It’s CicLAvia weekend, so your Sunday should be set… but what about the days before? Well, GOOD LA is launching this weekend with events Friday through Sunday at Atwater Crossing, up-and-comers The Naked & Famous are playing at The Echoplex tonight, filmmaker Kevin Smith is having an early premiere of his new film Red State at The Wiltern on Saturday night, and Sunday is all about taking the streets back. Have fun!

To plan your trip and to check all other transit options, please consult Google Transit or the Metro Trip Planner.

Friday, April 8

GOOD LA Launch Weekend: Steal This Idea
L.A.’s urban challenges meet meet design solutions in front of a live audience, followed by Q&A and cocktail hour.
Website: http://www.good.is/LA
When: 7pm-10pm
Price: FREE (must RSVP on website)
Where: Atwater Crossing, 3229 Casitas Avenue
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: San Fernando/Fletcher (90/91, 94, 603, 794)

The Dodos at El Rey
The Dodos’ wildly percussive style is still centered around two key elements: the punchy percussion of Logan Kroeber and the Fahey-infused finger-picking of frontman Meric Long.
Website: http://www.theelrey.com/
When: 8pm
Price: $17
Where: El Rey, 5515 Wilshire Blvd.
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: Wilshire/La Brea (20, 212/312, 720)

The Naked & Famous at The Echoplex
Quite possibly the best band you’ve never heard (yet), Auckland’s The Naked And Famous won’t be a secret for too much longer.
Website: http://www.attheecho.com/
When: 8:30pm
Price: $15
Where: The Echoplex, 1145 Glendale Boulevard
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: Glendale/Park (92), Sunset/Park (2/302, 4), Sunset/Alvarado(704, 2/302, 4, 200, 603)

Japan Film Festival at New Beverly Cinema
ll the profit made at the festival will be donated to victims of Japan Earthquake and Tsunami via Japanese Red Cross Society.
Website: http://www.newbevcinema.com/
When: Various times, all weekend.
Price: $30
Where: 7165 Beverly Blvd.
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: Beverly/La Brea (14/37, 212/312)

Arlo Guthrie & Friends at Royce Hall
Son of the illustrious Woody Guthrie and current patriarch of folk music’s most notable family, Arlo Guthrie returns to UCLA Live with his Journey On tour featuring his son Abe Guthrie and folk-rock trio The Burns Sisters.
Website: http://www.uclalive.org/
When: 8pm
Price: $33-$53
Where: UCLA Royce Hall, 340 Royce Dr.
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: Hilgard/Charing Cross (2/302, 233, 305, 761)
Other operators: UCLA Ackerman Loop (Big Blue Bus 1, 2, 3, 8, 12, 22)

Noche de Estrellas at The Aquarium of the Pacific
Meet Chivas players and enjoy live Latin music, DJs, dancing, diver & animal shows, scavenger hunts with prizes, Mexican cuisine and drinks, and more!
Website: http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/
When: 6:30-10:30pm
Price: $12.95
Where: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way
Nearby Metro Rail: Blue Line Long Beach Transit Mall Station

DESTINATION DISCOUNT AVAILABLE
“Having it All” at NoHo Arts Center
A hilarious and moving World Premiere musical in which five women — each with their own hopes, secrets and desires — find themselves trapped together in a boarding area of JFK airport.
Website: http://www.thenohoartscenter.com/
When: 8pm
Price: $40 (Show your Metro Pass, Metro Rail Ticket or TAP Card at the box office and receive 25% off)
Where:  11136 Magnolia Blvd.
Nearby Metro Rail: Red Line North Hollywood Station
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: Orange Line North Hollywood Station, Magnolia/Lankershim (152/353, 156/656, 183, 224)

More weekend events, after the jump.

Saturday, April 9

GOOD LA Launch Weekend: Pop-up Community Center
Atwater Crossing transforms into a pop-up community center with DIY workshops, home ec classes, a local marketplace, hack-a-thons, field trips, a bartering center and many other opportunities to explore, improve and give back to L.A.
Website: http://www.good.is/LA
When: 7pm-10pm
Price: FREE (must RSVP on website)
Where: Atwater Crossing, 3229 Casitas Avenue
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: San Fernando/Fletcher (90/91, 94, 603, 794)

Bloom: Daniel Wheeler and Michael Okwu at Pasadena Museum of California Art
Bloom, a new installation by Los Angeles-based artist Daniel Wheeler, contains both video and structural elements, and is intended as an elegy to the struggle of a single life, with its grind and pull, and momentary flashes of beauty. Daniel Wheeler and journalist Michael Okwu as they discuss the work and the viewer’s journey from the actual installation to some of its themes.
Website: http://pmcaonline.org/
When: 4pm
Price: $7
Where: Pasadena Museum of California Art, 490 East Union Street
Nearby Metro Rail: Gold Line Memorial Park Station
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: Los Robles/Union (264/267, 686/687), Colorado/Oakland (180/181, 256, 686/687)

G. Love & Special Sauce at House of Blues
G. Love & Special Sauce are a Philadelphia-based trio whose laid-back, sloppy blues sound is quite unique, as it encompasses the sound/production of classic R&B and recent rap artists.
Website: http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/sunsetstrip/
When: 9pm
Price: $22.50
Where: 8430 Sunset Blvd.
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: Sunset/Kings (2/302)

Kevin Smith’s Red State at The Wiltern
Filmmaker Kevin Smith has announced a national screening and Q&A tour for his new film Red State. Produced and shot outside of the traditional studio system with a $4 Million US budget, Red State represents a thematic and stylistic departure for Smith, who is best known for his series of comedies such as Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma.
Website: http://www.livenation.com/The-Wiltern-tickets-Los-Angeles/venue/73790
When: 7pm
Price: $55-$65
Where: The Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Boulevard
Nearby Metro Rail: Purple Line Wilshire/Western Station
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: Wilshire/Western (20, 66, 207, 209, 710, 757)

Strada Trio at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Strada Trio members Hana Kim, Erin Breene and Young Yoo have Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Juilliard School.
Website: http://www.hollywoodforever.com/
When: 7:00pm
Price: $20
Where: Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd.
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: Santa Monica/Gower (4, 156/656)

Sunday, April 10

CicLAvia
The route encompasses Boyle Heights, Little Tokyo, Downtown, MacArthur Park, Koreatown and East Hollywood. The event is free and family-friendly with no official “start” or “finish,” so participants may enter and depart anywhere along the way. Businesses and restaurants along the CicLAvia route will be open and participants are encouraged to patronize these establishments.
Website: http://www.ciclavia.org/
When: 10am-3pm
Price: FREE
Where: Boyle Heights, Little Tokyo, Downtown, MacArthur Park, Koreatown and East Hollywood
See this post for tips on going Metro

GOOD LA Launch Weekend: Rio Arriba Tour
Sunset, drinks, delicious food, digitropical flavor.
Website: http://www.good.is/LA
When: 4pm-10pm
Price: $5, or FREE with proof of bicycle transportation (helmet or bike)
Where: Atwater Crossing, 3229 Casitas Avenue
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: San Fernando/Fletcher (90/91, 94, 603, 794)

An Afternoon of Music at MOCA
In conjunction with William Leavitt: Theater Objects, the artist presents an afternoon of live music, with performances of original compositions by Judicanti Responsura and Joseph Hammer, as well as works by Kraig Grady.
Website: http://www.moca.org/
When: 3-5pm
Price: FREE
Where: MOCA, 250 S. Grand Ave.
Nearby Metro Rail: Red/Purple Line Civic Center Station
Nearby Metro Bus Stops: Grand/3rd (14/37, 70, 71, 76, 78/79/378, 96, 442, 485, 487/489, 770, Silver Line)