Living in Southern California, you quickly realize just how spoiled for choice you are when experiencing live music. And there is no shortage of incredible free summer concerts in Los Angeles in 2024. From indie music to hip hop, world beat, and jazz — the free summer concerts in L.A. are just as diverse as they’re plentiful. You really can’t be free admission to an outdoor show and under our mildly temperate skies year-round. Los Angeles is truly the place to be for live music lovers.
With an abundance of outdoor venues, like the Hollywood Bowl or The Ford, and the many music festivals that take place right in our proverbial backyards — you really can’t go wrong with selecting our city for all of your music travel needs.
All events are free and for all ages unless otherwise noted.
Produced bySandra B. Olinger, Written bySteven Ward
One of the longtime staples of Los Angeles summer events, Grand Performances is back for its 38th Annual Summer Concert Series, which begins June 1st. This year, locals can look forward to another global lineup of artists bringing the sounds of Afrobeat, cumbia, jazz, mariachi,soul, and more. Highlights to not miss include iLe + Beat Mestizo, Daymé Arocena, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Neighborhood Orchestra, tributes to Celia Cruz and Max Roach, and more! Concerts will take place on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer months, from June to August.
Why We Love Grand Performances
Grand Performances has brought free live music, poetry readings, theater, and dance performances to the people of Los Angeles for close to four decades. The event’s immensely eclectic lineup spotlights multicultural artistic talent that mirrors the city’s exceptional diversity and provides Angelenos with a sense of celebratory community. California Plaza is also a picturesque spot that provides stunning views of the downtown skyline and plenty of space you and your family can set up to enjoy the show. We also love the fact that it’s relatively easy to get to: cheap on-site parking is available if you plan on driving, and it’s also accessible through Metro rail and bus lines, as well as the iconic Angels Flight funicular. More details.
After celebrating its 16th anniversary in 2023 the Levitt Pavilion will return this year to MacArthur Park for its summer concert series, which will run from June 22nd to August 31st. All concerts will take place on Saturday evenings with the event starting 6-7pm. Highlights include its opening night with Vilma y La Sonora, an unmissable indie showcase featuring Pearl and the Oysters (with support from St. Panther and Los Eclipses), Wonder-Full: A Tribute to Stevie Wonder, Y La Bamba, and a Mexican Regional Showcase.
If you’d like to support the Levitt Pavilion in providing free summer concerts they are hosting a benefit show at The Regent Theater on Friday, June 7th featuring Amandititita and Ramona that will aid them in presenting their 17th season.
Why We Love Free Summer Concerts at Levitt Pavilion
When the Levitt Pavilion announces its sprawling lineup, it feels like a mini music festival has touched down in Los Angeles. No matter your taste in music, there is always something to enjoy. There’s always a vast array of artists, bands, and DJs present who transform the park into one massive dance party. Highlights of previous years include Som Rompe Pera with Subsuelo and The Paranoias, as well as David Bowie tributes and a two-day Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture. More details.
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Every year the Getty Center hosts a free concert series known as Off The 405, an outdoor showcase of fresh talent that takes place atop the hill that serves as the museum’s grounds. This year’s lineup includes Ethiopian musician/composer Hailu Mergia, Slauson Malone 1, Helado Negro, Julia Holter, and Woods. Performances will take place around 7:30pm in the Museum Courtyard, where attendees can enjoy a wide selection of food and co*cktails for purchase.
Why We Love Off The 405
Where else can you get breathtaking views of the Los Angeles basin and enjoy electrifying concerts? If you’ve never been to the Getty Center this is without a doubt the best time to visit. Like the concert series, admission to the museum and its beautiful grounds is free, while parking costs just $15 after 3pm and $10 after 6pm on Saturdays for evening events. Off The 405 also has a reputation for bringing to the stage all kinds of rising artists and bands, from indie favorites like Best Coast, Chicano Batman, and Lord Huron to newcomers Shannon and the Clams, Bartees Strange, and Rahill. We expect this year’s lineup to be no different! More details.
SHOW PICKS OF THE MONTH!
KCRW Summer Nights features outdoor concerts held across several different locations in Los Angeles, sometimes done in partnership with some of the other events on this list. These cultural hotspots play host to a variety of summertime parties curated by KCRW. Must-see events this year include Deh, Mexican Institute of Sound, DJ sets at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, Chinatown, Descanso Gardens, and Union Station. You will need to RSVP via their website, so don’t forget to do that before attending these free, all-ages performances
Why We Love KCRW Summer Nights
Any event committed to sharing and introducing Angelenos to unforgettable artists and bands against a backdrop of beautiful and culturally significant locales is our perfect idea of a summer night well-spent. Go see your favorite indie artist, enjoy a killer DJ set, broaden your musical horizons, and explore a museum — you can do all that and more at KCRW Summer Nights. More details.
Echo Park Rising (EPR) has remained an irreplaceable mainstay of the Los Angeles indie music scene. When the lineup for its 2024 resurrection finally arrives, you can bet it will continue to highlight the neighboring area’s abundance of musical talent — in the past, that’s included The Marías, Night Talks, Fawns of Love, Black Polish, and TwoLips — all of whom you could catch at venues all over Echo Park (keep in mind the event itself is all-ages but some venues are 21+). EPR will return to a single-day schedule on Saturday, August 17, which was the format of the 2023 iteration of the festival (no more 3-day festivals of the past).
Why We Love Echo Park Rising
A raucous carnival of alt-rock and punk music, Echo Park Rising rolls in every year to occupy the fields and streets surrounding both the park and Echo/Echoplex. It brings with it large crowds looking to revel in the sounds of their favorite shredders or to discover new bands looking to make their mark. It’s a truly quintessential showcase of the city’s indie music community, one that, year after year, is an essential lifeline linking fans to the artists who both call Los Angeles home. More details.
Happy Sundays, a free music, comedy, and space fest will descend upon the Zaferia District in Long Beach on August 24-25th. We’re still waiting on a lineup announcement which could come as early as May-June. Yet if previous festivals are anything to go by, you can expect a variety of locally sourced bands both established and emerging to be in attendance.
Why We Love Happy Sundays
Similar to Echo Park Rising, the Long Beach-born Happy Sundays was created to be a grass-roots event in support of local artists and businesses. Founded by musicians Scott Montoya and Julia Kugel-Montoya (The Coathangers), both its 2022 and 2023 lineups were true to those goals, bringing names like Tropa Magica, Taleen Kali, L.A. Witch, and Julia, Julia to its stages for a community-driven festival. More details.
The Music Center at Jerry Moss Plaza in downtown Los Angeles hosts free live music as part of its ongoing Summer SoundWaves and Live at The Music Center concert series. Both dates have already been announced — Summer SoundWaves takes place on July 20th and 27th, and August 3rd and 10th; Live at The Music Center is on August 17th — but the lineups for either are TBA. Back in 2022, the Grammy Award-winning international sensation Ozomatli brought their vibrantly diverse sound to the plaza.
Why We Love Summer Soundwaves at the Music Center
Located in the middle of one of the largest performing arts centers in the U.S., free concerts at the Music Center have the benefit of unfolding within the heart of the Los Angeles music and arts scene. It’s also an area known for its stunning and striking architecture and this is just as true for Jerry Moss Plaza: a 35,000-square-foot space dotted by trees and gardens that’s centered around a dazzling fountain. After a massive renovation and redesign in 2018, which added a full-service restaurant and wine bar, the plaza is now more than ever a perfect destination for enjoying music on warm summer nights. More details.
Another run of free concerts takes place at One Colorado on the first Friday of the summer months from 5-7pm. Tickets are currently available to claim (all events are free and open to the public) but we still don’t know who is performing. The first show is scheduled for May 3rd with subsequent concerts taking place on the first Friday of the month.
Why We Love First Fridays at One Colorado
Attendees can expect a similar atmosphere and experience as their One Colorado Summer Concert series. Both will take place at the venue’s magnificent courtyard but the early start and end time of First Fridays will no doubt be appealing to those who’d rather not exhaust themselves with a late-night rendezvous. More details.
The Skirball’s Sunset Concerts series is another long-running staple of free live music in Los Angeles. On the schedule for 2024 is a cross-cultural summer celebration of African and Caribbean artists like El Laberinto del Coco, Bab L’ Bluz, Waahli. The concerts will run from mid-July through the first week of August. Doors are at 6:30pm nightly with the show starting at 8pm. Admission is free with walk-up tickets on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking on-site is $20.
Why We Love Skirball’s Sunset Concerts
As we’ve already addressed, there are several reasons the Skirball’s Sunset Concerts are an ideal summer pick. Depending on where you live in the Los Angeles sprawl, the Skirball Sunset Concerts might be a bit of a daunting drive to reach, but once there, you’re greeted with the truly spectacular view of its hillside courtyard. Get there early to enjoy a meal and drinks (outside food is also permitted) before the show, or head into the Skirball to check out some exhibits! More details.
As per last year’s series, Marina Del Rey’s Free Summer Concerts are held at Burton Chace Park with events spread out across July and August. The 2024 lineup will feature Musiq Soulchild, Goapele, Lila Downs, and more. The shows take place on Saturdays at 7pm beginning July 13.
Why We Love Free Summer Concerts at Marina Del Rey
As the largest public park in Marina del Rey, Burton Chace Park is a 10-acre space with magnificent views of the surrounding marina. Attendees can bring in everything they need for a small picnic like low-back chairs, reasonably sized blankets, and meals (food trucks were available on-site last year). It’s also important to keep in mind that admission can close if the park reaches capacity and seating is first-come-first-serve, so you may want to get there early! More details.
What better way to spend July 4th than with other Angelenos for a carnival of music and family fun at Grand Park? From 4-9:30pm the iconic downtown Los Angeles park will play host to all kinds of art activities, sports games, live music, and dance. Not to mention plenty of food truck options! This year, we will also see the return of the Gloria Molina Grand Park Ferris Wheel, which will undoubtedly be the perfect place to watch the drone show that will cap off the night’s events. And let’s not forget about that sizzling lineup featuring Healing Gems, Tropa Mágica, Kati Hernandez KimBambula Cuban Dance & Music Ensemble, DJ Nu-Mark, and more.
Why We Love Free Concerts at Grand Park
Grand Park has always been one of our favorite spots to catch free summer concerts through the years. It’s a beautiful space sequestered within the urban landscape of L.A. that also offers beautiful skyline views. You also couldn’t ask for a more fitting way to celebrate the 4th of July holiday than getting down to the sounds of hip-hop, Peruvian cumbia, reggaeton, psychedelic rock, funk, Latin, and more that will be spun by this year’s DJs. More details.
Returning to celebrate its 20th anniversary Dance DTLA is giving Angelenos a chance to learn eight new dances over the summer! From Bollywood, salsa, reggaeton, Colombian cumbia, and samba to hip-hop, disco, and even line dance — this year’s eclectic list of styles is sure to broaden your horizons as you stumble through a night of judgment-free dancing! All events take place at Jerry Moss Plaza each Friday from June 21st to August 16th between 7-10pm.
Why We Love Dance DTLA
If you’ve always wanted to enjoy a night out on the town, dancing to a splendid array of multicultural music, then Dance DTLA is the free summer activity for you. Grab ahold of a loved one and head to Jerry Moss Plaza for a night of drinks, music, and learning how to move your body in a way you probably never thought you could. With free in-person beginner dance lessons being offered, everyone from hopeful amateurs to seasoned professionals can find something to enjoy! More details.
Each Sunday across June and July from 6-8pm you can find the sounds of jazz music floating through Van Halen Stage at Playhouse Village Park in Pasadena. From the smooth jazz of Pasadena-born Michael Haggins and the bossa nova of Little Brazil to the Brazilian rhythms elicited by the Marcelo Bucater Quartet or bebop/boogaloo of the Elliott Caine Quintet — the annual event promises to be a smooth time.
Why We Love Jazz in the Park
Like so many genres of music that have nestled and thrived in Los Angeles, jazz is graced by a multicultural diversity as sprawling as the city itself. Whether you’re a passionate follower of jazz or a casual but curious listener, this year’s season has something for everyone. We also love the fact that coolers and outside food are permitted (local restaurant Anayas will also be selling food on-site), so prep your picnic and bring the family for an evening of enchanting instrumentals performed by talented musicians. More details.
If you’re visiting our great city of Angels, we recommend making your summer travel plans now. The longer you wait, the more you will pay.
Our go-to for the best hotel prices is always Hotels.com, but we have also found epic deals via Hotwire. We recommend comparing the two to find the best price that fits your hotel needs.
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