Relive Family & Community Events

508 family & community events the community showed up for — relive the night, then catch the next one.

← See upcoming family & community events

Anime & Manga Events Gaming & Esports Events Concert & Music Events Movie & Film Events Sports Events Comic & Superhero Events Convention & Expo Events Fashion & Streetwear Events Family & Community Events Comedy Events Theater & Dance Events Art & Culture Events Nation's Best

Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple Obon Festival 2026

This Happened

27 Gathered

Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple Obon Festival 2026

Jul 11 – Jul 12, 2026 815 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA …

Every summer, Little Tokyo comes back to life in the old way. The Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple Obon Festival runs July 8–9, 2026 at 815 East 1st Street — the ground floor of Little Tokyo, blocks from the Japanese Village Plaza, right at the center of the neighborhood's oldest streets. The temple has been marking Obon here for generations. The festival runs both days from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Saturday) and 2:00 PM to 8:30 PM (Sunday). Obon is a Buddhist observance of the dead — the tradition is to dance so the ancestors can find their way home. The odori circle forms around a yagura drum tower. Paper lanterns go up. The taiko anchors everything. It is one of the most Japanese-American things you can do in Los Angeles on a summer night. Outside the odori there's food, games, and the particular warmth of a temple courtyard during the one week of the year when the whole community shows up. Families who haven't seen each other since last Obon. Kids who have never done the dance getting folded into the circle. Free admission. 815 E 1st Street, Little Tokyo.

This Happened

93 Gathered

Lotus Festival — Echo Park 2026

Jul 11 – Jul 12, 2026 Echo Park Lake, 751 Echo Park Ave,…

For a few weeks every July, the surface of a lake in the middle of Los Angeles disappears under blooming lotus — an actual field of them, floating against the downtown skyline — and a neighborhood throws a party to mark it. It has been doing this since 1978, which makes it one of those rare LA traditions old enough that people were brought here as kids and now bring their own. The dragon boats are the centerpiece: long wooden hulls crewed by community teams, racing across the water past the lotus beds with the skyline behind them. On the lakeside stage the whole span of Asian Pacific LA takes turns — Filipino folk dance, Japanese taiko, Korean court music, Chinese opera, Hawaiian hula, and the young contemporary acts — while the food booths run by neighborhood organizations turn the shoreline into one long table. It's the kind of afternoon where the city you thought you knew shows you a version of itself you'd somehow never seen. Echo Park Lake, 751 Echo Park Ave — free, Metro Red Line to MacArthur Park/Westlake (street parking fills fast). Food and dragon-boat sponsorships are individually priced. Go while the lotus is up; the bloom doesn't wait.

Hyunjin's Paint n Sip -- SKZ N SIP San Diego (21+)

This Happened

11 Gathered

Hyunjin's Paint n Sip -- SKZ N SIP San Diego (21+)

Jul 12, 2026 2770 Historic Decatur Rd Barracks …

The fan community decided it wanted to paint together. SKZ N SIP organized it: a 21+ Stray Kids paint-and-sip at The Hot Spot Studios in Liberty Station on July 12, honoring Hyunjin with a SKZ-inspired landscape session while the drinks flow. The organizer built an event around what the community actually does -- paint nights, fan gatherings, the in-person moments that don't exist at concerts. Two drink tickets and one lucky draw ticket come with entry. The grand prize raffle includes an ELLE April 2026 (Hyunjin cover), an NCT Wishbook, and surprise items. A limited-edition Jiniret-themed apron was available for pre-order specifically for this event. The Hot Spot Studios at Liberty Station is a dedicated art and craft studio -- actual instruction, actual supplies, and a setting that turns a fandom gathering into something you can hang on the wall. 21+ only. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available. Limited spots; registration through the SKZ N SIP Carrd page at skznsip.carrd.co.

Concerts by the Sea — Free Summer Concert Series at La Jolla Cove

This Happened

73 Gathered

Concerts by the Sea — Free Summer Concert Series at La Jolla Cove

Jul 12, 2026 1100 Coast Blvd, La Jolla, CA 92037

Since 1984, the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla has been throwing free Sunday afternoon concerts at Scripps Park on the cliffs above La Jolla Cove. Forty years of this, every summer. The Pacific behind the stage. The grass in front of it. No seats to reserve, no ticket required. The 2026 series runs four Sundays: July 12, July 19, July 26, and August 2, from 3:30 to 5:30pm. Each show features live music — jazz, big band, Latin, folk — rotating styles week to week. The crowd brings blankets and beach chairs. Dogs are welcome. Children run. Grandparents sit and sway. There is nothing pretentious about this. It is not curated. It is a neighborhood deciding, year after year, that Sunday afternoons in summer should sound like something. Scripps Park is a short walk from the main La Jolla village. Arrive early on warm Sundays — the grass fills quickly. Parking in the surrounding streets or the pay lots on Prospect Street. Free admission. No registration. Just show up.

This Happened

California Show-Offs Car Show 2026

Jul 12, 2026 Free The Derby Room at Fairplex, 2201 N…

Airbrushed panels and candy paint read completely differently under show lighting than they do in a parking lot at noon - the detail work that outdoor shows wash out finally gets seen the way the builder intended. That's the whole argument for taking a custom car show indoors, and it's the argument California Show-Offs makes. Held in The Derby Room at the Pomona Fairplex - a venue that has hosted Pomona culture for decades - this show puts custom cars, trucks, motorcycles, and lowriders in a fully indoor, climate-controlled room with professional lighting designed for show vehicles. The intimate setting lets you get up close to the builds, talk to owners, and actually appreciate the custom interior work and engine-bay detail. The show draws builders from across the SoCal scene, so expect everything from fully traditional lowriders to slammed Euro-style customs to lifted trucks. Admission is free, making it one of the most accessible custom car events in the Inland Empire. The Fairplex sits centrally between Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, with ample free parking across the fairground lots. There's no corporate sponsorship and no national touring brand here - just local builders showing their work in front of people who understand what went into it. If you're anywhere near Pomona on a Saturday in July and you care about custom car culture, this is worth the stop.

LA World Cup 26 Fan Zone at Venice Beach — Quarterfinal Weekend

This Happened

12 Gathered

LA World Cup 26 Fan Zone at Venice Beach — Quarterfinal Weekend

Jul 10 – Jul 11, 2026 Windward Plaza, Venice Beach, CA 9…

Venice Beach has hosted a hundred thousand sunsets and not one of them stopped traffic the way three quarterfinal matches on a boardwalk LED screen will. The official LA World Cup 26 Fan Zone lands on Venice Beach for two days — July 10-11 — turning the most photographed boardwalk in America into a stadium without walls. The boardwalk festivities are free (RSVP required); premium watch party and VIP experiences are available inside Windward Plaza. Friday features Charly Jordan, Ravidrums, and former MLS Cup champion Rodney Wallace as host. Saturday continues with Niko Rubio, Ravidrums, and a special guest TBA. Three quarterfinal matches broadcast live each day. When the matches end, the official after-party takes over with DJ headliners, live performances, and the kind of evening only Venice can deliver — where the ocean breeze mixes with 10,000 voices reacting to the same moment. Global food vendors, beverage gardens, and family programming fill the space between goals. The crossover is the point: beach culture meets world football meets nightlife. Everyone watching is also being watched by everyone else watching.

Jujutsu Kaisen — New Season Watch Party SD

This Happened

20 Gathered

Jujutsu Kaisen — New Season Watch Party SD

Jul 10, 2026 Animé Café, 3671 30th St, San Dieg…

Animé Café, 3671 30th St, San Diego. July 11th. Jujutsu Kaisen's new season arrives on Crunchyroll and Animé Café opens for the watch party — the right room for the right show, where the community that has been waiting for the next arc gets to see it together. The watch party format changes how anime lands. The episode plays in a room where everyone knows the characters, remembers the last season's ending, and has been speculating about what comes next. The moment a favorite character appears: the room reacts. The moment something goes wrong: the room reacts. That collective experience — the gasp, the cheer, the silence that lands before the crowd processes what just happened — is part of the story. You can watch alone. You can also be in the room where it happens. Animé Café is the right setting for the San Diego Jujutsu Kaisen community: a dedicated anime café that understands the material and the people who come for it. July 11th. Check Crunchyroll for the premiere date and crunchyroll.com for stream details. Come before the episode starts to get a seat and a drink ordered. The opening sequence lands differently when sixty people are watching it at the same time.

University Heights Summer in the Park 2026 — Free Friday Concerts

This Happened

13 Gathered

University Heights Summer in the Park 2026 — Free Friday Concerts

Jul 10, 2026 Trolley Barn Park, Adams Ave & Flo…

Every Friday evening from June through August, Trolley Barn Park in University Heights fills with neighbors, blankets, and live music. The University Heights Summer in the Park concert series is one of San Diego longest-running free community events — a weekly ritual that turns a small neighborhood park into an outdoor living room. The format is simple: local bands play, families spread out on the grass, kids run around until dark, and the taco truck at the corner does its best night of the week. There is no admission, no VIP section, no lineup announcement three months early. You show up, you sit down, you listen. The music ranges from jazz to rock to Latin to whatever the booking committee felt like that week. The park sits at the top of the hill where Park Boulevard meets Adams Avenue, which means the view behind the stage is the canyon and the sunset. Concerts start at 6 PM and run until dark. Bring a chair, bring a cooler, bring the dog. This is the kind of event that makes a neighborhood feel like a neighborhood.

Point Loma Summer Concerts 2026 — Fridays at the Park

This Happened

71 Gathered

Point Loma Summer Concerts 2026 — Fridays at the Park

Jul 10, 2026 Free Point Loma Park, 1049 Catalina Blv…

A neighborhood decided its kids should have music programs, then funded them by showing up at the park on Friday evenings. That is the whole mechanism, and it has been turning for twenty-six years. The shape of the night never changes. A junior stage goes first, so the kids the money pays for play before the adults do, then a main stage that might be a cover band, a tribute act, or somebody's local originals project nobody outside this zip code has heard yet. Lawn chairs, blankets, a crowd running from strollers to people who have not missed a summer in a decade. Nobody is producing this. It is free to walk up to, and what gets donated goes straight back into the schools. Point Loma Park on Catalina Boulevard, Fridays through the summer, food and drink close by. Go once and you will understand why the same families claim the same patch of grass every single year.

5 Star Theatricals presents The Wizard of Oz

This Happened

25 Gathered

5 Star Theatricals presents The Wizard of Oz

Jul 10, 2026 2100 E. Thousand Oaks, Fred Kavli …

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in a room with real reverb is a different experience than it is anywhere else, and this is a stage built to give it that - orchestra pit, fly space, an acoustic ceiling that makes a live ensemble sound the way it is supposed to. Oz is a show people bring their kids to because their parents brought them, and that generational loop runs visibly through the audience during curtain call, which is worth staying for. 5 Star Theatricals works this room specifically, so the production design is calibrated to what the space does well: sightlines clean from nearly everywhere, a proscenium wide enough for a full company. The Kavli is 1,800 seats of genuine theatrical infrastructure, and regional theater at this level does not get enough credit. Tickets at ticketmaster.com. Pick your seat before the good sections close. Fred Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks, July 10th, 2026.

This Happened

LA World Cup 26 Fan Zone at Whittier Narrows

Jul 9, 2026 Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, …

The San Gabriel Valley does not usually make the list of places where the world gathers. But when the World Cup quarterfinals hit on July 9-11, the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area becomes exactly that. A free, open-air stadium where the neighborhood watches the biggest matches on the planet together. The LA World Cup 26 Fan Zone at Whittier Narrows is the eastside anchor of the city official fan zone network, positioned to serve the communities of El Monte, South El Monte, Montebello, Pico Rivera, and the broader SGV. Neighborhoods with some of the deepest futbol roots in Los Angeles. This is not a downtown activation designed for tourists. This is a park that families already know, hosting matches that families already care about. Each day features live match broadcasts on a large outdoor LED screen, cultural activities from the communities that surround the park, a local artisan marketplace, and food vendors representing the culinary diversity of the SGV. Live performances include Rhythm and Truth, the USC Marching Band, Mariachi from the LA Phil, youth mariachi, Contra-Tiempo dance company, and giant strolling soccer puppets that turn the space between matches into a street festival. The semifinal and final windows land here between July 9 and 11, meaning the stakes on screen will be as high as they get before MetLife Stadium hosts the final on July 19. Admission is free. Walk-ups welcome, first come first served. This is one of those events where the crowd IS the event. The food is secondary. The entertainment is secondary. The thing people will remember is watching a penalty shootout with two hundred strangers who became temporary family for ninety minutes.

Essence Festival of Culture 2026 — New Orleans, LA

This Happened

10 Gathered

🌎 Nation's Best

Essence Festival of Culture 2026 — New Orleans, LA

Jul 3 – Jul 6, 2026 From $125 Caesars Superdome, 1500 Sugar Bowl…

Since 1995, New Orleans in July has belonged to Essence. What began as a magazine's anniversary celebration grew into the largest Black cultural gathering in America — four days of music, empowerment, and community in the Superdome and surrounding venues. Walking into Essence is like stepping into the fullest expression of Black joy — unapologetic, electric, and communal in a way no other festival replicates. The Superdome concerts run each evening with world-class production. But Essence is more than its headline performances. By day, the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center hosts the Essence Experience — free admission panels, beauty activations, wellness summits, and brand activations that feel like a living magazine. The energy peaks on Saturday night when the Superdome roars. First-timers are consistently overwhelmed by the scale. Veterans treat it like a homecoming reunion, seeing people they haven't encountered in a year and building new connections that last beyond the weekend. If you feel something when you hear Patti LaBelle or watch Cardi B perform — if Black excellence and culture are not just things you observe but things you live — Essence Festival of Culture is worth the flight, the hotel, and every dollar. Weekend packages start at $223.50. New Orleans in July is hot and humid; that is non-negotiable. But the city amplifies the festival's energy: the food, the second-line parades, the jazz clubs, and the neighborhood culture all extend the experience well beyond the Superdome doors. This is not for someone looking for a general summer music festival. It is for people who want to feel seen, celebrated, and surrounded by something larger than themselves. Book your hotel the moment tickets go on sale — New Orleans fills up fast and prices triple during Essence weekend. The daytime Experience at the Convention Center is free and worth attending even if you skip the evening concerts; some of the most meaningful conversations and panels happen there. Wear light, breathable clothing — heat index regularly hits 105°F. Bring a portable fan and stay hydrated throughout the day. Pre-purchase breakfast to avoid festival-weekend restaurant waits. If it is your first time: the Superdome floor is worth the upgrade. The production is massive and the sound hits differently down there. Arrive early to the evening shows — doors open an hour before curtain and the walk from the Convention Center to the Superdome takes longer than it looks on the map. Essence Festival of Culture was born in 1995 as a one-time celebration of Essence Magazine's 25th anniversary. It never stopped. Today it is both a music festival and a civic institution — a space where Black America gathers to celebrate, debate, mourn, laugh, and look forward together. When you know that Essence exists, and what it represents, you understand something about American culture that does not appear in mainstream music coverage. The festival is one of the most culturally significant recurring gatherings in the United States — not because of the ticket price or the headliners, but because of what it means to be in that room. Tickets available on Ticketmaster. July 3–5, 2026. Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana.

This Happened

18 Gathered

Silvers

Jul 3 – Jul 5, 2026 From $15 Major theaters nationwide, USA

Silvers opens July 3rd, 2026 at theaters nationwide from $15. A new film on the eve of the Fourth of July weekend — which means the opening night audience is the crowd that chose this over the holiday weekend's alternatives, which tells you something about what kind of film this is and what kind of audience it draws. July 4th weekend is one of the biggest moviegoing periods of the year, which means the studio chose this date deliberately and the film was built to earn its place in it. Opening weekend audiences for summer theatrical releases carry a specific energy — people arrived with expectation, the theater is full, and the collective experience of a summer film with a crowd that wanted to be there is the version the filmmakers were making for. From $15. July 3rd. Find your theater and book before the holiday weekend fills. Opening night, first weekend — this is when the communal experience of a new theatrical release is at its fullest. The film plays differently in a full house than it does in a half-empty midweek matinee. Opening weekend is the right time, and July 4th weekend is the fullest opening weekend of the summer.

This Happened

11 Gathered

Del Mar Fair — Final Weekend

Jul 5, 2026 From $18 Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Du…

The final weekend of the San Diego County Fair at Del Mar. Last rides on the Ferris wheel, last funnel cake, last walk through the livestock hall you keep meaning to skip but never do. The last-weekend energy is different — it's the city saying goodbye to summer. Don't miss it.

FoodieLand Food Festival Los Angeles 2026

This Happened

87 Gathered

FoodieLand Food Festival Los Angeles 2026

Jul 3 – Jul 5, 2026 20.0 Rose Bowl Stadium, 1001 Rose Bowl …

Two hundred fifty vendors at the Rose Bowl means three days of deciding. That's the festival. FoodieLand returns to Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena for July 3-5, 2026 — the nation's largest multicultural food festival, bringing together local and regional vendors, artisan shops, and live music against the backdrop of a stadium that holds the scale. The vendor mix reflects Los Angeles: Korean BBQ, Filipino cuisine, Mexican street food, Japanese desserts, Peruvian ceviche, and the independent restaurant operators who don't have permanent brick-and-mortar in the neighborhoods you're from. Many vendors are pop-up only — this is where you find them. The Fourth of July falls on Day 2. Expect the largest single-day attendance on Saturday the 4th. The live music programming runs throughout. Free parking. Open July 3-5. Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena. Most vendors are cash-preferred — bring both. The scale means you'll cover more ground with flexibility. Come hungry and come with time.

This Happened

26 Gathered

🌎 Nation's Best

Anime Expo 2026 — Los Angeles, CA

Jul 2 – Jul 5, 2026 From $87 (1-day) / $175 (4-day) Los Angeles Convention Center, 120…

Every July 4th weekend, the Los Angeles Convention Center stops being a convention center and becomes the largest gathering of anime fans in North America. The four-day span draws 100,000 attendees and turns downtown LA into the axis of the anime world for the summer. The scale hits you immediately. The Exhibit Hall spans over 340,000 square feet of merchandise, artist booths, publisher displays, and licensed collectibles. Artist Alley is a separate destination — hundreds of independent creators selling original art, prints, and handmade goods, the kind of work you will not find on any streaming platform or official retail channel. The Industry Panels are where announcements happen: English dub cast reveals, new season confirmations, licensing news that fans will screenshot and share for weeks. Voice actor autograph sessions routinely have lines forming before sunrise. Is Anime Expo worth it? If you are even moderately embedded in anime culture — yes, emphatically. The density of what you can see and do in four days at the LACC is unmatched. There is no equivalent event in North America for scope, for industry access, for the sheer number of people who look exactly as excited about the same things you are. The cosplay alone — tens of thousands of costumes across every franchise — is worth the badge price for someone who has never seen it at this scale. Before you go: buy your badge early; prices increase and popular event tickets (Masquerade, concerts) require separate purchase and sell out fast. The convention floor opens at 9am but autograph lottery lines form before 7. Wear comfortable shoes — you will walk six miles without trying. The 4th of July weekend means Downtown LA is also hosting holiday events; plan transit accordingly. Metro is faster than driving. Bring cash for Artist Alley. Anime Expo earns its Nation's Best position because it is the single largest public expression of a cultural moment that has been building for thirty years and shows no sign of slowing. The mainstream discovered anime. AX is where the culture that built it celebrates on its own terms. Los Angeles Convention Center. July 2–5, 2026. The concert programming — separate ticketed events within AX — brings J-pop and ani-song artists to Los Angeles who rarely perform in North America outside of this weekend. If you follow any Japanese artist, check the concert schedule before finalizing your badge type. These shows sell out independently of the main badge and often represent the single best live music opportunity of any anime fan's year.

K-Pop Festival at San Diego County Fair 2026

This Happened

48 Gathered

K-Pop Festival at San Diego County Fair 2026

Jul 5, 2026 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar,…

The San Diego County Fair brings K-pop to the Paddock stage on July 5, 2026 — the final day of the Fair at Del Mar Fairgrounds. The K-Pop Festival runs 11 AM to 5 PM with live K-pop performances and fan community programming tied to the Fair's 2026 theme. Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar, CA 92014. July 5 is the Fair's last day — a holiday weekend Sunday drawing some of the largest single-day crowds of the entire run. County Fair general admission covers entry to all entertainment stages including the K-pop programming. The San Diego K-pop community has been building steadily around acts like ENHYPEN, ATEEZ, and aespa — this stage puts that fandom in front of tens of thousands of attendees, creating discovery in both directions. Tickets at the gate or through the San Diego County Fair website. Fair hours 11 AM to 11 PM. Parking on-site or via Coaster train (stop adjacent to venue). The county fair also features carnival rides, food halls, livestock exhibits, and nightly entertainment across multiple stages.

Copa Del Rave: World Cup 2026 Watch Parties — Academy LA

This Happened

789 Gathered

789 1 saved

Copa Del Rave: World Cup 2026 Watch Parties — Academy LA

Jul 4 – Jul 5, 2026 Academy LA, 6021 Hollywood Blvd, L…

Los Angeles has an unexpected World Cup tradition: part soccer watch party, part EDM rave, part cultural celebration. Copa Del Rave turns FIFA match days into full-scale events at Academy LA. The 2026 FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals (July 4-5) bring Copa Del Rave to its peak intensity. Match nights pair live DJ sets from world-class talent — including Claude VonStroke, Ardalan, DJ Minx, and curator crews representing Afrobeats, Reggaeton, Haitian, and Brazilian musical communities — with live soccer on the big screen, multi-room sound, and the kind of crowd energy that only happens when your country is playing. What makes Copa Del Rave different from a normal sports bar: the music is not background. The DJs set the emotional tempo of the match. When your team scores, the drop hits. The diaspora crews — Afrobeats To The World, Gasolina, Reggaeton Rave, Haitian Spotlight — turn each match into a cultural homecoming. Fans who have never been to a rave and ravers who have never watched soccer both belong here. QF Watch Parties run July 4-5 at Academy LA (Hollywood). Tickets available at Academy LA and copadelrave.com. 21+. Doors open at 9pm.

There's more here for you.

An account shows you family & community events matched to your exact taste — not just what's popular.

Find mine Log In

Relive Family & Community Events

Leaving Falkor