And that’s why it’s no surprise that the now 61-year-old multi-Grammy-nominated singer, who shot to fame with her 1995 hit “One of Us,” says it’s the most personal record she has ever made.

“I think part of it has to do with being the age I am and not feeling this necessity to sort of protect myself so much, or to hide and be mysterious in the songwriting,” Osborne said during a phone interview from her New York home as she was recovering from oral surgery just ahead of a national tour in support of her eleventh album, “Nobody Owns You.”

“I was going through a lot of different things within my family and relationships and I thought this is all that I can think of now. So instead of trying to separate this out and make music that is not about this, I’m going to try to use all of this as material and try to turn this very tumultuous and often painful stuff into something beautiful,” she said.

The tour lands the soulful singer at the recently opened Venice West venue in Venice on Thursday, Nov. 16. The evening will feature the new songs and her famous hits.

Osborne reached international fame with her album “Relish” that included the hit “One of Us,” which topped the charts in several countries, earned multiple Grammy nominations and was used as the theme song for the hit television series “Joan of Arcadia.”

“I do still enjoy playing it live. If it was a different kind of song, like a booty-shake-type of song I might be tired of it. But if it had to be one song, that’s a pretty interesting song to be the one I’m known for,” she said.

As that single climbed the charts, it was all a whirlwind time for the Kentucky-born singer.

“It was all a little bit like a crazy dream at the time,” Osborne said. “I also was so gratified that the record seemed to be connecting with so many people. It sold millions of copies and it seemed to really be having this emotional impact on people and I think that’s what every artist dreams of, to have that kind of reach and affect so many people.”

In her decades-long career Osborne has touched on many genres including rock, soul, pop, R&B, blues and country. The new 12-track album, which was released in September, leans heavily on the Americana and rootsy vibe with banjos, lap steel guitars, piano, organ and baritone guitar in the mix with a bit of a pop polish wrapped in her deeply personal songs.

“It’s still sometimes difficult to sing the songs live because I’m still very close to those feelings, but I have to say I’m most proud of the fact that the songs are very honest and very simple and straightforward,” she said.

One of those songs is a sort of message to her past self titled “I Should’ve Danced More.”

“That sort of taking stock process led me to this thought of you know I’ve done way too much cleaning in my life, I just need to dance more,” she said.

The title track “Nobody Owns You” is a song many parents of older teens can relate to. It’s a message about female empowerment, which Osborne wrote for her college-bound daughter who, at the moment, may not be that interested in listening to her mother.

“As much as we’ve come so far in supporting our girls and our young women and telling them they could be anything in the world, I still think they live in this culture where they think nobody can be mad at them and they have to please everyone and they have to put other people’s need before their own,” she said.

“My daughter is a teenager so she’s not really that open to listening to what I have to say to her, so that’s kind of frustrating. But I have an outlet where I can put these words into songs. So maybe she’ll listen to it now or at some point in the future,” she continued.

There are also odes to her mother in songs like “Secret Wine,” which is about her mother’s dementia and dealing with the end of her life.

“I think I feel glad that I was able to put that level of honesty in the songs and in the performance, too,” Osborne said.

And as far as her recent surgery goes, which was for the removal of a cyst in her jaw that required the extraction of a wisdom tooth, it was really nothing compared to the emotional year she’s had.

“I’m a little bit shaky, I had to have oral surgery last week and I’m still not 100 percent back, but I will be by the time I come to Venice,” she said.

Joan Osborne

When: 8 p.m. Nov. 16

Where: Venice West, 1717 Lincoln Blvd., Venice

Tickets: $55 at Ticketweb.com

But before he mastered the tattoo gun, Mister Cartoon, who was born Mark Machado, was using compressed air and paint to create his work as an airbrush artist, airbrushing T-shirts at swap meets and later adorning lowrider cars with his art.

To celebrate the artform that gave him his start, Cartoon has gathered some of the most exciting airbrush artists around and curated a new show dubbed “Under Pressure,” which opened at Beyond the Streets & Control Gallery on Nov. 3 and runs through Dec. 23.

“It’s something that’s not really taught in schools. It’s something that’s handed down and this is really celebrating artists that are rising in this artform,” said Cartoon, whose own tattoo and airbrush work has been displayed in fine art galleries around the world.

The show features dozens of pieces by 16 local and international artists who represent the present and future of the artform displaying their eclectic work on canvases. The art ranges from photorealistic images depicting things like street scenes, animals and classic cars to abstract works and script pieces.

“That’s one of the best things about this show. All these artists have unique and individual styles, all highlighting each other. Every style is represented from the hood street style to someone that has been formerly trained in art school,” Cartoon said.

This exhibition is a family affair for Cartoon since he handed down his talent to his young son, whose work will be included in the exhibition.

“I’m truly honored to curate this show and it’s even more amazing to have my boy in it,” Cartoon said. “He’s a great kid and he puts the hours in. It’s the time behind the scenes that counts.”

His 19-year-old son, Estevan Machado, who paints under the name Left-E, draws his distinct style and inspiration from the work of his father, and for the show he’s created two pieces featuring script art.

“I’ve always loved my father’s script, with the tattooing and in his graffiti side as well. I saw how he was able to balance things out and just incorporate lettering with visual images like his clowns and lowriders,” Machado said.

Airbrush culture

Airbrushing started gaining attention in the 1930s when it was used to create advertisements and later to paint Pin-Up girls on to the American aircrafts during World War II.

It also gained popularity during the Pop Art movement, with artists like James Rosenquist, Peter Palombi, Allen Jones and Andy Warhol creating airbrushed pieces. It was further cemented into local culture thanks to the lowrider movement when artists started pinstriping and airbrushing cars, as well as clothes.

For Cartoon, this show is meant to recreate the excitement he felt when he first got into airbrushing by showing off work meant to ignite the interest of a new generation while appreciating the evolution of this artform.

“This whole show is rare because using an airbrush in fine art is not something usually done,” Cartoon said.

Other artists in the exhibit include Gustavo Zermeño Jr., a respected muralist known for his larger-than-life portraits of athletes, celebrities and musicians and Jasmine Monsegue, also known as Spacebrat, who has designed murals for Virgil Abloh and has been featured in publications like Forbes and Vogue.

Passing the torch

Meanwhile, young Machado is already making a name for himself in the genre. He’s been featured in a group show in San Diego at the California Center for the Arts, he’s worked on projects with Nike and has personalized apparel for celebrities like Kevin Hart, Odell Beckham and Anderson Paak.

As a young kid it was seeing the lowriders that his dad adorned with his airbrush skills that inspired his love of art.

“As I got older I realized it was all done with an airbrush and I wondered if I could do that. And my dad kept influencing me and giving me that motivation and passion,” Machado said.

“I’m very honored and excited to be a part of this show,” he continued. “At the same time there is that pressure because my father is the one curating the show, he’s my biggest motivation and the one I look up to.”

“Under Pressure”

When: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays through Dec. 23

Where: Beyond the Streets & Control Gallery, 434 N La Brea Ave., Los Angeles

Tickets: Free admission. For more information, go to control.gallery

“This is for people (ages) three to 93. Clearly children are going to love it because it’s vibrant, it’s colorful, and it’s beautiful. But because of the ubiquity of the Seuss stories throughout the years, parents and grandparents, anyone who grew up with those stories will enjoy it,” said Jonathan Sanford, chief operating officer of Kilburn Live, co-producers of The Dr. Seuss Experience. Kilburn Live is also the company behind The World of Barbie interactive attraction, which ran in Santa Monica earlier this year.

The immersive Dr. Seuss theatrical pop-up opens on Friday, Nov. 10 at Santa Monica Place and runs through the end of the year.

It’s made up of nine different spaces inspired by different Dr. Seuss books and guests can walk through through areas that were created straight out of the pages of the iconic children’s books.

“Each room is a take on the book with the central theme of that book being highlighted,” he said.

The walk-thru will include characters and landscapes from books like “The Cat in the Hat,” “Horton Hears a Who!,” “The Lorax” and others.

In the “Cat in the Hat” room, guests will meet the mischievous cat and the fish, the lone voice of reason, as they are pulled into the story.

“You will go into the room that is full of mess and disorganization and disarray and the fish from the book will be telling people ‘No, no, no, don’t do that,’ whereas the cat, and we have a live performer, is telling you to make a mess,” Sanford explained.

And get ready for a challenge in the “The Sneetches” room since that is an interactive mirror maze, while in “The Lorax” room people will walk through the Truffula Trees where kids can hop on swings and meet the Lorax, too.

People will also need to pay attention as they walk through a field of waist-high flowers in the “Horton Hears a Who!” room.

“The idea is that you’re listening to hear the Whos on those flowers. And several flowers actually do have sounds and if you listen carefully you will hear them,” he said.

Besides the walk-thru of the books, people will also see a Dr. Seuss art sculpture, a Dr. Seuss Museum with original artwork and books, along with a reading theater for guests to listen to Dr. Seuss stories.

The Dr. Seuss Experience

When: Various time slots starting at 10 a.m. Wednesdays-Sundays through Jan. 31, 2024

Where: Santa Monica Place, 395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica

Tickets: $31-$37 at losangeles.experienceseuss.com

“It immerses the audience in nature, in light, in music. Everything is synchronized. It’s an emotional journey and it tells a story.” said Thomas Pintal, the multimedia director at Moment Factory, creators of the walk-through installation which runs from Nov. 9-Jan.1 at the Palos Verdes Garden.

This is the second year the Garden has hosted “Astra Lumina.” The multimedia installation replaced the venue’s previous GLOW experience, which took people through the ocean, rivers and forests, with a trip through the cosmos instead.

But the Palos Verdes Peninsula park isn’t the only garden that’s lighting things up this winter.

There are several other gardens and arboretums across Southern California for people to take in immersive light shows starting in November and December, including the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden’s “Lightscape,” a one mile walk-through made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects that transform part of the 127-acre property into an illuminated garden. Expect to see displays like the Winter Cathedral, a light tunnel shaped like arched windows that’s made up of more than 100,000 small white LED globes and a stunning Arch of Light display.

In La Cañada Flintridge, Descanso Gardens turns a portion of its venue into the “Enchanted Forest of Light.” This is where people will see luminated “stained glass” creations on the Main Lawn, geometric installations in the Rose Garden, Flower Power on the Promenade and more.

Meanwhile, music and lights mix at “Luminaria Nights” at California Botanic Garden in Claremont. This is where luminaria and string lights like the way along paths of native plant gardens, art installation and musical venues. Each night of the event includes at least three live performances.

Some gardens, like Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar, really get into the holiday spirit with their annual light display “Night of 1000 Lights.” For two weeks in December, guests can walk through this Orange County garden that has a Candyland theme this year. Expect stroll through a Rainbow Trail, into the Lollypop Woods, the Gumdrop Mountains and the Peppermint Stick Forest.

And back at the South Coast Botanic Garden, guests will get to see the stars up close.

“It’s based on a very simple storyline which says ‘What if the stars could reach for us?,” Pintal said. “So we have imagined a poetic story that there are some stars in the cosmos traveling and they see our beautiful blue planet and they come and fall just slowly into that beautiful garden just to rest, sleep and regenerate and then they fly back into the sky.”

“Astra Lumina” uses original music and choreographed projections to set a celestial mood along the Garden’s pathways to give patrons the experience of falling and rising stars making themselves at home here on earth. Along the pathway people will go through nine zones starting with the “Astra Archway,” which Pintal said is the symbolic portal to the stars.

“It has beautiful curves, there’s smoke, music, you can hear sounds coming from somewhere out there,” he said. “It’s a threshold through smoke and light and sound.”

From there, guests will see a garden filled with translucent lanterns, a light show that makes it appear as if the stars are falling from the sky and then a display of thousands of rays of lights dubbed “Stardust Rays,” which is meant to overwhelm the senses, in a good, way of course.

“You lose a sense of space, you lose a sense of what’s where and it’s probably the most immersive installation we have here,” he said.

After walking through several other zones, the journey ends with “Rise of the Stars.”

“The big finale is this moment when the stars fly back into the cosmos,” Pintal said.

“Astra Lumina”

When: 5:30-10 p.m. Nov. 9-Jan. 1

Where: South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd, Palos Verdes Estates

Tickets: Starting at $28-$38 at astralumina.com

“Lightscape”

When: 5:30 p.m. nightly Nov. 17-Jan. 2

Where: The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is at 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia

Tickets: $14-$18 for children, $29-$35 for adults, at arboretum.org

“Enchanted Forest of Light”

When: 5:30-10 p.m. Nov. 19-Jan. 7 (Closed Nov. 23, Dec. 24-25)

Where: Descanso Gardens, 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada Flintridge

Tickets: $25-$30 for children, $35–45 for adults at descansogardens.org

“Luminaria Nights”

When: 6- 9 p.m. Dec. 9-10, 15-16

Where: California Botanic Garden, 500 N. College Avenue, Claremont

Tickets: $15 for students; $20 adults at calbg.org

“Night of 1000 Lights”

When: 6-9 p.m. Dec. December 9- 22 (closed Dec. 12-13)

Where: Sherman Library & Gardens, 2647 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar

Tickets: $35 for general admission; $25 for members at thesherman.org

The festive production, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, is yet another example of hip-hop’s incredibly diverse nature and ability to fuse with a variety of styles of music. The tour kicks off at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Nov. 10.

“It’s amazing just to be here to witness the 50th anniversary, it is such a miracle for me. And to be involved with ‘The Hip Hop Nutcracker’ on the 50th anniversary of hip-hop is all the more special to me,” said Blow, a rap pioneer who has been with the show since the beginning. He considers still being present a true miracle since he underwent a life-saving heart transplant surgery in late 2020.

“It’s amazing just to be available and able to get out there and tour again,” he continued. “I was not supposed to be around. I was supposed to pass away a couple of years ago, but I’m still here.”

The holiday dance mash-up turns Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s 130-year-old ballet on its head as it’s reimagined as a contemporary dance set on New Year’s Eve in 1980 in New York City. The show opens with Blow hyping the crowd and preparing the audience for what they are about to see.

“I take them back to old school hip-hop,” he said. “I take them back to that time when hip-hop was very special and I have the crowd stand up with their hands in the air screaming.”

The show still follows the basic storyline about Maria-Clara and the Nutcracker prince who go on an adventure in magical lands where they encounter fighting mice and toys that come to life set to Tchaikovsky’s original score. But instead of pirouettes and pliés, these dancers are popping, locking and breakdancing.

“It’s just something amazing to see and hear. Just the fact that we have classical music, the music of Tchaikovsky and hip-hop beats, wow,” Blow said.

After introducing the show, the rapper then comes back at the end of the to perform “The Breaks,” the hit single from his 1980 self-titled debut album.

“We leave everyone feeling good inside and that is our mission,” said Blow, who in 1979 became the first rapper signed to a major label.

He was also one of the first to fuse hip-hop with other genres, like rock and reggae. So for him, a hip-hop version of “The Nutcracker” feels like a natural fit.

“That’s the whole thing about hip-hop is that it is malleable and able to shape into any form,” Blow said. “This is flipping and remixing a classic story to inspire people, to feel the magic of the holiday season.”

“The Hip Hop Nutcracker”

When: 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10

Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos

Tickets: $44-$82 at hiphopnutcracker.com.

“You’re going to come to ComplexCon and you’re going to find your new favorite restaurant, your new favorite brand and your new favorite artist all in one weekend,” said Neil Wright, who helps organize the event.

Now in its seventh year, ComplexCon includes a sort of pop-up mall, where fashion forward companies will often debut new surprise items like shoes, clothes and other gear. Then there’s the music, which this year includes a headlining set by Kid Cudi, along with several other artists performing throughout the weekend. If you’re hungry, there’s an entire food festival just outside the Convention Center dubbed the First We Feast Lagoon.

“The show overall is an evolution and it’s always kind of new each year. It’s paying attention to what is actively going on in this community. It’s not cookie-cutter, it’s not the same every year. We’re always trying to pay attention to what’s going on with fashion, music and even the food,” said Matt Senna, senior vice president of experiential for BuzzFeed, which organizes ComplexCon.

Here’s what’s going on at Complex Con this year.

First you feast

It’s a long weekend, so make sure to fuel up with some good grub. While ComplexCon started with a focus on fashion and music, it has more recently made food a part of the main lineup with the First We Feast Lagoon, which will be located just outside the Convention Center at Rainbow Lagoon.

First We Feast is an online food-culture magazine and YouTube channel that co-produces the series “Hot Ones,” a widely popular show where celebrities eat increasingly hot chicken wings while answering in-depth questions from host Sean Evans, who is set to make an appearance at ComplexCon.

Besides the hot wings, there will be more than 30 of the hippest restaurants and eateries from across the U.S. They include Broad Street Oyster Co., Carmen’s Empanadas, Chicken & Mumbo Sauce, Down North Pizza, Ggiata, Katsu Sando, Lunasia Dim Sum and the respected food truck All Flavor No Grease will be on the menu as well. Wright said a lot of the menu items will be specials that are only available at ComplexCon.

“I think year over year there’s been Instagramable recipes or items that have popped up that have really created hype moments within the overall weekend each year,” he said.

Street Style

This is no retro-style show because ComplexCon is where you come to find out what the cool kids are wearing today, tomorrow and in the future. Dozens of well–known companies as well as startups set up booths at the event to sell their gear and debut new products.

“Fashion wise, you have everything from the big players like Asics or Adidas doing drops down to brand new brands. You have a combination of high-fashion brands like Marc Jacobs and then you have very street oriented local brands like Ghetto Rodeo that are more local,” Senna said.

There will also be fashion panels as part of the ComplexCon(versations) speaker series where experts from across mediums define what’s now and next in culture. One of the most popular will likely be the always anticipated Sneaker Of The Year panel, lead by sneaker expert Joe La Puma.

The music festival

Hip-hop icon and Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum artist Kid Cudi is headlining the weekend of music with a Sunday night performance to close out ComplexCon.

“Cudi is always someone who is evolving and reinventing himself and we’re really excited,” Wright said.

Another act on the lineup is Lyrical Lemonade, a Chicago-based DJ collective that will curate DJ sets and additional special guests.

“They’re really on the forefront of what’s happening in music, especially hip-hop,” Wright said.

Also on the musical lineup this year is Compton rapper Kalan.FRFR, DJ and comedian Kerwin Frost, teen rapper Luh Tyler and others.

ComplexCon

When: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. on Nov. 18-19

Where: Long Beach Convention Center 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach

Tickets: $115-$625 at complexcon.com.

Now a new documentary filled with a who’s who list of hip-hop stars dives deep into the art of freestyle rapping.

“Generally rappers think of freestyle as being improvisation, working with the moment, the crowd, whatever is in front of you,” said Frank Meyer, who directed “Freestyle 101: Hip-Hop History,” which streams on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and YouTube starting Tuesday, Oct. 24.

The documentary is narrated by Chuck D of Public Enemy and traces the evolution of freestyle rap, which is often compared to improvisational jazz for its spontaneous nature, from its roots in 1970s New York to modern day freestylers waging lyrical battles on the East and West coasts.

“Essentially you’re judged based on the crowd reaction and how hard you hit the other guy, how smooth you were with your execution and your performance because there’s a certain amount of theatrics,” Meyer said.

His film includes interviews with stars like Ice-T, RZA of the Wu Tang Clan, The Game, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, Sean Kingston and Ras Kass, a member of the hip-hop ensemble groups The HRSMN and Golden State Warriors.

“It’s what gave me my first opportunity, period,” Kass said. “It’s about having the witticism to turn on a dime and be able to captivate the crowd and get people excited and reacting,” he added.

And while not every rapper comes from a freestyle background, and it’s not a prerequisite for being in the music business, Kass said freestyle skills definitely earn rappers respect.

“It’s like if you meet Gretzky and all of the sudden he’s like ‘I don’t really ice skate,’ well it’s like you don’t play hockey,” Kass said.

Meyer, who besides being a film director is a well-known punk rock veteran as the guitarist and frontman of The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs and other bands, came up with the idea of the documentary while he was a host of a music show on G4 TV, an online channel owned by NBC.

“I talked to rappers the way you would talk to guitar players in terms of their technique and their influences and how they use their instruments and how they were doing this amazing thing,” he said.

The documentary is not only a history lesson in the artform, but also a look forward as it follows New York battle rapper Iron Solomon and L.A. indie rapper Open Mike Eagle as they use their freestyle skills in local battles and to navigate through today’s music industry.

“I really hope to shine a light on all the amazing artists in this movie and there are some famous ones like Ice-T and The Game, and Cypress Hill and Wu Tang Clan. But there are a lot of underground artists who are just as incredible who people may not have heard about,” Meyer said.

The film comes during a milestone year for hip-hop as the genre celebrates its 50-year anniversary. It all started at a New York party in the Bronx in the summer of 1973 when Dj Kool Herc used two turntables to switch back and forth between two records to isolate and extend the most danceable parts of the song, or the break beat.

And just as hip-hop was born so was freestyling.

“People were freestyling before they were even putting together rap songs,” Meyer said. “In that sense freestyling is one of the foundations of hip-hop,” he said.

It falls on Nov. 1 and 2. And since it’s not about mourning but a celebration, Day of the Dead events usually include music, dancing and food. So to help you celebrate, here are Day of the Dead celebrations in the Southland.

Bowers Museum

When: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 5

Where: 2002 North Main St., Santa Ana

Cost: Free

Information: bowers.org

People can place photos of loved ones who have passed away on the community altar and listen to live musical performances including Mariachi Anacatlan and dance performances by Relampago del Cielo Grupo Folklorico. There will also be free samples of Mexican hot chocolate and tamales for sale.

City of Moreno Valley Day of the Dead

When: 6-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27

Where: Moreno Valley Civic Amphitheater, 14075 Frederick St, Moreno Valley.

Cost: Free

Information: moval.org

Get food and drinks from vendors and the Michelada Garden, then buy goods from local artists and artisans while viewing altar displays at this free annual event. There’s also live music from Mariachi Divas, and Savor: A Tribute to Santana.

Downtown Santa Monica

When: 2-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28

Where: Third Street Promenade, 1351 Third St. Promenade, Santa Monica.

Cost: Free

Information: downtownsm.com

The Promenade in downtown Santa Monica will become an outdoor Day of the Dead festival with local performances by groups including Neiya Arts, Ballet Flor de Mayo, Grupo La Rosa, Folklor América and Poco Pocho. There will be colorful community altars and a Latinx pop-up market offering crafts, arts and treats. The larger-than-life La Catrina public art sculptures created by Los Angeles-based artist Ricardo Soltero will also be on view throughout the Promenade.

Forest Lawn

When: Noon- 3 p.m. at Forest Lawn’s Cypress, Covina Hills, and Glendale locations Oct. 29 and 3:30-6:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Cathedral City location

Where: 4471 Lincoln Ave., Cypress,  21300 Via Verde St., Covina, 1712 S Glendale Ave., Glendale and 69855 E, 69855 E Ramon Rd, Cathedral City

Cost: Free

Information: forestlawn.com/all-events

Check out folkloric dance and Mariachi performances, community altars, artwork, food trucks and 6-foot-tall Catrina sculptures at all locations. The Bob Baker Marionette company will have puppet performances at the Covina Hills, Cypress, and Glendale locations.

Grand Park

When: Daily through Nov. 2

Where: 200 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles

Cost: Free

Information: grandparkla.org

The downtown L.A. park’s celebration of  Day of the Dead started Oct. 21 and goes through Nov. 2. with a display of 19 professional altars and a community altar which honors the victims of gun violence in Monterey Park and those who perished in Maui’s wildfires.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery

When: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5 p.m.-midnight, Saturday, Oct. 28

Where: 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles

Cost: Tickets for daytime event start at $35, tickets for the night event start at $60

Information: ladayofthedead.com

This is a huge celebration that attracts thousands of people to the famous cemetery. The daytime event is for families with a busy Children’s Plaza, more than 150 Aztec dancers and performers on four stages and altars throughout the cemetery. At night it’s more adult oriented with dance music by Bomba Estereo, Nochenegra, a vinyl DJ performance  featuring DJ Mar and DJ El Keamo. Come dressed up in Day of the Dead outfits for both events.

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes

When: Starts at noon, Sunday, Oct. 29

Where: 501 N. Main St., Los Angeles

Cost: Free

Information: lapca.org

The venue will offer lessons on historical and cultural significance of Day of the Dead traditions plus live music and dance and art workshops.

Laguna Art Museum

When: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28

Where: 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach

Cost: Museum admission is $12 for adults and $9 for students, seniors and military

Information: lagunaartmuseum.org

The Laguna Art Museum is inviting Self Help Graphics & Art to bring the group’s Barrio Mobile Art Studio to teach the art of screen printing. Participants will create handmade stencils with their own designs and silkscreen images onto tote bags in Dia De Los Muertos style.

Long Beach Dia De Los Muertos Parade

When: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Nov. 4

Where: Downtown Long Beach

Cost: Free

Information: longbeach.gov

Check out floats, cultural performances and music as the parade makes its way down Pine Avenue towards Rainbow Lagoon where it will culminate with an Arte y Ofrendas Festival.

Mercado La Paloma

When: Noon-4:30 p.m. Oct. 29

Where: 3655 Grand Ave., Los Angeles

Cost: Free

Information: mercadolapaloma.com

Celebrate Day of the Dead with Oaxacan singer Maria Reyna plus folklórico dances, altar exhibitions and story booths.

Riverside Day of the Dead

When: 1-10 p.m. Nov. 4

Where: Market Street between University Avenue and 14th Street

Cost: Free

Information: On Instagram at @riversidedayofthedead

Get here early because around 30,000 people are expected to attend the daylong street party along six blocks in downtown Riverside. The free celebration includes a display of altars, live music from several bands performing on two stages plus a car show, a lucha libre ring where wrestlers will battle it out throughout the day.

Self Help Graphics

When: Noon-3pm Oct. 28, and 3-8 p.m. Nov. 4

Where: East Los Angeles County Library, located at 4837 E Third St., Los Angeles for art workshops,  Civic Center Park, 4801 E. Third St., Los Angeles for celebration.

Cost: Free

Information: selfhelpgraphics.com

On Oct. 28 Self Help Graphics will offer free Día de los Muertos art workshops where participants will learn about and create traditional crafts to honor the dead. Then on Nov. 4 it’s 50th Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration at Civic Center Park. Dress up in Día de los Muertos fashion, There will be a mobile procession, altars by local artists and community members, artisan Muertos Marketplace, food by local vendors and live entertainment from the main stage.

The free Oct. 29-31 event will take place at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood where the streaming platform will create several scare zones based on horror films like “Annabelle,” “The Boogeyman,” “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” and shows like “Goosebumps” and “American Horror Story.”

People will be able to walk through the scare zones and through scenes and sets inspired by the films and shows. The zones are divided into different levels of fear so for those who can’t handle true terror there’s the Scary Zone where people can walk through the haunted Biddle house from the “Goosebumps,” series. There will be a jump scare, a photo moment, unexpected special effects and mysterious sounds.

Then there’s the Very Scary Zone inspired by FX’s “American Horror Story,” series. In this zone people will move along dark walls filled with costumes and accessories from AHS characters. Look out for the Rubber Man, Twisty the Killer Clown and other creatures.

For the truly brave there’s the Very, Very Scary Zone which is inspired by truly scary films like “Annabelle,” “The Boogeyman,” and “The Exorcism of Emily Rose.” So watch out for terrifying dolls, dark rooms where the Boogeyman may be watching you and expect to get chased out by a possessed creature who will come after you.

Huluweeen: Now Screaming

When: 4-10:45 p.m., Oct. 29-31

Where: Pacific Design Center. 8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood

Cost: Free but reservations encouraged. There will be a standby line for those without reservations

Information: feverup.com

But once a year, on a terrifying night when the monsters and other creatures come out to play, the station pauses its usual programming and becomes Haunted Radio.

“I want people to imagine being around the campfire, around a radio with the lights out and listening to spooky stories,” said Alex Exum, the station founder and narrator of the annual Halloween-themed radio show dubbed Haunted Radio, which will air online from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 31. It will also be available on demand after its original air date. Tickets for the show $9 and can be purchased at 562live.com/halloween.

“It’s all family-friendly,” he said. “So it’s going to be a spooky Halloween event for the whole family that they can enjoy by listening to audio and using theater of the mind.”

The two-hour radio program is an homage to the classic radio dramas that were among the main forms of entertainment in the in the ’20s-’40s, as people gathered around their radios listening to plays created specifically for that specific medium.

“I was an actor before I got into radio and I always loved old radio theater of the ’30s and ’40s,” Exum said. “And I’m now trying to just get anyone interested to keep the art of radio theater alive. It’s a dying art.”

For the Halloween show, which he launched in 2019, Exum does things as old school as possible, using a cast of more than a dozen Long Beach actors as well as sound effects and music to tell a handful of original scary stories. Of course, people aren’t going to be sitting around the radio, but instead can listen on laptops, phones or whatever devices they choose to stream the pre-recorded show.

“We have twist endings, shock scares and some amazing sound effects,” Exum said.

This year’s lineup is made up of six original stories that include “Bigfoot Speaks: Interview with a Sasquatch!” It’s about a jaded talk show host who doesn’t believe in Bigfoot until he is approached by a man who claims to have captured him and brings the creature in for an interview.

“He has a Bigfoot translator device, which can translate the grunts and groans of the Bigfoot and at the end, you can imagine what will happen,” Exum said.

From there, the show digs into Long Beach’s scary history with “Scary Mary” a ghost that is said to still haunt the Queen Mary. There’s also a terror-themed love story dubbed “Dead Again,” and a murder mystery will then unfold with “Manor of Death,” that is if you dare to sonically step into the forsaken halls of a malevolent mansion.

If you survive that, the story of “The Diabolical Doctor Stein” awaits you with the nefarious experiments of an unhinged scientist that come to life.

But perhaps most terrifying of all, there’s a Karen in the mix.

With the tagline “Do You Know Who I Am?,” the final story of the night is titled “Karen.” It’s a story about a bored suburban housewife trying to find excitement in her dull existence until she loses it and turns her life into a living nightmare.

“Karen is not only a caricature, she’s all of us,” he said. “We’ve all been Karen and she loses her marbles toward the end of the play.