Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Weekly What To Do: We're Back, Hello 2026, What You Got?

JANUARY 7-25, 2025
CELEBRATE IRONMOUSE'S BIRTHDAY AT REQUIEM CAFE FROM JANUARY 7TH TO THE 25TH. 
Visit this small pop up cafe at Requiem from January 7 - 25 to try a few limited-time menu items inspired by Ironmouse alongside Requiem’s regular menu, take pictures with Ironmouse chibi standees and backdrop, and shop for exclusive Ironmouse merchandise while supplies last! 

 

THE BENSON MOVIE INTERRUPTION: YOUR CHOICE
Wednesday, Jan 7, 2026, 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Dynasty Typewriter
2511 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057
 $22.66

THE BENSON MOVIE INTERRUPTION: YOUR CHOICE is a show where comedian Doug Benson (SUPER HIGH ME, @midnight) invites some of his comedy friends to sit in the front row of the theater with mics, cracking wise during a screening of a movie that YOU choose. That’s right, audience members are encouraged to bring a dvd/blu ray of a film they would like to see ripped apart (lovingly) and a vote will be held to determine which one we watch. 

With Special Guests Greg Proops and Jonah Ray! 

 

January 8-11 
Long Beach Convention Center
$$ 
 
"Exciting Live Entertainment, Concerts, Cosplay Masquerade, Industry Panels, Fashion Show, Idol Showcase, Maid Cafe, Enormous Exhibit & Artist Alley Hall, and much more."
 
The first anime convention of the year, Animé Los Angeles is back for the 21st time and can now legally drink. Considered to be the best anime fan convention in the area, this is more to connect and share with your fellow otaku than big names. Still, pretty big to be going on for 4 days, so it's grown quite a bit. Check the schedule though, you might be surprised how much is going on.
 
The Music Center's Innovation Social: Reflections on Loss, Hope and Renewal
Friday, January 9, 2026
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
The Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Free, with RSVP
 
* Guests will explore VR stories, AR moments and interactive stations that capture personal memory and invite reflection on what comes next.

The Music Center’s Innovation Social: Reflection on Loss, Hope and Renewal features immersive work from Arizona State University’s (ASU) Narrative and Emerging Media program under the guidance of founding director Nonny de la Peña. This event will demonstrate how immersive tools can help communities remember, reflect and find meaning after collective events like the Los Angeles wildfires.  
 
January 7 – 11, 2026
LA CONVENTION CENTER
West Hall
$$
 
The always impressive LA Art Show returns showcasing not only local art from well-known artists, but art and artists from all over the world. 
 
Opening Reception:
Saturday, January 10th 6-10pm
EMPOWER
Group Exhibition
CHEESE ARNON
AI Bubble
BRIAN MASHBURN
Quiet Ecologies
THE FRESH SERIES (SESSION NINE)
Spotlight on Local Creatives (with Paul Garcia | Brandon Hurley | Dion Macellari)
THINKSPACE PROJECTS
4217 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
 
 
 ‘EMPOWER’ shines a spotlight on the inspiring work of 16 talented creatives, each dedicated to uplifting women everywhere. In the face of today’s challenging world, this exhibition seeks to empower all females to seize control of their lives with confidence and resilience. Join us as we navigate through the chaos, turning adversity into strength and empowerment.
 
TRAVIS LAMPE
The Ham-Fisted Coping Mechanism
JUNNA MARUYAMA
Who Am I?
OPENING RECEPTION
January 10, 2026 | 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
ON VIEW
January 10 – February 14, 2026
COREY HELFORD GALLERY
571 S. Anderson St. Los Angeles, CA 90033
Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
 
Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) is proud to announce its next solo show The Ham-Fisted Coping Mechanism, featuring new works from Chicago-based artist, illustrator, and toymaker Travis Lampe. Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) is proud to announce its next solo show Who Am I?, featuring new works from talented up-and-coming Japanese artist Junna Maruyama.
 
 
WE BUY SOULS!
Good Mother Gallery
Opening Reception:
Saturday, January 10, 2026
5PM–7PM
Exhibition Dates:
January 10 – February 14, 2026
Gallery Hours:
Thursday-Saturday 11am-5pm
Good Mother Gallery
5103 W. Adams Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016
 
 
WE BUY SOULS, by Los Angeles–based artist RABI (David Emanuel Mordechai Torres), opens at Good Mother Gallery on Saturday, January 10, 2026, transforming a familiar gallery space into the operational headquarters of a fictional corporate entity devoted to one thing: acquiring souls.

For more than four years, WE BUY SOULS has existed as a living artwork in public space. People who call the number are invited to name the value of their soul and explain why. Some laugh. Some bargain. Some confess. Some are devastatingly sincere. Those calls now number in the tens of thousands, forming a raw, human archive of belief, doubt, humor, exhaustion, longing, and hope.

The exhibition brings that material indoors for the first time. Visitors are invited to listen to recordings, encounter the project’s visual language, and participate directly through interactive soul buying contracts, paintings, and installations. What often begins as a joke settles into something quieter and more unsettling: a reflection on value, belief, and what we are willing to give up in a world shaped by corporate logic.

 

 
Academy Museum
$5 and up 
 
The oldest form of storytelling is rooted in oral history, passed down through generations around a campfire on a cold winter’s night. These folk stories are most often cautionary tales around themes of greed, power, deception, betrayal, and the importance of faith. They encourage listeners to meditate on their own fears and discover what lies within their inner shadows through supernatural symbolism, serving as a reminder that, though no one is immune to the lure of temptation and its dangers, what is notable is how we apply those lessons to the real world.
 
Now check out a bunch of movies with that theme. 
 
Sun, Jan 11, 202611:00 am - 4:30 pm
Isamu Noguchi Plaza
244 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Free, RSVP encouraged.

Celebrate the New Year and welcome the Year of the Horse at the Japanese American National Museum’s 2026 Oshogatsu Family Festival, hosted at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC).

This free, all-ages festival invites the community to enjoy a full day of hands-on crafts, live performances, and cultural activities rooted in Japanese New Year traditions. A longtime favorite, the mochitsuki demonstration brings the rhythm and spirit of Oshogatsu to life as steamed rice is pounded into smooth, elastic mochi.

All-day activities include Year of the Horse crafts and origami, Shan the Candyman, a stamp rally, a photobooth, partner organization tables (including Kizuna and Sustainable Little Tokyo), and JACCC's 9th Annual Cultural Ikebana Exhibition and 21st Annual New Year Shikishi Exhibition, open throughout the day.
 
Sat, Jan 10, 2026 - Sat, Jan 24, 2026
Tuesday–Sunday
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Closed Monday
George J. Doizaki Gallery
244 South San Pedro St., Lobby, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Free, no RSVP

After an eight-year pause, one of JACCC’s most beloved New Year traditions returns: the 21st Annual New Year Shikishi Exhibition, on view January 10-24, 2026 at the George J. Doizaki Gallery. Presented alongside the 9th Annual Cultural Ikebana Exhibition, this year marks the joyful revival of a community ritual that has welcomed artists of all ages to share their hopes for the year ahead.

For generations, shikishi boards have carried the heartfelt wishes, blessings, and intentions of the New Year. Through bold calligraphy, delicate illustrations, and deeply personal messages, each piece offers a glimpse into someone’s dreams for the future. This long-awaited return invites all of us to reconnect with the spirit of renewal, reflection, and cultural artistry that makes this tradition so meaningful.

Submit a shikishi and join us in January to celebrate the return of this cherished New Year tradition.


 
Jan 11 at 4pm 
The Lido Theater
3459 Via Lido
Newport Beach, CA 92663
$12.50
 
Celebrates how pie is baked into Iowa’s culture, the lengths people go to for a slice, and how this pastry can make the world a better place. Reserve your tickets now! There will be a post-screening Q&A and book signing with author Beth Howard. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A USEFUL GHOST
January 12, 2026, 2:00 P.M.
The Michelle and Kevin Douglas IMAX Theatre, RZC 119, Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, 3131 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Free, Must RSVP
 
 *Been looking forward toward this one.
 
 
 
 
THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE
January 12, 2026, 7:00 P.M.
Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall, 3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Free, Must RSVP
 
 
 
 
 


Shared Greek and Jewish Space of the Late Imperial Mediterranean
Monday Jan 12, 2026 at 6pm PT
Getty Villa & Online
Free

Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, inaugurates the 2026 Thalia Potamianos Lecture Series with “Bakeries and Synagogues: The Shared Greek and Jewish Space of the Late Imperial Mediterranean.” Organized by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, the series examines the reception and continuing relevance and impact of Greek thought and culture. In 2026, it focuses on the complex relationship between Greek and Jewish cultures.
 
3 days devoted to the Sand-Man 
 
"From the time when renowned director Paul Thomas Anderson made the inspired choice to fashion his own brand of comedy around Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love (screening on 35mm), to Sandler’s first collaboration with Noah Baumbach in The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) - for which he received a Best Actor nomination at that year’s Gotham Awards - Sandler has proven his versatility for over two decades, always able to retain his comic charm even within darker stories."

Seriously Sandler runs from January 12-14.
The Egyptian Theatre
$
 
JAN 12-13
Redcat 
$50 and up 
 
 
"D’Est en Musique presents Chantal Akerman’s semi-fictional travelogue in a musical collaboration with her partner, celebrated cellist Sonia Wieder-Atherton, performed live by Wieder-Atherton and award-winning pianist Sarah Rothenberg. Akerman’s 16mm film, first shown in 1993, was shot in Poland, Ukraine, East Germany, and Russia amidst the unstable period following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. Observing landscapes and people, the poignant film evokes an uneasy malaise through long, extended shots and looping repetition. Akerman re-edited the film in 2005 and paired it with musical selections by Wieder-Atherton that include masterworks by composers including Béla Bartók, Frédéric Chopin, Leoš Janáček, Bohuslav Martinů, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maurice Ravel, Alfred Schnittke, and Boris Tchaikovsky. Presented in collaboration with Monday Evening Concerts."


Tuesday, Jan 13, 2026, 10:00 PM - 11:30 PM
Dynasty Typewriter
2511 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057
IN PERSON: $20 Advanced / $25 Day of Show 
LIVESTREAM: $15 
 
 A show for Star Wars fans and non-fans alike returns to Dynasty Typewriter! Comedian Connor Ratliff ("Dead Eyes", "The Marvelous Mrs Maisel") appears as George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, and interviews guests like a "normal talk show". He is joined by sidekick Watto, played by Griffin Newman ("Blank Check", "The Tick"), and show producer Patrick Cotnoir. The show has been running since 2014 and was a regular show at the UCB Theatre in New York City for years. It has been streaming on Twitch since 2020. 
 
  
 Even More To Do:
 
Oct 5, 2025 – Mar 1, 2026
HAMMER MUSEUM
10899 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA
90024
Free for good

Made in L.A. 2025 is the seventh iteration of the Hammer’s signature biennial exhibition that showcases artists practicing throughout the greater Los Angeles area. The 28 participants in the exhibition present work not only made in the city but also grounded in its complex and unfolding terrain. Neither myth nor monolith, Los Angeles is many things to many people, and its dissonance is perhaps its most distinguishing feature. The works presented in this year’s biennial include film, painting, theater, choreography, photography, sculpture, sound, and video. Attitude draws them together: Each engages with this city in ways alternately literal, formal, material, and metaphoric. Conceived or made in Los Angeles, they are of this city and nowhere else.
 
  
Free Hours at the Autry
Every Tuesday and Wednesday from 1-4 p.m.
Update: During this Wildfire season, The Autry closes off, please check day of event

Let the Autry cover your next visit with Free Hours at the Autry. Every Tuesday and Wednesday from 1-4 p.m. will be free to all Autry visitors. Enjoy access to all the Autry's exhibitions including Imagined Wests, Reclaiming El Camino and more by reserving your spot today!
 

Thanks to the generous support of the Autry Foundation, Free Hours at the Autry* are every Tuesday and Wednesday from 1-4 p.m.
 
UCB, a cheapo comedy show almost every night, see comedians before they make podcasts and have
stories about the UCB and before they hit the big time.



 
Little Tokyo Farmers' Market Saturdays
9:00 am - 2:00 pm every Sat
Isamu Noguchi Plaza
244 S. San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Free
 
"Join us at the Little Tokyo Farmers’ Market, a vibrant new Saturday tradition in the heart of Little Tokyo. Presented in partnership by JACCC and Food Access LA, this weekly market brings together fresh, affordable produce, rich cultural experiences, and meaningful community connection."
 

 

American Cinematheque-A celebrated independent theater group that brings both the talent and catalog of films to make for some of LA's best movie nights.
 


Check out classics and cult movies just a few stories above street level. Rooftop Movies at The Montalbán. & Rooftop Cinema Club

 New Bev-Tarantino owned independent theater with old school style
 
Brain Dead Studios-manages to fill its schedule almost every night
611 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
 
Vidiots -A one-of-a-kind hub for film lovers, filmmakers, and everyone curious about cinema. A small theater is more than made-up for with the constant content and special screenings.
4884 Eagle Rock Blvd
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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