10 Things to Do in Los Angeles in Summer

Sun, sea, and music! Los Angeles is one of the most popular summer destinations in the United States thanks to its beach atmosphere and warm temperatures. But the truth is that there are many things to see and do in the city during the summer, so if you're going to spend a few days there, you'll never be bored.

Whether you want to spend a day at Venice Beach, go on an excursion, or just have a drink on a rooftop, Los Angeles is full of activities to do at all hours during the summer. The city adapts completely to your tastes and hobbies, and I promise you'll have a great time during your entire vacation. Are you ready to discover ten things you can do in this great California city during the summer?

If there's one symbol of Los Angeles, it's Venice Beach. But Venice isn't just a beach, it's a group of beaches, accompanied by canals, buildings, and other structures. Sometimes Venice feels like a city in itself, so I recommend spending a day at this fantastic place, from morning to night. Here you can eat well, swim, relax, surf, and even party.

Venice Beach is four kilometers long, so you can walk from one end to the other to get some exercise before hitting the water. You can also rent a bike and use it all day long. But that's not the only thing you can do. When the sun isn't so intense, I invite you to explore the canals of Venice with a rented boat or on one of the best boat tours in the city, which you can book directly at Venice Beach.

When you visit the canals, you'll realize that this is also a tour of the homes of the rich and famous, as they are located on the edge of the canals. At the end of this tour, as the day draws to a close, I recommend sitting on the sand and watching the sun go down in complete relaxation.

Did you think Los Angeles was just about summer parties? That's because you haven't taken a trip to the waterfalls. The area around Los Angeles is perfect for hiking, because the mountains are low and provide some relief from the heat. But the best part is that there are small waterfalls and streams with fantastic pools where you can take a dip.

The best part is that these hikes are suitable for everyone, because they are extremely easy. One of the best is Millard Canyon Falls, which is part of the Angeles National Forest in the Altadena area, where you can even see the ocean. But in Malibu, you can also take the Solstice Canyon Falls trail, where you can enjoy a nearly 10-meter waterfall to cool off from the summer heat.

When you're in Los Angeles, you'll notice the huge Asian influence in the city. The Lotus Festival is an opportunity to see this for yourself. This festival is held in the beautiful Echo Lake Park over two days in July, when the impressive lotus flowers bloom in the park, where you can also take one of the best boat rides in Los Angeles.

The lotus flower is just an excuse to celebrate California's Asian heritage in a two-day festival featuring music, cultural activities, and film screenings, but that's not all. If you decide to go to this festival, you can also enjoy delicious Asian food and, with a little luck, ride a traditional dragon boat in a canoe race. Isn't that amazing?

Practical information

• Location: 751 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles, 90026
• Price: free admission
• Hours: Saturday and Sunday in mid-July, from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The icon of music festivals in Los Angeles is Hard. This is an electronic music festival, mainly focused on alternative and emerging artists, although every year there are big stars on the lineup. Hard Summer is a festival that usually takes place in Downtown Los Angeles, so the beach vibe will be the order of the day.

Let's face it: if you're into summer, huge events, and electronic music, then Hard Summer is for you. The best thing is that it's a three-day festival: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with a different lineup each day so you can have a great time. The festival usually starts around 4 p.m. and ends in the early hours of the morning, so recharge your batteries that night and don't miss either day.

Practical information

• Location: usually in Downtown Los Angeles, although it has sometimes been held in San Bernardino, a suburb of Los Angeles
• Price: you can buy a general admission ticket for approximately $230, which is valid for all three days
• Schedule: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the last week of July, starting at 4 p.m.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is one of the most important museums in the city, but in summer it is renowned for hosting intimate evenings of the best jazz. If you go, you can enjoy the museum, take photos at the famous Urban Light sculpture and then walk to the museum square, where there will be a continuous jazz performance every Friday.

There aren't many seats here: you can sit on the floor or wherever you can find a spot and watch different groups play classic jazz, as well as different modern interpretations of this wonderful musical genre. Admission is free, so there's no excuse to miss it, especially since it takes place every Friday night, so you'll be able to go at least once during your stay.

Practical information

• Location: in the plaza of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 90036
• Price: Admission is free
• Hours: every Friday during the summer, starting at 6 p.m.

Have you seen Hollywood movies set in Los Angeles, where characters lie on a rooftop to watch a movie? Or stay for a movie screening in the middle of the street? Well, this isn't just a Hollywood invention; it really happens every summer in Los Angeles. For example, you can go to the Rooftop Cinema Club, a franchise with locations in different cities, but Los Angeles is one of its main locations, where you can watch the best movies from a rooftop.

In this case, you can buy tickets for three different locations: the club in the Arts District, Downtown Los Angeles, and El Segundo. I recommend doing this because it's one of the symbols of the Californian summer, but if rooftops scare you a little, then events likeStreet Food Cinema might be better for you. Here you can combine food and movie screenings on public streets or in museums like the Autry. This event usually takes place between June and July and is a wonderful cultural evening.

Will you be in Los Angeles at the end of August to close out the summer? Want to experience a festival that combines electronic music with indie and rap? Then what are you waiting for? Buy your tickets to This Ain't No Picnic! This festival is held at the Rose Bowl, one of the largest football stadiums in the United States with a capacity of 95,000, so you won't be short of company.

The lineup for this festival, which has already become a tradition, is very diverse and caters to all musical tastes. Plus, it lasts two days, Saturday and Sunday, so you'll have a night to rest and continue enjoying the best indie and electronic artists who will get the entire Rose Bowl crowd moving. Get ready to dance, have fun, and scream this weekend at the end of August.

Practical information

• Location: Rose Bowl, an American football stadium located in Pasadena, Los Angeles
• Price: you can buy a general admission ticket for around €300 for both days or €160 for a single day
• Schedule: Saturday and Sunday of the last weekend in August, starting at noon

Every June 28, LGBTI Pride Day is celebrated around the world. That's why one of the first summer activities you'll have in Los Angeles will be the LGBTI Pride rally and parades. Los Angeles hosts one of the largest parades in the United States and the world, where there's no way you'll get bored with so much color and floats.

This is the main event and usually takes place on Hollywood Boulevard, but it's not the only one. In fact, the entire month of June is Pride Month, and you can attend all-day festivals such as La Pride! In The Park, where all kinds of pop stars will be performing. Also, if you're interested in shopping, Made With Pride will be held on weekends in June, where art and music will be sold in a cultural and activist atmosphere for the LGBTQ community. It's the perfect excuse to take a stroll.

One of the largest neighborhoods in Los Angeles is Chinatown, both in terms of importance and number of tourists. But there are three days in the summer when Chinatown takes on an amazing significance throughout the city: Chinatown Summer Nights, a series of street parties where you can eat the best food from food trucks, drink beer, and see the best DJs and bands from California. You can also buy vintage clothing and even collectibles.

Chinatown Summer Nights is an event where art and gastronomy come together to offer you a unique night out in the heart of Chinatown, making it one of the best things to do in Los Angeles at night. There is a Chinatown Summer Night at the beginning of every month during the summer: June, July, and August, so your stay will probably coincide with one of them. Are you ready for a different kind of night?

Practical information

• Location: on the streets of Chinatown
• Price: this is a public event in the middle of the street, so it's free. However, you can buy food, drinks, and clothing.
• Hours: usually on a Saturday night in early June, July, and August, starting at sunset

The sun sets in the west, which is exactly where the sea is in Los Angeles. That's why this city has such incredible sunsets, with the sun disappearing behind the ocean. And what better way to watch one of these sunsets than from a bar on a terrace or rooftop? In Los Angeles, there are many rooftop bars, where the classic thing to do is order a cocktail and watch the sun go down.

But not just any cocktail. Many of these bars are on rooftops, but very close to the beach, in iconic areas such as Santa Monica. Among them, I recommend the ONYX Rooftop Bar, the rooftop bar at the Shangri Hotel in Santa Monica. Here you can also try the best beach drinks, such as piña coladas. This is a way to simply relax after a busy day and admire the immensity of the sun. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's one of the best places to watch the sunset in the whole world.

Los Angeles is hot, very hot. This city is located quite far south, so temperatures are quite warm all year round, but in summer it's even worse. It's also a fairly flat and arid city, which makes the heat even more intense. In general, the average temperature for August is around 77°F, but it often feels even hotter and, depending on the time of day, the temperature can exceed 86°F.

If you ask me, summer is the best time to visit Los Angeles because everything in the city is designed for the heat. If you go in late June and early July, the temperatures will be much more pleasant, but there will also be fewer activities and the days will be shorter. But in August, you'll have almost 15 hours of sunlight, which means you can do lots of activities in the late afternoon, when temperatures rarely exceed 25°C.

Los Angeles is a popular destination all year round, but summer is the peak tourist season. We're talking about a city that receives more than 50 million visitors a year, so throughout the summer there are several million tourists visiting the city. The good thing is that the whole city is geared towards this, so you're sure to find somewhere to stay and enjoy yourself.

However, you should be aware that there will be lots of tourists everywhere, particularly if you go in summer. You may have to queue for certain services. My advice is to book tickets for the activities you want to do in advance, as there are bound to be hundreds or thousands of tourists who want to do the same thing as you.

Loose-fitting clothing, sunscreen, and a swimsuit. If you visit Los Angeles in the summer, I recommend filling your suitcase with comfortable T-shirts, shorts, and anything else that won't make you feel hot, because the temperatures are really high. In addition to that, it is essential that you bring at least one sunscreen that you should use all the time, because the sun in the city is harsh.

You also can't forget to bring at least one swimsuit; whatever type you like, but make sure it dries quickly so you don't have any problems storing it. Sandals or any type of beach footwear will be important, as well as sneakers that you can wear for excursions and walks. Finally, I recommend a hat to protect you from the sun, both on your walks and if you take a tour on a tourist bus, where you'll want to admire the city and not get burned by the intense sun.