Natural History Museum First Fridays

NHM First Fridays is exactly what it sounds like and better than you’d expect: the Natural History Museum opens after hours for an evening of live music and DJ sets among dinosaur fossils, taxidermied dioramas, and gem and mineral exhibits. The combination is genuinely fun — there’s something right about hearing a live set while standing in front of a Tyrannosaurus skeleton.

The event draws a younger, creative crowd — museum members, date night regulars, and the kind of Angelenos who like their cultural experiences to feel slightly unexpected. KCRW is a media partner, so the curation tends to skew indie and eclectic. Admission applies; museum members get early access at 5:30pm, general public enters around 6pm.

About 30 minutes from Manhattan Beach via the 405 North and the 110 North. The April 3 event is one of four in the 2026 series (also Feb 6, Mar 6, May 1) — any of them are worth going to, but April’s date falls on a Friday when the weather is reliably good for the drive up and back.

More info: nhm.org