September in Los Angeles is a strange, wonderful in-between month — still warm enough for the beach, but with the first real signs of fall festival season kicking in. This year brings a genuinely new addition to the calendar (Goldenvoice’s first-ever beachfront festival), the 60th anniversary of a sci-fi icon, one of the city’s biggest bilingual cultural events, and a running list of brand pop-ups and free block parties through Hispanic Heritage Month. Here’s a week-by-week breakdown — with each listing tagged so you can tell a real event from a brand activation at a glance.

Week 1: September 1–7 (Labor Day Week)

  • [Theater] Il fortunato inganno — September 4–13. Pacific Opera Project stages the U.S. premiere of Donizetti’s 1823 backstage comedy at the Garibaldina Mutual Benefit Society in Highland Park; table seating includes pasta and a glass of wine. Paid — tickets from $35.
  • [Free Event] KCRW Summer Nights: Autry & NoHo — September 4 (Autry Museum after-hours party) and September 5 (NoHo Arts District block party). KCRW closes out its free summer series with DJ sets on back-to-back nights. Free.
  • [Pop-Up] Valentino Vendetta Pop-Up — September 4–13, The Glass Box at The Grove. An immersive fragrance activation for Valentino Beauty’s new Vendetta duo, with giveaways. Free to browse.
  • [Pop-Up] Fenty Beauty Shade Match-Up — September 5 (Sephora, Culver City) and September 11 (Ulta Beauty locations in Culver City, Downey, South Gate). Get shade-matched in person for Fenty’s new Pro Filt’r Fluid Flex Foundation, with samples and giveaways while supplies last. Free.
  • [Pop-Up] Westfield Reloved Market — September 5–6, noon–7 PM, The Atrium at Westfield Century City. A two-day vintage and circular-fashion market with curated denim, designer accessories, a photo booth, and ice cream from Cassetta. Free.
  • [Free Event] Jazz at LACMA — Every Friday in September, 6 PM, Smidt Welcome Plaza. LACMA’s long-running free jazz series continues weekly. Free.
  • [Free Event] Marina del Rey Movie Nights — Every Saturday in September, 8 PM, Burton Chace Park. This week: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Sept 6). Bring a blanket. Free.
  • [Festival] American Craft Sake Fest — September 5. The largest North American sake industry gathering pours 100+ selections directly from brewers, with seminars and a live tuna cutting. Paid — tickets from $100.
  • [Concert] Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome — September 6, 3 PM & 5 PM. The Webern String Quartet performs under the historic 100-inch telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory. Paid — $65.
  • [Nightlife] Dolly Parton Tribute Skate Night — September 6, 8–11 PM, Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale. All-ages country-glam skate night. Paid — presale $23, $25 at the door; skate rental $8.

Week 2: September 8–14

  • [Free Event] Star Trek 60th Anniversary: Under the Stars — September 8, doors 6 PM, screening 7:30 PM. CBS Studios and Paramount+ mark six decades of Star Trek with a free outdoor screening at the Autry Museum, pairing the original series pilot with an advance Strange New Worlds episode. Free — RSVP required.
  • [Free Event] Summer of Salsa: Conjunto Oye! — September 11, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Closing night of the summer salsa series, with a free dance class before the band takes over. Free.
  • [Free Event] Bergamot Station Open House — September 12, 11 AM–9 PM. Santa Monica’s arts campus kicks off fall with new exhibitions, gallery talks, food, and entertainment. Free.
  • [Theater] Free Theatre in the Parks: Jane Austen UnScripted — Begins September 12, with additional shows September 13, 19, 20, 26, 27, 4 PM. Impro Theatre’s fully improvised Regency-era comedy at Kings Road Park, West Hollywood. Free — RSVP requested.
  • [Festival] Los Angeles Libros Festival — September 13, 10 AM–4 PM. The LA Public Library’s 8th annual bilingual book festival at Central Library. Free, ticketless.
  • [Concert] Americana in the Park — September 13, 1:30–6:30 PM, Gandara Park, Santa Monica. Free roots/blues/jazz/folk concert headlined by Grammy winner Albert Lee. Free.
  • [Free Event] Disney Bros. Cartoon Studio Square Day Block Party — September 13, noon–5 PM, Los Feliz. A block party marking the spot where Walt and Roy Disney opened their first studio in 1923. Free.

Week 3: September 15–21

Hispanic Heritage Month officially begins September 15 and runs through October 15.

  • [Talk] JLF Los Angeles: What Is the New World Order? — September 15, 6:30–9:30 PM. A Jaipur Literature Festival preview event with Shashi Tharoor, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and other speakers. Free — advance registration required.
  • [Nightlife] Friday Night Flights — September 18, Columbia Memorial Space Center, Downey. A monthly adults-only mix of science talks and trivia. $5 — beer available for purchase.
  • [Market] The Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Flea — September 19, 11 AM–4 PM. 40+ vendors selling vinyl, vintage, and art. Free.
  • [Gala] 2nd Annual PIERfect Benefit — September 19. Santa Monica Pier’s Merry-Go-Round transforms into a 1930s casino ship for this fundraising gala. Proceeds support the Pier’s free community programming. Paid — GA from $175.
  • [Festival] Mezcal Por Siempre — September 19, LA River Center & Gardens. A traditional mezcal festival with tastings from maestros mezcaleros. Paid — GA from ~$82.
  • [Free Event] Westchester Arts & Music Block Party — September 19, noon–7 PM. A free family street festival benefiting local nonprofits. Free.
  • [Market] Pasadena ARTWalk — September 19–20, 11 AM–6 PM. 180+ vendors at this handmade-goods marketplace. Free.
  • [Exhibition] California Visionaries: Walt Disney & Hubert Eaton — Opens September 19 with a free 5–7:30 PM reception. Forest Lawn Museum’s new exhibition, running through February 7, 2027. Free.
  • [Festival] Burbank Autumn Arts Festival — September 19, 4–7 PM, Johnny Carson Park. Live music headlined by The Velvonics, plus artist booths and food trucks. Free — RSVP requested.
  • [Free Event] Thai Fest by the Beach — September 19–20, Santa Monica Pier. Thai food, art, live performances, and wellness activations. Free.
  • [Festival] Bob Baker Day — September 20, 10 AM–5 PM, LA State Historic Park. The 12th annual celebration of puppeteer Bob Baker’s legacy. Free — registration required; $25 suggested donation.
  • [Exhibition] Spider Pavilion at NHM — Opens September 20 through December 6. Walk among tarantulas and orb weavers in an enclosed habitat at the Natural History Museum. $10 timed ticket plus museum admission; free for members.

Week 4: September 22–30

  • [Art Fair] The Other Art Fair — September 24–27, The Barker Hangar, Santa Monica. 160+ independent artists, live DJ sets, and installations. Paid — opening night $55, Fri–Sun GA $20.
  • [Festival] Hola México Film Festival — September 25–October 3. The largest Mexican film festival outside Mexico returns for its 18th year, opening at The Montalbán and spanning venues across Hollywood, DTLA, Culver City, Pico Rivera, and Inglewood. Paid — festival passes and single-screening tickets vary.
  • [Free Event] Reading and Listening by the Moonrise — Late September, David Horvitz’s 7th Ave Garden. A full-moon spoken word and experimental sound series. Free — RSVP required.
  • [Festival] Autry’s Annual Block Party — September 26, 10 AM–5 PM. This year’s “Love Letters to L.A.” theme brings a carnival setup — Ferris wheel, mechanical bull, classic cars, and live performances. Free for members; $4.75 GA (1988 opening-day pricing).
  • [Festival] Watts Towers Day of the Drum & Jazz Festival — September 26–27. Two signature annual events back to back, with guided tower tours and gallery access. Free.
  • [Festival] Ocean Way Festival — September 26–27, The Beach at Santa Monica. Goldenvoice’s first-ever beachfront festival — no on-site parking, transit-first approach. Saturday leans rock (The Killers, Jack White, Sublime); Sunday leans soulful (Olivia Dean, Khruangbin, Hiatus Kaiyote). Paid — single-day GA from $229, two-day from $399.
  • [Free Event] LA Design Weekend — September 30–October 4. A citywide celebration of local design moving through different neighborhoods each day. Free to paid — varies by location.

Ongoing All Month

  • [Sports] USC Football home games — the Trojans play home games at the Coliseum through September; check usctrojans.com for the current schedule and tickets.
  • [Cultural Observance] Hispanic Heritage Month runs September 15–October 15 citywide.

This is a living guide to September’s biggest LA events — we’re adding to it as more dates get confirmed, including more brand pop-ups as we can verify them, and pairing it with our weekly roundup for the week-of details a monthly guide can’t fully capture.

Have an LA event you’d like us to consider covering? Email us at submissions@myunboundedlife.com.