Art, Design & Fashion Events Southern California 2019

Lacma’s eight-year-old event is one of the city’s most heavy-hitting fund-raisers, raising a record-setting $4.5 million at the 2018 gala in November. Co-chaired by Eva Chow and Leonardo DiCaprio, the black-tie event honored artist Catherine Opie and filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro and featured a performance by Beck. The evening drew more than 850 guests drawn from the entertainment, fashion, music, and architecture industries. Next: November 2019

The 24th edition of the public art show, which took place in January, drew over 70,000 patrons to view diverse offerings from 120 galleries from 18 countries. This year’s event marked the third consecutive year of DiverseArtLA, an exhibition space showcasing donated installations and performances from nonprofits and museums around the world. The four-day event—the city’s longest-running art fair—kicked off with a star-studded opening night gala hosted by actress Kate Beckinsale. Next: February 5-9, 2020

The Hammer Museum’s high-profile gala raises money to support and showcase young and emerging L.A. artists. The 16th edition, held in October, drew more than 500 guests, honored author Margaret Atwood and artist Glenn Ligon, and raised a record-breaking $2.6 million. South Coast Plaza partnered with the Hammer to present the gala, which took place in the museum’s courtyard. Next: October 2019

The 14-year-old celebration of mid-century modern design and architecture—which takes over Palm Springs for 11 days every February—continues to grow by leaps and bounds: Attendance for the 2019 edition rose 20 percent to roughly 152,000 people, generating an economic impact of $57 million for the area. Modernism Week involves more than 375 events, including home and bus tours, lectures, live music events, and nightly parties. Proceeds go to local students who study architecture and design, as well as organizations that preserve modernist architecture. Next: February 13-23, 2020

The weekend-long event for Lacma donors happens each spring; this year’s 33rd annual event raised more than $2.4 million and resulted in the addition of eight new acquisitions for the museum’s permanent collection. The two-day affair, sponsored by Cartier, included curator-led art presentations, private dinners at the homes of major supporters, and a gala. Next: April 2020

The Museum of Contemporary Art’s high-profile gala was canceled last year after complaints of a lack of diversity among former gala honorees. This year, new museum director Klaus Biesenbach is resurrecting the benefit with a brand-new approach: Held inside the Geffen Contemporary satellite campus in Little Tokyo, it will have a more scaled-back, community-minded feel. There’s no corporate sponsor, and half the seats have reportedly been given away to artists for free. In 2017, the 37th edition of the event (pictured) drew 700 guests and raised more than $3 million; it honored artist Jeff Koons. Next: May 18, 2019

A spring tradition, the event recently wrapped up its 38th edition, which featured four days of events and more than 100 floral interpretations created by top local and national designers. The weekend included a heavily designed V.I.P. dinner plus the more casual, 1,550-attendee Bloom Bash; in all, roughly 12,000 people attend the events every year. Art Alive raises more than $1 million annually to support arts education, outreach, and exhibition. Next: April 23-26, 2020
See more: How This Benefit Draws 12,000 Attendees Every Year

Dedicated to raising the profile of Los Angeles on the international fashion scene, the event showcases the newest collections of local and international designers. The latest edition kicked off in March, when official venue partner the Petersen Automotive Museum hosted its "Cars & Fashion" runway show with designs from Naeem Khan. Fashion Week presentations happen twice a year, around March and October. Next: October 10-13, 2019

Pacific Design Center’s spring market is billed as the West Coast’s major showcase for global design. The two-day event introduces offerings from among 2,200 product lines presented by 100 international showroom manufacturers. About 4,000 trade professionals from around the world come for the series of programs and events. The 2019 event in March had a theme of “Artists & Artisans.” Next: March 2020

New to the list
Complex magazine’s buzzy ComplexCon—an art, fashion, and music-focused convention curated by Pharrell Williams and artist Takashi Murakami and produced by ReedPOP—hosted its third iteration in Long Beach in November. The 2018 event drew 50,000 people for live musical performances and panels; interactive, tech-focused activations from the likes of Cadillac, McDonald’s, and Adidas; and exclusive sneaker launches. More than 200 companies exhibited, and the two-day event generated over two billion media impressions. The convention will expand to Chicago in July. Next: November 2019

The annual pageant is most known for its stage show made up of real people posing exactly like their counterparts in original artwork; the 2018 event had the theme of “The Time Machine.” The accompanying festival includes work from 140 local artists, plus art workshops, music series, and more. Now in its 87th year, the event is one of the country’s oldest juried fine art shows, and proceeds support arts in Orange County. Next: July 7-August 31, 2019

The largest art walk in Southern California supports Venice Family Clinic’s mission to provide quality health care to people in need. This year’s event takes place at Google’s Venice headquarters; it will highlight the work of more than 200 artists in a contemporary silent art auction, and it will offer studio tours, live music, a beer and wine garden, food trucks, hands-on art workshops, a family fun zone, and more. Next: May 19, 2019

Held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, the fair presents top established and emerging galleries from around the world, emphasizing local L.A. galleries. 2019 marked the event’s 10th edition; it featured new visual branding and a reimagined floor design, and it ncluded 80 exhibitors. Returning for its second year was a V.I.P. music series from Grammy-winning artist Daniel Lanois. Next: February 14-16, 2020

The free two-day festival takes place each spring in San Diego’s Little Italy district, covering 16 city blocks. The 35th edition, which took place in April, drew more than 350 local, national, and international artists. New this year, organizers partnered with Rerip, a nonprofit that repurposes surfboards, for an auction fund-raiser. The event benefited ArtReach, which delivers visual arts education to underserved schools. Next: April 2020

Each year, the 37-year-old black-tie gala presents what it bills as Los Angeles's largest fashion runway show, with more than 70 models in more than 125 fashion designs. About 800 guests from the worlds of fashion and entertainment come to see the work of Otis students. This year’s event, which took place in early May and raised money for student scholarships, was held at the Elaine and Bram Goldsmith Campus. Next: May 2020