Best Events This Weekend In Los Angeles - September 1

As Labor Day weekend marks the end of another summer season, the excitement of the three-day weekend does seem a little bittersweet. However, in having to say goodbye to summer there are so many ways to finish your fun in the sun with a bang. Here is a concise menu of the best way to take advantage of that extra day of hot fun in the summer sun.

Friday, September 1

Tour Dodger Stadium
1000 Vin Scully Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(866) 363-4377
www.dodgers.com

It's considered a shrine of baseball history and one of the crown jewels of the City of Angels, but most people only know it when it's filled with fans cheering on the Boys in Blue. Angelinos have the chance to explore the legacy of Dodger Stadium up close and personal with a one of a kind tour that allows access that couldn't happen during a game. From the clubhouse to the bullpen, from the weight room to the pressroom, there is plenty to see as you walk the House of Vin and see what kind of history has happened at Chavez Ravine, the home to the Dodgers since 1962. With tickets coming in at all of $20 bucks, this museum-like tour is money well spent.

Saturday, September 2

Fiesta Hermosa
Hermosa Beach Pier
1 Pier Ave.
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
www.fiestahermosa.com

Happening twice annually, Fiesta Hermosa tales over the pier plaza along the sand at both the beginning (Memorial Day) and end of summer (Labor Day). Bookending the beach season, this three day block party includes a festival style mainstage, a petting zoo and carnival rides fort he kids, a craft beer and wine garden, and a craft fair that pools some 300 different artisans to showcase and sell their wares. Since 1972, Fiesta Hermosa has seen generations pass their gates and while the event is family-friendly, there is an added energy that makes this small stretch of California coast the perfect end of summer party. With plenty of food, drink, art, and entertainment, if the festival itself doesn't keep you entertained, the neighborhood shops, cafes, and local watering holes will certainly do the trick. If all else fails, the waves are just steps away.  
 

LA Fleet Week
LA Waterfront At The Port of Los Angeles
600 Sampson Way
San Pedro, CA 90731
www.lawaterfront.org

Through Labor Day Weekend, the LA Waterfront will play host to some 1,100 servicemen and women all coming off five active military vessels from the Coast Guard as well as the US and Royal Canadian Navy. Docking next to the USS IOWA Battleship that calls the waterfront home, the ships will be open to guided tours and visitors will be treated to equipment demonstrations and even aircraft flyovers. As if that wasn't enough, the party will be amped up with performances by Quiet Riot, Los Lobos, and Vince Neil of Motley Crue as a way to officially bid the summer adieu.

Sunday, September 3

Made In LA Music + Arts Festival
Golden Road Brewery
5410 W San Fernando Rd.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(213) 373-4677
www.goldenroad.la

In addition to churning out some of the region's tastiest beers, Golden Road Brewing has figured out how to showcase their home with the kind of event programming that washes down well with a few cold ones. For the holiday weekend, Golden Road is hosting a music and arts festival that showcases an eclectic collection of performances and contributors that are stylistically specific to Southern California. From hip hop with Warren G, to electropop from Yacht, to Merengue and Cumbia rhythm of Buyepongo, there is an element of diversity throughout the festival that clearly embodies with this region is all about. With proceeds going to charity and your price of admission including two pours, you have plenty of reason to make this your end of summer shindig.

The Taste
Paramount Studios
5555 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 956-5000
www.latimes.com

The Taste takes over the back lot at Paramount Studios and transforms the landscape into a foodie's playground complete with a collection of the best culinary contributors from the Southland. On Sunday specifically, there are two events that highlight the city's best brunch destinations only to segue into the Flavors of L.A. feature that showcases the gourmet dining diversity that is LA eating. From Indian fusion in Badmaash to Korean BBQ from the likes of Park's Barbeque and Seoul Sausage Co., it will be impossible to eat everything but it will be fun to try. A food –driven block party designed to educate as well as encourage a fond appreciation for the eats of LA, The Taste is a can't miss Labor Day event.

Article by Ramon Gonzales.