What to Do on MLK Day in LA 2018

1.11.18
A long weekend, already – what a treat. Honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. is the reason everyone in the country gets a day off on Monday – and this week’s cover of the New Yorker says it all about the complex issues surrounding race in this country. We have some ideas for exploring the topic more deeply with the family, as well as some cultural excursions that are worth your extra time.

MLK Day activites around town include: the annual MLK Day of Service underlines the ideal of “a day on, and not a day off”. The California African American Museum has some terrific shows right now, as well asCelebration on Monday from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm with family activities in the morning and other programming all day. Here is a list of other local activities related to the holiday.

Other worthy events this weekend are:

The LA Art Show is running now through Sunday at LA LIVE with family friendly, interactive programming (look for Connect the Dots, Synaesthesia, The Infinity Boxes, and Brainstorming:Empahy by the UCLA Art and Science Center).

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles has an intriguing show about the art of Tattoo and this wekeend, you can see a live tatoo demonstration at the Tattoo Parlor (although appointments to actually get a tattoo are sold out – phew!). Green Diamonds are also on display through April.

In the theaters you can still catch Pixar’s Coco, a wonderful animated film that is the capturing hearts of everyone in the family and won a Common Sense Seal. For date night, consider Ran, playing at the Aero Theater on Sunday evening (Akiro Kurosawa’s epic re-telling of “King Lear”) or listen to Willem DaFoe at a screening of The Florida Project at the Egyptian in Hollywood; this is one of our favorite films of last year.

New Yorker cover: “In Creative Battle” by Mark Ulriksen.