Things for Teenagers to Do in the Summer in Los Angeles

Southern California attracts millions of visitors every summer, including vacationing teens and their families, and many Los Angeles-area venues plan special summer calendars with events for teenagers. The summer has opportunities for music, art, dance, theater and film viewing. Teens interested in learning employment skills or helping social organizations also have the option of volunteering with a variety of LA agencies during the summer months.

  1. Music

    • The air fills with music at a number of places in Los Angeles during the summer months, and teens have a chance to hear jazz, rock, folk and world music at a number of open-air music venues. The Hammer Museum has live music on the outdoor patio with offerings Friday night from jazz performers and rock groups featured on Thursday evenings. Pershing Square invites teens to free lunch concerts on Wednesdays during the summer. Music also fills the historic square on Thursday and Saturday evenings. The Los Angeles County Arts Commission sponsors music groups at the Ford Amphitheatre during summer months. The Farmer's Market invites teens every Thursday and Friday from late May through September for music performances.

    Art and Culture

    • California Plaza opens the doors every summer for dance and theater performances from June through August, with many performances of interest to teenage audiences. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art operates a summer program for teens interested in creating art. The LACM program requires no previous art experience, and the museum offers scholarships for needy teens interested in participating but lacking the funds for the program tuition. Teens interested in learning dance, filmmaking, photography, music, screenwriting or acting can sign on for a summer experience with the School of Creative and Performing Arts, an artist collective education program operated on the Occidental College campus. Teen students in the program stay in the college dorms and have a chance to earn college credit for the intensive SOCAPA programs.

    Films

    • The John Anson Ford Amphitheatre summer season gives teens a chance to see films on the outdoor screen from May through October. Teens also have a film venue for student and professional films at the week-long Downtown Film Festival held every July at historic theaters located in the city's downtown, including the Downtown Independent. The film schedule features numerous video and film offerings that appeal to teenage audiences, and teens can submit video or film productions for consideration for the annual program.

    Volunteer Work

    • Teens interested in volunteering over the summer months have a choice of experiences from dozens of Los Angeles-area agencies. Area hospitals, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and UCLA Medical Center, have clerical, retail or official greeter positions open for teen volunteers. Food on Foot asks teens to help distribute food and clothing to the poor and homeless in the LA area. The Los Angeles city and county public libraries have summer positions open for teens to do library work, including shelving books, creating displays or clerical work at branch libraries. Many branches also look for volunteers to read or tell stories to young children.

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