Los Angeles City Guide

When to visit Los Angeles

The peak season in LA is July/August, when every day is sunny and hot; reservations and a fat wallet to match soaring prices are highly recommended. If you prefer smaller crowds and lower prices, the shoulder seasons (March to May and September to November) are a good bet, but remember that June often brings heavy coastal fog. Chances of rain are greatest in winter, but less smog and congestion make up for the occasional sprinkle. The city gets busy around major holidays, especially Thanksgiving.

Weather

Weather in Los Angeles

Los Angeles enjoys a Mediterranean climate and is protected from extremes of temperature and humidity by the mountain ranges to its north and east. August and September are the hottest months, January and February the coolest and wettest. Offshore breezes keep the beach communities cooler in summer and warmer in winter than those further inland, particularly the San Fernando Valley, which is the hottest area in summer and the coldest in winter. The average LA temperature is around 70°F (21°C), though smog-shrouded summer days can get well over 90°F (32°C), while winter temperatures around 55°F (12°C) are not uncommon.

Events in Los Angeles

Angelenos love a good party, and there's no shortage of opportunities to join in the fun. Every New Year's Day the Tournament of Roses Parade - marching bands, celebrities and flower-festooned floats - makes its way down Pasadena's Colorado Blvd. The Rose Bowl college football championship is usually played later the same day. A parody of the Tournament of Roses - the Doo Dah Parade - barrels down Colorado Blvd in November, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

The Chinese New Year kicks off in February with a lively Dragon Parade and a street party with food, music and other merriment in Downtown's Chinatown. LA's night of nights, the Academy Awards, is held in March.

On the Saturday before Easter, usually some time in April, pets take centre stage during the Blessing of the Animals ceremony in Downtown LA's historic El Pueblo district. Cinco de Mayo, marking Mexico's victory over the French army at the Battle of Puebla (1862), is celebrated in early May with south-of-the-border style festivities.

In June, LA Pride, the city's gay and lesbian celebration, features raucous partying and a flamboyant parade down Santa Monica Blvd. From June to September you can catch classics to conga to hip hop at the venerable Hollywood Bowl during the Summer Pops Festival. July brings the Central Avenue Jazz Festival as well as the quirky Blessing of the Cars, when thousands turn out to the Hansen Dam Park to have their classic car, hotrod or motorcycle blessed by a real priest. The International Surf Festival hits the waves of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach in August.

LA County Fair, held in Pomona in September, is the largest county fair in the world, with music, sideshows, rides and other country-style delights running over 18 days. For those who prefer not to get their glad rags grubby, November's AFI-LA Fest is one of the country's biggest and most prestigious film festivals, with hundreds of features from around the world.

In late November, minor movie stars and local politicians join Santa for the sparkling Hollywood Christmas parade. A December highlight is Las Posadas, held in Downtown's El Pueblo, where candle-lit processions relive Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem.

If you want to take a trip out of town and throw yourself into two days of the cream of current music, then aim your rental car at Indio (about 2.5 hours east of LA) for the Coachella Valley Music Festival, which happens annually in late April or early May. The line-ups are staggering and well worth the drive. Be sure to buy advance tickets.