What to Know
- July 9-11, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia
- $5 + fee, available online only
- The market will return to Arcadia for three more 2021 visits in late July, August, and September
626 Night Market: The huge-of-size, celebratory-of-character spectacular returns to Santa Anita Park from July 9 through 11 with bites galore in tasty tow. Craving churros, lobster rolls, savory skewers, and potatos on a stick? You'll encounter outlandish and traditional eats, and everything in the munch-tastic middle. There are shops, too, to browse, and live entertainment, and lots of after-sunset sights and splendor. Can't make it over July's second weekend? There are three more weekends to come in 2021, with late July, August, and September on the calendar. Get your ticket online for five bucks, plus a fee.
Delicious Little Tokyo: Roaming one of our region's best-loved culinary districts, all to try a luscious line-up of steamy ramen bowls, delectable spam musabi, and have-to-eat-a-million (or-at-least-a-dozen) gyoza? You can do so whenever you like, but an annual foodie fest is returning to the neighborhood over three July weekends. Weekend #1 is up on July 10 and 11, and there is plenty to see and do. But wait: Tours are coming up during the second weekend, and a terrific picnic to round out the multi-week to-do. For dates and more deliciousness, visit Go Little Tokyo now.
Later Fridays Begin: So many sublime happenings are clustering around the Golden Hour as summer's heat picks up sultry steam. For the newest of the bunch, look to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, which will feature a quintet of summertime Friday evening soirees. The "soiree" part? There'll be live DJs, and food and drink for purchase, and chances to galivant around the glorious gardens found outside the Exposition Park destination. Oh yes, the first floor galleries will be open, too, if you want to say "hey" to T. Rex and the figures found in those amazing dioramas.
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Screaming Room Film Festival: July, for many fans of fright-fun popular culture, is all about the mega Halloween expo that alights, like a grinning ghost, in Long Beach. It's Midsummer Scream we speak of, of course, and while the 2021 summer gathering has been cancelled (there are more fun times to come, including Season's Screamings in Pasadena in December), there is a way to find those fearful jump/startles: By attending Midsummer Scream's eeky cinematic experience at The Frida in Santa Ana. Horror shorts are the theme, Horror Buzz is presenting, and the dastardly dates are July 10 and 11.
Spy (and Touch) Sharks: Shark Week gets gilling, er, going on July 11, and while plenty of fin fans will be circling the bevy of shows on Discovery, some Southern Californians may long to see a real shark up-close. You can do that, at the Aquarium of the Pacific, and while there are no Great Whites located in the institution's popular Shark Lagoon, you will have the chance to be pretty darn close to zebra sharks and grey reef sharks, too. Other sharks, like the beautiful bamboo, can be found gliding in the touch pools. Important, dear sharkies of SoCal: You'll need to make a reservation, and purchase your ticket in advance, to visit the Long Beach-based aquarium.
