This Friday, December 20, Klub Nocturno presents a special new wave vs. post punk night at Catch One (4067 W. Pico, 90019, in the Noise + Tavern room) to benefit Refugee Children Center. This is an 18+ event for a great cause, plus I’ll be in the DJ booth with all the bangers from Joy Division to French Police, so click this link to pick up tickets for Friday night. 

On Sunday, I’ll be at The Mermaid (428 E. 2nd St. 90012) for Splash Sundays. Catch David Christian and I on the decks playing a cross-genre, cross-decade mix from 8 p.m. until last call. I’m playing the first half of the night and David will be closing. While you’re there, check out the Siren Who Stole Xmas menu with special holiday themed drinks benefitting Adopt-a-Family. There’s no cover, but this is a 21+ venue. 

Speaking of The Mermaid, the Little Tokyo bar will be open on Christmas Eve, which, as you likely know, is a rarity in Los Angeles. I actually stopped by their Christmas Eve karaoke party last year and it was a good time, so check it out if you’re in the area. 

As for the rest of the week, Ride, who released one of the best albums of 2024 (according to me), is playing The Fonda on Thursday, December 19. Tickets are still available. Maybe get one as a Christmas present to yourself. Meanwhile, The Monolators are at Scribble on Saturday night. The long-time local band has a smattering of seasonal jams to their credit like “Santa Claus vs. Dave Matthews” and “Hot Sleigh,”  so if you’re looking for something with super indie holiday vibes, this is the place to go. And, if you’re all like, “but I have kids and no babysitter,” bring them with you. The show is all ages *plus* there are discount tix for those 12 and under. 

Mostly, clubs and concert calendars are light between now and New Year’s Eve, but movie theater schedules are stacked. For the Westsiders, there’s a 50th anniversary screening of Phantom of the Paradise at the Aero on Thursday night. Across the city, you can catch holiday classics like Black Christmas, Die Hard and, one of my personal favorite, Tokyo Godfathers. Elf is screening on multiple days at multiple theaters, but I went to an Elf Movie Party at Alamo Drafthouse earlier this month and it was so much fun that I have to tell you to try and snag one of the few tickets left for Monday’s event. Also, although I didn’t list it below, Y2K is still showing around L.A. I caught it at Alamo recently and loved it. Go check it out before it becomes whatever the equivalent of a cable classic is today. 

Keep scrolling for details on these and other events happening in L.A. between December 19 and December 25, 2024. 

This Saturday, I’m heading down to Orange County to talk about live music at Irvine’s Great Park Gallery for “Concert Photography: Stories and Experiences,” a special event coinciding with the gallery’s current show, Thank You, Good Night: Concert Photography. This is a free, all ages get together that takes place from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. Great Park Gallery is located at 270 Corsair, Irvine 92618 and you can find more information on the Great Park website. 

I’ll be back in L.A. on Saturday night to DJ alongside Vanish and Filthy Rich for Club Retro Boom’s first anniversary party, on the second floor of the Grand Star. We’ve got a good mix of Rock en Español and ‘80s to play for you from 9:30 p.m. until last call. (My set time is 10:30 p.m., btw.) Discount, advance tickets are available now on Eventbrite, so click this link to get yours. This is a 21+ party and you’ll find the Grand Star at 943 N. Broadway in Chinatown’s Central Plaza, next to the Bruce Lee statue. 

As for the rest of the week, the big ticket event that I will 100% recommend here is La Femme at the Palladium on Tuesday night. I normally try to keep this list of  recommendations to events that are $30 and under. La Femme is more, but the show will totally be worth it and I’m comfortable saying that because I saw La Femme at the Belasco a couple years ago and they blew my mind. (Click here to read the story I wrote about this show for Audiofemme.) Additionally, Sam Quealy, who I also interviewed for Audiofemme back in 2022, is opening again and she’s fantastic. If you’re going to the show, get there early enough to catch her set. I mean it. 

For free shows, Kingston Ska Orchestra and Los Rebeldes Romanticos are playing at Union Station’s tree lighting ceremony on Monday. This is an early evening event, but if your commute takes you through Union Station, I suggest making a detour and catching some of the show. On Tuesday, Oasus, the Oasis tribute band, is playing Zebulon. I DJed their show at Harvard & Stone last year and their set was so much fun. If Oasis is your jam, definitely check them out. 

There are a lot of great movie screenings happening this week, including The Devils at Videotheque and El Conde at Libros Schmibros on Friday night. Plus, Tokyo Godfathers, one of the best Christmas movies ever, is at Vidiots on Sunday. Also on Sunday is a holiday special at Philosophical Research Society with retro film clips and the Bob Baker marionettes. As for the night before Thanksgiving, I think the best party option is PIE! over at Akbar. The cover is low— free before 9 p.m. and $10 after that— the DJs are fantastic and there will be pies for sale. It’s also a canned food drive, so bring something with you if you’re going. 

More info on these and other events below. For more options, check out my nightlife picks for Discover Los Angeles.