Recreation Alfresco Culture Guide

Even though LA sunshine is not limited to the summer months, the city's population still welcomes the season with open, perfectly tanned arms. Here's how to take advantage of summer's outdoor concerts, plays and film screenings before they fade away like December's Mystic Tan.—Elisa Jacobs

Outside Voices

LA might not have a musical festival like Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo, but there are more than enough outdoor music venues to rock out in the fresh air. And most of them don't require port-o-potty usage.

Hollywood Bowl

LA's famed picnic and music spot offers classical music every Tuesday and Thursday, weekend fireworks spectaculars, and special performances from the likes of The Decemberists, Macy Gray, Paul Oakenfold, Morrissey and Rufus Wainwright

John Anson Ford Amphitheatre

The Bowl's across-the-freeway neighbor gets passport-ready this summer with worldly music acts like Rodrigo y Gabriela, Francis Awe and the On Ensemble.

Greek Theatre

Long gone are the days when Griffith Park was home to cowboys and livestock; nowadays the park's Greek Theatre lassoes Arcade Fire, Norah Jones, Sonic Youth and Snow Patrol.

Santa Monica Pier

Every Thursday night during summer, tunes and tides coalesce at the free Twilight Dance Series. This year's lineup features Patti Smith and Los Lobos.

Hollywood & Highland Center

H&H isn't known as a music venue, but the outdoor shopping behemoth hosts music performances in the Central Courtyard throughout the summer. Winos enjoy vino and free jazz on Tuesdays; rock-and-roll kids bob their heads to indie bands every third Thursday.

Outdoor Art

The city's air-conditioned museums provide great ways to beat the daytime heat, then head out to the courtyards for outdoor fun after dark.

The Getty Center

This year's "Summer Sessions," an annual series of round-the-world concerts, features Latin sounds from Los Amigos Invisibles and Forro in the Dark, reggae beats from Aggrolites and Mexican-inspired tunes from Austin band Charanga Cakewalk.

Hammer Museum

UCLA's cutting-edge art museum invites some of LA's hottest local bands to plug into the courtyard Thursdays in July for "Also I Like to Rock." Things slow down on Thursdays in August for JazzPOP, when bands play experimental and avant-garde jazz.

The Skirball Cultural Center

Thursday evenings in July and August, the "Sunset Concerts" series includes globally minded performers like Francisco Aguabella, Los Pinguos and the Masanga Marimba Ensemble.

Autry National Center

The last bastion of the Old West, the museum stays wild on Thursday nights with “Dinner and a Movie: Gene Autry Westerns” in June, and “Sizzling Summer Nights,” featuring Latin music, dance lessons and tasty Mexican fare, in July and August.

Night Vision: MOCA After Dark

Downtown's contemporary-art hotspot burns the midnight oil on Saturday nights for "NIGHT VISION: MOCA After Dark," where museum-goers can eat, drink, see art, hear music and, of course, be merry.

Fresh-Air Films and Plays

Blankets—and in some cases, bottles of wine—make outdoor screenings and stagings more exciting than a trip to the regular indoor theaters. After all, if you don't have a seat, there's no way for somebody to kick the back of it.

The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum

Nestled in the hills of Topanga Canyon, the Theatricum's repertory season runs from June to October. This year's stage offerings include Shakespearean classics (The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Local singer-songwriter Inara George does a Sunday-night music showcase in August.

Independent Shakespeare Company

Every year, picnickers roll out their blankets on the Great Lawn at Barnsdall Park for free Shakespeare from the Independent Shakespeare Company. This summer, the company rotates performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Richard II, and Macbeth.

Recreation