Off The 405 is one of the best summer concerts in Los Angeles. It is the Getty Center's annual outdoor summer concert series, bringing some of today's most exciting bands to the stage for a memorable experience amid stunning architecture and breathtaking sunset views. Try to visit this place whenever you are in Los Angeles. The Getty Center has one of the nicest views of LA besides Griffith Park Observatory.

Hilltop sunset views and rising bands combine to make this Getty tradition a worthy destination for Angelenos on both sides of The 405. Back for the first time since 2019, this year’s lineup of free Saturday night shows includes Zsela (May 21), Bartees Strange (June 18), Los Retros (July 9), Hand Habits (July 23), and Standing on the Corner (Aug 27). Tip: Avoid the traffic and the crowds and arrive early. You’ll get to visit the exhibits (which stay open until 8 PM starting in June) and beat the dinner rush.

• Website: https://bom.so/WWYv9Q
• Address: Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049
• Contact: (310) 440-7300
• Price: Free with tickets; Parking $20; $15 after 3 PM; $10 after 6 PM

Grand Performances is among the best summer concerts in Los Angeles and is a non-profit organization that provides free access to the global performing arts. Its mission is to inspire community, celebrate diversity, and unite Los Angeles through music, dance, poetry, theater, and more. All of their shows are free, outdoors, for all ages, and open to the public. Most of the events take place at California Plaza in the Grand Avenue Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, next to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), The Broad, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, where the shallow water separating the stage from the audience have been replaced by a proper event lawn.

Founded in 1986, over the last 36 years Grand Performances has presented free live concerts featuring Stevie Wonder, Ozomatli, Kamasi Washington, Madame Gandhi, Ana Tijoux, Soulection, Aloe Blacc, Angelique Kidjo, and countless others. Don’t miss a diverse and highly intriguing mix of bands, DJ sets, and dance parties.

• Website: https://www.grandperformances.org/
• Address: California Plaza, 350 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles
• Contact: 213-687-2190
• Price: Free

The Skirball Cultural Center is a place of meeting guided by the Jewish tradition of welcoming strangers and inspired by the American democratic ideals of freedom and equality. The Skirball Cultural Center welcomes people of all communities and generations to participate in cultural experiences that celebrate discovery and hope, foster human connections, and call upon us to help build a more just society. Open to the public since 1996, the Skirball has established itself as one of the world's most dynamic Jewish cultural institutions and among the leading cultural venues in Los Angeles. Come visit soon!

The Skirball puts on its annual series of free summer concerts, highlighting indie, folk, and world music from Los Angeles and beyond. Guests can arrive early and visit the museum’s galleries for free, dine under the stars and grab a seat for the show in the beautiful central courtyard. The concert is free (and reservations are required), but parking is $10 in advance or $20 at the venue.

• Website: https://www.skirball.org/programs/sunset-concerts
• Address: Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles
• Contact: (310) 440-4500
• Price: Free; Parking $15–$20

You know it’s summer in Los Angeles when the live outdoor music starts swelling all over the city, including at MacArthur Park’s Levitt Pavilion. The Westlake concert series returns this summer with free shows every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Expect a genre-spanning mix of local acts that range from cumbia to ska to EDM.

Each summer, over 60,000 people of all ages and backgrounds gather on the lawn in historic MacArthur Park to enjoy free live music under the stars. Programming is designed to appeal to all tastes, attracting people from all walks of life to come together for a shared evening of great music. As music fills the park, so do families, friends, and Angelenos from throughout the city. Since 2007, over 500,000 people have gathered in MacArthur Park to enjoy the free concerts, cultural celebrations, and family-friendly atmosphere offered at the Levitt Pavilion!

• Website: https://levittlosangeles.org/
• Address: Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles, 2230 W 6th St, Los Angeles
• Contact: +1 213-201-6111
• Price: Free

Summer of Salsa is one of the best summer concerts in Los Angeles. LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (LA Plaza) presents its seventh annual free Summer of Salsa concert series beginning Friday, May 13. Dance to the sounds of some of LA’s best salsa bands hosted every second Friday of the month from May through September in Downtown Los Angeles.

This year’s LA Plaza lineup includes Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loka, TROMBOR, Echo Park Project, La Obsesión, and La Verdad. Keeping the dancing going between sets are DJ Robbie, DJ Willie, DJ Robinho, and DJ Jimmy Rumba. The free event features a large dance floor, limited seating, and food and bar service available for purchase. The series is sponsored by Pacific Federal (PacFed), Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Mesa Pacific, Music Fund of Los Angeles, and Teamsters Local 986.

• Website: https://laplazacocina.org/
• Address: LA Plaza De Cultura y Artes, 501 N Main St, Los Angeles90012
• Contact: (323) 397-8365
• Price: Free

Everyone’s favorite NPR member station has a hand in a slew of summer concert slates at public plazas and beloved museums, and this summer’s schedule is particularly packed. Familiar KCRW DJs and local buzz bands will be providing free, open-air tunes on select nights from July through September at the Hammer Museum, One Colorado, CAAM, Descanso Gardens, Bowers Museum, the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, JANM. The party-till-midnight bashes at Chinatown Central Plaza.

This year’s lineup features Ambar Lucid, Hana Vu, and Mark de Clive-Lowe, among others, and KCRW DJs including Anthony Valadez, Jason Bentley, Novena Carmel, and more. The details slightly differ at each spot, but you can typically expect a bunch of food trucks, beer gardens, and after-hours museum admission. Regardless of the location, you really can’t go wrong with an evening spent at Summer Nights.

• Website: https://www.kcrw.com/summernights
• Address: The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA152 N Central Ave, at 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
• Contact: +1 424-538-8635
• Price: Free

Summer Music at the Original Farmers Market is one of the best summer concerts in Los Angeles. Celebrate summer with delicious eats, dynamic beats, and cool evening breezes at Third & Fairfax as artists present live music performances each Friday through Labor Day. Los Angeles's last living time-capsule of history & culture. With over 100 grocers, shops & eateries, this iconic landmark welcomes locals & visitors alike.

The Original Farmers Market hosts many fun, family-friendly outdoor events, and its summer music series are some of its best. Take a load off near the end of the work week and stop by the West Patio on Thursday nights from 6 to 8 PM to hear a genre-spanning mix of live music or Friday nights from 7 to 9 PM for a lineup of tribute bands courtesy of E.B.’s Beer & Wine.

• Website: https://farmersmarketla.com/events/summer-music-2022
• Address: The Original Farmers Market, 6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles
• Contact: 866-993-9211
• Price: Free