Los Angeles has thousands of things happening every weekend.

We’re not interested in listing all of them.

The 10% is Wine Stop’s weekly look at the handful that seem genuinely worth your time: food, wine, music, art, culture, markets, neighborhood festivals, and the occasional thing we can’t quite categorize.

Five picks. One splurge. No filler.

This weekend is warm and dry, with Friday around 86°F, Saturday near 89°F and Sunday around 87°F. That makes Friday night and Sunday especially attractive for outdoor plans, while Saturday afternoon calls for a little shade—or air conditioning.

1. Melrose Hill Block Party

Saturday, September 26 | 4–11 PM
Melrose Avenue at Western Avenue | Free

This one checks almost every box.

The third annual Melrose Hill Block Party brings together some of the neighborhood’s most interesting food, art, design and retail names for one evening at Melrose and Western.

On the food side: Ggiata x Porto’s, Kuya Lord, Little Fish, Étra, Bar Etoile, Le Coupe, Rocky’s Matcha and more.

On the art/design side: David Zwirner, Kiko Kostadinov, Spinelli Kilcollin, vintage sellers, artists and independent shops. Live music runs through the evening as well.

Why it made The 10%: This feels like Los Angeles right now—food, design, art and neighborhood culture all occupying the same few blocks.

Good to know: Saturday will be the warmest day of the weekend. We’d go closer to sunset rather than at 4 PM.

2. Watts Towers:
Day of the Drum + Jazz Festival

Saturday & Sunday, September 26–27 | 10 AM–6 PM
Watts Towers Arts Center | Free

Two days, two completely different music festivals.

Saturday’s 44th Annual Day of the Drum Festival explores percussion traditions from around the world, with Aztec drumming and dance, TAIKOPROJECT, West African rhythms, Afro-Cuban dance, Nigerian talking drums and Afro-Brazilian percussion.

Sunday becomes the 49th Annual Simon Rodia Watts Towers Jazz Festival, with jazz, soul and related traditions performed alongside one of Los Angeles’ most extraordinary landmarks.

Why it made The 10%: Forty-plus years of music happening beside the Watts Towers is not something we need to invent a reason to attend.

Good to know: Admission and parking are free. Sunday should be slightly cooler.

3. Moonlight Hike: Manami

Friday, September 25 | Music around 7 PM, hike at 8 PM
TreePeople, Coldwater Canyon Park | Ticketed

This may be the weekend’s most unusual find.

Japanese multi-instrumentalist Manami performs atop Mulholland Drive using handmade instruments, marimba, percussion, piano, guitar, voice and spoken word.

Bring a blanket. Bring some tea. Listen to the performance as evening settles over the canyon, then head out for a guided moonlight hike.

Why it made The 10%: Because “music on Mulholland followed by a moonlight hike” is exactly the kind of sentence we want this column to contain.

Good to know: Parking is limited. TreePeople strongly recommends carpooling or rideshare.

4. Los Angeles Libros Festival

Saturday, September 26 | 10 AM–4 PM
Los Angeles Central Library | Free

A full-day bilingual literary festival inside one of downtown’s great buildings.

Los Angeles Libros brings together Spanish-language and bilingual storytelling, authors, live music, workshops, books and community programming throughout Central Library.

The program includes Mariachi Arco•Iris de Los Angeles along with author talks, workshops and performances.

Why it made The 10%: It’s free, genuinely cultural, downtown, and gives you something completely different from another outdoor street fair.

Good to know: Registration is encouraged but not required. All festival activities are free.

5. Love Letters to L.A. — Autry Block Party

Saturday, September 26 | 10 AM–5 PM
Autry Museum, Griffith Park | $4.75 adults / $3.50 seniors & students

The Autry is turning its lawn into a celebration of Los Angeles, with live music, cultural dance, food trucks, plein-air painting, carnival attractions, classic L.A. energy and access to the museum.

And for the occasion, admission rolls back to near-opening-era pricing: $4.75 for adults and $3.50 for seniors and students.

Why it made The 10%: At less than five dollars, this may be the best value of the weekend.

Good to know: There’s free parking for Autry visitors. Saturday afternoon will be warm, so treat the museum itself as part of the experience rather than staying outside all day.

The Splurge

IN A LANDSCAPE:
Classical Music in the Wild

Saturday & Sunday, September 26–27 | 3 PM
Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park

A 1912 Steinway Model D. Pianist Hunter Noack. Bronson Canyon. The Hollywood Sign in the background.

Audience members listen through wireless headphones and are free to wander through the landscape while the piano becomes the soundtrack.

That is a fairly spectacular use of Griffith Park.

There is one problem: the Bronson Canyon performances are currently reported sold out.

So this week’s Splurge comes with an unusual instruction: check the official site for cancellations or returned tickets rather than paying something ridiculous on resale.

And if you miss it, remember the concept. This is precisely what The 10% is here to find.

If we were choosing three…

Friday: Moonlight Hike with Manami
Saturday evening: Melrose Hill Block Party
Sunday: Watts Towers Jazz Festival

Three completely different pieces of Los Angeles—and two of them cost nothing.

That’s our 10% for this weekend.

Wine Stop Weekend Wine

2024 Oveja Chic Carmenère — Central Valley, Chile

A great bottle for a warm L.A. weekend: fresh, juicy, and unmistakably Carmenère, with dark fruit, a little green-herbal edge, and enough structure to keep it interesting without feeling heavy.

Serve it slightly cool.

Perfect with grilled meats, burgers, tacos, or whatever ends up on the table after a long Saturday in Los Angeles.

The weekend wine: Carmenère. Drink Better. The 10%.

See you next Thursday night.

Did you enjoy reading The 10%? If you attended one of our weekend picks, leave a short review in the comments - or just say hello. We'd love to hear from you. Thanks for reading!