Whether you want to sip a heady pint of Guinness, slam a car bomb, or savor a fine Irish whiskey, you'll find St. Patrick's Day parties all over Los Angeles where you can celebrate the holiday in style.
March 17 is one of the biggest party nights of the year, right up there with New Year's Eve and Halloween - but you don't have to dress up fancy or find a killer costume. Just grab something green and get ready to paint the town red, from Venice Beach to Downtown LA.
Looking for the best place to get your drink on - and get lucky? Check out our guide to the top five party destinations for St. Patrick's Day, including Rock & Reilly's, Finn McCool's, and Jameson's Irish Pub.
But that's just beginning - discover all the Irish pubs in Los Angeles, and choose the one that fits your party style the best. LA's incredible cultural diversity means that you have plenty of options, from classic taverns and craft beer hangouts to sports lounges and upscale, whiskey-sipping bars.
And don't forget to vote for your favorite Irish pub in Santa Monica, and make sure that your favorite hangout wins the "Best Of LA" contest!
Embark on a voyage into the New Year aboard a legendary steamship, and take a trip to seven amazing destinations without ever leaving the dock. New Year's Eve on board the Queen Mary is always a sold-out celebration, and this year the party features an international flair. Three and a half acres of the ship's decks, bars, and salons will be transformed into seven unique destinations: Lahaina, New Orleans, Havana, Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo and Hollywood.
Each area of the party will feature themed drinks, decor and entertainment. Watch Russian aerialists and drink from a vodka luge in Moscow, and then sing karaoke and eat sushi in Tokyo. Play casino games and listen to a live jazz band in New Orleans. Head to Lahaina, Hawaii for hula dancing and Tiki cocktails, and visit Beijing to find dim sum and a kung fu exhibition. For access to salsa dancing and mojitos in Havana, you'll need to have a VIP pass.
At the end of the night, the entire party comes together for an epic fireworks show, countdown to midnight and Champagne toast on the decks of the ship! Book a cabin and make a night of it - no Uber required.
Want to blow the lid of New Year's Eve without spending an entire paycheck? Head to Downtown LA for the massive street party at Grand Park between City Hall and the Music Center. Now in its third year, this celebration gets going at 8 pm and transforms a three-block area into a cutting-edge wonderland of music and 3-D digital visual mapping. Grab your friends and take your picture in one of the party's photo booths, and then watch the images projected onto the 22-story face of the City Hall building.
Live bands and DJs on three different stages will keep the crowd turned up throughout the evening, which will climax at midnight with a crazy new interactive visual countdown. You'll also find dozens of LA's finest food trucks for refreshments, but please note: this party is dry, so there's no beer or cash bar.
Last year, the Grand Park celebration attracted over 40,000 people, and even more are expected this year. Stay safe and ride the Metro Rail, which runs 24 hours on New Year's Eve and is offering free fares from 9 pm to 2 am. Take the Red/Purple Line to the Grand Park stop, or hop on the Gold Line to Little Tokyo and walk.
Darkness reigns supreme this Halloween weekend during La Nuit de Diable at the Edison. Start your holiday weekend off underground, in the historical subterranean lair and speakeasy nightclub. This steampunk celebration feels like a step back in time to a warped and twisted era - and is mysteriously billed as "Attractions Diaboliques featuring Apparitions and Gifted Eccentriques from across the Globe."
Be dazzled by freakish appearances and bewitching entertainment, by stilt walkers, cabaret dancers, fortune tellers, and other bizarre performers. Sip an absinthe-infused cocktail, or sample from the club’s extensive list of wines and Champagnes. Feel the dark energy beneath the earth as you party in the luxe basement setting, which is transformed into a realm that is both glamorous and grotesque. With genuine historical artifacts and endless vintage appeal, the Edison is the perfect setting for a magically macabre Halloween celebration.
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Best of all, the cover at La Nuit de Diable is only $20 for people wearing costumes or $25 without. Tickets are only sold at the door, so get there early - the devilish fun starts at 7 PM.
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FYF Fest is hotter than ever for 2015. The festie has just revealed its lineup, a searing collection of enticing acts that will perform at LA Sports Arena and Exposition Park on the weekend of August 22 and 23.
Headliners reflect the fresh diversity of the festival, and include Frank Ocean, Morrissey, D'Angelo, Bloc Party and the Jesus and Mary Chain.
Check out out <a href="/musicfestival/fyf-fest-2015">review</a>
Tickets for FYF Fest go on sale Friday, May 8 at 12PM Pacific.
With a stacked lineup that well represents the LA label’s history, this birthday party showcases the state of underground sound on the eve of the apocalypse. Join maestro Daedelus and boy wonder Baths, along with label mates WHY?, Jel, D33J, Doseone, Alias, Serengeti, Odd Nosdam, Soda Pop and Low Limit. Listen to the mutant children of hip hop and electronic music, have a big beer and vibe out to this heady evening of beats.
Everyone has heard of air guitar, but the Satellite in Silver Lake takes creative pantomiming to a new level with the Los Angeles Air Sex Championships. Half stand-up comedy show and half dry-humping, this bizarre evening requires that each competitor must perform to a song of their choice with at least one invisible sexual partner on stage. Hosted by comedian Chris Trew, this silly night also features laughs by Emily Heller, Jeff Wattenhofer, Pat Regan and more. Want to compete? Sign up at www.airsexworld.com.
Drinks, dinner and dancing are all going down at Los Globos’ Tequila Tasting night this Saturday. Learn how to craft margaritas and
other tequila cocktails, and sample five imported tequilas in different styles: blanco, joven, reposado, anejo and extra anejo. Enjoy
a fresh dinner buffet along with your tequila tastings, then kick back to watch Dancin Dana’s salsa performance. You’ll also have a
chance to take salsa dancing lessons during the evening, a unique night of pleasures that will stimulate all of your senses.
Get wild at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens this Friday night, when the Griffith Park animal center hosts a beer festival that celebrates local craft and microbreweries. Your ticket gives you unlimited 5-ounce beer samples of California’s finest libations, and Brew at the Zoo also features live local bands and music from DJ Morningstar, pub-style food and of course: lions, tigers and bears! Don’t miss the new LAIR exhibit, home to living amphibians, scary reptiles and slimy invertebrates.
Combining European cabaret and vintage Americana with Balkan belly dancing and neo-classical opera, this six-piece band from Portland, Oregon offers a unique performance with a gritty edge. Singing in 15 languages and playing saxophones, accordion, cello, drums and stand-up bass, this oddball act fuses together a world of musical influences with absurdist flair and an Old World mood. Liberating the opera for hipsters around the world, this one-of-a-kind performance promises a fun night of surprises.
After a week of bars Figaro Bistro is a nice change of pace. This fancy French bistro offers one of the best happy hours in Los Angeles, in my book. From 5pm-7pm daily they serve 6 small plate dinner items, and 6 drinks specials (beer and wine) that are to die for. I personally go with the Pommes Frites for $3, the Mini Buger (which isn't has many as advertised) for $8 and a Kir for $5. Not to go too crazy here, but only paying 5 bucks for a good quality Kir may be the best thing that has ever happened to me. Sad? Perhaps. Delicious. Definitely. The Parisian atmosphere takes you out of everyday LA life. Grab a table outside, sit, and watch the day turn into night.
The silverlake lounge is known for being at the for front of what is happening in the local indie music scene. Go to a show there and you may end up seeing on of the new up and coming indie performers. But Sundays are not about that. Its all about the gay vibe, and more importantly, the Drag show and 5 dollar pitchers of beer (Budweiser). The beer last till it runs out and starts at 3pm. The drag show starts at 6pm, and it’s something to see. The crowd on Sundays is great, completely gay friendly, well basically just gay and friendly.
