See also:

*Our Calendar Section, Listing More Great Things to Do in L.A.

With Memorial Day weekend on the horizon, L.A. is giving you the opportunity to expect the unexpected. Save the burgers, fireworks and beer to fuel your patriotic fervor for the Fourth of July — this week, Korean BBQ, knit graffiti and HempCon, among other endeavors, will help burst your celebrations out of the box.

5. Everybody Must Get Stoned

This year's HempCon features live actions by some of the controlled substance's most uncontrollable creative forces: EPMD, Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs, Cappadonna of Wu-Tang Clan and Redman, among many others. Lest you think this is one big, blacklight orgy of people flapping their arms like chickens on their way to score some M, there also are seminars on how to start a delivery service (just like Samson Simpson!), how to be compliant in California (whether that means being in line with California law or just acting nice when the cops bust down your door) and a lecture (but not a scolding) by keynote speaker and helpful attorney Freddy Sayegh. Yes, we can(nabis)! L.A. Convention Center, Hall B, 1201 S. Figueroa St., dwntwn.; Fri., May 24-Sun., May 26; $20 per day. (626) 961-6522, hempcon.com. — David Cotner

4. It's a Small (Dance) World After All

Don't call it a festival. Dance Bistro 2013 is more like a feast — with 13 companies in two (mostly) different programs over two nights. Each show is preceded by video streaming of the dress rehearsals; low-priced tickets should lure dance fans away from the grill Memorial Day weekend. Presented by the TuTu Foundation and Mandarin Orange Performing Arts, both nights promise an aerial kickline from Luminario Ballet, a premiere from choreographer Kyle Abraham danced by the excellent modern troupe BODYTRAFFIC, and a contemporary Chinese dance company performing to new music from Swedish composer Henrik Åström, joined by a half-dozen other companies each night. Southern California has long been a mecca for fusion cuisine thanks to our diversity; it's only natural the region should give rise to a fusion dance festival. Catch a preview at dancebistro.com. Richard & Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 Atherton St., Long Beach; Fri.-Sat., May 24-25, 8 p.m., $5. (562) 985-7000, dancebistro2013.brownpapertickets.com. — Ann Haskins

3. A Laugh a Minute

L.A.'s improv community assembles again for the second annual Los Angeles Indie Improv Festival. The one-day, 12-hour event will be jam-packed with laughs as more than 125 improv groups perform across three stages in Hollywood. The festival is produced by indie comedy shows Crashbar Improv, the Manifesto Show, Room 101, Tuesday Night Thunder and the 11th Hour show, who joined forces to create a festival showcasing the vast base of talented improv ensembles that perform outside of established comedy theaters (see: IO West, Upright Citizens Brigade, etc.). In true indie spirit, you'll see a multitude of improv styles, from groups that create an entire one-act musical based on your suggestion to weirder, more experimental comedy sets. It's all made up on the spot and it's all free, though donations are highly encouraged. Art/Works Theatre, 6569 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Oh! My Ribs Stage, 6468 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Clubhouse Theatre, 1107-A El Centro, Hlywd.; all Sat., May 25, noon-mid.; free. Laindieimprovfestival.com. — Steve La

Yarn bombing; Credit: laweekly.com

Yarn bombing; Credit: laweekly.com

2. Guerillas in the Knits

An army of 500 “guerrilla knitters” from the world of craft and crochet spanning all 50 states and 25 countries has been working hard since October, amassing an arsenal of more than 12,000 five-inch yarn panels. Their mission? To “bomb” the Craft and Folk Art Museum. CAFAM: Granny Squared is essentially a homemade quilt for the whole building. But as followers of the Yarn Bombers know, it's much more than the sum of its parts. Operating since 2010, the Yarn Bombers regularly produce temporary public art from the intimate to the ambitious — think of it as “knit graffiti,” popping up all over the urban sprawl. From sweaters for denuded trees to patches for blighted buildings or fences, word-based messages in unlikely locales and even gallery-style interior installations, a brightly hued comfort emanates from their hands and needles, transforming some lucky corners of the city. Blending the goals and strategies of activism and gentrification, art and craft, architecture and nature, institution and access, Yarn Bombing creates public art that is made by and for the people. This particular bomb will be visible only until June 1; after that, this corps of “Granny Squares” is being turned into scores of comfy, cozy, colorful blankets for Christmas distribution on Skid Row. Craft and Folk Art Museum, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-City; Sat., May 25, 7-9 p.m.; $12. Exhibition continues Tues.-Fri., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat.- Sun., noon-6 p.m.; $7. (323) 937-4230, cafam.org. — Shana Nys Dambrot

1. Seoul Food

Step away from the hot dog and hamburger buns! Something far more interesting awaits you this Memorial Day weekend as Street serves up Korean fare from chefs Susan Feniger and Kajsa Alger at Korean BBQ of Giant Proportions. If you're a Food Network fan and cookbook connoisseur, you'll recognize Feniger's name. First known for her restaurants with Mary Sue Milliken, including Santa Monica's Border Grill, she starred in many an episode of Too Hot Tamales and Tamales World Tour and even penned Mexican Cooking for Dummies. Street was her first venture with Alger as a co-owner, and this weekend the restaurant will team up with Giant Robot (the people behind the West L.A. shop that hosts many a quirky art show) for an evening of delish Korean BBQ, kimchi, cold drinks and more. Relax on the patio while digging into dishes like beef short ribs, washing it down with drinks from the sake lounge — including a summertime sake punch. The event runs most of the day, so bring your appetite and leave behind any dreams of a summer-ready diet. Street, 742 N. Highland Ave, Hlywd.; Sun., May 26, noon-9 p.m.; $35 up to 48 hours before event, $45 at the door. (323) 203-0500, eatatstreet.com. — Eva Recinos

See also:

*Our Calendar Section, Listing More Great Things to Do in L.A.

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