UCLA PRESENTS THE BEST in arts and culture, community events, sports and entertainment. From film screenings to art exhibits, explore the unique and interesting experiences the new school year offers. For more UCLA events, visit community.ucla.edu.
SEPTEMBER 19 | 5 P.M.
As summer comes to a close, enjoy the last summer twilight in the UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden with a wine bar, live music and new friends. Stroll among more than 3,000 species of living plants, and say hello to the turtles in the final installment in the garden’s summer series. Purchase your tickets here, bring a picnic blanket and finish your summer right.
SEPTEMBER 4–OCTOBER 6
A family’s fateful and fascinating origin story begins with … a karaoke machine? Broadway star and storyteller Sara Porkalob delivers a pitch-perfect and astonishing performance in the Geffen Playhouse’s newest play, Dragon Lady. In this trigenerational tour-de-force production, Porkalob embodies dozens of characters to tell her family’s astonishing, sordid, hilarious and genuine story. From gangster-controlled nightclubs in Manila to immigrant life in the United States, Porkalob infuses music with comedy to show the power of matriarchy in a one-woman-play you won’t soon forget. Get your tickets to the Los Angeles premiere here.
SEPTEMBER 13 P.M.
Be among the very first to celebrate the newest exhibition at the Hammer Museum at UCLA. Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice combines environmental art practices and issues of equity and social justice in a new exploration of the climate crisis. As part of the Getty’s massive PST ART intiative, this exhibition features more than 20 artists — including a slew of creators commissioned specifically for this exhibition. Breath(e) confronts climate change with perspectives rooted in the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s 2020 racial reckoning, philosophical theory and Indigenous rights of nature, the idea that nature should have the legal status of personhood.
The Breath(e) opening celebration not only gives you early access to the Hammer’s newest and boldest exhibition, it also offers delicious food, great drink and vibrant music in the courtyard. To RSVP to another free Hammer Museum celebration, click here.
SEPTEMBER 14–MAY 31
Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Art in Times of Climate Disruption
UCLA artists and scientists can hear the consequences of climate change from miles away. A project years in the making as part of PST ART, the nation’s largest art event, Atmosphere of Sound is a complex artistic representation of the scale of climate change and how it exceeds the limits of human perception. Sound–based artists have found a unique point of entry, using their sonic intuition to evade and challenge sighted assumptions. Reexamine climate disruption through immersive and interactive installations, live performances, walkthroughs and videos from 13 artists across UCLA’s campus and Los Angeles.
To see the exhibitions and related public programs at UCLA, you can explore the following locations over the course of the next few months:
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The Art|Sci Gallery in the California NanoSystems Institute on South Campus
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The EDA in the Broad Art Center on North Campus
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Sage Hill Native Plants & Wildlife Habitat near the Krieger Center
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The UCLA Nimoy Theater operated by UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance
Atmosphere of Sound officially kicks off with a September 14 opening performance at Royce Hall, where sound sculpture artist Bill Fontana will debut Silent Echos, an audio feed threading broadcasts from Notre Dame’s dormant bells and the Dachstein Cave in Austria. Atmosphere of Sound’s performances continue through May with all events being free, no RSVP required. But not all exhibitions will last — see the full schedule here and look here for more information on how UCLA is exploring the sounds of campus and beyond.
SEPTEMBER 21 | 8 P.M.
CION: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro
Internationally renowned dancer and choreographer Gregory Maqoma merges powerful music and movement in CION: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro. Exploring greed, power and communicable grief in post-apartheid South Africa, Maqoma combines his personal history and formal dance training to create an exhilarating dance opera. Featuring an uplifting score and a cappella styles originating from the Zulu people, the performance reflects on South Africa’s past while acting as a celebratory ritual that allows captured souls to “find peace.” Don’t miss Royce Hall’s first event of the new school year; get your tickets here.
SEPTEMBER 27–SEPTEMBER 28 | 8 P.M.
Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World
Hailing from the United Kingdom, the Javaad Alipoor Company presents a part comic lecture, part podcast and part play. This rabbit-hole performance thrillingly merges storytelling techniques in an attempt to solve the true decades-old mystery of Fereydoun Farrokhzad’s 1992 cold-case murder. Scored with live music in a technicolor exploration of Farrokhzad’s story, this multimedia production explores how the West targets dissidents from the Global South in a post-colonial world. Get your tickets here.
SEPTEMBER 14 | 4:30 P.M.
It’s time for football’s jubilant return to the Rose Bowl — and for the first time, in Big Ten style! Don’t miss UCLA’s first home game against the Hoosiers. Enjoy a special Hall of Fame Celebration, Bruin Bash Tailgating, skydiving displays and all-night performances from the UCLA Dance Team and the UCLA Bruinettes. Warm up your eight-clap and get your tickets here for the season home debut of Bruin football.
SEPTEMBER 21 | 3 P.M.
Bruin soccer is only getting “B1Gger” and better this year. Come see the B1G Home Opener against the Michigan Wolverines, and enjoy one of the most anticipated — and competitive — matches of the season. In addition to Big Ten giveaways and commemorative photo-ops, all UCLA Alumni get FREE ADMISSION! Alumni get up to four complimentary tickets at the main entrance on matchday, no purchase required. Not an alum? No problem. Regular admission tickets to Wallis Annenberg Stadium can be purchased here.
SEPTEMBER 26 | 7 P.M.
The Big Ten celebrations just don’t stop, and you shouldn’t either! Come enjoy the GolDen game at Wallis Annenberg Stadium as the Bruins take on the Badgers. All that glitters is, in fact, gold, as all UCLA faculty and staff can enjoy FREE admission with proper ID at the box office, and regular admission tickets are only $9 for kids and $17 for adults. Get your tickets here or on campus, and come see the start of another great soccer season this fall.
SEPTEMBER 27 | 7 P.M.
Men’s Water Polo vs. UC Santa Barbara
With some impressive wins in preseason matches and with the Collegiate Water Polo Association ranking UCLA first in the nation in preseason polls, the Bruins are planning to make quite a splash — literally — at one of their first home games of the year. Come see the NCAA runners-up take on the Gauchos right on campus at the Spieker Aquatics Center for FREE! With no purchase of any kind required to see the most competitive team in the nation, you really have no excuse not to see the No. 1–ranked Bruins in action.
SEPTEMBER 28 | TBD
Watch our Bruins take on the Ducks — and enjoy some great performances too — with this football game against familiar former Pac-12 foes, University of Oregon. In addition to the always lively (and free) Bruin Bash tailgating, hear the Solid Gold Sound of the UCLA Marching Band and the vibrant tempos of the Mariachi de Uclatán before, during and after the game. Family, friends and all Bruin fanatics can get their tickets here. First-year UCLA student? Don’t miss your chance for complimentary tickets — check your inbox and experience the magic of the Rose Bowl.
THROUGH SEPTEMBER
New Bruin Send-off Celebrations 2024
UCLA Alumni Affairs is honored to host New Bruin Send-off Celebrations to welcome incoming students and families. Whether you’re a student, alum, family member or friend of the university, there’s something for everyone at a New Bruin Send-off!
Join a New Bruin celebration near you to meet other incoming students, families and alumni leaders. Start building your networks at send-offs hosted by regional, diversity and affinity alumni networks. These celebratory and casual gatherings bring together students, parents and alumni for events ranging from backyard bashes to picnics in community parks. Each event is unique, but one common theme always emerges: the strength and reach of the UCLA community. Find a send-off near you.
SEPTEMBER 11 | NOON
Back to You: Reconnecting with Your Purpose and Ambitions
Join Jessica Sanam Hekmat M.B.A. ’10 — brand strategist, business consultant and career exploration coach — as she discusses the power and limitations of our assumed identities. Through this Zoom session, you will reevaluate your values and commitments to empower yourself to create authentic alignment — and then launch your next move. RSVP to this free webinar to start your journey of toward reconnecting with yourself.
SEPTEMBER 12 | NOON
2nd Act | Shifting from Doing to Being: Skills for Retirement
As we age and retire, it can be a challenge to find purpose and figure out how to process changing emotions. Join this webinar with a mindfulness specialist Bhanu Harrison, the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center’s mindfulness facilitator, as she walks you through techniques to help find peace in life’s next chapter. RSVP to this Zoom session to experience Harrison’s somatic-based and trauma-informed meditations, integrating neuroscience and mindfulness with practical skills for living with greater resilience and joy.
SEPTEMBER 12 | 6 P.M.
EmPower Hour: Fostering Civic Engagement and Dialogue in a Time of Political Polarization
UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs & Initiatives invites you to participate in its upcoming signature panel discussion program, featuring alumni speakers offering insights and strategies for sustainable civic engagement at the local, state and national levels. The panel will discuss how to engage in dialogue and connection with others across lines of difference, as well as describe members’ own journeys to civic leadership and the lessons they’ve learned as they try to maintain a sense of hope and possibility in politics and public policy. Alongside moderators from the UCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors, featured speakers include Sonja Diaz M.P.P. ’10, founding executive director of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, and Maia Ferdman ’13, M.A. ’15, project manager for the UCLA Initiative to Study Hate. In this crucial election year, RSVP to attend this powerful program at the Western Justice Center at the Maxwell House in Pasadena.
SEPTEMBER 14–NOVEMBER 23
Celebrate game day at Bruin Bash, the official pregame party for UCLA Alumni!
UCLA Bruin Bash events are designed for alumni, fans and friends to gather and celebrate the Bruin spirit before entering the game. Bruin Bash is family-friendly, nostalgic and exciting for all ages. From first-time Bruin fans to lifelong supporters, everyone is welcome to arrive early, beat the traffic and enjoy a pregame meal at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium.
SEPTEMBER 14–NOVEMBER 30
Don’t miss the fun of UCLA football, no matter where you are. Connect with other Bruin faithful at bars, restaurants and other locations hosting watch parties for Bruin sporting events. Visit the Bruin watch party page to find a gathering near you, and come root for your favorite team along with other like-minded Bruin sports fans.
