12 Things to Do in Los Angeles at Night

In a city as big as Los Angeles, there are plenty of things to do in the evenings. It's not all about partying and clubbing, nor is it all about the beach and the sea. Los Angeles has many nuances that will make you enjoy its nightlife like never before, no matter what time of the year you go.

If you are planning a holiday, you should bear in mind that the day doesn't end as soon as the sun goes down. Regardless of the season, Los Angeles is full of evening activities that would be a shame to miss out on - read on to discover ten of the best things to do!

Los Angeles is the city to enjoy an NBA game and with only one team left, you have the option to:

• Book a ticket for the Los Angeles Lakers, which is the most popular team and has a huge fan base. Their kit is yellow and purple and some of the stars who have worn or wear it today are LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Derek Fisher and Shaquille O'Neal. Currently, the games are played at the Cryptocom Arena, previously known as the Staples Center, which has a capacity of around 19,000 people.
• Book a ticket for the Los Angeles Clippers which, although not as well known, is a great team that has played for players such as Eric Piatkowski, Blake Griffin, Elton Brand and Chris Paul. Currently, they also play in Cryptocom Arena, although in the 2024/2025 season their new stadium, Intuit Dome, will be inaugurated.

If you want to know all the secrets of Hollywood, don't hesitate to book a ghost tour after dark. You have two options depending on how long you want the experience to last:

• Los Angeles Ghost Tour, from £26: An approximately one-hour tour with an expert local guide where you'll delve into the most terrifying tales.
• Los Angeles Ghost and Crime Tour, from ** £32**: A two-hour tour with an expert local guide where you'll learn about haunting, spooky and paranormal tales.

If there's one thing the city of Los Angeles has and offers, it's a huge coastline that can be enjoyed from end to end. But what about enjoying the sea directly? That's a great option and that's why I recommend you take one of the best boat tours of the city and specifically book a sunset cruise in Los Angeles.

These cruises usually pick up at the Santa Monica Pier, Marina Del Rey or Newport Beach and cruise the entire coastline of Los Angeles. Some even go as far as the Channel Islands. They often start around sunset and complement the sea tour with a dinner with an international menu, ready to delight any palate.

The tour usually lasts about two hours and sometimes a tour guide will explain the lights of the city and how they are reflected in the sea. There are cruises that take place on special holidays such as New Year's Day, which is one of the best things to do in Los Angeles in winter.

Santa Monica is one of the most famous districts of Los Angeles. Its beach and pier is a great place to spend a day, but also a night out, particularly because it's full of neon-lit attractions. I recommend booking a bus tour of Santa Monica to get to know the area in depth, as well as some of its main attractions such as Pacific Park, a place where you can spend a great night out amidst the laughter and rides.

One of the best is the Ferris wheel, known as the Pacific Wheel. This is the only known solar-powered Ferris wheel in the world, making it a landmark in the Ferris wheel industry. Here you can sit and enjoy the nighttime scenery as you ride up, or just enjoy a different moment watching the neon lights of Santa Monica.

When you're at the bottom, you'll notice that the Ferris wheel itself is incredible to photograph, with its lights and movements. Plus, the proximity to the sea will give you a coastal smell that you can breathe even on the coldest of nights. Are you going to miss out on seeing Santa Monica in this fantastic way at night?

Practical information

• Location: 380 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, 90401.
• Price: Admission to the amusement park is free, but individual rides can range from approximately €5 to €12.
• Hours: Every night, although show times should be consulted in advance.

Los Angeles is the movie capital of the world and among its theme parks Universal Studios Hollywood stands out. Right next to the park is the Universal City Walk, which is a sort of entrance plaza that runs from the car park to the start of the attractions. Throughout this area you will find restaurants and product vendors, as well as fantastic lighting.

It is precisely because of this lighting that my advice is to visit this area at night. When booking your ticket to Universal Studios, keep in mind that at night the entertainment industry is very active, with different theatres and cinemas at your disposal. You can also take the opportunity to shop for both clothing and holiday souvenirs.

And if street exhibitions are your thing, you should know that many performers and magicians are also concentrated at night on the Universal City Walk, so you can stop for a few minutes to watch their performances. All of this makes walking the Universal City Walk an activity you can get a lot out of every night you go.

The privileged geographical position of Los Angeles means that the sun sets over the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, right in front of your eyes. When you go to this great city, going to Venice Beach is a must, because it is the most important beach in the city. But what if you stop there in the late afternoon, sit for a while in front of the sea and watch the sun go down behind the sea?

And if you want to make the most of this area, book a food tour of Venice Beach. It's a must-do, no matter the season. Even if it's winter, sitting on the sand and watching the night begin to fall is sublime. The Los Angeles sun has been the protagonist of all kinds of artistic manifestations and when you're sitting on Venice Beach watching it bid farewell to the day, you'll understand why.

And why Venice Beach? Not only because it's a four-kilometre long esplanade, but because it has a lot of infrastructure you can enjoy. You can sit in a nearby restaurant, have a drink and watch the sunset. You can also join your family and friends as they chat and the sun goes down. Or you can even meet people on the beach who want to share that moment with you. Are you going to miss it?

What, you thought that among the best helicopter tours to see the city from above your only options were to do it during the day? Not at all! The experience of doing it at night is frankly incredible and I suggest you make the decision to do it. The aerial view is excellent, because the city has fantastic lighting and every street will be clearly visible from the air.

I advise you not to miss this tour because Los Angeles is a gigantic city. Although it is not one of the most densely populated cities in the world, its density is very low and its buildings are usually only a few stories high, so you can appreciate how huge it is from the air. You have two options depending on how long you want the experience to last:

• 15-minute helicopter flight in Los Angeles, from £167.
• 30-minute helicopter flight in Los Angeles, from £199.

In addition to that, you'll be able to see how the coastline marks the end of the city and with any luck, the islands off the city. Many of these helicopter tours are intended as a romantic tour for couples, but the truth is there are options for the whole family. What are you waiting for to book one?

When making your list of things to see and do in Los Angeles at night, keep in mind that the epicentre of the party is the beach, but there's a lot of nightlife in this city and much of it is concentrated on the Sunset Strip in Beverly Hills. This neighbourhood of the city is full of clubs and discotheques where you can party until dawn, so if you decide to go, it's not a time to be tired.

I recommend partying at the clubs on the Sunset Strip if you've had a restful day and relaxed on the beach, because at night you can go to a pop or Latin disco where you can dance the night away. But those are not your only options, as there are also more intimate clubs on the Sunset Strip, focusing on genres such as jazz or blues or even rock. Book a pub crawl in Hollywood and get to know the main ones.

There is something for everyone. I recommend you don't miss the Viper Room, a live music club owned by Johnny Deep, if you want something more upbeat, or the Tower Bar, located in the Sunset Tower Hotel, if you want something much more relaxed, with jazz in the background. It' s all a matter of whether you decide to spend the night, wander around the venues and dance your heart out.

Rooftops are a Los Angeles classic. The city is very low density and the buildings tend to be quite small, so rooftop bars and restaurants often have an incredible view of much of the city and especially the coastline. The ideal time to go to a rooftop bar is after dinner: here you can simply have a drink with an appetizer or a more sophisticated dish.

In general, Los Angeles is well known for its rooftop bars, which is the name given to rooftop bars. Some are only open in the evening and offer a variety of alcoholic drinks, while others are open earlier in the day and offer food. The season will also vary, but going to one of these bars is one of the best things to do in Los Angeles in summer.

My advice is to choose a restaurant with a type of food that you like and that serves rooftop dining. This way, you can dine on the most delicious food for your palate while admiring the lights of Los Angeles and even listening to the ocean waves in the distance. And if you want to delve even deeper into the culinary tradition of the place, book a food tour in Los Angeles. You'll be amazed!

Although it doesn't hail from California, jazz has permeated American culture and that can be seen in L.A. And what could be better than spending an evening listening to all kinds of jazz bands, both emerging and classic, without having to pay anything? This is done every Friday in the plaza of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), one of the best museums in the city.

This is one of the most important museums in Los Angeles and is also well known by tourists because of the Urban Lights sculpture, made up of different old lanterns, which has become a favourite place to take photos. But in the square you can sit like a picnic and listen to the best jazz, regardless of the season.

Jazz concerts are usually scheduled every Friday between April and November, but on numerous occasions it has also been extended to winter, albeit using other facilities. The idea is for you to spend a Friday night relaxing and enjoying jazz in a beautiful place, with the best company.

Practical information

• Location: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) plaza, located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 90036.
• Price: Free of charge.
• Hours: Friday evenings, from 6 p.m. onwards.

Walking along Hollywood Bullevar is an experience I recommend you do at night when you are in Los Angeles. Here you will be able to see the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as a lot of illuminated buildings full of activities. But for this activity I suggest you go inside two of the most striking buildings in Los Angeles, which showcase the beginning of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, having been built in the 1920s with architecture inspired by Ancient Egypt and East Asia:

• Grauman's Egyptian Theatre.
• Grauman's Chinese Theatre. This is a regular stop on the city's best Hollywood tours and you can book a guided tour of the Chinese Theatre to make sure you don't miss a thing.

When you go at night, you will be able to see its imposing façades illuminated with spotlights that will highlight its beauty. Also, once you are inside, you can go to a performance. I recommend you to attend a film show, because these theatres are constantly being used as part of different film cycles.

Recently the Egyptian Theatre of Grauman was bought by Netflix and its productions are part of the cultural agenda, especially from Monday to Thursday. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays correspond to the programming of the American Cinematheque, the former owners. So, what better excuse to see an old or new film than to go to one of the most striking theatres in Los Angeles?

Practical info

• Location: 6925 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles (Chinese Theatre) and 1650-1654 McCadden Pl & 6706-6712 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles (Egyptian Theatre).
• Price: Tickets for a tour of one of the theatres are around €9, but if it includes a movie, it can be as much as €12 or so.
• Opening hours: Every night, although movie times are usually from 7pm onwards.

To see the stars, you just have to look up at the sky, but the Griffith Observatory can help. In a city like Los Angeles, seeing the stars from outer space can be tricky, but this observatory is the perfect place. It's one of the largest planetariums in the US and often has nighttime or open-sky shows. It's also a great place to watch the sunset over the cityscape.

All this is because the Griffith Observatory is located at the top of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, so you'll have a phenomenal view of the city. And that is why I highly recommend you to come here at night, because you will be able to see the skyline of the city, with the tallest buildings of Los Angeles lit up at night.

You have to keep in mind that the entrance to the park closes at 10pm, so you have to be there earlier to be able to get to the observatory. You should also know that if you go and it's cold, it's important to bring coats or jumpers because it's very windy in the park and the idea is to enjoy the lights of the sky and the city, but not to freeze to death.

Practical information

• Location: Griffith Park.
• Price: The performances cost around €10, but access to the park where the observatory is located is free.
• Hours: Every night, although show times should be consulted in advance.