LAist gets a lot of event announcements, and we comb through them all to bring you a curated list of what’s happening in LA this weekend, including these 20 events. Don’t forget to check the February Guide, as it has other options, too. We'll be back on Monday to help you plan the week ahead.

FRIDAY, FEB. 6

ART La Luz de Jesus Gallery holds an opening night reception on Friday from 8-11 pm for artists and their exhibitions: Jason Freeny's Molt; Miso’s Cornucopia and William Mortensen‘s American Grotesque. The works will remain on view through March 2.

FOOD: The Chinese Cuisine Festival is a 10-day event that runs from Feb. 6-15 and gives foodies the opportunity to discover 19 Chinese restaurants’ secret menus and dishes in the SGV. The festival includes 11 different type of Chinese food from Beijing, Shanghai, Canton, Shanxi, Xinjiang Uyghur, Szechuan, Hunan, Wuhan, Southeast China and Taiwan.

STORYTELLING: The storytelling/reading series UnCabaret is back at the Skirball Cultural Center on Friday night with the “Bleeding Hearts” pre-Valentine's Day event. Hosted by Beth Lapides, the evening features Alec Mapa (Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Switched at Birth, The Tonight Show), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24, 2 Broke Girls, Modern Family) and Kira Soltanovich (The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Girls Behaving Badly). Tickets: $8-$15. Ages 21+.

COMEDY: The Groundlings Theatre opens a new show on Friday at 8 pm that features an evening of all-new sketches and improv. The Groundlings Dead or Alive riffs on the world of 007. Directed by Holly Mandel, the show features Scott Beehner, Matt Cook, Chris Eckert, Steve Little, Laird Macintosh and Lisa Schurga. The show runs Fridays at 8 pm and Saturdays at 8 and 10 pm through April 18. Opening night tickets: $50.



MUSIC: For the Record presents Dear John Hughes at DBA in WeHo on Friday night. The show relives the music from Hughes’ films including Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Pretty In Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The cast includes Evan Rachel Wood, Rumer Willis Tracie Thoms and many others. The show runs through April 4 on Fridays through Sundays at 8 pm. Tickets: $39-$59.

CONSCIOUS LIFE: The 13th Annual Conscious Life Expo runs Feb. 6-9 at the LAX Hilton Hotel with workshops, lectures, panels and four exhibit halls displaying products for healthy living. In addition, there’s live music, healthy foods and the Conscious Life Film Festival. (Two of the more interesting workshop topics we spotted are "Alien Implant and Energy Form and Device Removals" and "Ancient Alien Goddesses.") Admission: $25 Advance/$30 Door

SATURDAY, FEB. 7

ZOO: Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the L.A. Zoo’s program Sex and the City Zoo celebrates romance in the animal kingdom on Saturday from 5-7 pm in the Zoo's Witherbee Auditorium. The evening includes a presentation on “Animal Mating, Dating and Cohabitating,” up-close animal encounters and a dinner option for purchase. The event is 21+ and begins with a dessert and wine reception. Tickets: $40 per person; an additional $75 per person for the dinner option.

TRAVELOGUE HISTORY: The Fowler Museum presents the seminar Wanderlust: Travelogues with UCLA Library Special Collections and UCLA Program on Central Asia on Saturday from 1-4 pm. Participants will get a guided tour of the exhibition Round Trip: Bicycling Asia Minor, 1891, view a number of travelogues from the UCLA Library Special Collections, and learn about historical travel writing from Nile Green, director of the UCLA Program on Central Asia. Tickets: $20 Fowler members; $25 nonmembers (includes parking). Limited capacity. Advance reservations required via email to: fowlerprograms@arts.ucla.edu.

FILM: The UCLA Film and Television Archive continues the series The Greatest Showman: Cecil B. DeMille on Friday at 7:30 pm with a double feature of The Cheat (1915) with Sessue Hayakawa, followed by The Golden Chance (1915). Live musical accompaniment provided by Cliff Retallick during the films. Tickets: $10.

MUSIC: The 7th Annual MojaMoja Brunch & Afterparty takes place at Avalon on Saturday with performances by The Internet, Nick Waterhouse (DJ Set), Taylor McFerrin, Moses Sumney, Anderson Paak, Ethio Cali and Subsuelo. These artists donate their time to raise awareness and funds for the MojaMoja Innovation Fund which supports “underrepresented, multicultural youth pursuing education and job preparedness opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).” The brunch is from 11 am to 2 pm, followed by the Afterparty at Bardot from 2-5 pm. Ticket prices vary from $25-$1,500.

OPERA: The LA Opera presents the West Coast premiere of The Ghosts of Versailles by composer John Corigliano and librettist William C. Hoffman. Directed by Darko Tresnak and conducted by James Conlon, the opera about love in the hereafter stars Patricia Racette, Christopher Maltman and Patti LuPone. The Ghosts of Versailles has six performances starting Saturday through March 1. Tickets start at $17.

CONS PROJECT: Cons Project: Los Angeles presents a workshop in Zine Making & Printing with Andrew Martin Scott, Jai Tanju, Kingswell and Dan Drehobl. Learn how to create and construct your own zine at the Holding Company from 11 am to 5 pm. RSVP because space is limited. Catered lunch will be provided. Free. Recommended for ages 13-24.

PORN LECTURE: On Saturday at 4 pm LACMA presents the panel discussion Full Exposure: Art and Pornography in Los Angeles in conjunction with the exhibition Larry Sultan: Here and Home. Panelists Mike Sager, journalist and author; A.L. Steiner, artist and professor at USC's Roski School of Fine Arts; Linda Williams, professor of film and media and rhetoric at UC Berkeley; and Rebecca Morse, associate curator, Wallis Annenberg Photography Department discuss the historical relationship between art and pornography, with a particular focus on L.A. The event is free and open to the public.

ZINE PARTY: DUM DUM Zine holds a release party of Issue 5: "Post and Present" at The Echo on Saturday from 4-9 pm with readings from the issue, including Bloody Death Skull interpreting pieces musically, more music by resident band Tulips and DJ DM Collins. Zine-making table courtesy of the women of L.A. Zine Fest. Tickets: $5. There’s an after party at Funky Sole right after the show and there’s free admission to the dance party until 10:30 pm.

FILM: NewFilmmakers Los Angeles holds its monthly screening series at AT&T Center in Downtown LA on Saturday night. There first of three shorts programs screens at 6 pm, followed by 7:45 pm and 9:30 pm. There are pre-and post-screening receptions as well as Q&A sessions with directors, crew and actors. Tickets: $5 online, $7 at the door or $15 for an all-night access pass which includes the screening ticket and access to the lounge.

SUNDAY, FEB. 8

FILM: On Sunday at 11 am, UCLA Film & TV Archive screens the film adaptation of one of our favorite kids’ books ever: The Phantom Tollbooth (1970). The event is free for the whole family to watch Milo get transported to a magical world through a mysterious tollbooth and a toy car. Directed by Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Kaveh Baghdadchi, photographer and editor-in-chief of Akkasee.com is at CAFAM on Sunday at 2 pm for the free program Iranian Photography: Past & Present. He’ll discuss the history of the art in Iran from its use in the Royal Court to present day. The program will be followed by an Iranian tea ceremony reception and traditional Iranian music.

BACH:The Complete Bach Cello Suites are being performed in Ktown on Sunday at 5:30 pm as a fundraiser for the upcoming Bach in the Subways (BitS) event that celebrates the composer JS Bach's birthday with musicians playing his music in public spaces. Sunday provides a rare opportunity to hear all the suites in one sitting. The Sunday concert will be held at The Ancelle, near the Wilshire/Western Purple Line. Tickets: $30-$40.

COMEDY: There’s a new comedy show in DTLA on Sunday night at Ham and Eggs Tavern. Third Base Showcase features fun and games, “very expensive prizes and a mediocre sound system, and the opportunity for one randomly selected audience member to get their chance at precisely 42 seconds of stage time.” The show is hosted by Lindsay Adams, Charlie Lind and Matt Clemens, with a lineup that features Ryan Singer, Renee Gauthier, Solomon Georgio, Joe Kilgallon, Ken Barnard and Candy Lawrence. 8 pm.

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