Best Things to Do in SoCal and LA This Week: May 4-10, 2026
The evidence of culture
Willie Birch: Stories to Tell opens at the California African American Museum, the first-ever retrospective of artist Willie Birch. Spanning works from the late 1960s to today, the show traces Birch’s exploration of the Black American experience through sculpture, papier-mâché, works on paper, and mixed media. Essential viewing, Birch’s work bridges histories and disciplines, inviting audiences to confront the uncomfortable complexities of American identity while celebrating the possibility of greater cultural awareness.
600 State Dr
Little pages, big heroes
Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month at the 2nd Annual Nikkei Children’s Book Festival at the Japanese American National Museum. This gathering spotlights the richness of Nikkei storytelling through author and illustrator readings, hands-on crafts, and meet-and-greets. Featured guests include creators like Stan and Julie Sakai, Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Yas Imamura, and Korey Watari alongside an incredible lineup of writers and artists whose work celebrates local heroes of all ages. With a pop-up bookstore, it’s an invitation to connect across generations through the power of children’s literature.
100 N Central Ave
Desert Nights, Broadway Lights
The Joshua Tree Philharmonic returns with Broadway In Concert at the Black Box Theater. A celebration of musical theater’s greatest hits, this ensemble brings to the stage a chorus of familiar favorites and hidden gems across a three-night run. Now in its 23rd year and under the direction of maestro Jarrod Radnich, guest vocalists will perform selections from musicals like The Lion King, Fame, Rent, Wicked, and Mama Mia to name a few.
61231 Hwy 62
Nations full of color
Los Angeles–based artist Seta Injeyan opens a powerful new solo exhibition in Portraits of Nations: Songs in Color and Struggle at The Center for Armenian Arts. A meditation on identity and resilience, Injeyan channels the weight of history and the spirit of nations with abstraction, layered color, and expressive gesture. Both intimate and expansive, the exhibition transforms the gallery into a space of contemplation and connection.
Address: 250 N. Orange Street
Secret gardens of Santa Ana
The 19th Annual Open Garden Day invites visitors to spend a day wandering through some of the most inspiring private gardens in North Santa Ana. What began as a neighborly gesture has blossomed into a beloved community tradition that includes a self-guided tour, hands-on talks and demonstrations from gardening experts, a culinary demonstration, and artisan vendors with botanical treasures along the promenade.
2302 North Westwood Ave.