Los Lobos for Free and a Diwali Feast: Your L.A. Weekend Plan

The Boyle Heights block party is free with an RSVP; Brick Lane's Diwali gala costs $95 a head.

Chef Sanjay Rawat got his reputation from the Diwali parties he threw at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. On Friday and Saturday he throws one at Brick Lane, his own restaurant in the Arts District.

That's your first stop on a weekend of homecomings and new starts. Self Help Graphics brings Día de los Muertos back to its own Boyle Heights block, the LA Phil's next music director plays Disney Hall and the Brewery Artwalk tries charging a $5 ticket. We Like L.A. flagged most of these in its weekly list and its November roundup.

Book the Diwali Gala on Resy. We Like L.A. lists it at $95 a person, with doors at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m. both nights. The listing promises pani puri shots, a live chaat station, carving stations, mehndi and dancing that carries on into an afterparty.

Brick Lane opened in May in a 1920s warehouse at 1331 E. 6th St., Food Journal Magazine reported. Its signature dish is applewood-smoked butter chicken, and the bar stocks Indian single malt whiskies. Street parking gets tight on weekend nights, so take the Metro A Line to Little Tokyo/Arts District station and walk.

Friday also brings Daniel Harding to Walt Disney Concert Hall for his first program there this year, with the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes. Harding doesn't officially take over the LA Phil until the 2027-28 season, so the Friday-to-Sunday run is an early look at what's coming.

Go Friday. It's a Casual Fridays night, so the concert is shorter, 1 to 1.5 hours with no intermission. It pairs Bernstein's "Jeremiah" Symphony with Brahms' Second Piano Concerto, which Andsnes calls "glorious and happy music," the LA Phil says. Tickets start at $20.

After the music, Harding talks onstage with LA Phil CEO Kim Noltemy, and then the musicians hang out in BP Hall over a free beer or hard cider tasting. A free pre-concert talk starts at 7 p.m. in the same hall.

On Saturday morning, the LA NDN Flea fills the Broad with Native makers selling jewelry, clothing and original art, plus DJ sets and food vendors. It runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, according to the Broad's calendar. We Like L.A. lists it as free and says it was organized with The Chapter House.

Next, the Brewery Artwalk opens more than 100 working studios Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to the Artwalk's website. New this fall: anyone 18 or older pays $5, and the ticket is good for both days. Live in the 90031, 90033 or 90023 ZIP codes? Bring ID and you're in free, same as anyone younger than 18.

Brewery artists have opened their studios to the public for more than 40 years. The organizers say security, insurance, restrooms and staff now cost too much for the artists to keep covering. Parking is free, but the lots fill fast, and the organizers suggest a rideshare.

Save Saturday night for Boyle Heights. Self Help Graphics & Art holds its 53rd Día de los Muertos celebration from 3 to 10 p.m. on the Anderson Street block outside its building at 1300 1st St. The last three were held at LA County Civic Center Park. The building itself reopens in 2027.

Get a free ticket from Self Help Graphics first, then meet at Mariachi Plaza, 1831 1st St., at 2 p.m. The procession sets off at 2:30 and walks down 1st Street. It's led by Grupo Chicomecoatl and the organization's youth committee. Some of this year's community altars take on the Lineage Fire and the ICE raids in Eastside neighborhoods.

This year's commemorative print, Consuelo G. Flores' first serigraph, honors children who died in Border Patrol custody. Self Help Graphics prints will be for sale on the block. Stay late: Los Lobos, the Grammy-winning East L.A. band, go on at 8:35 p.m., right where Self Help Graphics is coming home.

Source: welikela.com, retrieved November 5, 2026. Other sources: welikela.com (2), foodjournalmagazine.com, laphil.com, thebroad.org, the Brewery Artwalk website, selfhelpgraphics.com.