Ethnic Festivals in Los Angeles

Kingdom Day Parades and Events in January
The Pan-African Film and Art Festival in February
African American Festival at Aquarium of the Pacific in February
Day of the Ancestors: Festival of Masks in Leimert Park in June
Watts Towers Day of the Drum Festival is culturally inclusive, but heavily features African drumming traditions. Saturday of Labor Day weekend in September.
Kwanzaa Heritage Festival and Parade in Leimert Park - December
The African Marketplace is a festival of African arts and culture that comes and goes. Keep an eye on LACommons for updates.

There's also a strong African-American component to the Bayou Festival in Long Beach.

The Armenian community in Los Angeles is spread around Glendale, Hollywood and Montebello. There is an annual Armenian Independence Day Festival in Little Armenia in Hollywood each May, but they don't maintain a consistent website. The Glendale Armenian Festival doesn't have a consistent web presence either, but these two do:

Armenian Food Fair and Fest in Montebello

Armenian Festival of Orange County

There are also small annual festivals at St. John's Armenian Church in Hollywood and St. Mary Armenian Church in Costa Mesa.

The Lotus Festival at Echo Park celebrates the many cultures of Asia and the Pacific Islands with music, dance, food and cultural exhibits. It's usually the second weekend in July.

The Belize Caye Festival is a family-friendly festival celebrating Belizian culture and music at Hollywood Park in Inglewood in July.

The Bangladesh Day Parade and Festival take place down Vermont Avenue the last weekend of March. The Bengali New Year Celebration is in Little Bangladesh, a five-block area around 3rd and Alexandria in Los Angeles, in May, but websites are inconsistently maintained.

Long Beach has the largest Cambodian population outside of Cambodia, and the community celebrates Cambodian New Year in April with multiple Cambodian New Year Events.

There are a variety of events around Los Angeles to celebrate the Chinese and Vietnamese Lunar New Year, which generally occurs in February, but occasionally as early as January. Here is a list of the largest Chinese and Vietnamese New Year Events in LA and OC.

This annual event occurs in mid-May in Echo Park near Downtown LA and features the music, food, arts and crafts of Cuba. They don't have a reliable website, so check the calendar at LACommons.org for details.

The Ecuadorean Fiestas Patrias in Los Angeles celebrate Ecuadorean Independence Day, which is officially August 10. It usually takes place the closest Saturday to that date at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Site. More info: (213) 361-6008 e-mail: njmedina@pacbell.net

Continue to Filipino through Vietnamese Ethnic Festivals on Page 2-3.

The Festival of Philippine Art and Culture (FPAC) is an annual festival celebrating Filipino arts, crafts, music and dance at Pt. Fermin Park in San Pedro in September.

Oktoberfest celebrates Bavarian culture in multiple celebrations around Los Angeles and Orange County with events lasting anywhere from one day to two months. Check out the full list of Oktoberfest Events around LA.

The Phoenix Club in Anaheim also celebrates the German tradition of the annual Christkindl-Markt Christmas market.

Every Greek church in Southern California has an annual festival with music, dancing, and of course great Greek food. I've put together a list of all 19 Southern California Greek Festivals.

Sometimes the culture of individual Pacific Islands are celebrated in their own festivals, and on other occasions they celebrate common traditions all together.
Northridge Community Hawaiian Festival in May
Pacific Island Festival at the Aquarium of the Pacific in June
The Lotus Festival at Echo Park in July
Ho'olaule'a Hawaiian Festival in Lawndale the 3rd weekend in July
Tafesilafai Pacific Islander Festival is a week-long celebration in Long Beach in July
Tiki Festival in Long Beach in August
E Hula Mau Hula and Chant Competition in Long Beach, Labor Day Weekend in September
 

Los Angeles and Orange County each have a huge Irish Fair, plus special events in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Here are more details:

• LA County Irish Fair in Pomona
• The Big Irish Fair in Long Beach
• St. Patrick's Day Events in LA

The Feast of San Gennaro is an Italian street festival that takes place every September in the heart of Hollywood. The Italian community in LA also celebrates St. Joseph's Day in March, and there's a Venetian Carnevale in Long Beach around February or March. The latest addition is Victorio's Italian Festival the last weekend in October in the San Fernando Valley.

Nisei Week is actually several weeks of activities in August celebrating Japanese culture in Los Angeles. Highlights are two weekend festivals with Japanese food, crafts, music and street dancing. The Japanese New Year celebration in Little Tokyo in January and the Tea Festival in August at the Japanese American National Museum are some other celebrations in the Japanese community.

Most of the local synagogues and Jewish community Centers have their own smaller celebrations for the major Jewish holidays, but there are public Hanukkah Festivals and Menorah Lightings at several prominent locations in Los Angeles. There is also an annual Israel Independence Day Festival that takes place each May. It has moved from Woodley Park to the Cheviot Hills Recreation Center.

Related: Discovering Jewish Los Angeles

The annual Los Angeles Korean Festival includes a parade through Korea Town, music, dancing, food and cultural exhibits at the end of September or beginning of October. There is also an annual Korean Music Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.

Little Lithuania is in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles and so is the annual Los Angeles Lithuanian Fair at St. Casimir's Church each October.

The Orange County Lebanese Festival takes place every September at St. John Maron Church in the City of Orange.

St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Downtown LA holds a Mediterranean Festival every October with Middle Eastern food and music.

The largest ethnic population in Los Angeles is Mexican, so it's no surprise that there are many celebrations of Mexican culture in LA. Here are some of the biggest.

• Tres Reyes/Three Kings - January 6
• Cinco de Mayo - near the 5th of May
• The Guelaguetza Festival (Oaxaca) in August
• Mexican Independence Day Events - near the 16th of September
• Dia de Los Muertos - Nov 1-2
• Las Posadas - Dec 16 for 9 nights

More ways to explore Latino LA

LA has the largest Native American population in the nation. First Nations people who are transplants from other parts of the country hold pow wows at various venues around Southern California, often associated with colleges and universities. Local California Indians maintain their own cultural practices and gatherings.

• So CA Indian Center Pow Wows
• UCLA Pow Wow
• Life Before Columbus Day, the weekend before Columbus Day
• Moompetam at the Aquarium of the Pacific
• American Indian Arts Marketplace at the Autry

There are multiple Puerto Rican Festivals in the Los Angeles area in June and August. Two are in Long Beach, two in San Dimas. One of the most popular is the the Dia de San Juan Festival in Long Beach in June.

The Russian Arts and Culture Festival is just one component of this week-long celebration in May of all things Russian in West Hollywood.

Every year in February the Scottish Clans of Southern California gather for the Queen Mary ScotsFestival in Long Beach. Popular events include the parade of clans, bagpipe and drum competitions, Highland Games, dance exhibitions, musical performances, vendor booths and whisky tastings.

Scottish Festival Photos

The Orange County Scottish Fest takes place Memorial Day Weekend at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

The Thai community in Los Angeles is centered in an area of East Hollywood known as Thai Town. Thai New Year is the same date as Cambodian New Year in April and there are multiple festivals to celebrate including a street fair on Hollywood Boulevard and a festival at a local temple.

Vietnamese New Year is celebrated at the same time as Chinese New Year, which is usually in February, with multiple events in Orange County.