A recently aired Honda EX-L ad, filmed in Echo Park last October, shows our main character “Tim” gallivanting around the neighborhood, and then pulling up to a nice, open spot in front of The Echo. As if!
A more realistic portrayal would show the characters taking up resident parking along Echo Park streets, and returning at 3 am shouting obnoxious things like, “I could have TOTALLY gotten her number!” Not that we have any experience with this kind of thing…
The Echo Park Craft Fair is just around the corner! Taking place both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, the event is put on by an Artist Collective including over 25 location artists including Beatrice Valenzuela, Kathryn Bently, Anne Costello Brown, Rachel Craven, jewelry designer Kathleen Whitaker and artist Brit Browne.
Echo Park’s Juice Maids will be serving up their delicious cold-pressed juices alongside “blue corn quesodillas.”
Echo Park Craft Fair
May 12 & 13, 2012 from 1:00 – 5:00 pm
1461 Carroll Ave.
www.echoparkcraftfair.com
email raqstars@mac.com for more info
Last chance for artists, musicians, and venues to sign up for the Echo Park Art Walk – sign up online as soon as possible if you’d like to participate in this great neighborhood event!
Echo Park Public Displays of Art’s (PDA) annual art walk started as a small event involving businesses and artists along Echo Park Avenue. Now it’s expanded to Sunset Boulevard, as far as Alvarado. The Art Walk is a community event filled with music, art exhibits, store sales, film screenings, food trucks, workshops, and even sidewalk chalk and bubbles for the kids.
Echo Park PDA Art Walk
Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 12:00 noon – 6:00 pm
www.artneedsfreedom.com/pda
Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo, time to celebrate Mexican culture and heritage with some beers and margaritas! There are a ton of great spots you can walk to in Echo Park, here’s the low-down:
There will be beverages, tasty snacks, music, and a raffle to benefit The Wall Las Memorias Project. The raffle prizes will include a gift certificate from The Warehouse LA and a terrarium from The Classroom LA.
Saturday, May 5 from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
The Warehouse is located at 1197 West Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park
This family-friendly event celebrates with a Fiesta. Mayberry Magicians, Live Mariachi, folklore dancers, Mayberry student dance performances, Glee Club, and more. Booths, prizes, obstacle course jumper, Sumo Suits, Fac epainting, and other great activities will keep the kids going! All day game wristbands are $15 (proceeds benefit programs at the school). And of course, Cinco de Mayo appropriate refreshments.
Saturday, May 5 from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Located at 2414 Mayberry Street in Echo Park
This is definitely a go-to spot for a lot of locals and non-locals – cheap margaritas are the name of the game and they’ve also got something special for the Cinco de Mayo holiday. Just make sure to arrive early, snag your spot on the patio (usually open after 7:00 pm), and order a bucket of Coronas for a discounted price.
Barragan’s is located at 1538 West Sunset Boulevard
They don’t usually have any specials going on for Cinco de Mayo, but the Echo Park location has the BEST margaritas and a fabulous mariachi band to keep you in the mood. Valet parking is available in the back, and sports on the television.
El Compadre is located at 1449 West Sunset Boulevard
Cinco de Moustache is a “poquito” celebration of the holiday with food specials and two taps (one at 11 am, one at 5 pm) of the limited release “El Hefe Añjeo” – a hefeweizen aged in añejo tequila barrels (say what?!). Food specials include $2 tacos (carne asada, pollo, and vegetarian), vegan & non-vegan tostadas, and ceviche.
Saturday, May 5 at 11:00 am
Golden Road Brewery is located at 5410 San Fernando Rd West in Atwater Village
The Little Cave is now reformed into a tequila/mescal bar called La Cuevita, opening up this weekend. $2 tecate, free tacos starting at 9:00 pm, and of course their selection of agave spirits and specialty cocktails. Enjoy your libations on one of the two patios at the new bar.
Friday May 4 and Saturday May 6 at 7:00 pm
La Cuevita is located at 5922 N Figueroa Street in Highland Park
The mother of all margaritas are on Los Feliz this weekend: A 957.44 ounce margarita will certainly match your Cinco de Mayo expectations; that’s bigger than my head! Served all day on Saturday for $10 a piece (that can’t be premium tequila in there) and enter your chance to win tickets to a Dodgers vs. Giants game.
Big Bar is located at 1929 Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz
Just make sure if you do go out and drink some adult beverages, have a designated driver, or take the BUS! The LAPD does have plans for some DUI checkpoints around Los Angeles this weekend.
Calling all artists – Stachka (a grassroots fundraising organization) is accepting donations for an art show benefiting the Echo Park Film Center. Donations can submitted by Saturday, May 5, 2012.
1650 Gallery in Echo Park is hosting the “Reel Art” fundraiser on May 19, featuring a silent art auction and film screening. DJ Salinger and Slam Dunk are DJing, and O.N.E. Coconut Water refreshments provided. All proceeds benefit the Echo Park Film Center.
Click here for more information, or email Jacqueline Davis or Nicole Paulus at picketlinekids@gmail.com to donate.
It’s time for the second annual Taste of the Eastside – an event that includes taste-testing awesome treats from local restaurants in the area, including Silver Lake, Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, Los Feliz, Downtown, and Highland Park, and more importantly, Echo Park!
Last year we attended the first Taste of the Eastside and had a blast – beautiful weather plus tons of great Echo Park restaurants made it worth the ticket price. We enjoyed some incredible bread pudding from Delilah’s, vegan ceviche by Elf Cafe, Farro salad from Cookbook, Pho Beef Tacos from Xoia, and savory rhubarb galette from The Park. A memorable cup of coffee from Silver Lake’s Intelligentsia made us realize why the coffee shop is so packed all the time. Click here for our photos from last year.
This year we can expect some of the same restaurants from last year plus a couple of new additions from Echo Park, including The Park, Cookbook, Mohawk Bend, Xoia, and Pazzo Gelato. We know Xoia is serving up some homemade ice cream, which will be perfect for the wonderful 74 degree, sunny weather we can expect!
Tickets are a little more expensive this year, but includes unlimited tastings from the 30+ restaurants from the area. With each $35 ticket you get a unlimited food tastes, a $45 bar ticket adds a wine/beer flight, and a $65 VIP ticket a bunch of other goodies like seminars . Kids 2-12 are only $5, two and under are free!
Taste of the Eastside
Barnsdall Art Park, located at 4800 Hollywood Blvd
Sunday, May 6 from 1-5:00 pm.
Click here for the website
Flickr photo by Max Santa Cruz, May 2010
Around this time of year, our email inbox gets flooded with questions about if there’s going to be a Cuban Music Festival at Echo Park Lake. We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we’ve confirmed with official organizers that there will not be a Cuban Music Festival this year.
The Cuban Music Festival is usually held annually at Echo Park Lake – this year would have been its 18th year. It celebrates Cuba’s Independence from Spain on May 20, and Cuban poet José Martí (you may have notice his statue at the corner of the park).
Last year’s festival was canceled due to funding issues. A representative from Duval Productions says they hope to come back next year when the lake rehab has completed.
Screenshot from echoparklake.com
Tonight, the city is holding an Oversight and Odor Monitoring Committee meeting for those interested in getting updates on and ask questions about the Echo Park Lake rehabilitation project. Only 11 months left of the project – we’ll find out if things are moving along as planned.
The meeting is today, Monday, April 30, 2012, at 6:30 pm, at the St. Paul Episcopal Cathedral in the “Joseph and Child” room.
St. Paul Episcopal Cathedral is located at 840 Echo Park Ave.
For the week of Monday, April 30 through Sunday, May 6
Monday
Tanlines, Rewards, Gothic Tropic @ Echo
Jon Benjamin Has a Tour @ Echoplex
Melpo Mene @ Origami Vinyl
Open Mic Night hosted by David & Jayson @ Tribal Café
The Fold NIght Market, The Downtown Train, Cuckoo Chaos, Gangi, Reighnbeau, Corridor @ Bootleg Bar
Motown Mondays @ The Short Stop
John Carpenter, Sketch Monster, The Crystelles, Dead Dawn @ Los Globos
Juke Joint Blues Duo (Tevis Hodge Jr. and Christopher Yarrow) at Stories Books & Cafe
Tuesday
OUTERNATIONAL @ Echo
Open Mic Night hosted by John Schneider @ Tribal Cafe
Ocha La Rocha, Gwendolyn, Dallas Don, Magic Mirror @ Bootleg Bar
Betty White, The New Room, Adult Books, LOLcats @ Lot 1 Café
Wednesday
Aquarium Drunkard Presents: Willis Earl Beal with Emily Kokal @ Echo
Dub Club Presents: 2 Rooms Of Musical Madness With Peaking Lights, Secret Circuit, Deadly Dragon Sound System, Carl Meeks, Screechy Dan @ Echo & Echoplex
Carolina Chickadee @ Taix Lounge
Open Mic Night hosted by Victoria @ Tribal Café
Sophie Barker (Zero 7), The Janks, White Dove (formerly Monster) @ Bootleg Bar
Live Jazz every Wednesday night at 7:00 pm @ Downbeat Café
TV girl, wildcat wildcat, pageants @ Los Globos
DJ David Delano, Newage Dave, Jake Peterson, Sammy Max, Oscar Gerard, Mikey Made + more @ Los Globos
Tic Tic Boom! @ Lot 1 Café
Thursday
Origami Vinyl and Hit City USA present: Papa, LA Font, Busy Living @ Echo
Iheartcomix, Media Contender, The Echo & Spin Present: Check Yo Ponytail 2: Tiga, Damian Lazarus, Light Year, Franki Chan @ Echoplex
Cave Country EP Release, RT n the 44’s, Haroula Rose and Levi Strom @ Echo Country Outpost
Carina Round @ Origami Vinyl
Morris Tepper, 5 Track @ Taix Lounge
Joke Juice Comedy Night @ Tribal Café
Greenhorse, Tha Boogie, Planet Booty @ Bootleg Bar
Psych Garage Night @ Lot 1 Café
Friday
Noah and The Megafauna @ Echo
Friends of Friends present: ‘Salton Sea’ Release Party with Tomas Barfod, Shlohmo, Salva, Groundislava, Suzanne Kraft @ Echoplex
Le Couturier @ Origami Vinyl
Abe Lincoln Story, Spain @ Taix Lounge
Sinceras Collective Art Show @ Tribal Café
Ian Cooke, Shenandoah Davis, David Shane Smith @ Bootleg Bar
Boats and Birds @ Los Globos
Saturday
Allo Darlin’, The Wave Pictures, Yellow Red Sparks @ Echo
Bootie La @ Echoplex
Funky Sole @ Echo
Omar Perez, Jose Promis @ Taix Lounge
Open Mic Night @ The Fretted Frog
Stone Soup @ Tribal Café
The Pentimento Campfire Tour: Toh Kay (feat. Tomas from Streetlight Manifesto), Sycamore Smith, Dan Potthast @ Bootleg Bar
Drinko de Mayo Fest @ Los Globos
Colin Ambulance, Danny Bobbe, Amanda Frances, Nora Keyes art show @ ecos gallery
Sunday
Grand Ole Echo with Angela Bruyere, Brian Spence & The T.H.H., Grant Langston & The Supermodels/Hot Club de LA @ Echo
Part Time Punks @ Echo
Kick Everything @ Origami Vinyl
French Toast Comedy @ Taix Lounge
SoCal Hip-Hop and Electronica Showcase @ Tribal Café
The Pentimento Campfire Tour: Toh Kay (feat. Tomas from Streetlight Manifesto), Sycamore Smith, Dan Potthast @ Bootleg Bar
Super Soul Sunday @ The Short Stop
The LockWest @ Los Globos
Visit the venue websites for more information on the cost and times of shows. Feel free to add more events in the comment section. All events listed are subject to change at any time, and new events announced for the week after this posting may not be included. Visit our Weekly Events page for more neighborhood events, shows and specials.
The 12th Annual Festival of Childhood held by the local Echo Parenting & Education takes place tomorrow, April 28, 2012 from 1-5:00 pm.
In conjunction with The Day of the Child, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and International Spank Out Day, the festival promotes parental self care as well as an understanding of child development:
The message of the Festival of Childhood is that violence is something that is learned. When we raise children with kindness and compassion, they grow to be kind and compassionate adults, who aren’t likely to use violence as a tool. It’s a day when families can experience the possibility of nonviolence in the world!
The event will include a rock climbing wall, face painting, gardening, clay play, button-making, music, story time, street painting, and more.
Live performances include Bob Baker Marionettes, Eco Hero Kids, Birdie’s Playhouse, Children’s Nature Institute, Tierra Blanca and expert parenting speakers.
The free festival will be held in the basement of the Echo Park United Methodist Church Building at 1226 N. Alvarado Street.
Email aortiz@echoparenting.org with questions.
Echo Park Now reader Javier was having lunch at Red Hill today (lucky you!) when he took found a male Lab mix running around. The dog has no tags or a chip, but looks like such a happy one that there’s got be someone looking for him.
Contact us if you know anything about this pup!
Got any plans for Saturday? Cancel them! This weekend is the 23rd Annual La Gran Limpieza: The Great Los Angeles River CleanUp.
The community, family-friendly event is on April 28, 2012 from 9:00 am to noon. To entice you a little more, there will be gift giveaways, raffle prizes, entertainment and refreshments at each site. The event is part of Keep America Beautiful’s (KAB) nationwide Great American Cleanup™ day of service,
There will be 15 river clean-up sites, it looks like the closest one to us in Echo Park might actually be the Arroyo Seco cleanup site.
Each year going back to 2004, FoLAR publishes a trash report of what they find and how much in the LA River – from clothes to plastic film, metal, styrofoam, beverage containers, molded plastic, and glass. Some of the strangest items they’ve found include phone booths, cars, swords, and even old saunas. They expect 25 tons of garbage to be removed. Check FoLAR’s website for maps and more information.
Echo Park Trash Abatement Project (TAP) will have a small table at the Echo Park Farmers’ Market on Friday, April 27 from 4-6:00 pm with information and sign-up sheets. Otherwise, click here to sign up online!
This adorable munchkin was found on Saturday, April 21 near Fix Coffee at Echo Park Avenue and Baxter. The owners must miss this one – don’t you just want to pinch those cheeks?
Contact us if you know anything about this found dog.
We’re thoroughly looking forward to yet another successful Echo Park Art Walk this year – taking place on Saturday, May 19 all around Echo Park. Planning stages are in full force, and organizers are asking for the community’s help. This event wouldn’t happen without the participation of the community – it takes a village!
Echo Park Public Displays of Art’s (PDA) annual art walk started as a small event involving businesses and artists along Echo Park Avenue. Now it’s expanded to Sunset Boulevard, as far as Alvarado. The Art Walk is a community event filled with music, art exhibits, store sales, film screenings, food trucks, workshops, and even sidewalk chalk and bubbles for the kids.
Get involved by going to a community meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, April 24 at 7:00 pm. Share your ideas for the Art Walk, and just learn more about how to get involved. Meet at the Echo Park Time Travel Mart at 1714 W. Sunset Boulevard. RSVP here!
For the week of Monday, April 23 through Sunday, April 29
Monday
KXLU and KSPC Present Monday Night Residency: So Many Wizards, Batwings Catwings, Moses Campbell, Body Parts @ Echo
Sean Carnage presents: Baby Birds Don’t Drink Milk, Vehicle Blues, Kevin Greenspon, Bachsung @ Pehrspace
Monday Night Open Mic Night hosted by David & Jayson @ Tribal Cafe
Grace Woodroofe, Busy Living (feat. Mike Moonves of Chief), Lucy Schwartz, COYOL @ Bootleg Bar
Motown Mondays @ The Short Stop
Tuesday
Pageants, E.S.P @ Echo
Check Yo Ponytail 2: Hype Williams, Gatekeeper, James Ferraro, White Car, Slow Motion DJ’s @ Echoplex
Victoria Cordova’s Open Mic Night @ Tribal Cafe
State to State, Palace Ballroom, Echoes De Luxe, Battles Tapes @ Bootleg Bar
DJ Thergood, Yukmouth, Big Kush Jay @ Los Globos
Wednesday
Caveman, Henry Wolfe, So Many Wizards @ Echo
Dub Club with special guest DJ Rakkas Crew @ Echoplex
Automatik Eden @ Taix Lounge
Live Jazz every Wednesday night at 7:00 pm @ Downbeat Café
Open Mic Night hosted by Leo Margul @ Tribal Cafe
Manda Mosher, Merle Jagger, Scott Bartenhagen, Ralph Torrefranca @ Bootleg Bar
DJ JL, Android Cartel @ Los Globos
Thursday
Black Flamingo, Spirit Vine, Raw Geronimo, The Dignitary Loss of Richard Roe, Exploding Flowers @ Echoplex
Vetiver, Big Search, Bouquet @ Echo
The Authentic Sounds of Silverlake, AK & Her Kalashnikovs @ Taix Lounge
Dr. Lou’s Open Mic Night @ Tribal Cafe
Simone White, The Healing Machine, Brown and Blue, Sanglorians @ Bootleg Bar
Friday
Girl In A Coma, Pinta Protest, Sara Radle @ Echoplex
Aquarium Drunkard presents: Fruit Bats, Gold Leaves, A House For Lions @ Echo
Owls, House Boat @ Pehrspace
Fletchers Castorians, Creekbird @ Taix Lounge
Secure Sounds @ Tribal Cafe
The Bright Light Social Hour, Jonneine Zapata, The Violet Lights @ Bootleg Bar
Saturday
Footlong Development & Keistar Productions Present: The Original Prince & MJ Party Soul Slam 8 @ Echoplex
Funky Sole @ Echo
Electric Flower Group, Sleepy Owl, Last in Class, The Shrine @ Bootleg Bar
Mothers of Gut, Habits, Old Monk, Michael Rey and The Woebegones, Virginia Reed @ Pehrspace
Tim Russ, Artie Vegas Revue @ Taix Lounge
Edgar Ruiz & Friends, Juliett Rivas @ Tribal Cafe
Paul & The Kir, Fogelfoot @ Los Globos
Sunday
Adam Shenkman Presents: The Breakfast Show! @ Echo
Grand Ole Echo @ Echo
FYF & Iheartcomix Present: Tragedy, Nails, Skin Like Iron, Children Of God @ Echoplex
PART TIME PUNKS @ Echo
French Toast Comedy @ Taix Lounge
Open Mic Night @ Tribal Cafe
Sweet Hearts with Priscilla Ahn and Charlie Wadhams, The Parlour Suite @ Bootleg Bar
Super Soul Sunday @ The Short Stop
Visit the venue websites for more information on the cost and times of shows. Feel free to add more events in the comment section. All events listed are subject to change at any time, and new events announced for the week after this posting may not be included. Visit our Weekly Events page for more neighborhood events, shows and specials.