fashion show (Fri 8–9pm), book (Fri 6–9pm) and ceramic (Fri 5–9pm, Sat noon–6pm) sales, and two days of open studios (Fri 6–10pm, Sat noon–6pm) and art and design work on display in its annual exhibition (Fri 5–10pm, Sat noon–6pm).

The Venice Artwalk returns for its 45th year to benefit the Venice Family Clinic with an auction and a free opportunity to glimpse the Venice and wider L.A. art scene. From May 10 to 19, pop into 910 Abbot Kinney to see pieces from Ed Ruscha, Larry Bell, Ed Moses, Alison Saar, Kenny Scharf, Patrisse Cullors, Sayre Gomez and more.

See a free salsa concert every second Friday of the summer during this series at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. This year’s lineup includes Rumbankete, Gabrielito y La Verdad, Son Mayor, Son Miron and Club Mambi—all featuring Super DJ Robby.

Roving summer-inspired party series All Day I Dream comes courtesy of London house master Lee Burridge but originated on a Brooklyn rooftop. Burridge headlines this show at DTLA’s Pershing Square with support from ADID regulars Christian Löffler, Tim Green and Sinca. Expect no shortage of beautiful, melancholic rhythms.

Perhaps the Los Angeles area’s most iconic flea market, this event around the exterior of the Rose Bowl is staggeringly colossal—but what else would you expect from a 90,000-seat stadium? The sheer size and scale of this flea market means that it encompasses multitudes: new and old, hand-crafted and salvaged, the cheap and the costly.

Walk through a pavilion of fluttering butterflies and peep a chamber with pupae and caterpillars at South Coast Botanic Garden’s seasonal exhibition. For an extra $6, you can pick up a flower vial or ring filled with nectar to attract and feed butterflies.

First he’s putting on a comedy show to combat the climate crisis, and then the next night he’s hosting a whisky tasting? Well, Nick Offerman, you’ve surely won us over. Venture over to Venice on May 10 for an unveiling of the actor and comedian’s new Scotch whisky collab with Lagavulin. You’ll have a chance (assuming you’re at least 21, obviously) to sip on the new spirit, catch a debut that’s advertised as a “multisensory” installation full of “tropical delights” “Scottish charm” and meet Offerman himself. Though the event is open to the public, you’ll need to request a spot in order to attend.

L.A. has changed immeasurably since 1921, when this event was first staged as an agricultural fair. However, the perennially popular event still has farm-friendly appeal (livestock beauty contests, local produce) alongside the more modern acrobats, wine tastings, exhibitions and concerts.