UCLA PRESENTS THE BEST in arts and culture, community events, sports and entertainment. From film screenings to art exhibits, explore the bountiful and interesting experiences October offers. For more UCLA events, visit community.ucla.edu.
OCTOBER 3 | 7 P.M.
We are so back. After a long, hot summer, First Thursdays returns to satiate all your Westwood cravings. Join us for the first real taste of fall, featuring giveaways, photo opportunities and more. Take in the new Westwood Wander experience and the First Thursdays hub at Live Bash on Broxton. Though the leaves won’t be changing color, there will be live music, great food and plenty of surprises. RSVP (and check the countdown to First Thursdays) here.
OCTOBER 19 | NOON
Fall Fest at the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden
Come on down and see how the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden rings in the autumnal season at Fall Fest, bringing together live music, food and plenty of horticultural activities. Admission is free, so bring friends and family to 707 Tiverton Drive to truly feel the seasons changing. No reservations required.
OCTOBER 4–DECEMBER 14
Science Fiction Against the Margins
As if you really needed them, you now have a dozen more excuses to come down to the Hammer Museum at UCLA’s Billy Wilder Theater. The UCLA Film & Television Archive, in partnership with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television cinema and media studies department, presents Science Fiction Against the Margins. It’s a new film series featuring nearly 40 independent science fiction narrative features, documentaries, shorts and television productions from 21 countries — all showcasing filmmakers who occupy the “margins” of cinema and who challenge and subvert the science fiction genre. This series has something for everyone; some of the films reimagine the global relationship between science and art. Science Fiction Against the Margins is part of the Getty Museum’s PST ART: Art & Science Collide extravaganza and will include conversations with filmmakers who challenge and disrupt audience’s expectations and assumptions. There are three events in October with filmmakers you won’t want to miss:
Afrofuturism: October 4, 7:30 P.M.: Come meet artist and UCLA professor Cauleen Smith, who will discuss her collaboration with avant-garde jazz guitarist Carl LeBlanc and their evocative, musical work in New Orleans (H-E-L-L-O, 2014).
Time Travel: October 18, 7:30 P.M.: Filmmaker Hilary Brougher has a particularly sticky understanding of time. After a screening of her film The Sticky Fingers of Time (1997), Brougher — alongside Maya Montañez Smukler M.A. ’08, Ph.D. ’14, author and head of archive research at the Film & Television Archive — will explore her New York-based, 1950s science fiction work and the joy of time travel.
Tech Decay: October 19, 7:30 P.M.: The tech decay journey starts with an introduction by filmmaker Asuka Lin and finishes with a Q&A with filmmakers Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman. Williams and Uzeyman bring fresh perspectives on science fiction and cyberpunk to the screen, creating the dynamic American and Rwandan science fiction-romantic-musical Neptune Frost (2021).
OCTOBER 11 | 7 P.M.
This dance floor will heal you. In a one-night-only immersive club experience, Filipino American dancer and choreographer Jay Carlon combines ritual performance with vibrant queer nightlife to create a new, liberating and experimental production. Carlon, a community organizer from California’s Central Coast, has always been interested in collective healing, decolonization and making space for queer and Filipino identities; this month, he brings his personal interests to life and takes over the Don Quixote nightclub in collaboration with the UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance, sound artist Micaela Tobin and rebel Filipiniana fashion house Vinta Gallery. Together, they’re presenting a new kind of performance: expansive, ambitious and all-embracing. But only through these differing components can Carlon — and a slew of contributing performers — provide opportunities to grieve, heal and find solace in the collective. To see this wild amalgamation of drag performance, dance, music and community, purchase tickets here.
OCTOBER 19 | 6:30 P.M.
What does it take to face ourselves, to enter the darkness in search of something beautiful and transcendent? Drawing on the complicated mythologies of surrealist writer William S. Burroughs, the new rock opera Black Lodge takes the audience through a David Lynch-esque psychological performance. Set in a nightmarish Bardo — a place between death and rebirth — a tormented writer is forced to confront his demons, repressed memories and the darkest moment of his life. Forcefully combining dance, industrial rock, classic string quartet, opera, film screening and concert, Black Lodge is the ghoulish gig you didn’t know you needed. Come to the United Theater on Broadway in costume (the bolder, the better) and get your tickets here. The festivities don’t stop there: Come early to see BARDO, an immersive, pre-show theatrical experience, and stay late to dance the night away to the musical stylings of DJ Baby Magick.
OCTOBER 25–26
Disclaimer: This is a play full of propaganda, vague promises of Persian food and threats of minimally invasive audience participation. Now that you’re up to speed, you’re officially invited to an intimate get-together at Nargis’ house, and dinner will be ready in a bit. Step into her living room for a consequential gathering designed to prevent war and “fix” the relationship between Iran and the United States. Blending the urgency of de-escalation with the intrigue of an Agatha Christie–style mystery, Disclaimer probes identity, fear and the stakes of cultural (mis)representation. Written by Tara Ahmadinejad, developed by Piehole and supported by the Farhang Foundation, this is one play that will certainly leave you hungry for more. Tickets available here.
ENDING NOVEMBER 3
Descanse en Paz: Memorial Paintings from 19th-Century Mexico
It’s your last chance to see the Fowler Museum at UCLA’s deeply moving exhibition Descanse en Paz, celebrating art that commemorates family members no longer residing in the household and offering them a lasting presence in the home. Though all the featured works show distinct, diverse and divulging artistic characteristics, two popular genres of this era emerge. The first genre depicts subjects — often children — as full of life and resting in peace (descanse en paz). The second genre is the uniquely Mexican monja coronada (crowned nun) portrait, commissioned by the families of women who took Catholic ecclesiastical vows and embarked on cloistered lives. See the paintings and the life within them before this exhibition departs. For even more enrichment, come to the gallery talk by Patrick A. Polk and Charlene Villaseñor Black on October 25 or come to the “Off the Press: Immaculate Sounds” presentation by professor Cesar Favila on November 1. Both events, like admission to the Fowler, are free and open to all.
OCTOBER 6 | 1 P.M.
In 2023, UCLA men’s water polo had a near-perfect season up until their loss against UC Berkeley in the NCAA Championship. Already, this season is looking different for the Bruins: Last month, they defeated the Golden Bears in Berkeley, 12-7. As UCLA looks toward that NCAA final in December, they know that this match against Cal is going to be one of the most decisive of the entire season. This is a match you won’t want to miss. Entry to take it all in at the Spieker Aquatics Center is free.
OCTOBER 12 | 6 P.M.
It’s the Bruins against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers for the first time since 1978, right at the Rose Bowl. Come and enjoy the always incredible UCLA fan atmosphere, inside and outside of the stadium. Before the game, engage in all the festivities at the Area H Fan Zone, which opens 4 1/2 hours before kickoff, in addition to exclusive pregame performances at BruinFest Tailgating. Inside, hear the Solid Gold Sound of the UCLA Marching Band and witness special UCLA Olympian halftime celebrations. Get your tickets here.
OCTOBER 17 | 7:30 P.M.
WE ARE officially in the Big Ten! Now it’s time for you to come to one of the only home games of the season and cheer on women’s soccer as the team takes on the Nittany Lions in Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Wear as much pink as you can for the annual Pink Out game and come early (you might even receive some pink giveaways). Are you a health care worker or part of UCLA faculty or staff? Enjoy FREE admission with proper ID at the box office. General admission tickets are available here. Get all your gameday information here.
OCTOBER 31 | 6:30 P.M.
This Halloween brings the spookiest thing of all — the Trojans coming to campus. The University of Southern California opposition will try to haunt Pauley Pavilion this year as they take on the Bruins for a second time this season. Whether you come in costume or in your usual UCLA blue and gold, come ready to vanquish the Trojan ghouls once again. Get your tickets (only $21 for adults and $9 for youth) here.
OCTOBER 5 | 9 A.M.
Find friends to eight-clap with, wherever you are. Bruin watch parties are wherever alumni can be found — which is, well, everywhere. See the matchup against Penn State everywhere from San Francisco to Sacramento to Washington, D.C. to New York. See the full list of events for October 5 here. Wherever you are, don’t miss out on the Bruin camaraderie.
OCTOBER 6 | 10 A.M.
Alumni Band: Performance at Dribble for Victory over Cancer
Join the UCLA Alumni Band as they bring your favorite Bruin anthems to life. Cheer on the Bruins with live music and experience the UCLA spirit in every performance. This special performance will take place at Drake Stadium as part of UCLA Alumni’s greater fundraising efforts toward cancer research. No purchase or RSVP required — simply show up, hear the music and enjoy the festivities.
OCTOBER 9 | 3:30 P.M.
UCLA Civic Engagement Event: Understanding Key 2024 State Ballot Measures
Join UCLA experts in-person or online for a moderated discussion on key state ballot measures in the November 2024 election. Veteran L.A. journalist and Blueprint Editor-in-Chief Jim Newton will lead a discussion with Shane Phillips, housing affordability researcher from the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy, and the Honorable Dean Florez ’87, former California state senator and founder and CEO of Balance Public Relations. The panel will offer inside perspective on Proposition 33 (rent control) and Proposition 36 (increasing penalties for theft and drug trafficking). RSVP today and come to the Collins Conference Room at the James West Alumni Center for this informative event that will provide valuable insights into the upcoming state election.
OCTOBER 16 | 11:30 A.M.
Town & Gown Affiliates October Luncheon
Modern American presidential elections can be broken up into two categories: those that tweak the edges of the electoral college map, turning over enough states to secure a victory, and those that fundamentally alter that map. As the 2024 election nears, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump turn to the map again. Trump envisions a small-map win secured by the shift of a few states from his loss to President Joe Biden in 2020 — that’s why seven battleground states hold so much attention. For Harris, however, the potential is different: she could win by holding all or most of the Biden map. But she could also win a broader, more fundamental victory, one that could see seismic shifts in the American electorate. Which will it be?
Jim Newton, political reporter and editor for more than 30 years, will discuss the strategic implications of the coming face-off between Harris and Trump. Newton will draw on his expertise and distinct point of view to divulge new perspectives on the final month of a strange and significant American election season. RSVP by October 9 and come to the James West Alumni Center to learn from experts, understand the intricacies of mapped elections and enjoy a chicken piccata buffet.
OCTOBER 19 | 10 A.M.
UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives is proud to present Faculty in Focus: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop at the Grammy Museum with Adam Bradley, professor of English and founding director of the Laboratory for Race and Popular Culture (the RAP Lab) at UCLA. Faculty in Focus gives special discounted tickets to the Grammy Museum for alumni and youth, including access to special K-Pop exhibit “HYBE: We Believe in Music.” At the Grammy Museum, explore the history, preservation and impact of hip-hop as Bradley shares his scholarship and expertise. RSVP here.
OCTOBER 26 | 9:30 A.M.
National Arts & Humanities Month at the Hilbert Museum
Immerse yourself in the arts and culture that make our community so vibrant with this UCLA-alumni exclusive tour of the Hilbert Museum in Orange. Here, captivating California Scene paintings showcase diverse landscapes and rich history. The tour will combine an intimate exploration of art depicting the state’s heritage with a tour through the California Art Club’s 113th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition, featuring incredible contemporary-traditional works from California artists. After the artistic odyssey, the group heads to the Streamliner Lounge in the historic Santa Fe Depot. This event is part of Bruin Promise, incentivizing Bruins to keep learning both inside and outside of the classroom. RSVP by email.
